Bawarchi, International Drive

 I tried this Indian franchise across from the Tasty Freeze in the middle area of the drive on Wednesday at lunch. The new (Endless Summer) hotels are near by. Surprisingly, they said they have been there for three years. So much for my observational skills. The (manhandled) menu said they have 50 locations across the US and Canada. The lady who was there said 60. They have three in Florida. One in Jacksonville and two in South Florida. I was aprehensive when I ordered. The place was empty. I Drive is empty. Covid. Indian thrift. Unbussed tables. Franchise. It all added up to disaster. So, I tried something simple-ish. I had a dosa. I gambled with the filling. I tried minced goat kheema. It was prepared in a Hyderbad (south) style. I figured any meat would be of suspicious quality, so, why try and out think the Universe. I was pleasantly surprised. The dosa was huge and well made. I'll make up a word and say "well creped". The goat had great flavor. Generous portioning. They cut it into four sections. It came with a chick pea and lentil sambal (which I thought was what they called Indonesian hot sauce). This had a drumstick chicken bone hanging out of it for some reason. They also served it with three big cups of chutneys. A peanut. A hot one. A sweet one (probably tamarind). The lady said peanut is a southern Indian thing. There were some in the goat too. I was happy with my choice. No after effects. The menu was really good. Especially for a franchise. I think it is the most extensive Indian one in CF. They specialize in biryani. Not really my favorite Indian dish. They had tandoor stuff, veggie stuff, tikka masala, etc. Plus alot of stuff I hadn't seen before. They serve most meats (no cow and no pork I think) and seafood. I'd give it a try here or in one of the other cities. My only crictisms were: they put a bottle of water on the table and then charged $2 for it (no notification), there was garbage on other tables (plenty of time to clear it), the dick heads that came in for take out orders had the volume on their smart phones on ten and of course were either on speakerphone or listening to annoying shit while they waited, the meal was served on a paper plate and a can of Coke was $2.50. If they could control the greed gene and hire a busboy and keep the Uber eats drivers out doors, the experience could be refered to as being pleasureable. 

*I had intended to pick up something to go at the sushi or Turkish place I mentioned in the Makani post. They don't open until dinner it seems. I also saw some stuff on that (the mall) side of I drive. The mall on the right (Bass Pro Shop) is now called something like Dezerland. An attraction of some sort. Not sure if it is open. The strip mall that holds the Peter Glenn ski store has some turnover. There is a sushi place (Hidden Sushi) in the corner that I think was once a Portuguese place. Two places you have to pass to get to it aren't open or under remodel (Camel something and Thunder Burger).

**I am reminded every time I drive through downtown about some mindless cheerleading I heard from a little twerp (who refers to himself as Trooper Steve because there is no way you would presume that that was his profession if he didn't) on the news. He thinks this stretch of highway is perfectly fine. Not a serpentined, rolling error in urban planning. One that should have been "straightened out" (literally) during the I-4 boondoggle. Anbody that has an issue with it is obviously an unfit driver. Not to mention there is another poorly designed stretch of freeway near Winter Park. I am reminded of twerpy's opinion every time I almost get rear ended as me and my fellow drivers enter the undualating S turns that drop us from 70 to 35 in a tenth of a mile. Could they at least put up one of those swervy icy road signs ahead of this sand trap?

***I saw this opinion piece in between car dealer ads from the guy who is always trying to karate chop a fly buzzing in front of him, the one with a a frontal view of Spuds McKenzie's lipstick doggy ding dong, the one with the Flinstone proportioned giant with two foot legs, a belt and then five feet of torso and the chubby little Arab (maybe Puerto Rican) girl with a hairdo styled by Frank Gehry.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Deland and Orange City: Hyderhead Brewery, Forno Bello and Blue Springs Brewing

 I tried these places two Saturdays ago around dinner time. The first is at the end of the alley off the main street through town that holds Persimmon Hollow (one street south of the courthouse). I mentioned them briefly in a past post as being under construction. The second is on the main street. Half a block north. The last place is on 17-92 (they seem to call it S. Volusia) on the way back from Deland (if you don't take I-4).

Hyderhead Brewery - A Scottish owned brewery. Just opened. Nicely constructed, small room. I think they brew off site. I had a pale ale. I think it was called Caber Toss. It was good. I think it cost $5 (no printed receipts).The selection was limited. They were already out of things. It was full. Nice vibe. Parking across street. 

Forno Bello - I had their lasagna for $17. It was ok. A bit salty with bland beef. Basil helped. It was a huge portion. They said they do things to order. I did have to wait a while, so, I guess that may be true. It came with a iceberg and crouton Caesar salad. They don't sell sandwiches on the weekends. They had a wood burning (by the look) pizza oven. A 12 inch costs $13. Typical American Italian menu. Open three years. Terrible faux fresco work. Bad art. Tin ceiling from a non-Italian period of ownership. That clashed. Dark feel. Two rooms. One had a bar area. No hostess. I wasn't expecting much. Didn't exceed expectations.

Blue Springs Brewing - This was the real point of the trip. I spotted it a few weeks ago. Opened in 2018. A brewery. Big open space. Video game room. TVs. View of brewing area. Food. Good beer. I had a flight (5) for $8. They have (I think they invented) a petit IPA that was great. The other three IPA's (fruited, unfiltered and American) I tried were good, yet, I liked the weaker petit better. They made a oat lager (they said it was a Bohemian German style). It was very good. On the menu that day were seven lagers, four IPAs, two sours and six dark and heavys. If you are a beer lover, put this and Hyderhead on the your list. 

*7/8/2021 - I think Riverwalk Pizzeria is doing the food at Blue Springs now

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Mom's Home Cooking and Stavro's

 I tried these places on US 1 (Dixie) two Saturdays ago. Both are north (left) of 44. The first is on the right side after the Dairy Queen. The second is on the left. I believe I only have two places in this vacinity to go.

Mom's Home Cooking - A breakfast and lunch place that closes at 2pm. Cash only. Open since 1981. No frills, sqaure, white room with Grandma artwork. Good value. I had two eggs over easy, links sausage, home fries and toast for $6.75. I had something else for $1.55 (or that was for the sausage and it wasn't that great a value) on the receipt. I forget what that could have been. Eggs were cooked properly. Came out fast. They have a full breakfast and lunch menu. They were pushing the hand molded hamburgers. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Stavro's - I grabbed a slice for $4. It wasn't bad, but, that is too expensive. It was a thick, short slice with lots of pepperoni. spicy tomato sauce. Ok cheese. They also sell apps, grinders, wings, salads, pasta, wraps, ciabatta-wiches, gyros, stomboli and calzones. Better pricing there. The room is a bland square.

*This and the next will be short because I think I'm trying a bunch of places this week and you probably are sick of hearing about NSB.

Grub Crawl - Maitland: Boku, Cookit, and Santa Rosa Mexican Grill

I tried these places today at lunch. The first two are in the new apartments on 17-92 (Orange) and Howell Branch Rd. The second is techinically in Winter Park on Howell Branch Rd halfway between 17-92 and 436 (behind a 7-11).

Boku - You've heard me voice anger at the lack of clarity on it's hours of operation. After failing in my first half dozen attempts, I looked to see if they were open. They were. I had two of their lunch specials because I thought I was hungrier than I turned out to be and I wanted to report back on as much as possible. The first meal was a sushi and sashimi series for $15. It consisted of 4 pieces of sushi and 7 pieces of sashimi (I think I got 8) and a spicy tuna roll and a soup or salad (soup). The Good: red clam sushi, sea bream and yellowtail sashimi. The Meh: salmon sashimi (soft/little flavor), king salmon (skin on), octopus sahimi (does it ever not taste like rubber). The Ugly: tuna sushi (good color, stringy, soft), squid sushi (I hope that film underneath was some sort of sauce), tuna roll (mushy like the tuna it came from). The miso had mushrooms in it (enoki I think). A bit salty. Wasabe was old. Rice was ok. It wasn't molded properly. Fell apart.  It came on a long wooden board. The second course wasn't much better. It was a tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) bento box with salad or soup (salad), pork gyoza, vegetable spring roll, corn croquette, and brown or white rice or cold green tea noodles (noodles) for $12. The pork was dry and seemed old and was tatseless. The coating was ok. The sauce was bad. Too salty and sweet to what it should be. The gyoza were per usual. The spring roll wasn't cooked through. pasty inside. Same with the croquette. It tasted more like potato filling. Maybe a translation flub? The noodles were bad. A first taste for me. I didn't like the marriage. And the noodles were pasty. Old? Bad enough to begin with. Some edamame mixed in. It's a shame. They aren't far off from being respectable. Some better execution and fresher fish (and more attentive service) away. And maybe they could make sure the light bulbs didn't blink and a few other "blind eye" failings. Didn't see an owner/manager. maybe that is the issue? The menu is pretty large and offers many Japanese offerings and some pan-Asian fare (ie pad thai). The lunch specials alone would be some places whole menu. They have six bentos, seven sushi/sashimi meals, three rice and noodle choices and a two roll option with twelve rolls. They also had a seasonal menu. The main menu has cold and hot tastings (ie kobachi), makimono x 2 (special rolls), nigiri, sashimi, moriawase (chef constructed meals), ten hot entrees and desserts (they were actually interesting. hard to say for a Japanese restaurant. IE crepe, fried ice cream). The prices aren't outrageous. $3-4 for a piece of sushi. $5-9 for a roll. It's smaller than it seems. The left side of the door is the sushi bar area with three booths. I sat in the middle one. The ac blew right at me. I started at the first booth. The light there was blinking. That room had mis-matched (though nice) chandeliers. Behind the sushi bar is goldish stone. The booths were a shade of gray. The front walls are all windows. The right side booths look alike. They meander around in an reverse L shape. Perhaps they have outside seats? Service was spacey. First they were all over me. Then they disappeared. Then all over again. Too much ice in the $3 mini-glass. Limits the beverage and the type of ice they use makes it hard to drink. The ice slides into your mouth more than the soda. Refill was way overdue when it came. I kind had to draw attention to myself. There is one of those waving cats at the sushi bar. I don't think that is A Japanese thing. Maybe that is what is missing. Still has potential. I'll give it a lunch and a Covid exemption. It is under the overhang that you drive through to get to the back of the building. I guess it is open for lunch and dinner. I think it is coming up on a year in business. I think they said it means "I serve" or something like that. I presume it means "it's a place where everything is overseen by its creator". Need to see a little more from that guy.

Cookit - I saw this as I was passing Boku. It is closer to 17-92 on the same side (left). They opened a few weeks ago. It's the frozen (just refrigerated here) food aisle from your suppper market. Except it may be prepared with a little more care and may be a little fresher. I grabbed stuffed meatballs with tzatziki to go for $9. Meals go up to $12. I haven't tried it yet. They had around twenty meals and snack (ie hummus at $6). Mostly Indian, Med, Latin and some "traditional" offerings. Not huge portions. Served in generic, black plastic containers. Jury is still out. Not a chain.

Santa Rosa Mexican Grill - They said they have been open for two years. I think I've had them in the recesses of my mind for a year. Not down this road very often. They replaced a Nepalise or Tibetan place (I know - how could it not succeed) I wrote about. It was a locals diner before that. I grabbed a lunch special of two tacos and a quesadilla because I was stuffed and already had a to go meal in the hopper and I just wanted to go home and take a nap. It cost $8. Not bad. had it for dinner. Had a ground beef and a chicken taco in hard shells. I screwed it up by waiting until diiner, but, the shells seemed better than the usual. That thin kind I can never source. Ground beef was better than the chicken. Chicken was a tad dry. Microwave sauna didn't help. Both came with lettuce and cheese (white). Could have used tomatoes or hot sauce. None given. None in the fridge. Big portions of meat. The quesadilla was small in size, but, packed with cheese. Proper cheese. They have the full menu you'd expect. Lots of lunch specials. Street tacos (ie lengua). Chilaquiles. Basics and a few specialty items. The place looks the same inside. They replaced some art and hung some streamers. Two rooms. 

*I saw a sign on a place in the corner of those apartments. It said Coming Soon - Outpost. I think I ate there before. In Winter Springs? Some sightings. Crab place on 50 near Mills only open at 3pm. A Chinese place opened next to Mamak. A noodle place across the street on the corner closed. Forget the name. Bovine in WP is only open after 4pm. There seems to be a new place (George?) down Park Ave in the Brandywine complex. Luma closed. Tabla and Financier are not where I thought they were to be. Near Prato. There is a Sushi Pop near the police station. Swine & Sons is in that market near the Rollins baseball field. Ravaneous Pig opened a brewery in the old PR's. You can tell I haven't been to that area in a while.

Grub Crawl - Casselberry/Altamonte Springs: Capachos (Closed) and Medellin Burger *FL Gulf Coast Travel Notes

 I tried these two Colombian (purely a coincidence) spots on 436 on Thursday at night. I ate at the first and got something to go at the second. The first is next to a crab house and acrsos from Metro Diner near Howell Branch Rd. The second is next to a massage parlor near the light rail station. 

Capachos - They said they have been open for a year. I think I noticed them in February. They said they are open for lunch too. I tried them on the day I went to the crab place and they weren't open then. The windows are so dark that you can't tell if they are open or not. The entry is also easy to drive by. When I was there (7pm-ish), there was one table of four finishing up and a baby on the floor. It looks like it's on life support. One waitress was just biding time at the bar with the owner. He didn't even feel the urge to intriduce himself to his only customer. My waitress actually made contact. I tried the Bistec a Caballo (($16.75) because I wasn't certain they were up for more of a challenge. They had a tongue entree that I hadn't seen non-Mexicans attempt. I might have been too conservative. The steak (skirt) was well cooked and fresh and covered in sauteed onions. It came with sweet plantains, rice, avocado and a fried egg. They were all fine. I do have to admit that I never know what to do with these odd sides. I ate the eggs with some of the onions and the plantains. I added the avocado to pieces of the steak. The elements were served on a banana/plantain leaf. Decent plating. The waitress was way late (after I was done) on the refill. Not great when you serve it in a small half glass of ice and charge $3 to begin with. She did get me a tiny to go cup. Could have saved the owner and the environment a to go cup had she just filled it up during the meal. The menu is fairly representative of other Colombian restaurants. Around twenty things. Many cocktails. I don't mean this in a complimentary way. It looked like a restaurant in Colombia. A mix of restaurant and club. Old furniture. Tacky disco lights. Clutter. 70 seats. They also seemed to be economising. The oil lamps weren't lit. The lights were mostly off. You could argue it was to set a mood. but, I doubt it. There is a semi-private area towards the road. It had a computer on one of the tables. They put high tops in the middle of the dining room. Four seaters around it. There was a weird clown and a strip of balloons that I hope were left over from some kids birthday party. The one interesting elelment was a hung bicycle near the rest rooms. This isn't a great structure to begin with. When I was in school it was a Taco Bell. They need more signage that indicates that they are open. You can't assume that your customers will assume you are open in this environment. Plus if anybody misses the entrance, they are not turning around this congested part of 436 to make a second pass. The name is derived from a buddy of the owner. No interesting story behind it. Just that he had a friend who had a place named this in Colombia and copied it. Kind of indicative of the thought that seems to have not been put into this restaurant. Ok food though, I should reiterate. Closed Monday.

Medellin Burger - I tried a chicharron burger for $9. A little pricey but good. I don't love the salted/spiced patty that some regions favor. I presume it is to hide bad tasting beef. This seemed ok. Hand molded. Good glossy bun. Good topppings (potato sticks, mayo, lettuce, string cheese). The chicharron was amazing. Such a good add on. Their's is a little meaty. They may refer to it as pork belly. The rotating digital menu made it difficult to read. Perfect little bits. Many of them. They added three sauces (pineapple French and garlic) that I used one some shrimp and rice I had left over. Used the French on a Turkey sandwich. They also sell tostones, arepas and hot dogs. In the Colombian fashion. They are open every day. Sn-Th 11-11. F-Sa 11-1am. They have been open for a year. The places is a little square with the counter and kitchen in the rear. I think they had a little fridge on the left for drinks or maybe ice cream. The wall decorations were photos of Medellin. They said it was another Colombian place before this. I kind of remember it being Puerto Rican when I was last here. Maybe I missed an iteration. Good little snack place that you should try if you are around.

*Travel Notes - Florida Gulf Coast: Some quick reports from the Gulf Coast. I tried a place at Treasure Island (near St Pete Beach) called Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish. It was on Samantha Brown's Places To Love. They sell four types of smoked fish, dip and some regular fare. It was ok. I had the mullet for $15 because that's what they tried on the show. It's been in operation for a long time. I had a fairly bad Cuban at Smoque House in Sarasota (on Tamiami Trail/41). Another place on that show was Grouper & Chips (on 41) in Naples. I had sauteed red (who knew there are like eighteen varities) grouper and rice. Very good. Red grouper is smaller. The next two spots were recommended by the AAA magazine (in Naples too) I get with my membership. They should not be listened to. Mel's Diner (on 41). Just diner stuff. Cheap though. It was packed. The next place is in an area just off 41 at 5th Ave. It is called Tin City. A little dock area with some restaurants. Don't try the two lobsters for $28 at Riverwalk. I swear they were microwaved. Just terrible. I can't believe I didn't get sick. The last place turned out to be the best. It looks like a kid's theme restaurant. It turned out to be a top two Yelp spot. It is called USS Nemo. Also on 41. I had a bento box of tempura black grouper, salmon tataki, rice and apple salad. the salad was worth the price of admission itself. The salmon was a bit soft. The grouper was amazing. And I don't like fried seafood. And a huge portion. I also had to try (though no room left in the tum tum) some Wahoo tacos. A little dry and over cooked. Wah Wah. They came with the salad and a rice and beans mix. Hotels were very cheap down here. It wasn't crowded.

**I'll inform any divers or snorkelers out there that I snorkled with manatees in Crystal River (north of Tampa). Not many in the summer. It cost $72. I would rent a paddle board and bring my own mask and skip the tour companies. They just bring you to a bay that you can get to on your own. I also dove at Devil's Den and Blue Grotto in Williston. South west of Gainesville by twenty minutes. Interesting fresh water dives I saw on Rock the Park. About $135 a dive with instructor and gear and entry fees. You can also snorkel Devil's Den. St Pete Beach was pretty nice. The town beach on 5th Ave in Naples is great. Drove through Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key (north of Sarasota). Nice areas. 75 construction may be worse than the I-Sore. I tried to stay off it. Going north from Naples, the south bound lanes were a parking lot at mid day. Oofa. Poor them.

Grub Crawl - Downtown: CFS Coffee, Crepe Delicious and Mecatos Cafe

 I tried these places last Friday at lunch. I grabbed all items to go. All are order at a counter places. The first is on Church St (in the middle) near the unopened Cucina. The second is on the other side of the street near the alley that goes to 7-11. The third is next to the Morgan & Morgan offices and wall St on Orange Ave. I have to add that I'm not going back down here for a while for two reasons. First, it's dead. Just scumbags loafing around. Second, even though it is dead, Mayor Pineapple Head hasn't defunded the parking police and I received a $30 ticket for being three minutes over. Glad to see municipal workers are still getting paid. I'll bet it was the first thing he's done in months. Not only should parking be free to try and mitigate the cost of their shut down, those meters never should have been put in in the first place. I just came from Naples (I'll write about it in the next post) and they don't seem to feel the need. And their 5th Ave is alot more robust than our ghost town.

CFS Coffee - I grabbed a egg white, bacon and avocado sandwich to knock them off the list. This was just a curiosity fly by that ended up costing me $30. The sandwich cost $4.50. It was pretty bad. Not Hass avocado. Pre-cooked bacon. They also had pastries, sandwiches and other things. It's Colombian in flavor. Four in CF. Open a year. Some seats. Small room. Tries to be loungy. I can't recall if they said it stands for or does not stand for Comfort For the Soul.

Crepe Delicious - A Canadian chain. Remember back a few posts ago when I was looking for someplace in the Florida Mall. This is them. They decided against the mall. They sell crepes, smoothies, gelato and drinks. I grabbed a chicken and avocado crepe for $10. The crepe was ok. A little thick. The chicken was that terrible chicken that they serve at supermarket salad bars and Subway and probably comes in a five pound bag. Not much avocado. More tomato and greens. I grabbed this because the sweet crepes were nearly as expensive. They should be half as much. Modern look. Nice owners. But, another example of Canadian inferiority. Open one year. Personally, I would have called it Delicious Crepe. It's a better "sounds like". Think on it.

Mecatos Cafe - This is what I came down to sample. I thought it was a big food market. It's just a Colombian bakery and snack spot. Mecatos means snacks. It's been open for eight months. I had Huevas Gusto (two fried eggs on an arepa). It cost $3. They took a little while to come out. It was worth it (aside from the ticket I mean). The eggs were cooked perfectly. The arepa was a little small. It was warm and seemed freshly fried. They sell hot dogs, empanadas, pan de bono, coffee, pastries, drinks, cakes and a dozen Colombian hot bites. They have seats. 

*Here is a recipe I created using crap you have left over from take out meals. This serves one. Rice (boil in a bag), shrimp (I guess you can use anything. They were selling this for like $15 off at Winn Dixie), two packets of soy sauce. two packets of Taco Bell hot sauce (Fire) and two packets of that orange slop you get at Chinese restaurants and end up tossing because it doesn't go with anything you ordered. Mix with shrimp and blend into rice.

Makani, International Drive

 I've been itching to try this spot for months. The only other Egyptian place I can recall going to is the Kebab Cafe in Astoria Queens (Bourdain favorite). But, this is in a high traffic area that is far away from where I live and it is only open at night (they said the do a brunch on Sat and Sun). I finally made it so last Thursday. It is next to Vicenzo's in the shadow of that giant swing ride. Which brings to mind a story of how my cousin  (psychopath by today's measures) and I (only midly psychopathic) made my middle brother puke up two orders of mussels on a smaller sized swing carnival ride when we were pre-teens. It was summer. That explains the mussels. The action involved twisting the chair and chain as far as you could counter clock wise and then releasing it. This way there were two centifugal forces working at once. There was one karmic element to the story. In addition to an apron of orange on my brother's white shirt and pants, the puree also ended all over my cousin who was sitting behind him and evidently unaware of the laws of force and motion. I'll add that this ride (the one on I Drive) and the whole area around it was packed with people. On a Thursday night. And almost every place (except Ox Eye) had weathered the virus and was open. A restaurant/bar/live music place called Ole Red even opened up diagnol to Ox Eye. The parking lots were almost full. This must be the center of action in Orlando now. A wonder what free parking does.

The place looks pretty good. There is a kitchen (semi-open) in the rear, a private room in the right rear, a bar area in the right front and the rest of the space is the main dining area. The have a patio too. People were smoking hookahs inside and out. I didn't smell it. High ceilings. They decortaed the modern space with photos of who I surmise are Eygptian celebrities. Mostly older ones. a painting or two. They have many different modern chandeliers hanging about. Some are illuminated. It has a modern Arab feel. The crowd seemed to be all Arab. Modern Arab too. There was one table in which the wife seemed Caucasian. But with headscarf. There were families and singles (even women). All ages. I'd say it fits 100 inside and 40 outside. The menu had about 10 main dishes and some apps. An Alexandria style liver looked interesting, but, I went with Molokhia with half chicken for $20 (check the menu for price discrepancies. I thought it said $16.99). The molokhia was described to me as a puree of  herbs they put in chicken stock to make a sauce/soup. It was ok. A little bland. It came in a bowl. The flavor was better on the chicken. It must have been rubbed with a lemon yogurt rub. It was grilled. A little dry in places. Crisp skin. Covered with peppers and onions. Mostly good. It came with some rice that seemed more like barley or bown rice in texture. You were supposed to put the sauce on it. It was better plain. Service was good. Most of the menu was under $20. Not as interesting as Persian cuisne, but, more so than most Mediterranean menus. I wouldn't say no if invited back. I even didn't mind the Arab Enrique Iglesias music playing in the background. The experience had the effect of removing you from the swamps of Central Florida to "a whole new world" (without the traffic noise and pollution). It gets the same consideration as World of Magic. Where else are you going to get the chance to sample this type of experience? This is a less staid experience than WOM btw. Egypt versus Kingdom of Saud, I guess. 

*I saw a Get-N-MessyBBQ sign on central I Drive. Not sure if they have two locations now. It looked like they were serving in front of a space. Someone also opened a new sushi place and a Turkish one (Turkuaz) in the strip mall on I Drive and Kirkman. And an Indian place near Kirkman on I Drive. That Jerusalem place is definetly closed. The hotels there look almost finished.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Beachside Tavern, Manny's Pizza and Bird of Paradise (Closed)

I tried these places today at lunch. The first is on 46 after the bridge on the left side of the street. After Norwood's and Garlic (which would have been the bride if the opened before 4pm) something. The second is around the bend (on the same road) a mile or so. On the right. The last one (Bird of Paradise) used to be in the East End Market in Audubon Park. Check out that review. This one just opened near the drawbridge on Flagler Ave. Not trying it until out of the others on the list. Same menu. Open from 9am to 3pm. Place looks good. I'm jamming in this one and the next few (reviews) will be closer to home.

Beachside Tavern - I had a drink here a while back. Pre-blog. They said they opened sixteen years ago. It's mainly a bar with a snack bar. It looks pretty cool. Giant rhino head above the bar. Very beachy feel. Patio and open interior with high ceilings. I think I saw garage doors. The menu had two sausages, a hot dogs, two tacos, two roast beef sandwiches and maybe something else. I tried the Italian roast beef sandwich for $9. It was the most expensive thing. Most others under $5. It came with chips. It was better than expected. I don't think they do more than buy stuff and reheat, but, the roast beef was pretty good and I can't solve the mystery of who's the source. It was "shaved" thickness. It came with jus. The sub roll also wasn't anything special, but, it didn't ruin the deal. It's not fancy. It gets the job done. The road noise is tempered by a wall between the bar and the road. The parking lot is out there too. Pretty full at 1pm.

Manny's Pizza - Last time they didn't have any slices ready. This time they had one. That was ok with me. I wanted to knock this out as cheaply as possible. It looked bad. Short. Pan pizza (though not) looking. But, it was ok. Sauce was neutral tasting. Tasted fresh. Cheese was ok (NY style). Cost $2.50. The place was empty both visits. Old looking. Menu had pizza, grinders, burgers, pasta, calzone, stromboli and apps.

*I forgot to put in last post that I had an ale made from (or flavored) hemp in Montana.

**One of the best things about going to NSB (water is already getting cold) is that I can listen to 660 Florida Man Radio on the way home. Shannon Burke is the host. He and his coterie are hysterical. I'm sure it swings too far to the right for most of the readers of a homo blog like this. But, they are funny.