Grub Crawl - Millenia and Downtown: Isan Zaap, Craft & Common and Taco Kat

I tried these places at lunch on Wednesday. The first is off I-4 and the first road on the left (past the Super Target and that Pho place I tried this summer to a new build area on Gardens Park Blvd.). About two roads in. I think there was a Costco diagnol to it. The second is on Robinson St downtown near the ax throwing place. The last is in the old Cleo's Lounge spot across from the library (behind and over from Wall St).

Isan Zaap - Isan/Izan is a region in Thailand. I believe north. East? Zapp is the name of a hot Jewish girl with huge twelve year old tits at my summer camp who dumped me when I came back to camp without passing puberty. What zaap is is unclear. I think one of their soups was called zaap. But I don't think it means soup for some reason. I've been stymied on this one since the Spring. I didn't drive far enough twice before. I thought it was Middle Eastern food at one point. Well today, after not finding option one, I got myself sufficiently lost to be near here and I gave it a go again. Glad I did. Will be on the Favorites list. Not just because of adequate food or ambiance, but, because it is a little different. Sadly, that still gets a place points from me. Like the judges on most cooking competition shows that I criticize, I love a newish experience. They are Northern Thai. Not the first in these parts. But rare. I had the Boat Noodle Soup for $15 because it was in the recommended section of the menu and I wanted soup for my ailing tum tum and it reminded me of when the Vietnamese (and Thai?) used to be called boat people. It just made me laugh thinking about how much pearl clutching that would illicit today. Oddly the Northern Thai soup was pho like in construction and flavor. A sweet and sour brown (beef?) consume like broth, rice noodles, those gummy meatballs (pork - you could also have beef), bean sprouts, stems from some vegetable (possibly brocolli), chicken, kale and liver (pork). Except for the kale (maybe it was another leafy plant), liver and stems, it was a pho. A real mish mash. Like all the things they put in their other dishes in a soup. I liked it. The liver was the best. Good contrast with the broth. And odd/new. Obviously the meatballs and noodles had no flavor and an odd mouth feel like always. Chicken was dry. Ohh! It also came with lots of chicharron (fried pork skin). Not sure what they call them. I saved most for future microwaving. They also had larb. And larb with liver. Curries. Toms. Papaya salad. Seafood (fish, squid, etc). Pork neck. Custard sticky rice. Etc. A decently manageable menu. Most things under $20. Black and gray walls. White acoustic tiles. Wood tables and chairs. A couple of flower murals. 12 tables (mostly fours). Open kitchen in the rear. Not high end. Not a dump either. Almost full. Mixed crowd. Most dishes seemed generous. Open 11-9pm. I believe they opened just under a year ago.

Craft & Common -  I'm not sure if I tried them for you before or not. I remembered at least walking in a guffawing at the prices last time. Went back because of that Edible list. Grabbed a $4 Malawi tea because I've never had anything from there (unlike Madonna). It was a good tea. They also sell a decent amount of food. And it looked pretty appealing. Lots of beverages too. Most had exotic pedigrees (or good marketing bs). An open plan, white interior. Filled with youngins. Open for four years. New owner though. Changed a few things. 

Taco Kat - Sonoran food. T's, Q's and B's. I grabbed a barbacoa taco for $5. The beef was tough and stringy. Good flavors. Warm spices. Possibly nutmeg or cinnamon. Ok toppings. Tortilla seemed fresh. Also came in chicken thigh, beef rib (asada), pork and possibly one other. These options extend to the other "holders". They warned me (and this pissed me off further originally) that the portions here are small. Actually seemed slightly larger than most places. At least the taco. Still a bit high. This is the only location. Modern, white interior. Order at a counter. They have a secret speakeasy behind a fake coke machine. However, the entrance isn't through there for some reason. It's in the back. You have to get a password (online I believe) and reveal it there. Both are open to 3am. All days except M and W I think. It should become popular. Opened three months ago. Wish their barbacoa was a bit more tender. Would have made the Favorites List too. Get back taco kat.

Grub Crawl - Winter Park: Capital Tacos, Grounding Roots, Sushi Sake and Slidders

I tried these spots on Tuesday night. The first is on University Blvd and Goldenrod. Near Fullsail University The second is north on Goldenrod to Aloma and east to the strip mall that has Twisted Root Burgers. The third is in the old Boston Market at Lee Rd and N Orlando Ave (17-92). The last is actually in Maitland. Farther north on N Orlando to that condo complex next to Publix. I intended to do a UCF centric one, but, Capitol was way farther away than I thought and Bacon Bitch may have the record as the quickest place to ever get three strikes. Maybe someone else can give me a reason to rethink it. I'll wait.

Capital Tacos - They are out of Land o' Lakes (Tampa). If you recall when Taco Bus (Tampa) tried to "chain out" and failed by UCF, this will be a repeat. Crazy (inauthentic white guy) abominations. Taco, q's, burritos, etc. I settled on a Big Kahuna. Nothing cries La Raza like Hawaiian themed tacos. It was worse than you'd think. A nearly fishless fish taco. I think they should get an award for most batter stuck to a nullity. The tortilla didn't seem grilled/warmed. Typical mess of toppings and mayo based sauce. And each cost $5. And they are the cheap items. It's a fast food set up. Overstaffed. Empty except for two stoners. Two pinball machines. Adequate seating. Open for a month.

Grounding Roots - A health food place. Listed in that Edible issue. Shots, smoothies, salads, etc. Only the smoothies aren't pre-made and waiting in a refrigerator. I grabbed a chia pudding for $6. It was the cheapest thing. Actually damn tasty. Almost went with a pro-biotic shot to counteract the gastro issues I believe Smokey Jay's pork gave me on Saturday. I guess fresh pork shouldn't be "sticky". They said that either they had or have a place in College Park. I wonder if I alredy tried them? In this tiny location for three years. Wonder if I tried them here when I did Twisted Root? It didn't come up when a searched it. I probably bypassed because of price. If I saw it.

Sushi Sake - A chain from Miami. 20+ locations they said. I now recall seeing them on US 1 down to the Keys and in Key Largo. Glad I didn't waste my time on those. The problem is value. The menu (for say nigiri) looks normal. Around $5 per fish, etc. However, that's for ONE piece. A half sized California hand roll was $6. Same crappy surimi. Ok avocado. Rice was a bit too toothy and cold. No justification for the price. They are in a Boston Market. In a weird part of town. Hidden by foliage. There are a billion, established, cheaper, equivalent quality, popular sushi places in town already. I'm not sure how many morons they think there are in CF that have to have their "karate". I suspect they will fail. Open for a week. Ok, modern interior. They have hibachi/katsu stuff too. But, even the lunch "specials" on those items were mid to high teens. The lunch sushi platter was $36. Most places have sushi specials around $10. They have some rolls specials just above that, But, I'll bet it's one roll not two or three. 

Slidders Pizza - I rejected the thought of stopping here last week. After seeing it. They looked very Marco's like. An outside super chain. Sort of glad I decided I didn't have enough dinner yet and stopped again. It looks higher end inside. White marble. Modern. Digital menu board. Gelato. Wine. They also sell wings and stromboli and calzones amd pastas, etc. Prices seemed a bargain after Sushi Sucky. I grabbed the second smallest pizza with four topping for $14. 12 inch. It wasn't too good. I've tried it warm, heated and cold. Saldly, cold was the best. Possibly conveyor belt pizza. No crust. Dough was too buttery and sweet. That pastry kind some people seem to not hate. Not a terribly firm bottom crust when I flicked it. No color either. Sauce was spicy. Clashed with dough. Cheese was tasteless. Sausage (meatloaf like) and pepperoni were ok. Mushroom and onion got lost in some kind of herb sprinkle that I think they put on pre-bake. So, it burned and gave off bitter overtones. Not a disaster, but, could be better. I wouldn't write them off. The name is the past tense (in someone's mind) of slider. As in, to slide a pizza into the oven. Open for three months. They said their original location is in Winter Garden.

*I will have so many season ending posts that some will run into next year if I give you a day or two to digest them. Favorites will also bleed into next year.

Alex's Fresh Kitchen, Casselberry *SC/GA Travel Notes

I tried them at lunch on Saturday. Open for three years. They do breakfast, sandwiches, salads and burgers. I suspect that they fancy themselves as gourmet. The "Alex" is Alex Diaz. They had a few awards for burgers. I, however, needed something I could eat while driving. I chose a turkey with bacon and avocado on brioche for $13. It came with fries. The fries were far and away the best thing. Probably cut by them. Not uniform shapes. Mostly fried to firm. The brioche was good. The bacon was crispy, but, probably made a bit too far in advance. The turkey was grilled and probably Boar's Head or the like. Dry. All in all though, something in it didn't agree with me and I've been burping parts of it up ever since. Just had an avocado tasting one. Small space. Five tables of four. One family one. Pretty full for Christmas Eve day. Prices were all near mid teens. In a strip mall near the Red Bug Lake over pass and/or Tijuana Flats. 

*Travel Notes - South Carolina and Georgia: I rented a car for a week from Budget for $243. Drove to North Turn Restaurant in Daytona. It is closed until mid-February because of hurricane damage. This is the north turn of the original beach course for the Daytona 500. Drove straight through to Charleston (95 to 17). Stayed at the bad Creekside Lands Inn in West Ashley for $81 (rack rate with AAA discount) because I didn't pre-book and didn't feel like auditioning hotels. Ate tasty 1/2 chicken with mac and cheese and waffle fries and beer at Southern Roots Smokehouse across the street. "Saw" Middleton Place (too expensive at $28 or so) and Drayton Hall (too expensive at slightly less). Had breakfast at Callie's Hot Little Biscuit (from the PBS show How She Rolls) on King St. Great biscuits. Even had a sweet one (shortbread). 3 for $6. Had great oysters and an oyster po boy with ff at Rappahannock Oyster Bar on Bay St. It's a chain from Virginia. They started as cultivators. Now they have places in Virginia, DC, etc. Had other oysters too. I learned that wild oysters tend to be longer (blades) because they stretch to compete. Most farmed oysters are farmed at 18 months. Size depends on age more than type. Salinity is weaker the farther up river they grow. Most oysters are the same "breed". "Terrior" differentiates. They swore that though they are filter feeders that they aren't micro plastic vacuums. I'll have to do more research on that. Saw College of Charleston TD Arena and Charleston Museum. Had four types of spirits at Hi Wire Distilling Co farther north between King and Meeting. Had beer at Palmetto Brewing next door. Stayed at new Candlewood Suites across the bridge in Mt Pleasant for two nights at $112 per. Had a tasty smash cb and crinkle fries at recently opened Heavy's Barburger on Morrison Dr. Had beer at: Tradesman Brewing Co, Munkle Brewing Co, Bene Bevi Brewing Co and Fatty's Beer Works. A little farther ne from Heavy's. Also saw the closed Lo Fi Brewing. It was raining. Nothing else to do. Had delicious brisket and slightly worse than last time whole hog pork at Rodney Scott's on King St and Grove. Also tried sides this time. Mac and cheese and potato salad. Both good. Spicy. Drove to Hilton Head. Stopped at Frampton Plantation House at intersection of 17 and 95 in Yemassee (free). Had a poor fried seafood platter (flounder, shrimp, oysters and crab cake) at The Crazy Crab at Jarvis Creek. Stayed at the disgusting Red Roof Inn for $73. Ate a pretty good bagel with cc at expensive Gruby's New York Deli. A place had pizza cones. Rolled up slice.  Saw Pinckey Island NWR. Drove 278 to Bluffton (cute town) to 46 to 315 to 17 through Savannah to Tybee Island on 80. I WAS going to try at get to Ossabow Island. Too cold. Plus most ways are very expensive and/or long. Ate one of the worst meals (microwaved and frozen mussels covered with spice blend and almost crabless deviled crabcake) at The Crab Shack on Tybee Island. They copped to EVERYTHING being frozen. And I don't mean "on ice". Frozen for a LONG time. Had beer at Back River Brewery. More bad weather (cold and dreary). Stayed at poor Dune's Inn and Suites for $85. Walked the beach at Chatham Ave entrance. Got some nice wine at Dizzy Dean's. At brunch at Paula Deen's Creek House a few miles west on 80. Surprisingly good and plenty fried chicken breasts with mac and cheese and potato cracklings and good bread. Yelp didn't love them. Said everything was too salty, etc. Maybe staying away from the seafood or peppering them with questions helped the cause? Place used to be her brother's. Would have tried Sundae something on Tybee had it been open. Good menu and ratings. Expensive. Drove through Savannah to 95 to St Simon's Island. Stayed at Sea Palms Resort off Frederica Rd (near Sea Island) for $102. Nice interior. Marsh views. In a golf/tennis club. Drove home. It rained one day. Cold after that. So, never could lay out, etc. No traffic issues. 95 north on the way back had an accident around Palm Coast. Miles of back up. DT Charleston hotels were still expensive and scarce. Highest end one's on St Simon's were still asking usurious rates. Lower end was good. Same in Hilton Head. Savannah was expensive on the weekend. Avoided because of additional parking fees. I just tried to save money once I realized there were few bargains to be had and because of the poor weather conditions. 

Smokey Jay's Bar B Que, Orlando

I tried this bbq place in a hidden strip mall on 50 (farther east than 417) today. Look for the sign. It's the way I found it. They said they have been in business since 2008. I think. Here for only six months. They do pork, brisket, chicken, ribs etc. On site. Only Wed-Sn. Until sold out. I've mistimed it twice before. I tried a pulled pork sandwich for $8. Very moist. Maybe a bit tacky. Good taste though. I had the spicy yellow sauce on it. Bun was plastic bag quality. Didn't eat it. Place is nothing to write home about. Not even an open sign. I think I need another deeper dive to decide on it. Order at a counter. Only owner and another here today. It was x-mas eve though. Said they would be closed until January 3. So, put that on your calendar.

*I drove through Winter Park last Monday night. Park Avenue Tavern is still not open. Did see a place next door that seemed open. Just not that night. Piano something. Not sure how long they have been there. Hen and Hog was open but closed on Monday. Next to Tin and Taco on Virginia. Plus the coffee place next door that I reviewed recently is now a bagel place. Only day hours. Ramen place near Virginia seemed still not open. Pizza place in Maitland seemed too fast food like. Fresh and Co open next to 7-11 on Park Ave. I also learned that carrots are now orange thanks to the Dutch and their love of Phillip of Orange. Hundreds of years ago. Will have another review and Travel Notes soon.

Dental Check Up Tutorial

Previously I gave you some information on root canals. This time it is just some anecdotal information on your garden variety dental work. All of the parties listed are in the Lake Mary area. I'm doing this to give some idea of how to combat all the games they seem to be playing on us. These prices are for people without dental insurance. I suspect they will be higher for the insured. I've been seen by all before (except the one I chose).

I used to just take the most current $49-$69 new patient flyer they mailed you. However, the scam that started repeating itself is that they would say you needed a "deep" cleaning once you were in the chair. These guys kind of try and hose you on your initial visit on on the recurring visits. You have to ask for both prices. And the prices changed if I called more than once. Could be my error in transcribing. You also have to demand the dentist you want. They have a staff.

The dentist I selected gave me a bi-annual cleaning, exam, xrays, etc for $300. And they didn't find any other issues. This was more consistent with previous exams. Some of the dentists here said I had cracks in multiple teeth, massive gum recession, etc and wanted to charge me mega bucks for further procedures. Now maybe this guy missed things. We'll see.

Jessica Du: $45 initial exam, $25 xrays, $79 full mouth xrays, $110 cleaning, $180 recurring visits (?), $500 deep clean/scaling per zone (upper and lower).

Kevin Bonn - $89 initial exam, $122 xrays, $164 full mouth xrays, $166 cleaning, $375 recurring visits, $884 divided by quadrant if 1-3 teeth and $1136 divided by quadrant if 3+ deep clean/scaling.

Bryan Oeth - $50 initial exam, $65 xrays, $140 full mouth xrays, $90 cleaning, $205 recurring visits, $800 divided by quadrant if 1-3 teeth and $1040 divided by quadrant if 3+ deep clean/scaling. $300 BI-ANNUAL ALL INCLUSIVE "INSURANCE" OPTION. Deep Cleaning/Scaling not included. But, discounts on such things. (20% I think).

Tim Tiralosi - $125 initial exam, $170 xrays, $250 full mouth xrays. I couldn't get more out of them. Didn't care because it was obviously ridiculous already. I went to him once in the past. Didn't take to him. He kept trying to sell other things like botox. Prices soared since then.

Alexsandra Shaykova - $60 initial visit ($112 after) exam, $111 xrays, not sure of cost for full mouth xrays, $114 cleaning, $337 recurring visits, $1294 divided by quadrant deep clean/scaling.

Once again, I chose Bryan Oeth because of the $300 plan. His regular visit was more than that. I basically got an extra exam per year and if he had tried to do the deep cleaning  boondoggle, he was competitive on that too. And I actually expected I would need that and more before the visit. I came in with tooth pain that remained since the root canal months before. It is all gone after the cleaning. I guess I had some residual infections. I believe he went to University of Indiana. His hygenist was top notch. Good because his exam wasn't exactly thorough. She did most of the explaining/diagnosing. He has another dentist in house and other hygenists.

Upsala Grocery, Sanford

I tried this spot at breakfast on Tuesday. It looks like it was once a gas station. Indian owner. Said he took over eight years ago. Re-branded two years ago. He also owns the Bubbakoo in Lake Mary. This place has two claims to fame. Craft beer selection and food. I tried an egg and sausage and cheese for just under $4. It came on a croissant. Not sure why. I thought it would be a roll. Ok. Yolk was broken and cooked to a solid. They also sell sandwiches around $9. Plus Indian dishes. Even things like a chicken tikka quesadilla. I'll have to go back and try one of those items. Not a destination spot, but, better than a chain if you need a to go meal around this area. It's up from the 46a exit off I-4 to Upsala near the golf club at Country Club Rd. Left a few hundred yards to 300 Upsala.

Grub Crawl - Lake Ivanhoe District: El Greco (Closed) and Norma's Italian Eatery (Closed)

I tried these stalls at The Hall (closed in 2024) on Tuesday at lunch. To go because they charge if you sit. The place was empty. Most stalls had only one employee. The Mexican place in the corner switched to another Mexican place (Itzayana) since my last visit. The Hall is closed on Monday.

El Greco - Because of Edible. Ok to good chicken gyro with fries for $19 (the Hall carges for credit). Good pita. Average thigh meat. Needed trimming. Large portion. L, T, O and Tzatziki. Seasoned fries. The first properly done ones I've had in a while. Side of some red pepper dressing.  They sell 6 apps (ie flaming cheese at $15) and 2 salads at $16 and 4 handhelds up to $25 and 4 entrees (ie branzino $38 or lamb ribs $35). You can see the prices a unjustifiable. Even for a "real" restaurant's overhead/responsabilities. And that is across the board. Most stalls were a worse bargain. You can tell they never learned that it is best to pick a sales price and then work backwards on adjusting costs to make your desired profit margin. And if they argue that they won't sacrifice quality, I'll have to belly laugh. This is marginal food. Marginally better than a mall food court.

Norma's Italian Eatery - Ciao, Norma. Now vaffanculo. The department of health should shut you down. The $15 Caprese Chicken Sandwich you served me would have been thrown in your face had I eaten it there. How old was that chicken breast? How much freezer burn? How many times was it defrosted and frozen again? It had the texture of rubberized plastic. I can't find an analogy. Like tough pork. Just terrible. The roll was equally as tough. The tomato was tasteless and rubbery. The mozz was dry and spongy. The only ok element was the Caesar salad. And it was just cheap mixed greens that had a few strawberries and blueberries in it for some reason. The dressing was bad too. Their other poisins (for example) are: $9 garlic knots, $38 charcuterie board, $16 pizza, four mid-$20s pastas. You don't need me to tell you that I'd be suspicious of any of them. Quality is obviously not Job 1.

*Driving around to my initial destinations, I saw that this is the state of the union around this area. Pigzza is no where near close. The new ramen (Kamen?) place at Virginia and Mills isn't open either. You shouldn't be able to show your sign until you are. At Shine and 50, Moderne (what will they be?) isn't open. Haan Coffe was. An ice cream place named something like Mesaquinta seemed done, but, no one was in there. There is also another chain tea place open near that Asian market a little further east. And I drove by The Strand. Another recipient of a Bib Gourmand. Another head scratcher. I don't remember them being anything special. But, then again, they also singled out Z Asian and Bombay Kitchen.  Two more head scratchers. I almost disliked them. Their "Recommends" made more sense. Even if they weren't complete. It's a list a tourist would make after a week's immersion. Well, I guess that is what they do after all.

Grub Crawl - Winter Springs: Pho Au Lac and Parlour Ice Cream *Florida Keys Travel Notes

I tried these places in that strip mall near the high school at Tuskawilla and 434 at dinner on Monday. They are next to each other across from the McDonald's. I originally planned on trying Joliebee on 50. They STILL aren't open. And the internet said they were weeks ago. I also learned that Cafe Linger in College Park and Sushi Pop in Winter Park closed. I guess the answer to the question is that you don't have to let it linger.

Pho Au Lac - Another dull Pan Asian maquerading as Vietnamese. Same dull menu, etc. Open for four years. I avoided it for this long because of this very possibility. I tried a spicy chicken dish with chicken and basil and onion. It was to have snow peas. Of course they retract the most expensive element. It was ok. Thin pieces of chicken. Probably a Thai dish. The rice was man handled. Every grain was ripped apart. It cost $14. Shabby interior. It seats around sixty. They also do boba. It was empty.

Parlour Ice Cream - A cute (if overpriced) ice cream parlour that probably makes their own ice cream. A kiddie is almost $5. I tried a french toast shake for $8. It was good. Bits of some carb. Like tough, stale french toast. Some fun flavors. Bright white interior. Only location. Empty. Opened in April.

*Travel Notes - Florida Keys: Car rental for week was $324 with Budget. I rebooked days before because the quotes almost dropped in half from when I last looked. I had had a res with Hertz for $50 less. But, I hate working with them. No traffic issues (95) going down on Wednesday afternoon. Started at 9am. Ate a terrible (one fingers worth of lobster in a fritter) lobster reuben at Snook's Bayside in Key Largo. Ok mahi tacos at Alfredo's Cookhouse. Stayed at Rock Reef again for $102 a night. Dove French Reef with Rainbow Reef for $134 (dive and gear and tax). Ate a probably all frozen itemed mixed (mahi, clam, shrmp) fried basket with ff at The Catch. Ate an ok Margherita pizza at Italian Food Company. Ate (I'm going to save time and say all the rest of the egg meals mentioned were basically the same and mediocre) over easy eggs and hb and sausage and toast at High Tide. Went to Harry Harris beach. Grabbed a beer at Caribbean Club. They claim that the movie Key Largo (I guess the Bogart one) was shot there. I've seen scenes from it. Didn't look like familiar. Grabbed an ok meatball sub to go at Avenue Subs. Also, a good 1/4 chicken with a rice bean and pork combo and sweet plantains from Denny's Latin Cafe. Drove back to Florida City to save money by staying at Fairway Inn (again) for $85. Watched Utah dismantle SC. Drove back to Key Largo and had eggs, etc at Doc's Diner. Drove to Islamorada. Took a boat to Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park from Robbie's Pier. Usually $50. But, they were doing a X-mas celebration for $15. Stayed at under renovation (failed to disclose) Breezy Palms for $154 with taxes and fees. Ate a terrible chicken parm with rigatoni at Ciao Hound. Grabbed a bagel with rancid cc at F-ing Bagels. Drove to Marathon. Ate eggs, etc at Wooden Spoon. Went to Sombrero Beach. Walked the recently re-opened 7 Mile Bridge walkway. Ate a good seafood bisque and ok chicken piccata with side (baked potato) at Key Colony Inn. Mag said try their Sunday brunch. It is discontinued. Stayed at Bonefish Bay for $105. Drove back through Islamorada and had eggs, etc at Mangrove Mike's. Stopped in Coral Gables (on US1) at 3 Chefs for terrible, tiny and overpriced grilled 1/4 chicken. And had a great donut at Mojo donuts (on 3D). Had one blip of traffic around exit 35. Someone's furniture and clothes flew off their vehicle. The other side was a different story. Totally closed down from exit 40 to 30. Poor bastards. Good week to go. Weather was warm. Pretty empty. I booked most rooms through Booking before Thanksgiving. Not sure which way pricing went. But, overall better than last year when I did it last minute (and I didn't even risk weekend prices last year).

Grub Crawl - Hourglass District/Curry Ford Rd: Papa Lllama, Bad A's Burgers and Charlie's Bakery and Creamery

I tried these places on Tuesday at dinner. The first is in a strip mall with the supermarket. The second is in a strip mall closer to 436 that has been two Indian places recently. The third is in a strip mall in between. I may have reviewed them before. They changed ownership and aren't the same place in any event.

Papa Llama - I'm not sure what to say about them. They received a Bib Gourmand from Michelin. Google states this "Although Michelin stars are highly coveted, the Bib Gourmand designation signifies a restaurant delivering a high quality dining experience at a reasonable price. To be precise, a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand restaurant must offer two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for around $40." I didn't see any of that. They had a a very limited and blase and expensive menu with an even more ridiculously expensive wine list (good, but, at least a 3X mark up). The least costliest bottle was $50. I chose Huanc Noods for $18. This is (oh btw they are a Peruvian restaurant) a goopy garlic paste that is usually put on potatoes. They do egg noodles. It was ok. Very goopy. Toothy noodles. Unclear if they make them. And that was the cheapest thing on the menu. 2 apps. Olives were like $8 and something equally dull. two chaufas (that's fried rice) that I think were over $20. A skirt steak at $26 that they call lomo. Lomo is Spanish for tenderloin. Skirt is diaphragm. Google says lomo can be called Romanian tenderloin. This is misrepresentation in my book. I think they had one other main and one dessert. That's the whole menu! This is who Michelin singles out? I can think of forty more deserving restaurants in CF. Not that they are bad. Just not award winning. The place is equally unimpressive. A small, rectangular room that seats around 40. Bland decor. Kitchen on the right. I was their only customer. Wines ran up to $100+. $5 sodas. Service was fine. Open for two years. Husband and wife team. Third gen Peruvians. Open 5-9. No Sn/M. It just struck me as another example of a bad value from Gen Z. They want to earn X amount. Not a realistic ROI for a restaurant or a cook. And so they charge more than is sustainable/warranted. And they obviously blew someone at Michelin or Michelin is as thorough as Guy Fieri or this is just diversity grading because they ain't that good. And worst of all, Michelin only selected around eight spots (inn CF) to receive this honor. More "experts". How did they even hear about them? I hadn't.

Bad A's Burgers - Too expensive. Let's get that out of the way. Same Gen Z complaint as above. They think a fast casual double burger is worth $16. I grabbed a single for $8. They say it's Australian waygu. It was ok. Beefy. Not miniscule. L, T, O and some sauce. Good bun. Sesame. They also sell soup and bone tallow fries. Around seven types of cheese. Some meat toppings. Small, hall like space. Counter. A few tables. Open for a month. I was the only customer.

Charlie's Bakery and Creamy - Original owners started this in 1971. Sold a year ago. They remodeled big time. Looks great. White and black. Bright. Now they sell home made ice cream. I grabbed a bad chocolate torte for $6.50. Dry chocolate cake topped with icing balls covered in bad chocolate. Looked way better than it tasted. Open until 8pm. Flan, cookies, cake, rugalah (sp?), cupcakes, etc.  Other items are probably good. I reviewed them as Charlie's Gourmet Pastries back in the day.