Russell's, Lake Ivanhoe

I tried this spot in the old Mesa 28 and Gargi's spot (fyi - the spot across the street is becoming a Gnarley Barley) on Lake Ivanhoe just over a week ago at dinner. It has been open for under a year. I've let it slip down the list because they haven't solved the parking issue that plagues this spot. They have only eight or ten spots. All the ownership groups that have operated in this location feel the solution is valet. After seeing Ferris Bueller's Day Off, I can't trust them. Plus I believe most car insurance doesn't cover them as operators. And I wonder how all the covid hysterics respond to this solution. I parked down the street. First off, I was dumbfounded that these spots were available. Then I was troubled by the contradictory signage. It said that there was no parking after 6pm. The sign was two car lengths away from the start of the block. Then an arrow pointed two car lengths down to the start. Did this mean only those two spots were verbotten? That seemed silly. Then again this is Orlando. I risked a ticket (didn't get one). But, I was distracted all meal long. The people in the restaurant weren't any more clear on the law. I also hadn't been here before because of the dinner only hours. I was going to try and parlay this into an excursion that knocked out two other places close by. They however were closed on Mondays. Oops. Back to the meal. Though the parking quandary was the most interesting part of the night. The place looks good. It never looked bad. Don't know why people insist on redoing perfectly good interior design when so many needy spots are out there. The bar is now directly in front of the entrance. The moved most of the seating towards the windows/lake. Down a level. "Coastal" art. Photos. Wood chairs with blue gray cushions. White noise suppression tiles dominate the ceiling. I think the main color is called taupe. I actually have forgotten what it looked like. Going off poor notes. The staff is dressed up. The menu is modest. The prices are highish. A steak was $44. $25 pork and $24 chicken. $19 burger was the cheapest. I had two apps. I had the crispy pork belly for $12 and the steak tartare for $17. The belly was ok. It had no gloss to it. Either they pat it dry or... I don't know. Leave it sitting all day? Even nuking wouldn't do away with the grease. It tasted alright. It seemed to be fried in a deep fryer. Four pieces. It came in a "sangria" sauce (why I tried it). It was more jam than sangria. Not a success. The steak was worse. Too chunky. Tough. Not a great cut. Poorly dressed. Few additives. Just capers. Not enough toast. No spark. And that was vibe. It was early, but, there was no energy. I'll wager it has filtered into the kitchen. I believe ownership is from the Big Fin group. They started with a supposedly polished chef. Allegedly. Not sure if he is gone. My meal and the other dishes I saw (ie beets and burrata) lacked pizzazz. You have to have sizzle or steak. Style or substance. I didn't feel either. It certainly has the capacity for both. Maybe I just hit it on the wrong night. Service was quick and friendly/flirty. With so much "medicine" being taken, you can never tell who is nice and who is high anymore. Maybe you never could. I'm starting to forget what I thought I knew and when I knew it. It seems like I am "seeing more of the field" than I should be if I was as "aware" as I thought I was back in the day. They say this location used to be a pineapple farm. Don't think I ever knew (and forgot) that. 

* I have at least four posts coming this week ending with an Arizona recap.