I tried these restaurants at lunch over a week ago. The first is on OBT near/under 408 (and the Citrus Bowl). The other is in the corner of that new condo complex on Orange Ave (across from the court house).
Art's Sandwich Shop - They are (must be) a vestige of old Orlando. They have been there since 1972 and I bet it was a very different neighborhood back then. They and a cowboy bar next door seem very out of place. What isn't is the food and prices. I saw it a while back when google maps did their usual bang up job of pinpointing that Grille restaurant I reviewed before the summer. It looked like a fun old timey place. I had a "famous" cheesesteak for $7 (with tax) to go. It was very respectable. A goodly amount of meat and a decent roll. They have a variety of sandwiches and subs and salads and dogs. They have seating inside. It looks like a café, but, you order at a counter. It was packed. Seats about forty. The people were nice. They have parking. It has to be the number one choice for game day. I might even go back just because.
The Ramen - The chef ran something at Disney. Now he's here. I had takoyaki ($4 for 3) and a tonokotsu ramen bowl ($12). The takoyaki was ok. I've had it very delicate and very dense (fritter like). This was in the middle. I'm not sure how it is supposed to come out, but, I wager it is supposed to be delicate. So, gauge for yourself. The ramen had a milky pork broth and pork belly as the centerpieces. The broth was ok. The belly was a bit dry/overcooked. Two pieces. They said this one had thinner noodles. They seemed "normal" size to me. They were ok. The half of a hard boiled egg was perfect. The yolk was almost soft boiled. I disliked the ginger and the pickled bamboo shoots. I think that's what the thin, rectangular yellow things were. I'm sure they are there to provide contrast/brightness. But, they just clashed or tasted bad. If anything the proportion/ratio should be reduced. The place is a boring square that looks ten years old already (not brand new). They were blasting some insipid Japanese language cartoon on the tv. The place probably seats forty. Among the provocations they expose you to is a lack of parking (the meter maid/man was ever present.- maybe he should be at the border - it's funny what we put our energy towards enforcing - maybe that's the solution - you have to pay for a "parking spot" in America - when you stop paying you must leave or you get a ticket) and an early closing time (8pm). They offered a few other apps and bowls. You knew I wasn't going to be too impressed and I wasn't. Small/simple menu, bad hours, bad parking situation, ugly room and average execution. Maybe now I see why he "used" to run a place at Disney. They are phoning it in. That may be enough for you? It wasn't terrible. They have been open for a month or two.
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