I tried these two spots on Monday at lunch. The first one is at the Lotte market on 50 and John Young. It replaced Kang's Kitchen. The second is down West 50 and a left on Maguire and the first right (after Turnpike) onto Tomyn and right on Hellers. There is a Rusteak back there too. Both should be on the Favorites List.
So Gong Dong Tofu and BBQ - I swear they were only doing dinner when they opened. I think a year ago. Why I hadn't been. I figured I could eat here and get the stuff at the next place to go and knock two out in one go. Korean. Looks the same. They opened a cafe (K Cafe) next door. Parking is limited. I had chicken bibimbop on a hot stone (a few bucks extra) because I have been seeing shows that gush over the crispy rice at the bottom. It cost $17. Good. Huge. I still don't get the selection of vegetables Koreans like to eat heated. Cucumbers? Lettuce? They also had carrot, thin bean sprouts and that white root vegetable I can never remember. I pealed most of them off and added them to the bon chon. One fried egg. Tiny. The chicken was mostly dark meat that could have been cut up more. And rice of course. And Gochujang. They also started you with six (fish cake, kim chi, salad kim chi, broccoli, cucumbers and mashed potatoes). Good. Not sure what leaf made up the salad kim chi. Dark green. A nice metal carafe for the nice tasting water. Typical large menu of stews, soups, rice, meats, seafood, apps, etc. One server. One bus girl. Half full. 26 tables of four. Most with hot plates. They said they aren't a chain. They had these articles on the wall that I didn't read that made it seem like a national concern. Not world class, but, damn good enough. And a value.
Ispirazione Italian Sandwiches - I had to go to Ocoee to get the tigelle I missed out on in Bologna. My first. These are bigger than those. It's a circular baked good that looks like whatchamacallit...hoe cake? Ho's gotta eat too. The internet says it is a cross between a pancake and a English Muffin. Neutral taste. The kicker is the (in my case) freshly, thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma. Right off the leg in front of you. Take that Danny Devito. A sub above. Alot too. I picked off 2/3rds and ate it straight. Nice burrata, arugula and tomato. Fresh. Some dressing with an olive oil base and pesto. Called a Deliziosa. $8. If I lived near there, I would have one a day. The have sixteen others. From bresaola to mortadella to pistachio cream. Three salads. Four baskets (3 tigelle). No vino. Small floor plan. Square. Modern. Order at the counter. A bar. Some seats behind. The owner was from Emilia Romagna. Bologna is the capitol of the region, but, I believe the other parts value these more. This is why I eat from the grocery store on vacation. I come home and have all these wonderful spots in which to waste my money on the same experiences they offer elsewhere. And I don't have to bullshit in a foreign language. In Bologna, I saw some in bags. They called them tigellini. I also saw menus with "sandwiches". They started at 3E. But, probably had a tenth of the toppings. These are fun and good and you can get them right here. I'd make room on my calendar for them. Open for a few months.. And I like that the summer temp at The Orlando Weekly hipped me to them. He is a much better reviewer than the regular guy. Harder to please.
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