Friday, June 28, 2024

Grub Crawl - SoDo and Downtown: Cloudhop, Schmankerl Stub'n, Blu Wave and Rolled *St Lucia Travel Notes

I tried these spots today at lunch. The first is on South Orlando near the hospital. Next to Crave Hot Dogs. The second is in the old South Beach space on North Orange. The third is at the parking lot entry way on Church St near Cucina. It was another Japanese place before this. The last is back towards Stub'n on North Orange. Next to Mercato's and Morgan and Morgan.

Cloudhop Bakeshop - The opened two weeks ago. A one off. They sell muffins and thick cookies. I had a fruit loop and fruity pebble one with a marshmallow center for $5. It was good. Filling. The cereals were a bit stale. They had a few cupcakes and eight cookies. All kind of funky. No seats. Just a counter. You enter from the rear. They have parking. worth a look.

Schmankerl Stub'n - They opened six weeks ago. I think Neon Beach was here before. I liked it alot. Probably the best German in town now. A small menu. Nine mains. A few more for dinner. Four apps? Six or so sides. Full wine list ($22-$80). German beer ($6). Flights of both. Cocktails ($14). Sodas were an acceptable $3. The water tasted funny. I had Fleischpflanzerl for $18. It was two veal and pork patties grilled on a flat top with a huge side of a vinegar based potato salad and a side of whole grain mustard. Some arugula on top. It was good. My first taste. A bit over salted. The potatoes were a bit undercooked. They also had wurst and kasespatzle and a wild boar burger and schnitzels, etc. The veal schnitzel was the most expensive at $25. The pork schnitzel was $14. The apps were near double digits. Not too intriguing. Things like a garden salad or a pretzel. I think the pretzel was only $3? It has a dark bearing. Stained wood, black paint and furniture. Red brick. Gray tile floor. Up front, they raise the roof for a modern chandelier. Leatherbound menus and receipt books. Real flower centerpieces. Twenty tables and four big booths on the left wall. Bar with eight seats at the right rear. Decent silver and tableware. Cloth napkins. Uniformed staff (6). Good service. There were around seven tables occupied while I was there. It is nice enough, but, not pretentious. No dress code. German music. 18% gratuity automatically added. If you like German food, there aren't alot of options. This place has a good, manageable selection of traditional dishes with a modern touch. It will be on the Favorite's List. It means a "delicacy/tidbit".

Blu Wave Sushi and Handroll Bar -  Opened a month ago. I tried a hamachi handroll to go for $6. It was small. The yellowtail was hamhandedly cut and tasteless and tough. I only remember seeing rolls that were overpriced. I saw a few plates delivered while I waited and the cut roll pieces all looked thinner than supermarket rolls. I suppose they have nigiri. Teriyaki beef and chicken. Yakisoba. There are around ten tables and a L shaped sushi bar. It was full. A "piece of art" occupies a spot near the bathroom. This is a one off. I found it disappointing.

Rolled Pita Bar - A one off. Looks like a chain. They sell pita wraps, salad bowls and smoothies. Around a dozen "main ingredients". Chicken, deli meats, barbacoa, falafel, bacon, etc. The usually "toppings" and dressings. I had a small chicken souvlaki pita for $10. I'm not sure what a large looks like because that was a normal size. Order at a counter. They grilled the chicken and then put in the cold toppings as I instructed. It was ok. The chicken was a bit mushy. The pita and veg were fresh. Spartan look. Soda machine. Few, if any seats. Blue and white. Open for a month. It's a dime a dozen. A bit cleaner now because it is new.

*Travel Notes - Saint Lucia: I traveled to Vieux Fort through Miami (6AM/8PM) on American for $440. Usually it is $600+ and they wanted you to fly north first. No issues until last night. A delay of an hour because of late arriving staff. No delays at customs. FYI - you need to fill out a form online before you arrive. The departure tax is built into the ticket. No shot requirements. They are an English island. EC Dollars were 2.7 to $1 USD. The driver said the English and French fought over it 14 times! I stayed at the Hotel Downtown (Booking 6.7) in Soufriere for $108 with tax a night. Three nights. It had a nice view. Every other hotel was inconvenient or very expensive or not listed because booked. You should probably think twice unless you are willing to pay for a Sandal's or rent a car. There was also a cricket world cup going on. I discovered that while leaving. Maybe that raised the prices and limited availability? There were really only cabs at the airport. I looked at shuttles the night before and Viator didn't have any for less than $80-$110. And you needed to pre-book them. The internet said it was $65-$80. They may charge per person. I wouldn't count on the public bus either. The head poobah at the taxi stand quoted me $100. I walked away and couldn't find an alternative. I came back and offered $80. He accepted. I might have had it for $60! The driver was cool. It was a far ride. It is a mountain/jungle island. I didn't do much. Saved my money. Just swimming. They had a market (Allain's) and a supermarket (Massy). I ate there. Prices about equal with US. Atms. You could take all kinds of trips. They had many waiting boats and cars. Small town though. Diving. Fishing. That area has their big attraction. Gros Piton. That's why I chose it. That's all. Got a cab back for $60. There was food in the airport. I spent my last 9EC on a fried chicken breast at Ritual's. You could pay in dollars most places and they would give change in their currency. The people were nicer than most Caribbean islands. A bit pushy. They speak English. Some homeless, beggars and crazies. Same weather as here. All these honeymooners were there. It was intriguing. 

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