Grub Crawl - SoDo: Mii Cafe and Chicho

I tried these spots on Michigan just off South Orange on Monday at lunch. The first is in the first strip mall on the southeast side. It was a donut place. The second is in the strip mall next to it. I'll also inform you here that the spot across the street that was to be a Shaq chicken place turned out to be a Panda Express.

Mii Cafe - Vietnamese play. I tried a Viet sub for $8.50. Ok. Publix roll. Head cheese and pork roll only. Ok veg. No jalapenos. White base with black accents. Drinks, bowls, apps, rolls, soups, etc. I thought it was just banh mi. Four tables. One long one. Open for a month. No one else there.

Chicho - Said it means skinny. South American. I tried a smash burger special (with fries) for $10. As good as Shake Shack. Lettuce, tomato, onion. Glossy bun. Cheese. Fries had a bbq dry rub on them. Crispy for being rushed. Small menu. Just bowls and tacos and churrasco. $15, $10, $20. Black, gray look. A bit worn. Bob Marley and food posters. Three tables. Open for a year. They say they open at 9am for breakfast. They hadn't opened up until I peered in. No one else there.

Travel Notes - Florida Keys

Travel Notes - Florida Keys: I drove 95 down. I need to relate right away that the top threat to our existence may be our highways. And this is unrelated to the invader whom rear ended me on US1 (I'll write up a tutorial on that headache later). They are becoming a death trap. Especially through South Florida. We need way more FHP. And they need to actually cite some of these miscreants. And not for speeding alone. I saw one FOLLOWING a speeder. I saw none between Miami and Boca in the "danger zone". I saw countless numbsculleric moves. Comically tragic. Mostly by one kind of person. And I ain't taking about boomers. But, they need to go too. Whole different numbskullery with them. These seem to be some of the rules of the road that people believe exist (or do where they came from): Passing/Speeding from the slow lane, speeding into an exit turnoff, speeding into a merge where one lane is at a complete stop, driving stoned (rear view air freshener give away), zig zag passing at double the speed limit, not passing the car to the right (going the same speed) from the passing lane. There were SIX accidents coming back in the north bound lanes alone. The other side had two areas of ten mile back ups. I assume because of accidents. It's anarchy! And I have lived/driven in NYC, LA, Chicago and DC. And you know my road trip history. FYI - US1 is served by FHP. Took them over an hour to show up.

I stopped in Delray Beach at Rose's Daughter (3D) for a good Margarita pizza at $15. I stayed in Key Largo at the ok Azul del Mar (Expedia 9.0) for $93. No staff on site. I had twelve undercooked, plump chicken wings at Buffalo Steakhouse & Seafood for $20. Watched baseball and football. No sleep because of the accident.

The next day I drove to Islamorada and checked into the ok Matecumbe Resort (Expedia 8.8) for $121. I had a mushy and small fried lobster tail blt with brussel sprouts with almond slivers at Papa Joe's Waterfront for $22. I fished, swam and layed out. Stinky decaying seaweed smell. I grabbed a bad mahi (dry) Southwest salad at The Hungry Tarpon at Robbie's Pier for $26. Watched baseball and football. Some sleep.

The next day I drove to Key West. Stopped for an ok egg, cheese and sausage on toast for $10 at Galley Grill on Summerland Key. Checked in to Alexander Palms Court again (Expedia 8.2) for $237 for two nights. Had the worst turkey and Swiss sandwich (the Turk) ever created at The Stoned Crab at Ibis Resort for $16. Swam in stinky, decaying seaweed at the public beach. Left because of it. Walked to El Siboney (Man vs Food and Samantha Brown) for a very good half roast chicken with sweet plantains, rice, roll and beans. It was only four blocks away. Swam in the pool. Drank some wine and walked up to Mallory Square for the sunset. A good one. Had two margaritas at Lolita's Coastal Cocina at the Opal Key Resort for a special price of $10 a pop. It was on the pier. Walked back. Watched baseball. 

The next day I went back to the beach and had an ok sauteed Yellowtail Snapper salad with fruit and avocado for $20 at Salute. Smartly walked to Fort Zachary Taylor SP Beach. $2.50. I'll reiterate - this is the best thing to do in Key West. The only good beach. Plus a fort. So cheap. You can drive there too. I grabbed an ok shaved beef Turkish doner wrap from Olive's Mediterranean Grill for $15. Swam in the pool. Walked again to Mallory Square. Another good sunset. Walked to the marina. Had fig vodka in a Med cocktail at Onlywood Grill for $15. Walked back towards Duval and had a glass of wine at Funky Rooster for $12. Around Duval on Caroline, I had a Southernmost Microbrewery Capt. Maverick IPA at First Flight (old Pan Am terminal) for $8. It was owned by Kelly McGillis of Top Gun fame. Some reps for a tequila company called Dolce Vida gave me a peanut butter whiskey shot that I don't think they make. I walked down Duval to Tropicado Mojito Bar at La Concha Hotel. Had a Pappa's Pilar Dark Rum for $13. Walked down Duval. Had a wine at Grand Vin for $12. Most of these stops were to knock these places of the list. Not to get wet. Stone Crab season started this day.

The next day I drove to Key Largo. I stopped for a terrible bottom HALF of a Cuban bagel at Baby's Coffee for $7. Bought a pound of floaters/lites at Low Key Fisheries again. Cudjoe Key. Only $12 this year. Stopped at Square Grouper on Islamorada. Had a mushy sauteed tilefish sandwich with shoe string fries and weird slaw for $22. This is not the original (been there). They also opened a branch in KW. Hot waitress in pussy pants. You could keep your pencil available there. Checked into the ok Dove Creek Resort & Marina by Wyndham (Expedia 7.8) for $97 plus $31 RF. Doing renovations. Drove back to Tavernier and grabbed a bad prosciutto, mozz and tomato sandwich from Cafe Moka for $15. Bad bread and the worst prosciutto since the Stoned Crab's turkey. Straight up smoked ham. I grabbed some water at Winn Dixie. They had these puffed Pringles called Mingles half off before a $1 a coupon. Good. Back to the hotel for fishing and kayaking. Back to Tavernier and a terrible $10 tuna hosomaki roll from J-Dao Sushi Thai. Watched football and HBO.

The next day I drove to the Key Largo Fisheries Marina and grabbed a pound of medium stone crabs at Eat Florida Seafood again for $24 this year. Drove to Boynton Beach. Had a great roasted pork loin, cheese and arugula sandwich with potato wedges at Butcher & the Bar (3D) for only $9. Drove to Geneva and had a good bacon, onion ring, bbq cb with tots at Alibi Bar and Grill on 46 for $15.

The weather was mostly sunny. A little cloudier mid to upper keys. Better than last year. Hotel prices were good. I could have stayed at the Checca for only $182. I did these reservations about a week ahead. That seemed to help. I monitored them after I booked and most went up. Chose non KW hotels if I hadn't stayed there before. Same with restaurants/bars. The accident messed things up for a while. Hard not to obsess over it. Would have been an a-one vacation if not for that. Spent $479 on food/drinks. $561 on hotels. $50 on gas. $1092 Total.

The Alibi Bar and Grill, Geneva

I had a pretty respectable Cowboy cheeseburger tonight at this biker bar on 46A. Topped with cheddar, bacon, onion rings and bbq sauce. Side of tots. Cost $14. Burger to temp (medium). Came out quick. Crispy bacon. Nice shell on the rings and tots. Fair portion of tots. Good bun. Outside stage for a band. Bar and some high tops inside. Dart boards. Wood decor. Dirt parking lot. I think they wrote that they did breakfast now. Pub/sports bar like menu. I had always seen it heading to 95. Now I know.

Grub Crawl - Altamonte Springs: Brazilian Bistro and Rinconcito Colombiano

I tried these spots on either side of 436 on 434 Friday at lunch. The first is where La Patrona just was in the strip mall on the southwest side with the Lowe's. The second is in a strip mall just past the northeast corner around 436. Up a small hill. Both were pity fucks that disappointed.

Brazilian Bistro - Opened three months ago. Obviously to no acclaim/fan fare. They maybe painted some new murals. Still around twenty booths and a few tables and four tables on a patio in the front. Brown and white. Spartan. I'll state here that Brazilian food is pretty far down the tennis ladder for me. This didn't do anything to alter my feelings on that. I had the Dose Dupla for $23 ($22 on the menu). Two slices of dead flank steak. Well done. Not medium rare. Though it was so tough that maybe that was a good thing. Pale. Tasteless. I didn't finish it or take it to go. One store bought sausage. Dish water bean stew. It was the tastiest thing. Over-boiled yucca. Dry, plain white rice. Even if all these things were prepared as well as could be prepared, it's still mostly composed of B film produce. With no herbs or spices. And at $22, you have to deliver a better cut of beef. Especially with the sub-dollar assortment of sides delivered with it. I almost did a few cheaper dishes because I knew this wasn't going to be worth $23. I just didn't trust them to deliver on shrimp/seafood and I didn't really want dried beef stew or stroke me off. A medium sized, pan-Brazilian menu. I think ALL the Apps were in the high teens. Some dishes for two were near $50. I think they bought the tequila from the former place. Odd category for a Brazilian restaurant. They also blasted banal, nasal-y, Brazilian music the whole time. Just as disappointing/annoying (not really because both are Brazilian) as the food. Three female servers. One other table dining there. I'm getting kind of tired coming to this location. The sad thing is I have an uninspiring AYCE meat+ one (OBT and Sand Lake) in the hopper which I think costs less than this meal. Couldn't be worse. Skip.

Rinconcito Colombiano - I think they have been there for a long time. Six tables. Wall sized photo murals of Colombia. Bright colors. Open until 6:30pm. Part bakery. I just grabbed a cheese, chicken and beef empanada at $2.80 (menu says $2.75) to go because the menu was more expensive than I believe it deserves to be. Beef and chicken seemed machine formed. Beef most mostly bean (some strings of dried beef). The chicken was mostly potato (with strings of chicken). Cheese seemed like Mexican string cheese. Different shell. Sandwiches were $11. Everything else was in the high teens. Breakfast was a bit more in line. Around ten dishes. Kind of who I thought they'd be. Why it took this long. Skip.

Grub Crawl - Ocoee: Rock 'n Rev, Jaws Topoki and Da Bang

I tried these spots on Wednesday at lunch. The first is in a strip mall as Ocoee begins (before a pond that you can see the Turnpike from). It was a Gator's Dockside. There is a San Jose restaurant on the corner. The next two are at H-Mart back towards DT. North side of 50. On the east side of a strip mall after Something (Grand?) Lakes strip mall. BTW. H-Mart = BFD. Hordes of imbeciles staggering around like zombies. Orange County is sacrificing cops to guard it. Not enough crimes in OC? H-Mart paying for it? Most stalls seem generic. Uninspiring. I checked out the sushi aisle/area. No bargains. H = Huh?

Rock 'n Rev - Said they are the first. Figured they were a chain like Rock & Brews. Part sports bar part music venue. Two rooms. Left side like the right except that it has a stage. Bars and tables at both. Gray and black and wood. The wall tvs were too small. License plates on the wall of the stage room. Not a ton of investment in the decor. I had the chesseburger with fries on the $10 lunch menu. They said it was a 1/4 pounder. Maybe? Bad flavor. Not hand formed. The veg and brioche bun were good. Not a ton of fries. I'm guessing the food cost on this special is under two dollars. The menu has the usual junk food/stuff. They do have a Juicy Lucy CB for $15. Booze. Almost empty. Getting interviewed by Spectrum Channel 13. Open since April.

Jaws Topoki - I grabbed a Deep Fried Set L to go for $12. The fried part was done properly. The ingredients were straight from the H-Mart frozen food aisle. One pathetic half of a shrimp. Three pathetic halves of a squid. Some mushy sweet potato and potato. A tasteless cheese stick. Some other things decribed as dumplings or veg. The two saving graces were a clear noodle one a a noodle surrounded by a black filament. Never had those. Who would guess that little packets of rice noodles would work. They just calm with soy sauce packets. I used the Hari chutney from the Indian restaurant. That worked. I'm guessing the food cost on this item is a dollar or less. They have four topokki soups ($15+). Eight gimbap (sushi rolls) from $9. Two fried sets. Three set menus ($24-$42). Two sides and two slushies.

Da Bang - I grabbed a mozzarella coin crepe to go for $7 because I had never had one. Do you think it was worth it? I'm guessing the food cost on this item is twenty five cents. Kind of like taiyaki. More of a waffle/pancake/McGriddle. Terrible cheese. I wanted a nutella or bischoff cookie one. They were out. Took too long. They had five employees. The two male ones did nothing then walked away. I hope they were ownership. They also sell drinks. The sparkling ones were just crap mixed with Perrier. I saw an interesting chocolate pistachio one. They harden chocolate on the outside of the plastic glass and put some pistachio concoction inside it. You then squeeze the glass to break up the chocolate.

*I noticed that Subway caved at started putting back their coupons in those flyers you can't get the post office to stop stuffing in your mailbox. They still have a $6.99 one that you can use any almost all nine dollar...nine dollar footlong (the cheapest one now). What I recommend is getting the Subway Club ($12+) and jamming all the veg that you can on top. And then you peel away two of the meats and the veg that won't work with it and you have three meals. Obviously you must buy some bread. I also separate the jalapenos and onions and use those in two or three tuna sandwiches. I bring this up because it also let me play with that green puree from the Indian restaurant. It makes a great dip for cucumbers. Semi-good with spinach. Didn't have tomatoes left over. On a sandwich, it overwhelmed ham and roast beef and spinach on top of either. Roast beef on its' own held up. If you put black olives on either, you could still taste the olives. Same with jalapenos. Now I wish I had saved some to test with tuna. And yes, I realize that both of the meats mentioned can not be eaten (alternately) by the two most common religions in India. But, here's a news flash. Other kinds of people eat Indian food too. The more you know...

Grub Crawl - Universal Area: Chima, Madras Cafe, Papparella and Wonderful Hand Pulled Noodle

I tried these spots Sunday at lunch. The first two are in a strip mall on the southeast side of Sand Lake Rd from I4. It has a Sixty Vines in it. The next two are south on Turkey Lake Rd. The third in past the Walmart and before a 7-11. The last is back towards Sand Lake in the strip mall with Spoiled Fish. I had no idea it existed.

Chima - Another reviewed without eating there because they aren't worth it. I was going to make this the main attraction despite the $28 for just the salad buffet. Then I saw tat they had raised that to $36 over the summer. That's not even a justifiable increase percentage wise. Do they think they are Chick-fil-a or Subway? Plus it looked basic. I think some pale smoked salmon was the dearest component. At least Divina Carne had sushi and other expensive things. Twice as much of it. They also have a dress code fyi. Open for two years I believe.

The Madras Cafe - Open for five years they said. I kind of remember when they replaced whatever was there before. Looks worn. Duct tape on cushions. Black and yellow. Around twelve tables. Long narrow footprint. Bar on the right. Private room in back. Some Indian statues/decoration. Vegetarian fare. Southern Indian. I had the Mysore (a southern town) Masala Dosa to go for $12. Large dosa. Potatoes and a tomato and eggplant "sauce". That green puree they always add. I thought the menu said chutney. Maybe that is what the "sauce" was. I was expecting a sweet chutney. I expect that was the masala. Since it was to go, all these components were in separate containers. Not sure how it would have come out if I had eaten in. It was ok. Sizzle (spices) trying to be steak. But if you can't kill and eat God's creatures, you are swimming up stream. The menu was large. Categories such as: Curries, Specials, Chinese Apps and Dishes, Dosas. They are so many Indian choices (why this lasted on the list so long), an aged vegetarian one never had a chance. *The green puree is a corriander and mint chutney called Hari. Not sure if I would have ordered it had I known that.

Papparella Trattoria - Open for two months. From restauranteurs from Sao Paolo. Trying for a fancy vibe in a strip mall location. Mostly dark browns and beige. Wood floor. Some greenery. Around ten small booths at the edges and two rows of assorted sized tables in between. Bar on the left. Wine "closet" and kitchen (with pizza oven) sandwiching that. Cloth table cloth. But, not ironed. Paper napkins. These are things a really upscale restaturant wouldn't allow. Good, tranquil mood music. Uniformed staff (6?). Mostly dinner. Lunch on Sunday. It was starting to fill up. No dress code. Seemed like mostly Brazilians. I had the Fried Chicken Panuozzo for $15. It was phenomenal. Huge. A fried chicken breast cutlet, prosciutto, arugula and sun dried tomato sandwich in pizza dough. Some mayo-y sauce on top. Maybe some cheese. The dough was a whole pizza's worth. Great char. Oily. Thick. Soft. Spongy. I think the menu said the proof/rest the dough for 72 hours. The pizzas (starting at $18) must be great too. This thing was so big that I could barely force half of it down. A knife and forker. I'll add here that even the tap water was good. No odd tastes. Must be filtered. Ice too. The menu is Italian. Duh. Big. Many pizzas, primos (pastas) and secondi (mains). And apps. Maybe soups? Booze and wine. Probably beer. Primos started (and mostly stayed) around $20. I almost did the $20 lasagna. Secondi were $30+. Mostly meat. For plan b, it knocked it out of the park. They were hospitable as well. On the Favorite's list for sure. Suck on that Chima. That $15 filled me up in a way your lame buffet never would. And I got a to go bag out of it!

Wonderful Hand Pulled Noodle - I wonder what they serve? Open for two months. Replaced some Asian place. Looks the same inside. Light gray. Eight tables. Spartan. I had (you guessed it) hand pulled noodle soup with vegetables for $12.95 to go. It was very good. The noodles were fresh. Duh. Such a difference. I saw the guy doing it. The broth was savory and not too salty. If we compare this with pho, it had no sweet component and the noodles are a thousand times better. Give me this over that any day. And we're talking vegetable broth. I think. The veg were broccoli (a bit soft), carrot (a bit hard) and baby bok choy (just right). Would you believe I drained the broth first with some bok choy and a few noodles. Then I warmed the rest of the noodles the next day and had some with the remaining Indian masala and the rest warm with the broccoli and a spicy pepper oil they tossed in. Both worked. Can't recall having Indian noodle dishes. Did I just invent that? Damn, seems like it is becoming a fusion thing.  They also have eleven apps. Scallion Pancakes ($6) to Wings ($9) to Black Fungus Salad ($9). Eight soups ($13-$17). Stir fried and mixed noodles ($13-$18). And six fried rices ($12-$16). Closed Tuesday. Lunch and dinner. On the cusp of Favorites.

*I espied that next to Sixty Vines is a bar that opens at 1pm on Sunday. Rest pm. It looks decrepit from outside. Inside looked very nice. And next to Spoiled Fish in the Noodle strip mall, there seem to be a new Middle Eaastern place being built out.

Travel Notes - New York/New Jersey

I flew Frontier and Jet Blue (return) to LGA for $115. I learned that a runway at MCO is closed for repairs and is causing the long taxiing. I took the M60 to Astoria Station and the W to Herald Square (34 St). I stayed at the shabby New Yorker Hotel (Expedia 8.2) on 34th and 8th Ave for three nights at $625 ($142+24Tax+40RFX3). I did this to be near Penn Station for the train to the UBS Arena at Belmont Park. I learned later that now the LIRR also leaves from Grand Central now. And the Moynihan Station also had trains to towns on LI. I didn't ask if it went to Elmont (Belmont Park Station). I got an interesting Pastrami Panini with Waffle Fries for $14 at Bagel Pub (5) on 7th. The bread was like pita. So grilled that I couldn't be certain. I took the 4pm train to Elmont ($23RT). There was a shuttle bus to the arena to see the Islanders vs the Rangers. I bought a seat on the first level near the corner for $103. The box office said that was their cheapest. I think that was NY bullshit. The guy next to me said he paid $35 on a resale site. I watched a period and left. I was just there (pre-season) to knock this newly built arena off the list and didn't trust the train system. Only scrubs were playing anyway. They really knocked down all of the old Belmont Park Grandstand. The new one was still under construction. I walked back to the train station because the shuttle wasn't there and there was no on around to ask about it. Grabbed an adobada (their al pastor) taco on 7th at Los Tacos No 1 (6) for $6. It was ok. I saw their original location in Tribeca on some show called Everything Off The Menu. I'll state here that I will rate all the restaurants (out of 11) in order in parentheses.

The next day I refilled my MTA Card for $14. They are discontinuing them in 2026. I took the N down to Canal St and took Mott to Pell to Doyers to the original Nom Wah Tea Parlor (3). They claim to be the first dim sum restaurant in NYC. I had been to two other locations. The internet said they were only open TU and TH. I asked and they said they are open every day. Oh well. I had 4 dumpling orders. All just over $6. Shrimp and Snow Pea Leaf (ok). Shrimp Sui Mai in Wonton Wrapper (best). Har Gow (tough wrapper). Shanghai Soup Pork (terrible). I tried to walk under the Brooklyn Bridge/FDR. This is all under construction AGAIN. I walked to South St Seaport. I had mango basil sorbet at Jean George Vongericten's Tin Building Food Hall at Spoiled Parrot (9) for $6. I walked to Battery Park. Also under construction AGAIN. I asked a worker and he said they finally got money to fix Sandy damage. I walked up the river to the 9/11 Memorial. Saw the finally repaired/new St Nicholas Church. Walked through the two newest buildings and down an escalator to the Oculus. Out the north side and up to Chambers. Took the subway to 42nd and walked west to the river. Felt out the ferry terminal. Through Hudson Yards to the entrance to the Edge. It's a balcony on the top of the building. I almost paid the $34 and then remembered that I've seen the same view from MANY tall vantage points before. Back to the hotel. At Moynihan Station, I grabbed an excellent buttermilk fried chicken over a Caesar Salad from the Jacob's Pickles stall (1). The original on Amsterdam and 84th has been on my list for ages. I looked it up on line and the menu was similar, but, twice the price. There is no way the sit down place could do this dish any better. It was great. Huge portion of perfectly crunchy chicken and fresh salad. Cost $15. I also grabbed a 1/4 lb of pastrami for $10 from the Pastrami Queen stall (8). It was ok. I think I have been to their location on Lexington and UES. Watched Yankees.

The next day I walked to Grand Central Station for Doughnut Plant (10) at their Food Concourse. I saw this on Chow Down Countdown. The original is in the LES on Grand. I had a vegan tasting $5 Coffee Cake Doughnut. I walked to Bierhouse (7) on Lexington and 45th. I had always seen this driving up Lex. I finally got there. I had their Classic Pork Schnitzel with Warm Potato Salad, cabbage and Cucumber Salad. It was ok. I walked 45th to the West Side. Took a ferry (every 20 minutes) to Weehawken and took the overpass in front past the train tracks to stairs to Hamilton Park. You make a right at the top and a left soon after. I walked about a third of a mile to the spot where Hamilton and Burr dueled. There is a statue and a plaque and a rock he laid his head on. Great views. I took another set of closer stairs down. I had to then walk through new condos to the terminal. I took the ferry back. I walked the High Line to the end. Crossed over to see Little Island (a park on the Hudson built atop plastic long stemmed cups). Back to Gansevoort to 14th and took the subway back to the hotel. I would have walked, but, my Metrocard money will be worthless if I hold on to it. I went back to Moynihan Station and tried a salmon chirashi rice bowl at the Yono by Bond St (2) stall for $18. No other location. It was excellent. I have been to Bond St. Lots of fresh salmon. Good rice. Came with salmon roe, edamame, tamago, avocado, wakame, ginger, wasabi, soy and some spicy creamy sauce that had sesame oil in it and needs to be bottled. Not chintzy with the portions either. I'd like to take this moment to encourage you to recall the quality of these stalls and prices versus Sanford's own Henry's Depot (or most of our food halls and trucks). They should hang their heads in shame. Watched Yankees.

The next day I went back to Moynihan Station and grabbed a pepperoni slice at Sauce stall (4) for $6. Excellent. I saw them in Vegas. I think at the Cosmopolitan. I thought it was made up. Nope. Original (now closed) on E 12th. I walked to 7th and grabbed piss poor eggs and potatoes and toast at Andrew's NYC Diner (11) for $10. Back to Herald Square (Macy's) and took the N to Astoria and the M60 to LGA.

Ok trip. Good weather. No complications. NY just feels icky and soulless. Everyone was sniffling. Even with all the new buildings and areas, most of it feels sad and drab. No pretty girls. And no excitement. Even with all the crazies back. Maybe it's me. Seen too much of it (and better cities). Maybe it is the omnipresent sweet vape weed smoke giving you a sinus headache and nausea. I was going to try the Italian Market at Arthur Ave in the Bronx, but, it required a subway and a bus transfer, etc. Randazzo's at Sheepshead Bay required a subway and a fifteen minute walk. I have a few more restos on the list. All only open for dinner though. Not earth movers anyway. Learned that the pineapple from al pastor goes well with pastrami. Parking was $64. Game was $103. Food/Wine was $211. Total Cost = $1175.

Grub Crawl - International Drive: Palm Tree Club and Corazon

I tried these spots on International Drive yesterday at dinner. The first is at Pointe Orlando. The second is near the cylindrical hotel near Kirkman. I also tried to try Sal's Pizza at Pointe Orlando. Their systems were down.

Palm Tree Club - I grabbed fried rice with shrimp ($16) to go because their menu was mostly sushi/rolls and that doesn't travel. I really can't remember the rest of the menu. Pizza starting at $18. But, I thought I was getting some at Sal's. A chicken yakatori was only two skewers worth. The rice was ok. Not a ton. Tiny pieces of shrimp. Not oily or soy saucy. Some kind of nut pieces. Thirty-ish tables. A few more in a covered front patio. Rounded corners. Palm-y coastal jungle feel. Green and khaki. Some framed posters. Very nice decor. Clean. A bit dark. A bar in front. Owned by Live. Open for a year. Empty. Not one soul eating. They said they might bring brunch back. Now open only for dinner. Added a facility fee. Had I eaten in. And if it was good. And had they not been closed so often when I tried them in the past, I may have had a better opinion of them. But, that wasn't what happened. This was just an exercise in getting them off the list at this point. I didn't really give the a chance to wow me. They validate. Maybe you will validate them.

Corazon Cocina Mexicana - I didn't know about the last two words of their name until now. I thought it was island Latin or South or Central American. It turned out to be cute. Like a shabby chic place you would find in Austin. A rainbow of colors. Aquamarine base. Lots of colorful pom poms on strings and paper flag colorful skeleton heads. Booze as decoration. They still have the ceiling dragons and window treatments from when it was an Asian place. Around thirty wooden booths and more on a side patio. Bar. Hostess stand front and center. HUGE menu. Apps/Dips, Salads, Tacos, Seafood Tacos, Seafood, Vegetarian, Specialties, Favorites, Molcajete, Fajitas, Rice Bowls, Little Amigos, Sides, Desserts, Margaritas, Wine, Beer, Sangria, Cocktails. And most of these categories run TWENTY deep. Many regions represented. Prices are in line. I had three lengua tacos with rice and beans for $18. The yellow rice had flavor. The beans were pureed. The lengua was a little tough. Small cubes. The tortillas were home made and flour. But, raw. Onions and cilantro. Served on an wavy yellow holder on a white rectangular dish. The free chips and salsa were excellent. The salsa in particular was fresh and had a nice kick. If I hadn't run out by the time the tacos arrived, it may have saved that dish. Six or so staff. Food came out quick. It was at about half capacity. By the lack of cars in the lot, I assume they were from the hotel that surround it. It looks a little dark in the recessed area they occupy. I hadn't tried them earlier because it was my understanding that they weren't open early in the week and only then at night. The guy I talked to as I left said they were open all 7 days for lunch and dinner. Check online to see what's what. Very nearly a Favorite. Too simple a dish to fail at though. Otherwise, I encourage anybody wanting a good (uncomplicated) Mexican experience to give them a whirl. Open for just under a year.

*At Pointe Orlando there is a club/bar I don't think I have mentioned. Houndsmen or something. It doesn't matter. They said they are changing it to Gin and Juice. So get your AK ready. Can I get a prop bet on first gun shot? Caliber? Sounds like a great idea. I also saw that that place (Taffer's) I mentioned in the last ID post was open. Not sure if they just opened or have been open just at night. I think an Indian place replaced the place near the Hulk Hogan location. And a new Japanese (Naomi Express) replaced a place in the strip mall in front of the AYCE Brazilian place towards Kirkman.

Grub Crawl - International Drive: Arcade Time and Eskina

I tried these spots on International Drive Sunday at lunch. The first is in between Sand Lake and Kirkman (more towards there) in a strip mall with parking in front. It replaced some thing that just came and went called Roboland or something. Says open 24 Hours! The second is at Kirkman. Northwest side. Neither of these were plan a. But, someone should tell Palm Tree Club to tell the internet that they don't do brunch any more (ever?). And this other place at Pointe Orlando (Taffer's) is either not open yet or defunct.

Arcade Time - I just learned about them. Open for a week. I didn't really believe they had food. But, almost half the space is food/sports bar. I tried the Cuban for $14. Bad. Four slices of ham. No pork. Beyond stale roll. Came with fries. They were ok. a bit under fried. Everything was cool. Like it had been sitting. May explain the thirty minutes I had to wait. Kitchen must have one person. Fifo ordering system. If I hadn't paid in advance (at the bar because there was no waitress when I came in), I would have left. Fairly big menu. Soups, salads, 9 apps, pizza, burgers, hd, wings, pasta, 9 other mains from poke to filet mignon. Desserts and booze. Low of $13 for guac and chips to $28 for Hawaiin BBQ Chicken. Wine was $9-$10. Beer was $5 (to start). Frozen drinks were $7. Two extra large tvs. Around a dozen tables. Bar. Black and blue. 80s arcade decor. 80s and 90s music. Arcade side has more carnival games than video. It was ok. Less people at the arcade and more in the kitchen would help. *I also saw another arcade place (Arcade Monster?) almost next door. Not sure if it is open.

Eskina -  Brazilian. Open for a month. I grabbed their cheapest thing (Peito de Frango Grelhado) to go for $19. You'll see why. It is two pounded grilled chicken breast over sauteed onions. It comes with two sides. I chose excellent mashed potatoes. It came with some kind of cheese shavings on top. And I chose potato salad. It was uniformly cut cubes. Slightly undercooked. Ok. Chicken was good. The other choices and the rest of the menu is the usual Brazilian assortment. Prices are ridiculous. French fries are $14. Three empanadas (an app) is $15. I think the next cheapest main was $30. Some things were over $60. And yet they had a crowd. I guess they live in a spend it while you got it environment. Or are just saps. Modern feel. The place is rectangular. Side room like a day care center. Bar. Stage in back with warbler. Around twenty tables. Black and white and green and yellow. Some tile accents. Exposed black duct work. Bottles of booze displayed at the bar. Enough uniformed staff. The order came out in minutes. If you go, go during the week at lunch. I saw that ten item menu. More acceptable. My dish was down to $14. Around that price was stroganoff and some other dishes. If you act wisely, this may be a find. It means corner.