I tried these spots on Saturday at lunch. All were better than I expected in their own way. The first I stumbled upon trying to price an AYCE place called Hokkaido (because of their timeless billboard) that turned out to be under renovation. It is in a strip mall on the north/west intersection of 535 S Apopka Vineland Rd (the Disney Springs exit) and Palm Parkway (west side of I4). The second and third ones I saw on my last trip here and needed something to do/try while I waited for the slackers at the next two (I boycotted one for being continually stupid/mis-managed) places to open at 1pm. The second is in a strip mall on the south/east side of that intersection. Next to the Grand Cypress. The third and fourth are in a strip mall at the north/east side of the intersection. Five and six are at the strip mall on I Drive that has the Ferris Wheel.
I want to give the reverse of a shout out to the DOT. Didn't that work between Sand Lake and 535 begin pre-Covid? After all the center toll road bullshit. And now they are jacking the prices for that. I think their logic is to raise prices DURING high volume periods. You know. So fewer people will want to get off the free section. Back to the current road work. How do you have multiple roads leading INTO I4 in that area and none allowing anyone to exit? Not even a temporary detour! Plus I love all the trash that is accumulating on the sides of I4. Pretty soon we will be in 10 in Los Angeles territory. Or Detroit.
Naatu Naatu - The name has something to do with a Bollywood "Oscar" winning movie. Five booths each on the left and right. Five tables of four in between. Cute, childlike wallpaper with Indian themes. They are from the south - Hyderbad. Open for five months. Vegetarian. Crazy menu that had so many things I hadn't seen termed before. Here are a few: Sambar Vada, Gulab Jamun, Bhatura...wait...I'll list the categories: Aarambham, Amogham, Tandoori, Roti, Parata, Adbutham, Sampoornam, Idly Bazaar, Dosa Bazaar, Alpahar, Amrutham Cold, Madhuram, Chowrasta Khazana. Tell me whitey that you have even heard one of those words before. It's like they have a different word for everything! That's a Steve Martin joke. About the French. I sampled a soup - Rasam for $5. It was a flavor bomb. Just a kind of vegetable broth. Very good. I used it as a sauce for leftover rotisserie chicken. Only two families there while I waited. It came out quick. Two girls working the front of house. I would like to try more. I'm sure it would be an education unto itself. The front window could use a cleaning. It is black to begin with and they have no "open" sign. It looks closed.
Adbo Kabab Open two years. The owner is from Morocco. Two guys working there. Around ten tables, a counter at the window and a single Arabic decorated table. Brown wood chairs and tables. Big mural on left wall. Windows up front. Pretty clean. Order at a counter. The gyro meat looked prefab and wasn't rotating/cooking, so, I had a chicken shawarma. It looked like they stacked it and it looked cooked. It was very good. The sauces seemed a bit more vinegary/piquant than usual. Pickles, etc in it. Fair size. Chicken was uniformly done. Not dry. It cost $11. They have falafel, beef/lamb mix, lamb chops, kofta (beef), and kebab too. Around $16 for a plate. Ok looking pizzas too. Individual ($11) and larger. $6 for hummus. $26 for three lamb chops. Two parties there at lunch. There is also a revolving hot pot place here called U & Me.
Paddy Wagon Irish Pub - They let you bring in your own food. They just have drinks. I didn't want to day drink and they had Foxtail Cold Brew on tap, so, I had a glass of that for $5.25 and ate my shawarma. A few craft selections. Booze. Pool Table. TVs. Not breaking any ground here. Three patrons. One bar tender. I think they close at 2pm.
K Pot Korean Barbecue & Hot Pot - They said they started in Jersey. A chain. I think they may have other locations in CF. AYCE Barbecue or Hot Pots cost $32. I didn't really even want Korean, so, I had a bento to go for $15. It was a bargain even if they gave me pork belly instead of pork cheek. So much pork belly! I ate all I could for dinner and some left over for the next day. Mostly lean. Cooked perfectly with or in sesame oil. Large sides of seaweed salad and kim chi. Four shui mai. White rice. The shui mai were ones you buy frozen in the market. Veg were fresh. Rice was cooked properly. Came out fast. On the to go menu they have: ten bentos (chicken wings to brisket), three premium bentos ($17), seven hot pots ($13-$18), and eight sides/apps ($2-$10). The main hot pot menu has seafood, beef, pork, veg, noodles, etc. 5 items in all. There was also a salad bar. Barbecue has 36 items. You can combine both dinners for $37. The cooking surface was probably electric. Bar and tables on left side. Entrance and salad bar in the middle. Room with a view (retaining pond) on the right. There was some junk hanging around in certain areas. Right side is nicer. Must seat well over a hundred. I remember red and black colors. Some swag. I guess you would call it modern. Around five groups there at lunch. They don't open until 1pm. Close at 11:30 or 12:30pm (WE). 7D. Not bad, but, I think I'll prefer the $20 AYCE at Gen Korean when I go there. The highly rated one I went to in Vegas was only $26.
The Winery & Tasting Room - I saw an interview the owner did on tv with two of the boobilicious talking heads from local news. On some show/podcast called Central Florida Foodie or something. The owner has taken over Castle Church Brewing and Sanford Brewing (?) under the Brewlando umbrella. She took over this spot that was some kind of Euro-trash bar a few months ago. It's nice. It has a good location. Right in the center. They have a patio underneath the Ferris Wheel. Window wall between it and the inside. Mostly a bar with seats. Some high tops. Not stuffy. Plenty of elbow room. Modern. Wood accents. Wood barrels above the bar. They simplified and gussied it up a bit. One bartender. They sell a few Brewlando beers and other people's wine. Mostly brands carried by a distributor. I had their Magic City Milk Stout for $10. It was good. As you can see, it is pricy. Double a brewery or bar price. A four glass flight was $20-$25. By the glass pours were all low teens and up. They were out of the port I originally wanted. Around three groups there. A definite improvement to the area. The bartender said they had or are opening up a place that sells food as well in Maitland.
Orlando Starflyer - The best part of the day out. This is that tower with the swing seats attached. I've loved them ever since my cousin and I made my brother throw up (twisting his seat around so it spun) orange mussels all over his white shirt and pants at a summer carnival. I paid $13 for one ride. $15 if not a Florida resident. Extra discounts for responders and forces. $9 if you want a second go. No line. You have to have empty pockets. They have free lockers. I put all but car key in the car. The guy at the bottom put my key in a basket and I could leave my flip flops where we took off from. I goes so high. The views alone are worth the price. Whipping around with the wind in your face is gravy. And you get dizzy. The stupid sling shot on the other side of the strip mall is $40! Let's hope they don't let any Jabba the Hut sized teenagers on this one. Run. Don't walk to try this. I can't believe I had neglected doing so for so long. If Fun Spot is huge...this is kofefe.
*I also espied Divina Carne Brazilian Steakhouse and Corazon while on I drive. The first is on a side street (Carrier) near where the Afro (?) News Network is. Next to that Pirate Adventure dinner theater place. Is that still going? The other is near that iconic cylindrical hotel with the globe on it. Nearer to Kirkman. And that new hotel. The one with some beach or summer theme, I think. It doesn't look like they spent money fixing it up. Maybe on the inside. Divina in like $69 to start. $39 for no meat. But, you can have sushi, carpaccio, smoked salmon, cheese, etc. So, I might be able get my money's worth. Those items looked fresh/high quality. The space looks much more posh than I expected.
**Check the top of the page. I made it so you can track this blog via X.
No comments:
Post a Comment