Grub Crawl - Sand Lake Rd: Bartaco and Pincho Factory (Closed)

I ate at these two new comers in the shopping plaza at Dr Phillips and Sand Lake yesterday at lunch time. I was hoping to shoe horn the first one into the best of list. Alas, it was unworthy. Even if I put them in the cheap classification.

Bartaco - It seemed to have it all. Cheap, fashionable tacos. Point Break sounding owners. Unpretentious cool. It sounded...well now that I think about it...it sounded kind of shallow. A restaurant is essential and existentially about food, right? And that is where they dropped the ball for me. Now that is fixable. And it may have been an anomaly. However, we rate the experience and not the promise around here. I had their $10 lunch tray (soup or salad with three tacos). I chose the chicken, the pork pastor and fried fish tacos and a bowl of pork pozole. The chicken was slightly undercooked thigh meat. It was flabby and cut in overly large hunks. The pork in the pastor was bland on its own and overwhelmed by the pineapple. The fish was the worst. Soggy. Old. Brittle. Cod? I just purchased some frozen cod at Winn Dixie that was priced at two for one (so you know it was old) and it was of a better quality than this. All the tacos were near "naked" with the exception of some spice on the meat and raw onions. The small soft tortillas needed more browning. I will stipulate that the tacos tasted better as a sum of their parts than they did when I picked them apart. The pozole had almost no pozole (hominy). I think I counted four. The "stock" was really on the "stew" side. It was like a red mojo sauce. There was plenty of braised pork in it though. The serving was big for it to be in the lunch tray. I regular bowl runs $7. I prefer chicken based pozole. Those tacos and some veggy ones, some rice bowls and a ceviche are really the whole menu. The place looks great. The main room is white and blue with upturned hampers turned into lampshades and potted plants hanging from the ceiling. The bar is towards the back (with the kitchen). They had some baskets with fake fruit for color at the rear right wall. The patio area in front is backed by garage doors that close off the main room. It seats about 100. The booths and tables are natural wood. The walls showcase photo posters from the owners' travels as well as sport (golf, tennis, surfing) themed collage poster art. Service was good. They are dressed in matching outfits (blue checkered shirts and khakis). They even gave me a chip for a free taco. Like I said, I really want to praise them, but, that food needs to be better. They do so little that they better do it right. I was there early, so, maybe the cooks were still getting thawed out. Although, that fish quality makes me wary. It was understandably empty-ish when I started eating. It (especially) the patio picked up as the day went on. If I had to choose Rocco's Tacos or Bartaco, I would choose Bartaco. It fits my sensibilities better. I grew up surrounded by the things in here. Just fix the food! I believe they opened a few weeks ago. It is part of a chain that started in Georgia for some reason even though at least the owners is South American and they describe the place as being influenced by Brazilian, Uruguayan and Californian beach culture. I didn't love that they charged $3 for about four shots of Coke (with refill). It's almost worse when the tacos are only $2.50. I will recommend it based on the decor and the pricing and the elan. If you get better execution from the kitchen than I did then you will really like it. It's next to the French place around the center of the marketplace.

Pincho Factory - I grabbed a daily special to go at this South American/Latin "finger food" (burger and hot dogs and chicken sandwiches) spot a few door down from Bartaco (near Einstein's) yesterday. The special was Vaca Frita (beef). It cost $8. It was the best thing I ate all day. It was served on tostones like a hamburger. The shredded beef was moist. The pan frying added a little crispness. The plantains could have been fried a little longer. That's all it was. That's all it needed to be. The rest of the menu is made up of those overly complicated hot dogs and burgers that they seem to love south of the border and on the islands. Unnecessary to me. I don't like what the do to a dog in Chicago. It's wiener molestation if you ask me. And when it triples the price, I'm really out. It's a burgeoning chain from Miami. It has been open for eight months. It is run like a fast food place. It was clean and new and simply decorated. Fine for what it is. Prices are from $6 to $9.

Grub Crawl - Winter Park: Kona Grill and Hummus House (Closed)

I ate at these two restaurants on Orlando Ave/17-92 at lunch time on Wednesday. The first is in that new development opposite Houston's (with Bulla) and the other is closer to Mills near Marlowe's Tavern. I would like to have it on record that I think this strip between Lee Rd and Mills is getting so congested that it should be renamed I Drive North. Traffic is absurd. And yet, Fairbanks (the first thing anybody encounters when the come to the "upscale" enclave of Winter Park) is still an eyesore full of repair shops, rub out joints and weirdo specialty (lord knows what) shops. Great urban planning.

Kona Grill - I'm going to say that they are a rip off of of Roy's and not the other way around because I remember going to a Roy's before I ever heard of them. Maybe they came first. If so I apologize. It is a chain (44) with a modern (something white people will order) Hawaiian menu. I think I've eaten at one before in another city. I don't love chains as you know and I didn't come here purposefully (some dumb friend of mind said it was a new sushi place) to try IT, but, I could have experienced a worse fate. The place looks great. I saw it in a very unfinished for when I ate at Bulla a few weeks back. They open just before Thanksgiving. It's laid out in an L (maybe a P) shaped room with a patio. They put the long bar between the patio area and the dining room. The kitchen is at the rear. It is semi-obstructed by some booths and an illuminated glass partition. The floors are wood with a triangular carpet inlay. The main color choices are brown and light gray. They have hanging lamps with shades that look like seashells or jelly fish. There is a bubbling water tank by the entrance. I'm not sure what the layout was past the bar. I was still in the grip of the latest strain of flu and I forgot to do a pass through on my way out. Pretty good if this is a corporate design. The area where I was seated had five spacious booths and around fifteen tables of four. Lots of space between tables. It's a big space. High ceilings. They gave me a booth though I was just a party of one in shorts and a T. I ordered salmon sushi for $6 because I had prepared my stomach for that, but, then reached for the chopped salad for you people (to try the macadamia nut chicken) and for my still shriveled flu ravaged stomach. It cost $15. The sushi was very good. Long and thick pieces of fatty salmon on properly prepared rice. The salad was enormous. I ate what I could then had some for dinner then some for the next day's lunch. It consisted of tons of the chicken, eggs, bacon, tomatoes, cheese, croutons, a fanned out avocado half and a melange of fancy field greens (really fresh). They dressed it in honey dijon. I can't believe I'm saying this, but, they may add TOO much chicken. The rest of the menu is pretty extensive. 8 apps. 7 salads. 5 flat breads. 8 sandwiches. 4 soups. 15 entrees. 6 desserts. The Hawaiian inspired dishes kind of start and stop with their braised pork and the chicken I had. The rest is straight up American (clam chowder, lobster mac and cheese, steak), Pan Asian (potstickers, pad thai, lettuce wraps, miso sake sea bass) or esoteric (jambalaya, cuban sandwich, greek salad). Service was pretty good. There were a few times when I waited a little to long than I should have (ie getting my credit card and bill back), but, they were trying hard. The clientele (and the staff) was a little less Winter Park-ish than I expected. But, hey. It isn't WP. It's I Drive North. I can't say that I'll be back. But, that has more to do with the so many restaurant openings rather than with anything to do with my experience here. I really can't complain about anything and I'm not sure you will either. It's probably a really good choice when you have some provincials in your group who are scared to try things and you can't imagine wasting a night at Chili's/Chessecake Factory. A nice compromise. Now don't get me wrong. It is a little pricey. You will spend twenty bucks on a soda and a non-entree. Thirty on a soda and an entree. Just know that they probably deliver enough in a serving that you can go app/sandwich/flat bread/salad or entree and you don't have to order both for a full meal. The place was about half full on a rainy day a little past regular lunch dining hours.

Hummus House - I had the mis-fortune of espying this Middle Eastern fast food disaster while looking for the new breweries in WP a couple of weeks ago. It is to gyros what Subway is to any decent deli. That means it sucks for any of you so far ensconced from civilized society that you don't puke when I mention the name  - Subway.I have a $5 foot long in my toilet that they wish they had the recipe for.  I had a gyro to go for $8. I didn't see it, but, they had to have used gyro meat that came in sheets like bacon or Steak Ums. The worst gyro meat I've ever had. And they only gave me five slices if it. It was as thin as a sheet of paper. Salty. Maybe they use that company that sells the deli meat in those white pouches for 49 cents? They then slopped on terrible spreads and limp veggies. The wrapper was stale. It fell apart. I almost threw it out. I probably should have. It caused stomach pain, but, no bowel explosions. Which is nice. The place looks sterile in a cosmetic sense but not in a sanitary sense. The workers were sleep walking. Parking is next to non-existent. Are these terrible Middle Eastern restaurants that are showing up all over town the next stage in their jihad? Please tell me it is Americans screwing up another culture's food and not them destroying their own culture for a buck. Somehow they have survived there for a year. Avoid.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Sanford: Tennessee Truffle, El Zocalo, Dreamy Cakes and Sanford Brewing Company

I tried out these places Saturday during the day. The first two are on 1st St (the main street) closest to 17-92. The cupcake place is on 2nd St behind those two. The brewery is down on Sanford Ave a few blocks up on the right.

Tennessee Truffle - I'm not sure if I should have had any higher expectations than I did when I read that the exec chef went to CIA and worked at Cafe de France, but, I guess I did. That is why I was mostly disappointed by this glorified food truck. To start with, they really just do biscuit sandwiches. And only three of them when you get down to it. They add an egg to a BLT and make salad out of the chicken, but, it is really just bacon and pork loin and chicken breast in the fridge. And I get that you need a hook. But, biscuit always have and always will suck. There is a fiction that they can be light and flavorful. They never are. Maybe if you get them within five minutes of being out of the oven. And that is just a hypothesis. They and hush puppies and scones and jonny cakes are English culinary refuse. These were no better. Hard shell. Pockets of salt or baking soda or baking powder or whatever doesn't work to lighten them up. And they don't work well as a food conveyance. They are too tall. You can't fit them in your mouth. Even open faced. I had the pork tenderloin one for $9 because it seemed like it required the most effort. If you are CIA approved, you are going to get nit picked for overdone pork. I don't subscribe to the pink in the middle pork doctrine, but, this was dry. Maybe why it took fifteen minutes to appear. They also didn't trim the fat. The best part was whatever jam it came with and the pickled onions. I also won't mention that I just ate an upscale pizza place and they had a pork HERO for $7. I'm sure that was bigger. The sides seem to be the star here. Now if their execution was as bad as my bland mayo/celery/onion potato salad then this place is totally still born. The place is ratty. I think they used reclaimed booths and tables. My table had some sticky imprint on it. The one area that isn't awful is the register. The went through all the bother of creating a corrugated tin overhang. It seats about forty. They don't do dinner. The cooking crew looked zombified. This just seems like a place run by a chef who doesn't put out and doesn't crack a whip. Sometimes a chef goes solo because he/she is so good. Sometimes it is because they have a character flaw (ie lassitude) that an owner can't live with. I wonder if this is case of the latter. I've been to alot of biscuit places all over the country (because of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives) so this place isn't a curiosity to me. Maybe some of the rest of you will dig it. No amount of imagination or obscure potions or powders can stiffen this limp biscuit. They have been open for a couple of weeks.

El Zocalo - This place replaces Tony's which replaced Cafe Rouge in the corner location. I had a combo to go for $8 because I didn't know they were in business and I already had eaten and I didn't want to come back to Sanford just for them The combo was two tacos and a flauta. I chose a shredded beed taco and chicken in the others. The beef had flavor. The chicken did not. I waited too long to eat the combo and the tortillas (hard shell) wilted. They looked cool. Crinkly. Not your average crap. They stuffed the tacos with guac and cheese and lettuce and tomato. They also included a small cup of rice and beans and a tiny salad. Nothing to write tomes about. They did nothing to the decor or layout. The menu is large and draws from all over Mexico. At least they don't serve biscuits. Deserves a longer look. I think they said they have been open for two months. *Moved to Sanford Ave.

Dreamy Cakes - I had a chocolate cupcake with mint icing that was dipped in chocolate and crowned with a peppermint "cherry" for $3. Not bad. The cake was really moist. I kept looking at my fingers to see if chocolate sauce was all over them. The chocolate coating helped mitigate my distaste for over icing. The cake was on the smaller size. They have been open for six months. They are not a chain. They had four lunch options. The place looks like a cute little doll house. It seats about four. Next to Fuel barbeque.

Sanford Brewing Company - They finally tapped their own kegs a week ago. I had four out of five. All were very good. Hoppy. Hopefully that isn't a masking trick. The one with celery was the most interesting. If I didn't mention it in my first "visit", they also serve food. It doesn't look that bad. I saw a bag of fries that was potato spears in Velveeta sauce that looked tempting. It seats about sixty.

*I saw that another brewery is being built diagonally from Celery City. It will be called Inner Compass. And Smiling Bison is only open at night.

Viet-Nomz, Winter Park

I popped in here before dinner on my way to the airport early last week. It's in that decrepit strip mall on University near Goldenrod. It was last a South American run sushi place and Thaitanic before that. I think they said that they opened in July. I had a Banh Mi for $5 because I didn't really have stomach room for a big bowl of soup three hours after I ate lunch plus it is harder to find a banh mi than a pho at this point in time. I also ordered some spring rolls ($3 for 2) because I felt cheap just dropping a fin. The banh mi I had was pork. They also do steak and chicken. It was pretty bad. It was the stringy slices of pork that you'd expect from takeout stir fry Chinese. The pork tasted like liver. The vegetables weren't fresh. The bun looked alarmingly like the ones I buy at Winn Dixie. I would say the pork was spoiling but I didn't get sick. Hopefully they have some explanation for this that doesn't involve the SCPA. The spring rolls weren't the usual size. They were the size of egg rolls. Now I leave it up to you if that (more) makes them better. The ground pork in those also tasted of liver. They were greasy too. I won't be too hard on them because I have heard that pho is really the thing to go here for and the bowls I saw looked good. They did a little to the decor. They tacked up some weathered wood boards on the walls and added a communal tables. They can seat around twenty. It was pretty full for that time of day. It's an order at the counter type of place. They then deliver the food about two feet from the open kitchen area aside the cash register. Can places make up their minds if they are full service or not. These half measures are bs if you expect me to tip. The phos seem to be the most expensive items. I think they were in the $10-$12 range. I saw on Bizarre Foods that pho is a bastardization of pot au feu and that is why you pronounce it phu and not fo. No idea why this is another on a long list of phonetically spelled words that don't seem to be spelled as they sound. The thing I liked best about this endeavour is the sandwich/pho combo. Hard to find a place that offers both. Now it would help if the sandwiches were actually good. That aside, did we need another pho place? Maybe this area did. No real reason to go out of your way to sample this one. Best thing about them is the name.

Taco Twist, W. Colonial Dr (50)

Part two of plan b of last night's evening directed me to this new (four weeks) Mexican/Korean restaurant about two blocks east of the I-Sore Death Trap on 50. It has been everything from an Italian place to a Chicago beef place. Most recently it was a bbq place. They now offer bulgogi, hot stone bowl rice, dumplings and a fried kim chi pancake on the Korean side and soup, tacos, burritos, chips, fajitas, quesadillas and burritos (maybe chimis and enchiladas) on the Mexican side. The Korean stuff is the more expensive ($10-12). Tacos can be had for $2.50 (other stuff around $8). I had three of them because they had some deal where you received a free drink if you did. Since they had no reservations comping the beer I had already ordered, I did that. I had a beef and a pork in soft shells and a hard shelled chicken. All were very good. They also offer shrimp. They probably should toss the flour tortillas on the grill (and maybe double wrap). However, the beef was actual flesh (not ground beef) and it and the carnitas style pork were both succulent. They also gave you a big serving of both. They topped them in an Tex Mex style. Tomatoes, lettuce, store bought shredded cheese mix, crema and even a little guac. They weren't quite lunch room tacos. Not quite street tacos. They were authentic enough to probably straddle the line. The hard shell seemed to be fried in house (as were the fresh tortilla chips). I think they filled the taco with chicken and then fried it. It was a good textural diversion, but, I would probably go soft shell next time to get more chicken. They didn't do anything to the decor. Same as when it was the bbq place. It was pretty full for 9pm. They drew from most ethnicities. My car wasn't broken into. Always a concern when you go to a place that has a tape measure on the door for identifying criminals. I believe the husband (with help) is responsible for the Mexican dishes and the wife for the Korean. Service was polite and efficient. The food came out quickly. They speak English. It was better than I expected. They are open for lunch as well. Parking in the rear.

GB Bottle Shop & Tasting Bar, Lake Ivanhoe Area

I had a beer last night at this "bottle shop and tasting bar" after I learned that the taco place I had intended to patronize near by is not yet open (even though I swear I did some version of a Google search that I can't now duplicate and they said that address was open for business). They are on Virginia near The Hideaway (train tracks). They are part of the Gnarly Barley family. I noticed them a few weeks ago while searching for another "new" place that is evidently way behind schedule (Grape and Grain - now Spring of '17). It was more popular and more of a bar than I expected. They said there was a bar crawl going on, so, maybe I hit them during an anomaly. The place looks new. They have a refrigerated area on the side wall that holds the wares. Half of it is exposed via glass doors to the public. You pick a bottle and take it home or pay a $2 and up "corking" charge and drink it there. Even with the charge, the price is equivalent to what you would normally pay at a bar. In front of the other half of the refrigerated area is the bar and the draft nozzles. They can open a section on the other side of the bar for fresh air. I think there were seats out there as well. They also serve wine (only by the bottle I think). I think they said they opened in July. Maybe later. Not bad. Not much. It is what they say it is. *Side note - why are all the places that never open on time great at inundating us with PR and the ones that open on time fall under the radar?

Grub Crawl - I Drive: Oreganatta and Halal Food Express

I had lunch at these places near Wet 'N Wild on Wednesday.

Oreganatta - I had the "Italian" buffet for $9 (+$2.59 for a soda - got to get that extra 9 cents). It was like eating at a reverse Sweet Tomatoes. Here the bread sticks and pizza are the stars and salads and soups are what you end up eating. I had a smidgen of pasta (for you) because you could see that it was over boiled. Looks did not deceive. I put a little Bolognese sauce on it. It was also terrible. When you stirred the sauce, hunks of beef (?) the size of turds bubbled up. I had a few slices of the regular and pepperoni plate sized pizzas. They seemed to be conveyor belt pizza. Very salty cheese (?). I also tried a garlic knot. And that is all the "Italian" (minus a minestrone) that was to be had. I expected a shitty lasagna at least. Maybe a greasy scallopini. I just piled up a few things from the salad area and called it a day. Pathetic. And perhaps why I was the one and only customer at lunch rush. The decor is even less Italian. Unless Marilyn Monroe was really Marla Maroni. It looks like it was some kind of Americana theme before they took over and they didn't remodel. I don't remember that place. I think it was a Filipino restaurant the last time I ate there. They seem to running the place with a two person staff. Skip.

Halal Food Express - I grabbed a chicken shwarma to go while waiting for Oreganatta to open. It cost $7. It was ok. It didn't seem like it was "shaved" from a rotisserie. Kind of like chicken pieces cooked in a pan/wok. There was a lot of it and it didn't give me the squirts. Not much veg or hummus or tatziki in the roll. They also serve pizza, falafel and gyros. Their sign highlights PIZZA as the word. You would think that was the restaurants name. People were friendly, but, can't recommend for anything more than a desperation snack. Not much to look at. Open for four years. Owned by Palestinians.

AdvoCare Invitational, Disney Wide World of Sports Complex

I went to round one as usual on Thursday. Even less people this year than usual. Maybe because tickets per session are now $40. I was reminded that Pac 12 and Florida college (UF and Miami) can't be bothered. Midwestern fans are supportive. Florida and Seton Hall were the only teams capable of making an outside shot. The Indiana State coach will blame the officials for his loss, but, he stuck with 4 and 13 and they cost them the game. Not sure if I should be mad at $40 tickets. The LosOr-lando City Lions and LosOr-lando Magic charge that much. At least parking is free here. Ends Sunday.

Morimoto Asia, Disney Springs

I had dinner on Thursday at this eponymous restaurant. I had boasted a few weeks ago when I reviewed Jimotti's that I would spend less and have a better meal here. I would have been wrong on both counts if they didn't comp a fishy tuna tartare app that I disliked. Let's see how that happened. And this says more about Morimoto's failings than Jimotti's blessings. Since it was Thanksgiving, they were monkeying around with the menus. I wasn't even aware that there was a separate sushi menu until after I ordered. I went with the aforementioned tartare at $12, pork dumplings at $11 and a yellow tail roll at $12. The tuna came in some sort of dashi/cold broth. I'm not sure if I was supposed to mix the tuna in and drink it or what. The tuna was too pureed. Mouth feel of puss. It tasted fishy. They claim it is supposed to. A third of the small sized Dixie cup worth. Terrible. The pork dumplings (4) were over steamed. The pork had no flavor. One on the dumpling's seals was broken. Pathetic. The yellow tail was also a ghastly puree. They could be using fish heads for all we know. The rice was good. Obviously $12 is two times too high for even something of this quality. Strike three. It's a shame because I love Morimoto. I knew about him before he crossed the Pacific. I went to his first restaurant in the first month it was open. This offering is alot less Japanese than I expected. I missed the "Asia" subtext. Maybe those dishes are better. I walked by the sushi bar and the quality and selection wasn't anything to write home about. I do have to warn that a $6 bowl of laksa in Singapore will run you $24 here. The same with the rest of the rice and noodle dishes. The place does look nice though. Super high ceilings with white lanterns hovering over the main dining room. The vibe is that kind of Japanese sparkly deco that you seem to need to use if you have a high end Japanese venture. There is a bar up front. It is really an afterthought. The bar above it is less of an insult. The sushi bar and some private rooms/cabanas and patio are on the second level. You take an impressive staircase to them. I believe the occupancy sign said 282. The bathroom has as many diaper changing tables as toilets/ One. I'm not sure if I would return. It seems like a hard reservation to get and I don't really care how a Japanese guy re-imagines Asian cuisine. I will go to the source for that. I especially don't want to pay through the nose for it. I'm no "comfort girl". Even if I paid $3.50 for a soda. Oh, and I forgot to add that I spent the rest of night burping up an odor that usually is reserved for a Tri Delt's easy bake oven. They opened last year at this time. Avoid.

Art Smith's Homecoming, Disney Springs

I had lunch at this Southern restaurant on Thursday. I want to start out by saying that there is nothing wrong with the experience, however, that is not the same as being right. The pre-eminent reason I (and probably most people) chose this to eat here was because of its namesake. I believe I was first made aware of Art Smith on Iron Chef or some similarly themed timed cook off show. It was a "Senior PGA" battle. Guys who preceded the celebrity chef hysteria. I also remember thinking that he showed the least amount of talent an imagination in the contest. I think it was a pairs competition. And although I believe he/they won, it was more because the city slickers on the tasting panel considered Southern cuisine to be a lark. And maybe it was up to four or five years ago (when the show filmed) or way back when he started his Chicago restaurant. For those in the North. However, we are in the South and in 2016 "new Southern cuisine" is the latest played out fad. Which brings me back to my opening statement. There is nothing wrong with what he/they are doing. It's quite good. Probably still a little progressive for Disney tourists. However, I can think of four or five local "new Southern places" that it would lose to in a food battle. The new 1921 by Norman Von Acken for one. And he is AUSTRIAN! The menu is small. This isn't always a negative. But, it's also too safe for an adventurous food acolyte. The most ambitious thing on the menu is a chicken and waffles riff using donuts. Yawn. On my dish (his signature chicken meal) the most interesting element was the pickles. We're talking pulled pork and fried green tomatoes. Yawn. There are around ten main items. The lunch and dinner menu are the same. Yawn. My meal cost $26 and consisted of a fried breast (with half wing), de-boned thigh and drumstick along with mashed potatoes and a cheddar biscuit. The chicken was soaked in butter milk for a day. It was moist and crisp. The quality was good. Side note - how can nearly everyone serve Bell and Evans chickens and it not violate some agro-snobs definition of acceptable? And can anyone invent a de-veiner for chicken drums and wings? The coating was light and stuck to the bird. Non-greasy. Plus. Plus. However, it lacked flavor. Bland everything. No salt. No pepper. Nada. The potatoes were equally bland. They also seemed to be over whipped (and over pureed). They had a sticky, gummy consistency. I needed to dip the chicken into the potatoes to find any flavor. I burped up potato all afternoon. The biscuit was fine. Light. A touch of cheddar. But, once again little taste. It's almost like since he had his health issues that he decided to reconfigure his menu to make it healthy. Not that I have ever tried his food before. Maybe this is the Art Smith way. So, that was the meal. Some apple cider pickles and a splash of hot sauce completed the opus. Basic plating. Once again, it was a good meal. I just wasn't changed by it.

The place holds about 182 if I remember the occupancy sign correctly. It was filling fast once the doors opened at 11. The dress code seemed to be casual. Alot of people seemed to have come there because of Art. It has vaulted ceilings and is composed of wood in natural and gray tones. The cushions and chandeliers are wrapped in faux potato (?) sacks that look like burlap. It has windows more than walls. The bar in on the left and the kitchen (windowed) is on the right. They have table options for all sizes. There is a screened in patio. Art was there and was very gracious and came to every one's table. Service was good. They had about ten costumed wait people at the ready. Food came out fast. A soda was $4, but, you did get a refill. They even offered to "to go cup" me. And that is a good note to end this on. Even though Art is a "celebrity", he doesn't appear to be full of himself. You can still get a soda to go. How un-snooty is that? How Southern. So, if you want to keep it casual yet have something to Instagram about at Disney, this is a fine option. Maybe it's a little pricey for fried chicken. But, you were probably stupid enough to pay $125 (without parking) to get on three rides that weren't under construction. Don't get sensible now. They opened in July and appear to be operating smoothly. Park in the Lime lot.

Pub/Grub Crawl - Winter Park: Maestro and Deadly Sins Brewing

I went to these spots yesterday afternoon. The first spot took over for that Brazilian sushi place on Park Ave (next to Burgerfi. The brewery is on the street on the non-parking lot side of 4 Rivers in an industrial area with car repair shops. 

Maestro - They brand themselves as a "Cucina Napoletana". I'm not sure that a southern Italian restaurant would have the amount of meat dishes that they have, but, no matter. It is a blessing to have the option and large percentage of the menu is seafood and vegetables. Another blessing is that this place is run by the Terra Mia people or people associated with it. They always deliver. I had a pizza because that was what the little I had read up on had prepared me for. I took a $10 lunch pizza and added broccoli rabe and sausage for $1.50 each. They had a stuffed pizza on the lunch menu that was composed of this, but, I wanted to see what they do with a normal pizza. It wasn't shaped Neopolitan style. A regular round disc. It was good. They do the "hunks" of mozzarella thing that is traditional, but leaves two thirds of the surface area naked. The sauce was just squashed tomatoes. The rabe was wilted in garlic. The sausage was crumbles. Good quality. Thin. Not charred or undercooked. Good dough. Large enough that I could only eat half. They also supplied me with fresh bread and a twisted bread stick. Service was informed and polite and quick. The place seats about forty inside and they can add two or three table on the sidewalk. A weird design element is that the bar is so close to the sidewalk that sliding glass doors will cut off bar seats on that side when closed. The decor is minimalist. I think I remember black and a light Earth tone on the walls. They have an open kitchen in the back with one of these red tiled brick oven that I seem to be seeing more and more of. The place was about half full. They have only been open for a week. The menu looks conventionally ambitious and enticing. Everything from paninis to pastas to whole sea bass. Pastas top out at $16.50. The main dishes (secondi) start below $20 and end at $25.50 for Zuppa di Pesce. A small pizza (13") tops out at $16.50. I'm not sure if another Italian option was necessary in the area, but, a good restaurant is a good restaurant. I think they may get first dibs on Rollins students and parents, but, that may be off set by how much of a pain it is for everyone else to find parking at this end of the avenue. Time will tell.

Deadly Sins Brewing - I had a flight (4) for $10. The sweet potato ale was really interesting. Pick some up for Thanksgiving. The IPA was subtle. The darker beers seemed to be their sweet spot. They just had their firm opening a week or so ago. It's basically a store room with an L bar. The bar seats were full. They were hosting an adopt a pet affair. A food truck pulled up in the lot. The owner told me a funny story on how he had to be on a main sewer line to operate and that is how he ended up where he has. Ah, the things you'd never think of. A nice addition.

Dead Lizard Brewing, Orlando

I tried out this new (one month) brewery in an industrial park off Highland (on 36th) yesterday. It is near the Holy Land theme park. I had a flight (4) for $9.50. The IPAs were a little weak and similar. The cream ale wasn't too oily or vanilla-y. The stout was flavorful with a little fizz. They said the owners are third gen from Indiana. They concentrated on stouts and porters before moving here. That seemed evident. The room/bar is smallish. You can see the "machinery" from there. They have been "sort of" open for a few months. They just had their grand opening. A welcome addition.

Saigon Blvd, Winter Springs

I had lunch at this new (one month) Vietnamese restaurant in that strip mall at the intersection of Tuskawilla and 434 on Wednesday. This is the third place I have reviewed in that spot in the last two years. I had the special noodle soup for $12. It was a sweet chicken broth with choice of egg or rice noodles (I chose egg) and squid, shrimp, pork, quail eggs, lettuce and green onion. The squid and shrimp came in pairs and were fresh and not overcooked. The pork was good (sliced). The noodles were toothy. Alot of them. The serving size in general was large. A mixing bowl's worth. They are pushing it on the soda front. $2.50 for half a glass (half ice) of 2 cent syrup. A refill was offered. But, do you really need more liquid after downing two liters of broth? The menu's only real surprises are the non-Vietnamese items (ie wings, shumai). Phos, crepe, rolls, rice and noodle dishes, Prices are maybe a dollar or two high. However, they don't compound the issue by undercutting you on the quality. Service was fine. I was the only one left at around 2pm. They seemed a little eager. Now that can be a good thing or a sign of desperation. Let's hope that this spot doesn't swallow another family's dreams. They are open every day from lunch until 10pm. They did little to the decor. I think they added a white "brick" wall and pretty much stripped it to its essence. The color scheme was some kind of beige with black accents. They aren't doing anything noteworthy, but, I think this area had a hole in this category. Fine if you live near by.

Dixie Belles Cafe, Orlando

I had lunch here last week on my way to the airport. It is near Gnarly Barley. on S. Orange  It was the only place open in the area that I hadn't been to yet. I had an egg plate with chicken fried steak and potatoes for $8. It was about what you get everywhere else. Maybe a tad better. Service was fine. The place is one big open floor plan with four person tables surrounded by six person booths. It has kind of a western-y feel. Light on decor. It seats about eighty. I was pretty full. The usual diner menu. I think they said they have been there for ten years. Now you know.

Domu, Audubon Park

Congratulations Domu! You are entry number 1000 in this lunatic's personal Diner's, Drive Ins and Dives (and everything in between). Can you believe I have wasted your and my time and my money at over 1000 (alot of these entries were crawls) places around town. Who would believe there are/were that many places. Oops. Subtract some for tutorials and games and events. Any way. Back to work.

I went here today after DoveCote. I heard they just replaced Txokos at the East End Market on Corrine and I was still hungry. It's (what is becoming too ubiquitous) a noodle bowl place. A Japanese one, if that makes it a little more esoteric. I had a tuna don bowl for $12. I'm not really sure what the diff is between tuna kobashi and tuna don, but I like both even if they are the same thing. The tuna was fresh. Ahi. The rice was fresh. I think the difference between a don and kobashi may be that "the don's" rice is warm. I didn't love that the rice was slowly cooking my tuna as I ate. However, it is a minor criticism. They also had other rice bowls and noodle bowls. A small menu. About five of each. They have done nothing much to the space. Maybe they took down some decorations. Now there are none. It was pretty full for a post-lunch time slot. Service was good. The crowd was half Asian and have Anglo. Young. They have been open for two weeks. It means "dome".

*The areas two other new additions (Bem Bom and Kadence) look like they are months away from opening.

DoveCote, Downtown - Closed

I tried this bistro in the Bank of America building today for lunch. And while nothing they did disappointed me, I wasn't knocked of my feet. It's not that rustic French food isn't still better than most everything else or that we have such a profusion of French options, but, I just felt that I've seen this movie before. The lunch menu is composed of "schmears" and dips. Pork terrine, chicken liver pate, fish brandade, onion soup and tartare. Three prototypical French salads. Two burgers. Three typical sandwiches. An omelet. A fish and a chicken dish. The one "stretch" is a tomato water risotto. Dinner isn't much more expansive nor unusual. I had salmon with quinoa (with preserved lemon, almonds and black olives). The menu says kale. If there was, it was the fried herb I thought was a tasteless basil or mint garnish. The menu I left with listed the fish as grouper. Not sure if they go with what is fresh or they are already conceding another item (on a conceded menu) to the cookie cutter. The salmon was cooked perfectly. Two stapler (what I just stared at) sized pieces. Nice coat. Some might say not pink enough. I don't mind that if the fish stays flaky. It was. The quinoa "medley/melange" was tasty and had personality. It cost $18.50. The dinner cost was $26. Yet, that was one of the few double entries that increased in price. Either good news if you are a dinner patron or bad news if you are a lunchee. The "schmears" were cheap (depending on portion size I guess) at $7 or under. The soup is overpriced at $13 (even if they add oxtail). The tartare is $16. The burgers and sandwiches are $16 or under. The other entrees are reasonable (at $12, $13 and $16). The sides may be the most enticing things on the menu. They have a raw bar (at least shrimp and oysters). I think it is only filled at night. Another French tradition they replicate is the "tiny" soda in a bottle at an exorbitant mark up. Here they charge $3.50.

The place is tinier than I expected. Forty four in the main room. Twenty to thirty in the bank lobby. Hopefully, it never gets full enough that you are stuck in that makeshift insult. There was also a room partitioned off with curtains. A private room or extra seating. I suppose. The bathrooms were nothing special. No money spent there. And they smelled (they were airing them out). The "to go/coffee" area is also an eyesore. Makes you feel that you are in one of the cheaper dining options in an upscale hotel. The backdrop of the restaurant is kind of hard to describe with a stock word or phrase. It's a little California French (like a Thomas Keller place) with a dash of Parisian apartment salon and traditional Parisian bistro and a little shabby chic pied-a-terre thrown in. I know that means nothing to almost everyone. Let me describe elements. The walls are light blue. The trim is white. That reminds me of the salon. The main decorations are photos (some of the bigger ones look like Richard Avedons) seemingly haphazardly placed. That helps the shabby chic vibe. The bar area has an old absinthe contraption and is (in my probably faulty memory) classic with stained wood and the attached oyster "aquarium". That is the Parisian bistro element. The California vibe comes from the light stained wood tables and the lighter tones in general. I think the abstract mural (or maybe the waiters in dark jeans and collared shirts) on the higher end of the wall (cubes) also drew me to thoughts of Napa Valley, but, it could be The French Riviera as well now that I think about it. They also have three steel beams (painted white) above your head just for good measure. Find the dove. That is enough time spent on that.

There were only ten others eating at lunch. Doesn't auger well. But, I think they have deep pocket owners. I know it is a collaboration. The site is a tough one to attract non-courthouse or bank building visitors to. If it helps, they said they validate the in building parking charge. I think that the reviews have been very good. I would love to fall in love too, but, it doesn't feel like it has pizazz and the food stays to close to a worn out script. Maybe I need to analyze the menu more. Maybe these croque monsieurs and cassoulets are tuned up. Barring that, I'm not even sure it is the best bistro that opened this year. And I think there have only been two. I think I like that one on Sand Lake Rd in that Italian sounding complex past Dr. Phillips better. And it didn't mean enough to me to remember the name. However, I have to reiterate that I liked DoveCote. The execution was great. The service was great (even if it would have left a needy customer feeling a little forlorn at times). The place looks pretty great (except for the lobby and the to go area). They didn't have an attitude. And maybe that's it. They didn't have an attitude. Attitude in a good way. No real raison d'etre as they French would say. They need something that makes one NEED to go back. And the sad, paradoxical thing that they need is probably life force. They need a crowd. They need that buzz. Maybe it's there on non-Friday lunch gatherings. I know it's not there on Sunday nights either. I passed by last Sunday and it was dark. I guess that it didn't help that I watched Cafe Society last night and there was a big banging night club in the center of that. So (and this is the proper place to utter the word "so" - at the end of a a long dissertation - not at the beginning), my advice is to try it out. It may not be the end all be all, but, it is unlikely to disappoint.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Third Wave, Sasaki Sushi and The Original Famous Philly's Cheesesteak

I chowed down at these three establishments on or connected to Flagler Ave Sunday afternoon. All reflected admirably on their genres.

Third Wave - I just chose this place because it was the next on the block on my list. No prior intel. I was resoundingly (some may say bigly) impressed. It looks like a little house that they turned into a snooty coffee bar from the front. That area/house is cute in its own respect, but, the thing that makes it special is the outdoor area in back. It looks like it may be a whole other restaurant. In fact I thought it might be. But, it isn't. It's a sizable nook with a bar that seats around sixty. It was packed, but, the cute hostess found me a table expeditiously (just re-saw Lean On Me with Morgan Freeman). The space has personality without calling attention to itself. They have the front half/grill of a truck over the bar and orchids nailed to planks nailed to trees. It's shaded by trees. I had the Southwest Hash because it had the greatest mix of the elements that spoke to me among all the dishes. But, I could have gone with shrimp and grits or the cranberry citrus chicken salad or or chai banana bread french toast. I was jonesing for avocado and potatoes so I chose what I did. It consisted of the aformentioned plus two over easy eggs, choice of chicken or chorizo or fennel sausage (I chose chicken for heart burn reasons), roasted corn, mozzarella, carmelized onions and rosemary topped by a red pepper couli. Fancy right? It was very good. The chicken seemed like the pre-sliced stuff you can get in a bag. That was the only disappointment. It came in a skillet. It ran $12. Filling. Service was good. They also serve pizza, salads, crepes and other breakfast and sandwiches. The dinner menu is different. It has fresh oysters, rock shrimp, pimento cheese dip, lamb meatballs. And those are just some of the apps. Highest price brunch was $15. $25 for dinner. Hard to beat this place. Seemed like the "it" place in town.

Sasaki Sushi - This place is a twelve seater in the middle of the avenue on N. Cooper St. I just grabbed a yellow tail and scallion roll and an avocado (still jonesing) roll to go. $8 for the YT. $5 for the A. Got to get that A! Both were full of die sized pieces of the good stuff. The YT was a little bland. Probably not wild YT. Still, it was worth $8. The rice was properly made. Big kernels/grains. They did fall off the A Roll though. Probably because he put such big chunks in. The menu is limited. Probably for the better. Ensures quality. The place is tiny and is functional. A good food-centric place to patronize.

The Original Famous Philly's Cheesesteaks - Their name reminds of the Pat's pizza nonsense that goes on in NYC. For those who are not aware, there are like a dozen configurations and places that use some version of that name. Anyway. I had a cheesesteak with wiz to go on my way home. It was what a CS should be. grilled, thin, crispy, nice quality beef on a fresh roll with wiz permeating every available free space. It cost $9. The place is middle of the way up on Flagler on S. Cooper St. They had another in Port Orange, but, the hurricane got the roof. They also serve egg rollers, burgers, hot dogs, nuggets, etc. They have four tables outside. Better than the place near the bridge. Much better.

*FYI - Watch out for stuff in the water. I stepped on what was probably a nail in a board. Just caught the edge of my big toe. Lucky. Plus the water looked green.

Ivanhoe Wine and Spirits, Antiques District/Ivanhoe Village

I ended my Saturday night at another new place that just popped on my radar. They just opened within the week. It is next to (what has been described as) the gay bars down there (nearest to Princeton). It is both an upscale cocktail bar and retail liquor store. High end. I just had a whiskey ($8) because I had to get up and go to the beach the next day and it was empty. I mean - me, myself and I. The place looks great. Clean. Bright. Brand new. One wall has the bottles for sale and the other has the bar. Lots of selection. Good choices. I'm not sure if they want "breeders" or not, but, I would try it no matter where you prefer to stick your pee pee or your hoo ha. I'm not even sure they think of themselves as a "gay" establishment. I don't know the "rules", so, I'll pretend we are past any gay/straight labels. They have a done a good job setting up the backdrop. Now we'll see how it develops.

The Bear and Peacock Brewery, Winter Park

I couldn't bring myself to do downtown on Saturday night, so, I drove by to see if these guys had finally opened. They were slated to open in early summer. Thankfully there were. Just recently. I had a glass of red because I had already started with wine and their beer isn't ready yet. They are crafting their own beer to go along with the spirits that the owners (Winter Park Distilling Co) are now distilling next door. The wine was fine. One of six or so options. It cost $9 for a heaping glass. They also have a few draft options from other brewers. The place looks cool. It was an old repair shop of which they salvaged much of the original elements. It's sleek now. You can see the crafting area. It was pretty empty, but, that should change. The floor plan was pretty open. A mingling spot. They had the Series and college football on the tube. I chatted with the owner (and his friend). He seemed like a guy you would root for. It is next to where The Ravenous Pig is (will not be in soon). I will have to go back. Parking may be an issue.

DeVine Bar and Grill, Oviedo - Closed

I popped in here Saturday night to check things out. The menu seemed interesting (beef tartare, poutine, etc), but, I wasn't hungry. The other attraction is their "self serve" wine system. I believe I have tried three other wine bars in CF with this set up (the one DT failed and I am not sure about the status of the one in the WP shopping area on Orlando Ave). It is smaller than the Wine Room in WP. Half the price though. Twenty dollars (plus $3 for the card) allowed me to sample thirteen vintages. I believe the size I chose was 2 oz. That was the smallest of the three sizes. Most of the selections were at a buck and half (give or take a quarter). The selections were good too. About fourteen reds and fourteen whites. From all over. A vast spectrum. Little overlap. The place looks sharp. Upscale accessible. The main area has some booths with the middle relegated to high tops. Then there is a bar with seating. And an upstairs room that was hosting a private party. It was pretty empty for a Halloween party night. They had the FSU Clemson game and the Series on the TVs. Not a bad place. It is kind of misplaced in that shopping area on Alafaya Woods Blvd near Red Bug Lake Rd. Good value and maybe good food. They have been open a couple of months. They open at 3pm.