I tried these spots on 434 Saturday at lunch. All to go. The first two are in the strip mall between I4 and Ronald Reagan that I just brought to you. It has Three Odd Guys Brewing. Look for a Huey Magoos out front. The next two are in a strip mall past 17-92 across from a Taco Bell. Look for Victorio's. The fourth is in a strip mall back closer to 17-92. It had Chilanago's (closed). The last is back past the first two places on the way to I4. It was Max & Meme's. I had only planned on doing three of these. The others just revealed themselves.
Siziling Grill Bistro - I saw a placard they put on the road. It opened this week. Their calling card is an AYCE breakfast buffet. I ordered something that might last a few days in the fridge and was hard to screw up. I had the chicken quesadilla for $12. Stuffed with chicken. Didn't love that they use cheddar. Some peppers and onions. Sour cream and a chipotle salsa. Basic. Came with fries. The menu is all over the place. Mostly American. Burgers, sandwiches, apps, salads, burritos, etc. And three steaks, grouper, lobster tail, catfish and pork chops. This didn't seem like a places for those. But, I could be wrong. High water mark is $35. One page breakfast menu. It is a large space on the corner. Maybe thirty tables and booths. Drab. Brown/beige. No one there. Two guys working. Open all day. I think this space was a restaurant before. They told me the Pho place next door has a new owner and menu. Same name. This whole strip mall has turned over. FYI - that is their spelling.
Indian Express - The first surprise. I threw this one in my route because I read the night before that it had just opened. I thought it would be low end buffet dining. The exterior remains unimpressive. However, the interior is appealing. They tore out the booths and opened up the floor plan from Uno Mas. A tasteful redesign. White, soft gray and maybe green. Some decorative, scenic painting on the walls Around twenty tables. Modern. I think the seats were an earth tone. I was speaking too much to the hostess/owner. They may have done away with the patio. About half full. Closed between lunch and dinner service. The parents had run Kohinoor in Altamonte. Had had a place in the strip mall with the Walmart near Lark Mary Blvd and 17-92. Never saw that. I tried the lunch portion of Chicken Vindaloo for $13. It came with naan and rice. Nice packaging. Six cubes of chicken and 1 1/2 of potato. The size of that die for betting in backgammon. White meat. No bones. The sauce was red chili based. Also had a hint of black pepper. Oily. The rice was good. The naan was ok. The menu is pretty traditional. Veg, tanoori, biryani, shrimp, lamb, apps. The most expensive thing is $20. Naan starts at $4. For value and flavor and environment, it will be a Favorite. I have been saddened to see the post Bayridge Sushi occupants go (F&D and Uno Mas). They were also the best things in the area. Hopefully, this iteration will last.
Rangoli Sweets - Also Indian. I thought it was Italian the one time I swung by. I believe it was (or I assumed) closed. They have a large selection of baked sweets. Mostly packaged in a refrigerator. Also a huge menu on the wall that the guy there had problems explaining in English. I believe alot of it is non-sweets. He pointed me to a five item daily special menu. I selected the samosa aloo for $7 because I thought it was potato samosas. It was a whole dish of chick peas, onion and potato and masala (sweet and spicy tamarind I believe) with empty split samosa shells. Delicious! The best thing I had in this whole food extravaganza. A deconstructed samosa. Probably what they do with leftovers. Crack 'em in half. Still good. The place is in the right corner of the strip mall. It has a dark window. The open sign wasn't on. Small, narrow space. No tables. Two guys came in when I was there. They said it has been there for years. Great find. And I guess if I wrote that it was the best thing I ate all day, it has to be a Favorite as well. Now I have to go back and get educated on Indian sweets.
The Human Bean - Opened in January. A chain from Oregon. A stand alone hut in the middle of the parking lot. Drive thru or walk up. I had a terrible bagel with cc for $4. They just throw a plastic cup of cc into the bag with a Lender's quality bagel. They do icees, smoothies, energy drinks, espresso, coffee and tea. A breakfast sandwich line up like Dunkin. Warmed in an oven/toaster. Two other customers while I was there.
Taiwan Cafe - The impetus for the journey and the greatest disappointment. Basically a to go joint with a fancy backsplash. The menu is straight up Chinese take out. No Taiwanese elements that I could observe. I want to make a forward looking geo-political joke here, but, it may come back and bite me in the ass if I ever travel to China again. You know what I'm saying though. I, idiotically, ordered something I thought would go with white wine better tha Indian food at dinner. The $10 lunch special of scallops in garlic sauce. Then I realized that seafood isn't the greatest thing to let sit until dinner time. Six frozen bay scallops. With preservative taste. Mushy broccoli, carrot, celery, baby corn, water chestnut and that floppy mushroom I can't remember the name of. That was actually a nice surprise. Better than the usual mushroom. I never order garlic sauce. Is it always a sweet, dark brown sauce? I thought tan and salty. It came with alot of low soy, egg fried rice. I couldn't tell how oily. I think the wok wasn't hot enough and it soaked in. Also the basic, almost empty, cheap cabbage egg roll. As I said, the menu is typical. I swear there is a place that changes the heading and prints the same menu out for all these places. Four large booths against the left wall. One large one in an alcove on the right. Dark. Red brick. Wood. TV playing music with sub-titles. I think the one cashier/waitress was using to learn English. Two people ordered take out while I was there. Open for under a month. Closed on Monday. You don't need to concern yourself.
La Pino'z Pizza - A worldwide chain with over 700 locations they said. The guy said he had owned Max & Meme for it's last two years. From Pennsylvania. He moved here and changed brands. This is fast food with an Indian vibe. Pizza, tacos (folded pizza without cheese), bread sticks, stuffed garlic bread, pasta, mac & cheese, brownies and wings. I chose the eight wings for $12 because I'm not into this level of pizza and certainly not an Indian version of it. I can't wrap my head/taste buds around Indo-Italian. Yet. The wings were ok. Small. Too many drums for me. The taste was crazy though. Just like McNuggets. Very fried. They said they coat them or not. I did without. I also didn't have them toss them in sauce. I think it defeats the purpose of crispy skin. The peri peri sauce I got on the side was creamy. It looked weird. I tossed it. The place looks like an already old fast food loacation. Around twenty tables. Spartan. Open for three days. I was the only one there. They didn't itemize the receipt and either the price is listed wrong or they add surcharges.
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