Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Grub Crawl - I Drive: Boi Brazil, Sugar Factory and Paramount Fine Foods (Closed)

I went to these places yesterday for lunch/ The first is off Kirkman on the north end and the other two are at the Ferris wheel.

Boi Brazil - I expected this review to be unkind. They really surprised me. To start with, I don't love these kinds of establishments. If I'm going to be impelled towards gluttony, I don't want it to be something that takes days to digest. I've bypassed this place numerous times because I knew I would still look pregnant come the weekend. And there is always a chance that a stranger might see me naked on the weekend. Although, it seems to be the case that a belly full of meat isn't as bad as one filled with carbs. Especially if you forgo carbonated beverages. I will say that all the passengers are still on the train at this point in time though. This place is a Brazilian churasscuria. They prepare ten skewers of meat that they bring table side. They also include a "buffet" of salads, pasta, soup, etc. I tried ten things. Some multiple times. Everything was good. I had sirloin, top sirloin, tritip, garlic steak, sausage, chicken drumstick, chicken breast wrapped in bacon, parmesan crusted pork chop. lamb, and maybe another type of sirloin. I really liked the tritip and steak. I also had a sample of cous cous, tabouli, chicken salad, potato salad, beets, tomato and mozzarella and a sauce that I think was meant for the spaghetti. All were fresh. The beets and mozz tasted soapy. Maybe the plate was soapy in that area. They also provided some interesting "rolls" that were more like popovers and were called bao de something. I think they were warm. I didn't taste until the end of the meal. I would say that the $25 buy in ($5 more at dinner) is a little steep unless you have a Homer Simpson like stomach. However, I've spent $17 on four wings and a tritip sandwich at 4 Rivers. So, I guess that isn't that outrageous. It helps that the free magazines around I Drive have a coupon that drops the price to $21. The water wasn't disgusting, so, you can save three more bucks if you stick with that. The price is equivalent to Fogo or Texas. I was worried that this place wouldn't provide the same selection and the ambiance is obviously less apparent. However, they compare equally on meat. I don't think the other two have a coupon. The decor is a little shabby. It feels a little cheap. It seats about sixty. It started getting full as I ate. They have been there for two years. They own the terrible pizza place next door and what was called Nelore in Winter Park. I was prepared to tell you to avoid this place. Now I would say that it has good, fresh food. Use a coupon. There are some other places that charge less. They have less meat selections.

Sugar Factory - This is a candy/ice cream restaurant chain that is in around eight other cities. There is some affiliation with the Jenner Kardashian girls. The restaurant part is only open at night. It has a Cheesecake Factory feel. The menu is way smaller and is mostly desserts, crepes and around ten meals. They have a Sunday brunch with a full menu. I had a strawberry ice cream (1 scoop) for $4. I was fluffy and didn't taste like it was concocted with natural ingredients. It looks nice. Very white (color not race). It's not cheap. An impressive looking ice cream sandwich was $10. They have been open for three months.

Paramount Fine Foods - This is apparently a Canadian chain. They are opening up in Lake Mary (old Lime locale) and Downtown. It's Lebanese style Middle Eastern cuisine. I just had a falafel sandwich to go for $6. It was ok. It may have been better if I ate it right away. It needed more sauce. The falafels were a little dry. They added pickled turnips (I think), parsley, tomato and green peppers. The menu is typical: shwarma, kebabs, kafta, dips, sujuk (sausage), burgers, etc. They also do pizza and manakeesh (Middle Eastern pizza). They said that they started as a service less endeavour, but, now they have that. The place is big. It seats around eighty. It has a glass waterfall at the entrance. The seats have an alligator pattern. The inside is mostly dark earth tones. The kitchen is in the back. They have a dessert counter and a take out counter in the middle. I missed the lunch specials. They may need some more bus boys. Alot of the tables were still a pig sty. I'm not sure if they get alot of children or adult customers that act like them. Lunch specials end at 2pm. They have been open for nine months. The serve breakfast. Alot of Middle Eastern looking families were eating there. They are behind the Shake Shack.

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