This is a combo from today and yesterday. I had lunch at one of the places then came back and bought some thing to eat while watching the Superbowl at the others. The first three are on 434 between I4 and Ronald Reagan Parkway. Mikado is on Lake Mary Blvd.
Bite Hot Dog Company - I had a Bloody Mary Basket here for $6.69. It was a hot dog with tomato, olives, celery, horse radish pepper sauce and celery salt. It came with fresh cut fries and a drink. The dog was ok. I'm not big on these Mid West "salad" dogs. It's $3.49 on its own. I think anything over $2 is too much for a dog. This turned out to be just 20 cents over the cheapest available dog ($3.29). They top out at $4.29. The have some interesting combos (mashed potato dog). The fries were undercooked. They gave you a large (half the basket) portion. I would advise them to relax on order fulfillment speed and concentrate on quality. They seemed understaffed, so I will chalk it up to that. The place seats about 50. It was pretty full. It's mostly counter top seating. They have four tables inside and more on a patio. It is similar to Moe's in that they have rock 'n' roll quotes on the wall. The wall is bright red. The place is clean. They are not a chain. They have been open for ten months. I would go back if the traffic around the place weren't so bad or if they weren't inconveniently in the middle of the morass of 434.
La Parada Criolla - I ordered some chicken wings and fries to go for $5.50. I really wasn't in the mood for "island" Spanish food (Puerto Rican), but, I wanted to knock this place out while I was in the neighborhood and traffic was lighter. It's in a strip mall where they have some night club. The new owner took over a hamburger joint that was run by the nightclub's owner. They have the expected fare. The soups and entrees (like most of these places) seem a little expensive, but conversely, the sandwiches and desserts seem too cheap. They have lunch specials starting at $5. They serve breakfast. The owner was very nice. Try it out so she can quit her other job and concentrate on school and/or her kids.
Joy Luck - I could have sworn I ate her before, but, it isn't in the search. They said they have been open for three years. I had a Kung Pao dinner for $10. It came with a huge amount of pork fried rice, a good egg roll and wanton soup. It's still not the Kung Pao I was raised on. They use a black sauce. Alot of it. It wasn't very spicy. The chicken they used was mostly dark meat scraps. It seats about 60. It's behind Bayridge sushi. Nice owners.
Mikado - I made the mistake of eating here on a Monday (I hope for their sake). I received fish that was probably delivered on Thursday. As such, my sashimi platter for $12 wasn't very fresh. It was ten pieces. The tuna was bland. The salmon was pasty and tasteless. The white tuna was soft. The tough fluke ironically had the most flavor. It came with a salad (or soup) that was drenched in dressing. I needed something healthy after the Super Bowl junk fest. I should have reconsidered. The place is the old Fuji. They jettisoned the hibachi tables (they do that in the back now). Other than that it is similar. I had similarly bad experiences at Fuji. I will put these guys on the black list as well. They think they are high end (and charge that way), but, I don't have them in my top twenty. I would suggest Samurai sushi instead. They have better pricing and know better than to try and pimp the sushi bar when the whole restaurant is empty.
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