I ate at these locations on Tuesday. The first three are on S. Orange at the border of Pine Castle and Belle Isle. The last is on OBT a little south (one strip mall) of Sand Lake.
Gnarly Barley - I had a whole wheat panini "veggie monster" of cucumber, cream cheese, tomato, cheese and some kind of spread or dressing that I can't recall. I know. Who goes to a place like this for rabbit food? But, if you had eaten as much southern fried and barbequed mess (see how Southern I got on my trip) as I had in the last six days then your body would also be keen on anything green. Not that this bomb was any less fattening. However, it didn't protein stress my metabolism. It cost $7. It was fine. It needed a foil to the savourinness. I employed hot sauce. Anything spicy or piquante would work. I suggest they add it to the makeup. Very one note as is. I combo-ed it for an extra $2. That meant a drink and a side. I chose mac 'n cheese because of course theirs is legend - wait for it - dary. It was good. The sandwich was big. The place is small. It seats about 30 inside and 30 on a patio. It's really a shack. They do the whole pretentious beer thing and have what I'm now going to refer to as a hipster menu (since it is becoming so cliche). Thankfully no burgers. The menu is small. Around a dozen items. Mostly sandwiches with fattening accoutrements. It's perfectly quaint and appears to be actively managed. The twist here is the hipster is a girl. Grab your free trade bicycle with the one big wheel in front and a small wheel in back and the girl from the Haverty's commercial and comb out your 1850's beard and be the locavore you were born to be. Service was good. The place was near capacity at lunch.
Tartini - I had a pollo parmigiana panini with a side salad to go for $8. It was very good. It really was more of a sub than a pressed panini. They julianned the chicken. I have never seen it served that way. It allowed the chicken to lay in the bread and absorb the sauce and cheese better than a whole piece does. The cheese "blend" is a combo of fontina, mozzarella, provolone and parmesan. BTW - did I tell you provolone is just old mozzarella? I also just learned (not for here) that fruits and vegetables grown at the northern most sections of their growing area are always the best. Back to irrelevant nonsense about where I eat. It came with a side salad of romaine, cherry tomatos, red onion. Basic, but, crisp. The place is brand spanking new and kind of an oddity in this run down industrial neighborhood. Well every waterfall starts with... The owner is Slovenian and for those of you brought up in the public school system, that is not part of old Czechoslovakia. It's the northern most part of old Yugoslavia on the eastern border of Italy. A beautiful area. He has created a very modern and clean space. Very steely. The man loves his grey. And glass. The menu has a little Northern Italian feel, but, more like American Italian. Small selection of greatest hits. I hear the specials can bring some excitement. The big draw (I think) is wood fired pizzas. It's a little closer to downtown than Gnarly
Old Dixie Fried Chicken - A relic. 50 years + old. A great old sign. I had a two piece for $3.45. Small breast and wing. Gave me a little stomach noise. Hardly breaded. Could have been fried a little longer. They have a dine in area. Go for nostalgia. A little closer to downtown than Tartini. On the other side of the street near where S. Orange forks for a little.
Middle East Deli - Threw this in because I had to get some stuff at IKEA. Had a great falafel pita for $7. And I'd like to preface this with the admission that I don't love falafel or pitas. Just couldn't do meat as I've previously explained. This may be the best falafel in the city. The one negative was a little too much raw garlic in the falafel. But, the hummus was great. They added a bunch of pickled items (an actual tiny gerkhin and some kind of root vegetable - maybe jicama) that set it off. The falafels were freshly fried. They give you five or six golf ball sized nuggets. The people were nice (Lebanese and Egyptians). The meny has a few more things than most of these places. They have three rotating spits. They sell Middle Eastern consumables and trinkets. Once again, the first place I've seen represent Egypt. The place is basic and seats around 40. More of a deli.
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