Tamara, Lake Mary

I went to this Indian+ restaurant that just replaced a Thai place in the strip mall at International Parkway and 46A Saturday at dinner. I had the Manchurian Chicken to go for $18 because a curry dish started at that BEFORE you even added vegetables. Those cost $2. $6 for chicken. It was pretty bad. Cloyingly sweet sauce with fried pieces of chicken whose coating turned to mush in the container on the way home. A fair bit of thigh meat cubes. Why do you always get more when you want less? I wonder if Indian places that have a Sino section do so because they want to reserve the white meat for the Indian dishes Just green peppers and onion along for the ride. Medium hot was not hot at all. A side of equally mushy white rice. Took too long to prepare. While the mushiness may not be a feature of the dish should it be consumed in house, it is still not a dish (often called orange chicken or the like) I enjoy. I should have read the description more closely. I was too busy decoding the add on costs and unexpected dishes on the menu. I recall lamb tacos and laksa as a couple. The main menu has kebab meals and curries as well as the Indo-Chinese section (General Tso, Garlic, Hot, etc). Around seven dishes in each. All over $20 when you added to the sauce. They had staples like butter chicken and tikka masala. Samosas, soups, naan, etc. I think there was a really expensive section. Apps all ran over $13. They seemed to make craft cocktails. I saw one with a smoke bubble. The sign says Thai. I don't recall a dish. Around twenty two different sized tables. Four outside. One in a recess. Black, metal, gray colors. A few garish touches. Mural on the back wall. Bar on the right with tv. Some odd walled off square near the entrance. It looks nice. They want to be high end. I think the Thai place did as well. I think they lasted six months. I think this business model will last as long unless they lower the prices. I think that tanked the Thai place. Three tables seated on a holiday weekend. Their only specials were happy hour bar snacks and drinks. Seemed like two or three employees on call. Open for a few weeks. Open seven days a week from 12pm. Save your powder. No word on if they have a sister restaurant called Tia.

*I noticed that the fast food chicken place on the corner failed. It looks like a coffee place will replace it. Something Generic and Something Generic. Like Crate and Barrel. A sushi place is also going to replace what I believe was Curio burritos down the road. I checked out the menu at F&D Steakhouse. The cheapest thing was a $35 chicken. Typical yawn menu. How many SNAP benefit swindlers can there be to pay $100+ for a cut of cow. Is there anything simpler to cook? Who are the dickheads that keep these steakhouses in business? I know. People spending other people's money like government officials and salesmen courting clients. I also noticed that Subway lowered their prices. Credit where credit is due. Travel Notes Italy in two days.