I ate as these places this Thursday for lunch. The first in on University near Golden Rod. The rest are near Mills and 50.
Thaitanic Sushi - I love a good pun, but, this name really is appropriate. A disaster. I believe this is where half the family that ran that Thai Place around UCF re-emerged after they razed their building. The new location is dump next to other dumps. It's small (thabkfully). I would not suggest anything other than take out orders and probably just Thai take out. I ordered a Thai Bento box (they don't have a Thai word for this?) for $10 after perusing the regular lunch specials and deciding they were all worse values than you get almost everyplace else. I chose (from 3) drunken noodles and a JB roll (because almost all the choices were fish less rolls). The noodles were ok. Probably reheated. It had a fair amount of chicken. The flavors were fine. The JB Roll (Salmon and cream cheese) was a joke. The salmon cut was full of string. I had to pull them from the fish to avoid choking. the rice also proved that they don't know have to make sushi. It was too vinegary and mushy. The miso soup was either very "artisinal" or so old that the curd was like loose cottage cheese. The sea weed was limp as - insert your own joke here. I've never been served miso soup that way so it was either the greatest bowl ever or they just leave it in a pot forever. The salad (if you can call iceberg lettuce a salad - I mean, seriously - you are a culture that obsesses about EVERYTHING and you let that phone in be your national salad) was ok. the dressing was a little sweet and as usual way too pervasive. The place seats about 30. There two white ladies there and a counter of assorted Asian gangsters that seemed to be regulars or family. Avoid.
Boston Bakery and Cafe - I had avoided this Vietnamese place because I had never heard anyone laud Vietnamese desserts and the name just added nothing but doubt to it's potential. I read an article that informed me that they did Bahn Mi so I reconsidered. I had just gone through the Thaitanic disappointment and a subsequent one (Nacho Mama's closed before I could try them), so, I was happy when I got my Number 1 Bahn Mi with pork (really pork roll like chicken roll is to chicken), pate and head cheese for $3.50. I don't love pate and I'm only trying head cheese to please Andrew Zimmern (I'm starting to doubt his palette), so, it says a lot that I loved it. A fresh roll. Good greens. Great value. They have around 8 versions of the sandwich. They also serve some ridiculously cheap pork buns and boba teas. At $3 how wrong could they go? Try it and if you don't like it feed it to the pigeons and try another. It's near the gar station that has the food trucks on the eastern (UCF) of Vietnamtown.
Chuan Lu - This place is a sub-lease of the Ginza restaurant on the western edge of Vietnamtown. Not sure how they are related. I had Shanghai Smoked Fish appetizer to go because I only have one stomach and it was full. It was an experiment and it was kind of gross. I think it was mackerel from the color of the skin and the shape of the chunks. They ruined whatever smoky goodness there may have been in the fish by battering it with some sweet goo. Not a combo this Westerner appreciated. It cost $6. They were generous with the portion size. I almost went with a salt duck, but, they said it was boiled. They also have some "weird" stuff like: smoked bran (the vegetable), stomach, shrimp celery (?), bean gel, etc. They have hot pots, dumplings, pork, poultry (including duck), beef, lamb, seafood, etc. They have lunch specials. Seems like a good play for the adventurous and the timid. Their side only seats about forty. Not sure if they let it spill over into Ginza.
Quantum Leap Winery - I was going to see if the Turkish place on Mills was just renamed or had new owners when I saw it was closed. Just behind it I saw this place. I had been looking for it for over a year. It's a nice facility. I wish I could say as much for the wine. I had a sample of their Venuto inspired white and the reserve version of that. The reserve was good. I bought a Riesling. It was terrible. I've had New Zealand Sauvignon's that were less bitter. Very watery too. It was robbery at $14.
1 comment:
Good dumplings at Chuan Lu. Other stuff was very hit or miss.
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