Grub Crawl - Eustis: The Crazy Gator and Barnwood BBQ

I had lunch at these places near the lake around a week ago. The first is on the street that runs north and south on the east side of the lake. The second is at a train crossing on that street (N Bay St) called West Orange Ave. It is a few blocks south. As I have said in the past, a way to get here from Orlando is to take I-4 to 46W to 441W/N to 19N. The first restaurant was in that Sentinel article. The other was one I found (but was never open) a few excursions ago.

The Crazy Gator - It's not much food wise. Your basic bar fare. I settled on chicken fingers and fries for $9 because I needed to eat while driving and the rest of the menu was yawn inducing. The fingers took a while to prepare. I think they forgot. There were three of them. They were plump tenderloins. They packed the wrong dipping sauce. The fries were half cooked and dripping with oil (one reason why I think they forgot about my order). They had that horrible starch coating. Don't go for the food. The only reason (unless the bar gets rollicking) to go is to see what they haven't ruined of the old provisions building they are located in. And the nice view of the lake. Open since 2000.

Barnwood BBQ - This as a combo bbq and cafe. I had a brisket sandwich for $7. It was very good. The best in the area. It had a smoky (almost chipotle like) bark that had hints of Hungarian paprika. It was a thick bark. Dark and silky. I believe they served me the burnt ends. If not, it was a cut close to the surface. The bun was sweet. I really enjoyed it. Some might have found it a bit dry, but, I think it was just the cut I received. It came with a sauce that I didn't try. They also bbq other meats. Ribs, chicken and pork. The "cafe" menu had burgers, sandwiches, etc. They do breakfast. They are closed on the weekends. I forget when they open and close during the days they are open. It looks like a little "granny cafe". It seats about 40. They also sell a variety of swag (including t-shirts, honey, rubs, etc). It has been open for three years. They will be on the Favorites list.

AJ's Press, Longwood - Closed

I was originally in this area yesterday for this newcomer. It is the brother location of a one off Tampa based sandwich shop that somehow is/was the number 4 "top 100 places to eat" nationally in 2017. Now the sandwich I had was good, but, I'm not even sure they are the fourth best sandwich shop in Orlando. I had AJ's Cuban because it seemed like one of the more complex sandwiches (another reason why the ranking is questionable and hopefully not purchased). It cost $9.49 (for the larger one) and consists of two slices of pit style ham, four slices of Cantimpalo chorizo, slow roasted pork, jack cheese, pickles, mustard and mayo. It comes on a pressed 'locally baked" Telera roll (smaller size comes on a Bolillo roll at $7.49). It was good. I liked that the chorizo wasn't thickly sliced or worse - loose. The ham was good. The pork can be described as Carolina style (vinegar). I'm not sure if they roast it with vinegar or add that later to moisten it. The serving size could have been more generous. Maybe a hardball's worth. It comes with good home fried "lattice" potato chips. Think waffle cut fries. The other sandwiches that are a bit interesting (I'm reaching) are a brisket at $11 and a crunchy chicken at $9.49 (for the larges). The Grilled Chicken BLT, Chipotle Grilled Chicken, Sonora Bacon Dog, Roasted Mushroom, Burger, Mojo Pork, BLT, Grilled Cheese, Ham and Cheddar and Fish sandwiches didn't really wow me. And that is the main issue I have with the place. It's pretty vanilla. They could use a bit more funk. They also serve all these items (and breakfast sandwiches) as bowls. The breakfast items come on potatoes. The lunch items on black beans. They have a few sides, soups and desserts. It's on 434 near the RR tracks (near Ronald Reagan Blvd). It took over the spot that was Zorba's and some other spot most recently. They give you a very good jalapeno hush puppy while you wait. They are amiable. I didn't have to wait long. A family run business. I'd go back alot if it wasn't in such a traffic nightmare. They are closed on Sunday (the one light traffic day) and 8-4pm on M-F and 9-3pm on Sa.

Jon Jovonni's Pollo A La Brasa, Longwood - Closed

I had lunch at this new (13 weeks) Peruvian restaurant on Ronald Reagan Blvd (near the light rail station on the north side) yesterday. I had the fish (corvino) ceviche for $14 and the 1/4 chicken lunch special for $7. The ceviche was ok. They said they add the lime juice as ordered, but, it seemed a little "cooked" for that. Who knows? Maybe the fish is a fast cook. The portion was large. It was topped with thinly sliced red onion. I usually don't order this dish because in addition to it rarely being prepared properly, the portion size is usually an appetizer's worth at an entree price. This was enough for a meal. They also tossed in some corn nuts, some big, boiled hominy and a half of a sweet potato. I was getting bored with the ceviche, so, I started mixing it with the potato and the hominy and it made the fish a little more interesting. I'm not sure if that is how it is supposed to be consumed. It's not intuitive. The hispanic cultures often just throw stuff on a plate that doesn't seem to be complementary but is maybe all that they have in the larder. They serve two other types of ceviche. The chicken is cooked "a la brasa" and was moist with crisp skin. It was very good. They may have used a jerk rub. The bird was smallish, so, I expect it wasn't "roided" up. Maybe even free range. Normal size. You can get white or dark meat pieces. It came with crisp fries, a can of soda and an acceptable, basic salad of lettuce and tomatoes. You can get it with rice and beans and without a soda ($5). The rest of menu is representative. Beef, chicken, pork, seafood. Around a three page menu. The place seats around forty. The color scheme was black and red. They have no decoration. They seem to be leaving the wall space clear for people to write on. You order at the counter and it is delivered. The co-owner is a ball of energy. They are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Til 9 on Sn-Th and til 10 F and Sa. The last Peruvian place I believe I wrote about was Gaviota. They would probably consider themselves higher end than this. I would say that there isn't much difference. Especially for the 50 location. They seem to be trying and those lunch specials (the have others) are great. I just spent $7 for disappointing Chinese take out this afternoon. I'd go back.

Big Kahuna's, Winter Springs

I tried this newish (seven months) poke bowl place in the strip mall at Tuskawilla and Red Bug Lake Road (the one with Flanagan's Bar) last night. It fronts Tuskawilla. I had a traditional tuna bowl and a salmon bowl because I hadn't eaten since four in the afternoon of the previous day. The tuna bowl was ok. I asked for sesame oil. It would probably be less good their way. The tuna was a bit pale. It didn't taste off though. It came on top of rice with seaweed, onions and a few other things. There were temperature variations in the ingredients that affected the taste and mouth feel. Some things were too cold (almost frozen). They could iron that out. The rice was very good. Toothy. Right grain. Unfluffed. Superior to alot of sushi places in town. The salmon bowl came with edamame, seaweed, avocado, cucumber, ponzu and a few other things. The salmon looked fresh, but, was bland. Could probably use some soy. The avocado and soy beans had redundant flavor profiles. Maybe a contrast element instead? Both bowls were $10 and had alot of fish to them. $14 gets you 5 scoops. $10 gets you 3. They have five-ish pre-fab bowls and then you can make your own concoctions. The bases are tuna, salmon, shrimp (elbow macaroni sized), octopus, yellow tail and maybe ahi (I think they had two types). I think they had one veggie option. They also offer alot of sauces. I'm of the belief that this can be a dangerous thing. Think; eggs with ketchup, hot sauce on popcorn, ranch and pizza to name a few gastronomic liberties. I don't even like it when they offer up "choose your own sauces" with chicken wings. But, go ahead and experiment. The place reminded me of a paint your own pottery store for some reason. They make some attempt at appropriate decoration. It seats around twenty. It's an assembly line type set up. It was better than I expected, but could ratchet it up a notch with better sourced fish. Still a good value as it is. And it isn't a chain. Open until 9pm.

Austin's Buffet, Longwood

I tried this new buffet (one month) on 434 today at lunch. It replaces an Asian buffet and before that a Long Horn Steakhouse or something similar. The decor inside is western. I can't remember if the Asian place colored in around it or if these guys added it back. The place wasn't changed that much. It cost $11 and a soda was $2.50. They don't leave a line on the bill for tips. You are expected to leave them in cash. The food was average. It seems to have a different concentration each day. Today must have been Southern. It was mostly fried fish and poultry. I tried the fingers, fried chicken, fried chicken livers, fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, turkey, rolls, brownies, potato salad and salad. Nothing was particularly outstanding. The bread (the make it and probably the desserts in house) was yeasty and dense. I think it wasn't proofed or baked long enough. The brownie was not very chocolaty. I would say that the pork chop was the best. They also had two soups, a variety of sides, a quesadilla, a salisbury steak, fried fish and a few other things. If I'm in this area, I'd rather spend $8 at Koy Won sushi and worry less about the calories. This is like a Golden Corral. They open at 12pm (late for lunch?) and serve dinner. At least it isn't a vacant waste of space any longer. I'm sure it is some people's cup of tea.

F&D Cantina, Lake Mary

I had lunch at this new (one month) Mexican offshoot from F&D today. It is in the old World of Beer spot in that strip mall on 46A that has the Amstar movie theater. It was the mirror experience of my last post. It started out with reserved enthusiasm and eroded from there. The food was just poorly prepared. I could excuse the fact that it is just another modern Mexican addition to a thoroughly played out genre. But, there is no way I can support this level of carelessness. It's as if they don't have a quality control person at the pass. Half the items I sampled were in need of salt (or other listed components) and half were in need of restraint. I started with the trio of dips (so I could report on a host of things for you) at $10. Now considering that a whole order of guac is $12 and queso is $8 and salsa is $3 (not free), the $10 seemed reasonable. The guac was supposed to have serrano chiles. It didn't. That left no foil for the lime. It could have also used salt. Fresh but bland. The queso was "stadium" style and had way too much salt. Couple that with salty tortillas and it was offensive. The salsa was spicy and good. A bit of garlic. However, it was a bit foamy and watery. Like when I make it in a blender. I wonder if they are as bad at salsa prep as I am or if they didn't churn it enough before they scooped the less dense area of the cauldron. The chips were fresh. I had a main course of Floridian Fish (grouper) Tacos for $14. The fish tasted and smelled fishy. The moron in the kitchen also doused them in salt. Some dull cabbage slaw completed the dish. They came in raw flour tortillas even though the menu said corn. The drunken golden raisins (the main draw) were nowhere to be found. The aoili tasted like McDonald's buffalo sauce. I ate one and asked for the rest to go because I didn't want to cause a scene when I didn't eat the rest. The tacos came with black beans. They were undercooked/hard. Plus that is a bad pairing with fish especially when you add beef to the beans. You also get hosed if you come on a weekend. Their lunch pricing (around $3 less) doesn't apply. The rest of the menu is ordinary. Tacos, burritos, chimis, fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas are all they aspire to. They have a few trendy (actually not at this point) like street corn and ceviche, but, they aren't breaking any new ground or bringing authenticity to the table. Oddly, they remind me of the Mexican place that F&D replaced. And they failed. The place looks great. Yet, not ground breaking there either. They have murals and paintings from that artist that does the hot chicks in "day of the dead" make up and those metal star light fixtures. I'm seeing that everywhere. They opened the kitchen. They have a big selection of tequila. Service was good. It seats about eighty. I'll try it once more. But, if they haven't worked out the kinks, I won't try again. There's no need to. These places are a dime a dozen. And God help them if they bring back the live music that made WOB insufferable. They get a F'ing D for this performance.

The Waterfront, Orlando (Closed)

I tried this hand off from Julie's on Tuesday night. It's at 4201 South Orange Ave. I was scripting a hatchet job in my head thirty minutes into my visit. And then they served the food. The original three strikes came when: I had to return to a visited location, the menu was routine and they had a warbler making it impossible to think (let alone talk) with his amp turned up to eleven in the main room. I won't even dwell the next three (double strike out): waitress that jumped down my throat before I had a second to peruse the menu and then didn't return for ten minutes after I had, the seemingly high prices for the meals they were offering and the fact that they did nothing to the decor (which wasn't stylish when the place opened years ago). However, as I was saying, The food (when it came a half an hour later) was delicious. I went with the fried chicken thigh with cheese grits because all the other stuff (sandwiches, burgers, fried catfish) was yawn inducing. It was dumb luck. For $13, I received two largish (made doubly large by the breading) thighs that were cooked beautifully. Skinless and boneless. Moist inside and with a perfect crust. A crust that I have often wished they (some entrepreneur) sold in bags. A crust that would be eaten like potato chips. Now, I don't mind a thick crust. Some may. Some may think it is employed to cheat the customer of his precious chicken. A fake out. I say that there was enough chicken for that man AND a "crustie monsters" like myself who will appreciate the extra "peelings" of crunch. There was so much chicken that I could only down one thigh. The other was partly eaten cold and partly reheated and was still good (both ways) the next day. The cheese grits were also wonderful. Probably stone ground. They also included some kale that was sauteed in garlic and something acidic. Very good. And kudos for using kale instead of spinach. The plating was a bit cramped. They put all that into a little porcelain skillet. It made it a little hard to get at the grits. And people who like to segregate their components will not like the cross contamination. The chef is from North Quarter Tavern. I liked my only visit there, so, I will wager all the other "boring" options are best of breed if he trained there. And maybe most people aren't as freaky as me and like the bread and butter dishes. If so, they will probably J(ay) Z all over themselves at The Waterfront. A regular guy menu prepared in an irregular (good) way. Most things are priced in the middle teens. They had some ahi apps that were around that price too. It seats around ninety in two inside rooms and a lakeside patio. It is owned by the Harry Buffalo et al people. It made the change from Julie's in February. I would go back. Maybe for fried catfish and ahi tartare?

*I tried a place written about in the Orlando Weekly before I came here. It was some seafood joint in a Sunoco off Hoffner and on Conroy (or Conway - I can't keep them straight). The guy at the station says he kicked them out five months ago. Now you are updated.

Bonchon, OIA Area

I tried this new (6 weeks) Korean chain on 436 near the airport last night. I might have given it a lukewarm review if it weren't for four trips to the toilet today. I had a wing combo (four wings are replaced by three drumettes for a total of nine pieces) for $13. That is over $1 a wing and not worth it even if they weren't a health hazard. The wings were very dry, so, I assume they were old and possibly fried multiple times. They were also tiny. Maybe from multiple oil baths? The drumettes were a tad plumper and less jerkified. And I don't mind an overcooked wing as long as the skin is crisp as a chip. The sauce was also a tad too hot. George likes his kung pao spicy, but. most people would be put off. It totally precluded any enjoyment (or experience) of the flavor. It came with a side of pickled radish that was too sweet. The starters (8) are pan-Asian. Leaning to Japanese. IF the salmon avocado ball could be prepared properly (and I have my doubts), It could have been an interesting alternative. It was $11. $7 is the floor. $10 on Mains. And that is for  a wrap. Bulgogi is $17. There are 7 other options. Mostly Korean. Buns and tacos are $11. And that (in addition to spoiled food) is the problem. They are a soul-less chain. A knock off. And they charge more than an authentic Korean restaurant. It's untoward. The room is one, high ceiling-ed square. It seats around sixty. It tries to be Asian modern. The bathroom was dirty. I just came back from Edmonton and I ate at place called Seoul Fried Chicken (SFC) and they gave me five pieces of fried chicken, a side (I chose and interesting sweet potato cole slaw), fries and a soda for $10. And the place was cuter and a award winner and a locals favorite. The chicken was far superior and the portion was bigger. I'm not totally writing this place off, but, I will be reticent to try them again. I would also like them to reduce their prices by at least 20 percent. It's also funny that they sell next to no "bonchon" (ie tiny bites). They threatened (informed me) that we are going to get two or three more locations in Orlando. You all have been warned. I mean informed. They do lunch.

Rasa, Sand Lake Rd Area

I tried this homage to Malaysian food stalls on Sunday night. It is aside the cigar place and the Middle Eastern (Cedar's?) place in the strip mall at the Dr Phillips and Sand Lake intersection. It was some kind of wine bar the last time I was here (years ago). It seemed like the same decor (in general). That was odd because it seemed like the time between when they promised to open (hung their shingle) and did open was long. I think they opened in January. I last checked at Xmas. It is what it purports to be. A peek into the world of Asian street food. Now, it is 3x as expensive, but, you get air conditioning, napkins and service minus the noise and congestion. Plus we are talking about $4 meals. They have a fair representation of dishes you might find in Malaysia or Singapore. The apps are a little "Americanized" and there may be a tad more Thai and Indian influence than you'd normally see. The owner is Indian, so, that may explain that part. Indians are everywhere, so, maybe you get more Indian dishes depending on the region or neighborhood in Malaysia that the food stall is in. I don't want anyone complaining that I'm misrepresenting the facts. I've only been to Singapore and Kuala Lampur, but, I found that the Indian food was more prevalent in the Indian neighborhoods than at the food stalls. I also don't recall much Thai. A lot more Chinese. Anyway. Back to Rasa.

I had the black pepper fish (cod) for 12. The fish was much fresher (no smell) than you usually get at an Asian place. They also weren't stingy with it. I must had had over ten marshmallow sized pieces of it. There was also some superfluous vegetation in their too. The sauce was brown and could be spiced to your tolerance level. They also served a side of properly steamed white rice on the side. You didn't need an app. This was filling. They have around six fried rice dishes and six house specials and eight noodle dishes and four soups and maybe one more category. The wine menu is a little blase. The sake and beer menu is better. The place seats about sixty. It was a mostly professional pan-Asian crowd (a living representation of the menu) that ate late. It started getting full after 8pm. Like I said, it seemed like they kept the brown brick and iron work of the old place (the bar seemed the same) and added some Asian "flare". Not that it is bad. You wouldn't notice if you have never been there before. Service was fast and polite and competent. You probably aren't going to get a chance to experience much of this cuisine (I recall one food truck and Mamak in Vietnam town) anywhere else in town. So, you could be less fortunate than being forced to try it here. The prices are fair. The atmosphere is pleasing. The service is good. And you don't have to wash your hands in a water fountain (or wipe your spice inflamed sinuses with your hand) when you are done. Give it a try.

Daytona Pig Stand, Ormond Beach

This one is kind of at the edge of our community, but, I'll add it for beach goers and I-95ers because it is hard to find a place that is close to the highway on your way to Jacksonville and beyond. I had a brisket sandwich with a side (potato salad) for $8. It was good. Better 'que than 4Rivers has been serving up lately. I had to convince them not to mutilate (chop) it though. They still didn't serve it exactly right. The potato salad was excellent and plentiful. Another improvement over 4Rivers' tiny cups. I thought the place might be a shack based on the billboards. It was a nice, big, log cabin-y place that you would expect from a bank rolled chain. They said they have been there for ten years. It looked brand new. Now I'm pissed that I have passed right by so many times. I forget which exit it is off, but, the cross road is US 1 and it is after the main exits of Daytona Beach (ie LPGA Blvd). It is on the south bound side of 95 near a Harley dealership. They serve the usual bbq items.

Oh My Gyro, Longwood

I had a gyro at this Middle Eastern fast-casual place on 434 yesterday. It replaces around a half dozen other places (mostly Indian) at this location (before Max and Meme or Ali Baba from I-sore). The gyro was excellent. I went because it was listed in a Weekly's list of ten under $10. They were right on. The meat was savory and fresh. The vegetables (T,O,L) were beyond fresh. The tzatziki was nice. The pita was warm and fresh. They give you more taztziki and a lethal hot sauce on the side. If I compare it to the last couple of gyros I've reported back on, it's like crescent moon and day. And it only cost $6.49. You can also chintz on a can of soda for $1.25 or get a fountain drink at $2. You can also make it a special (fries and drink) or make it a platter (rice and salad) for a few bucks more. I think it was just meat or chicken available. But, they also serve steak, kabobs, hamburgers and I think I remember some American things like nuggets (don't quote me). They did next to nothing to the decor. Even the art work is from the last guy. It's a service-less experience. You order. You pick up. You clean up. It seats about sixty and was feeding about sixteen people while I was there. It has been open since October. I'm mad I missed out for so long. I would eat here once a week if I lived closer. I think they charge $10 for a way worse gyro at that place in Lake Mary (Paramount).

*I also grabbed some brisket from 4Rivers on my way back to I-sore. They really aren't very good anymore. This brisket was under cooked. Little flavor or smoke ring. A rush job. I think this is the sixth time in a row that they disappointed me (different meals), so, it isn't an over-reaction. It's a trend. They over-expanded and do too many things. It's obituary time.

Wondermade, Sanford

I tried three marshmallows fror $2 on Saturday at this sweets shop across from Hollerbach's. They said they have been in that location for four years. Hats off to the PR/marketing department. The store is a regular beacon. Impossible to miss.. It is really more of an ice cream shop than a marshmallow shop. They only had the three flavors and two chocolate covered options. There were some ridiculously priced previously packaged gift boxes for sale as well. But, who wants potentially stale marshmallows at a marshmallow store? Most people probably wouldn't know they wanted a marshmallow store to begin with. With a product like marshmallow, it better be good. I will give it up for the marshmallows. They were good. Lavender, caramel something and one more that has already slipped my mind. I'd replace every cupcake place with a marshmallow place if possible. Faint praise.

There was also an "Arts" centric event going on that night. I ate a a truck called Saigon Sizzle and they may have caused my digestive issues the next day (them or a Subway Club). I won't expound because of the uncertainty. I will continue to question why all these roach coachers think they can charge $9+ for fast food. Monotonous, derivative, duplicative fast food.

The Pie, College Park

I popped in here for lunch about a week ago. It's in that strip mall to the right of the condos near Princeton. Parking is in the back. It is an Italian fast casual spot that specialized in Roman style pizza (a cross between Sicilian and Neapolitan). I resisted the slice and soda special at $8 for a Margarita and a Meatlover twin bill (so I could report on more for you people). That made the total (with soda) $10. The slices (taglio) were ok. A "meat lovers" consists of  ham, prosciutto, mortadella, pepperoni, salami, sausage and meatball. I'm not sure I recognized all those flavors. Seeing them in print makes me surprised that I sampled all of those ingredients. I do recall that I wasn't wowed by the quality. Not bad. But, understandably, average. I mention it because I don't want you to think that this is a high end spot because of the sloganeering. And it's not like they add a full serving of all those meats. You just get more variety. Which is why I usually avoid a meat lovers. In general, I guess a slice is worth $4. If a regular slice runs $2 then this is probably two times as big. One slice is enough for most people. A bit odd that a plain slice costs as much as a topped one. Maybe fair if you are looking at it from the "toppings please" side of it. They also do full pies (up to $17), sandwiches, calzones, salads, deserts (2) and a few apps (5). All under $10. They are open for lunch and dinner all week. They even opened a little early for me. The place seats about forty. They have large murals on the wall and the seats and tables are functional. It is fine for a quick bite and they do have the concession on Roman style pizza in CF. They have been open for a month or so and have already changed hands. A Brazilian man owns it now.

Pub Crawl - Sanford: The Stranded Sailor (Closed), Bitters & Brass (Closed) and Sanford Brewing

I tried the first two and re-tried the last on Saturday night. They are on Sanford Ave in downtown. Seems like all the action is around here now. And there actually was some action.

The Stranded Sailor - This is across from Wops Hops. I think they said the have been open for 4 weeks or months. It's an English themed bar. Kinda. Not a cheesy reproduction, but, the beer is mostly from the UK and they have dart boards. I had a $10 beer from New Zealand. They have cheaper options. It was fine. They had a punk/metal (ballsy) band playing later on that night.

Bitters & Brass - This is also new. I ended up spending the most time here because I got into some conversations. I had two tequila based cocktails at $9 a piece. They were good. Showy. This cocktail craze isn't the best thing I've ever lived through, but, these guys weren't that self-impressed and actually were able to get the drinks out at a decent pace. The space is lovely. It's in that old "speakeasy" building that is part of the larger structure that had the soul food and breakfast spots (in between Sailor and Sanford). It has a look and feel that can't be matched. They definitely had the best looking girls too. I think the restaurant next door was also back in business. Looked like a chicken place with a Latin vibe.

Sanford Brewing - I had a terrible lager and "dinner" (disappointing cheese fries) here. The lager was very yeasty and kept me from ordering another beer or more food. I can't remember if I hated the beer the last time. If so, then this will be "the last time". The fries sounded good last time I was here. Bacon dust and other things were promised. They either forgot the bacon dust or it was indiscernible, because - well because I'm complaining about it. The wedge shaped fries were also under cooked and the cheese sauce had me longing for game day nacho cheese. And then they slopped a ton of jalapenos and onions on top of it. Of course a place with these issues (a totally overwhelmed kitchen) was packed with middle aged Sanfordinians. Adding to the horror was the "old man" band that I think I complained about Buster's employing last trip here.

*I'll try the chicken place and a marshmellow place (across from Hollerbach's) for you shortly. Just couldn't eat marshmellows and beer and I was distracted until after having a dinner would have been sensible.

El Molcajete, East Colonial (50)

I tried this new (six weeks) Mexican restaurant near 50 on North Goldenrod on Friday at lunch. I believe this area was full of Vietnamese places not so long ago. Now it is mostly Spanish speaking from University to 50. Ignore any info on their hours that you see online. They correspond to the food truck they run/ran out of Kissimmee. They are open seven days a week from 10 am (I think) until late at night. Their number is 407-845-1628 if I have that wrong and you want to check.

They have an "expanded" Mexican menu that includes things like Vera Cruz Snapper and Huevos Rancheros, however, the real reason to visit is antojitos. Antojitos are corn themed apps/street food that translates into "little cravings". They have ten "classes" of them and I tried four of them for you people. I tried the tacos, pambazo, picadita and gringas. Two I ate there and two I brought home for dinner. I had a cabeza (cow brain) and lengua (cow tongue) taco because you know I'm disgusting. Both were good. The brain is soft and oily and the tongue was lean and tender. They are served in freshly made tortillas in a street food (onion and cilantro) style. They cost $2 a piece. Next I had the $4.50 picadita. It was basically a corn (huarache) cake with green or red (I did green because I always do red) sauce, sour cream, cotija cheese and the menu says cheese (but I don't recall eating any). It was ok. How good can a corn cake get? I'm an omnivore. At home I ate the pamboza. This is a stupid dish that I always avoid because it sounds (and now I know tastes) so lame. It's a roll dipped in red sauce with sour cream, lettuce, and cotija cheese. This one was filled with potatoes and chorizo (I tasted and saw no evidence of chorizo). It was $5.50 down the toilet (but we'll get to that later). The last dinner item was the gringas. It was basically an al pastor (chicken and pineapple) quesadilla. It cost $6. I don't really like al pastor, so, this didn't do anything for me either. That said, I liked the food in general. It's authentic from the Toluca (capitol of the state of Mexico near the big volcano outside of Mexico City) region. I really only have three peeves that may keep it from my "favorites" list. 1. They charge $3 for a soda. 2. They start the tipping options at 18% and you can only tip by percent not real numbers. 3. Something in the mix did give me intestinal issues the next day. The last "peeve" is the most serious. I'll stipulate that it was hot in the car coming home and I didn't ever refrigerate the dinner items.

The plus is in a scary-ish strip mall across from a gas station. some of their windows were cracked and it looked a little trashy outside (inside was better). They have three tables of four in the front and six or seven booths on the left. Two murals are the main decoration. There was nobody else eating there at 1pm. I wonder if the prices are a little high for the neighborhood? A place next door called Willie's Pinchos seemed to be faring alot better. The rest of the antojitos menu was gorditas/sopes, huaraches, tortas, burritos, quesadillas and esquites/elotes. The last two are corn kernels in a cup and corn on the cob. They cost $4. The huaraches were the most expensive at $9. The other tacos come as: al pastor, carnitas, tripa, pollo, buche (stomach), and chorizo. The free chips (colored) were very good and came with a garlic-y chipotle salsa that came in a cute container that I'm not sure is the molca or the jete. In know that isn't what it translates to, I just didn't want to write that it came in a mortar. And from that you can guess that the name means mortar and pestle.

Overall it probably will satisfy a Tex-Mex AND a Mexican (authentic) crowd. You have the Taco Bell/Don Pablo (?) items for the 'fraidy cats and the specialties for the OGs. And if that fails, you'll have to tell me how Willie's was. But, I doubt a fraidy cat would have any better reaction to a pincho. They had parking and took credit cards. I don't love the fact that ingredients seem to have been overlooked/forgotten and that it didn't totally agree with my buche and tripe, but, it was still interesting and they did give me a gigantic soda to go (when I just asked to have the remainder of what they poured me already).

Ace Cafe, Downtown - Moved to Sanford

I tried this place out a week ago. It parallels I-Sore at Livingston Street (Lynx Station). It is purportedly the first American cousin of a famous biker bar outside of London. It is huge. It has two levels. It is in the class of a Planet Hollywood/Hard Rock. It is a bar and restaurant. It has entertainment (music and games). The decor and layout is industrial. The menu is predictable(for a franchise play) and limited. Think burgers and sandwiches and finger foods. They have four "dinners". However, they are regurgitative fare like meatloaf. I had a chili app because I had already eaten lunch and the menu didn't thrill me. I expected breakfast items for some reason. The chili had some chunks of beef in there, but. was nothing to bike home about. I would come here alot for the bar end of things if I lived or worked close by. They even have free parking. They have a relationship with some bike-centric apparel (etc) company next door. It's a destination spot for downtown because of the history/reputation, the provenance of the spot (the old Edge) and the size of the space. You can bring the whole family because A. they will fit and B. it's not that kind of biker bar. Open for lunch too.

The Gourmet Muffin, Audubon Park - Closed

I tried this new bakery across from Sushi Lola Saturday afternoon after my meal on Mills. It was a blessing. We all know I don't have a sweet tooth, but, I must have been having my male menstruation because I woke up NEEDING sweets. Sweets that I didn't get at breakfast. I bought 4 $1 "bites (lemon, blueberry, strawberry and chocolate with toffee or something) and a banana and chocolate chip muffin for $3. If I compare the muffin with the banana empanada I paid $3 for at breakfast, I want to yell I suck Olive Cock Bars and jihad the empanada place. This muffin was L to the E to G to I to the T. No sticky sweet icing dunce cap. The "batter" was more "stretchy/glutinous" than a cup cake "batter". Like a pop over. It tore. It didn't crumble. And there must have been 40 grams of chips in it. It was half chips!. A huge cupcake (may have been a muffin now that I think about it) by today's standards. The "bites" were covered in "crumble" and two had powdered sugar as well. They have other locations (ie Ocala, Gainesville, Lakeland) in Florida. I think they might be the best bakery I can remember trying around here. A limited/manageable selection that is still has a lot of variety. Great quality. Great prices. They even had some "sandwiches". The last thing the world needed was another sweet shop, but, I'm glad we don't stop at need.

Brooklyn Coffee Shop, Mills Ave

I tried this new (less than a month) breakfast and lunch (7am-3pm everyday) spot in the old Ash location on Saturday. I needed to knock off one of the two new openings in this category and the other one (Ace) seems to have better hours and parking options, so, it didn't seem like it had to be done on Saturday. This is going to be a long assessment. Not one that I particularly care to craft at this time. However, I'm doing it with the hope that it leads to a turn around. Because the people seem good.

You can break down the menu into two sections. French (more of a Nawlins/Cajun variety if I had to guess) and Brazilian. I erred and frolicked on the Brazilian side because it was "new". I'm glad I'm not a cat because nine lives wouldn't be near enough for my curiosity. I tried the Vatapa (the special) at $14. It was described as a North Brazilian shrimp and rice stew over white rice. Something akin to a Thai or Indian curry dish. I'm not sure if this is what it is supposed to taste like, but, they should leave this dish to the Thai or Indians if it is. This attempt was a mostly tasteless (less coriander), pasty, luke warm brown roux over overcooked and over fluffed, clumpy rice with frozen, supermarket quality, pale, gray shrimp. A small portion at that and served on a paper plate with plastic cutlery! And at $14, it was twice as expensive as the rest of the menu. Boo. The best thing in it was a single pickled spring onion (scallion). Fail number two and three came in the form of empanadas. Another stab at the Brazilian side of the menu. The cost $6 for two. I tried a banana and a barbacoa. The first bite of the banana exposed an unmixed white powder in the dough. There was also some salt there too. WTF. The bananas were devoid of any sweetening and tasted like that. Sour bananas in a greasy envelope. Boo. I had the barbacoa at home and it was tasteless cubes of beef. Too many fat cubes as well. They didn't even flavor the meat. It came with an acceptable chimichurri sauce. Boo. Fail number four was the shashuka I ordered. It is a Middle Eastern dish of poached eggs, preserved lemon, feta in a tomato and pepper and sumac sauce. I was still hungry from the Vatapa fail and I was trying to give them every opportunity because they were offering more than the run of the mill fare. The first mistake was that they somehow thought that I wanted this to go. That meant it became dinner. That probably (at the very least) resulted in the eggs over cooking. I'll grant them that. But, I didn't see any evidence of lemon or feta in the container. Not sure If they forgot or in the case of the lemon that it was too big to make the container. There was also too much sauce. I'm not sure if they drown it when it is served in house, but, they did in the to go order. This was also kind of small portion. Even at a more reasonable $7. Maybe they think the one piece of toast they serve with it satiates the hungriest of customers? It appears that the owner (Brazilian) has a chef that can't handle that side of the menu. I'm ASSUMING he handles the other side. They have to either practice cooking the Brazilian side, drop the Brazilian side or hire a chef that can handle the Brazilian side. I would hate for them to lose this part of their identity. It helps differentiate them. But, it can't be at the expense of everything else.

The other side of the menu is more nouveau and French. You have a benedict and a florentine and an egg sandwich on a croissant and a normal two egg dish and another egg dish (in a crock?) that are a bit French. And two of those "toasts" that are en vogue. An avocado one (of course) and an interesting sounding bacon pate one. They also have a burger.

The real problem, as you can see, is that the menu SOUNDS interesting. They need to make it TASTE interesting. I tried alot more dishes than the regular customer would and they didn't make their case to me. The shashuka was even on the "other" side of the menu. Add in that the parking situation is tough and they did nothing (went backwards) to the already aging space and I really should be lambasting the place. What saved them was the warmth. The people seem to care. It's a limited "band of brothers". There was one waiter, a chef and an owner. The chef and owner were serving. That's either sweet or unprofessional given your mood. I was in a good one, so, I liked interacting with the the primos. I'm not sure what is going on withe tableware.

A little more on the decor. They did something to let in more light and that didn't help the ambiance. You see all the defects. Scratches, dust, exposed nails and screws, old paint, empty (except for some LBGT lit) baskets. It needs a face lift. The crowd was really sparse until 1pm. It was four lesbians and me. Then two breeding couples came in. The younger guy looked like he wanted to slink out and I'm not sure they didn't. Which is a shame because I like that it isn't the eggs and bacon place you would expect from a place called the Brooklyn Coffee Shop (called that because the owner met his wife there) and the prices are quite reasonable ($6-$8). It's more like a place Gianni Versace would get a newspaper at before he got shot (Miami reference). They have two types of gourmet coffee for Christ's sake. I'm surprised because they said that they have rolled out a few of these in Brazil. They should have hit the ground running.

Hops Boss, Winter Park

After trying a failing to find a new brewery called Whipporwill in the Milk District on Friday night, I thought I'd see if these guys were finally open. Yes, they were. Been open for two weeks. They are in the old Hotto Potto space in that strip mall at Fairbanks/Aloma and 436. They are owned by a Ukranian who hired a countryman to make light, euro style beer. I tried what they had so far - Pilsner, Wheat, Porter or Stout. Dark Honey and Light Honey. I settled on the Dark Honey. It was sweet. Little carbonation. Probably little alcohol. It cost $6. It was good. The other non-honey beers seemed a little weak/watery for my neo-American influenced palate. Maybe that is good. Most of the breweries around here (and country wide) are churning out similar tasting stuff. We kind of need an old world reminder/supplier. They will also serve East European/German food. They remodeled. I believe they do lunch. Odd name for a place where they probably have the least hop forward beer. Friendly service.

Grub Crawl - Sand Lake Rd Area: Kokino (Closed) and Gyu-Kaku

I tried these places on Turkey Lake Rd (right off Sand Lake) on Friday night. This was going to be a well deserved crucifixion of two pains in my ass after multiple missed connections, but, I ended up liking the first and loving the second.

Kokino - I must have tried to eat here five times. They changed the times. They stopped lunch. The buffet was ridiculously priced. I just had a beer here (out of spite), but, the vibe was good. Hot PYT's (staff too) with a boozy disposition. The menu (tapas) was a little small and ordinary. Not many there for dinner. Nice, modern decor. Maybe they should expand the bar area. It is in that strip mall with the gym (World or Gold's) and Graffiti Junction.

Gyu-Kaku - I tried them at their announced opening last summer and they kept having construction delays. Then it was that they weren't doing lunch yet (though advertised). Then a private party. Then a huge wait. It never came together. Then I went to San Mateo and saw they were a CHAIN! It was over and done with. But, my list is dwindling and I needed to excoriate Kokino, so, they got the call again. Golden bullet with their name on it ready to go. And then another wait for a seat. It was almost go (to go order) time. But, I found my chi and they really did find me a table fast and it was a lesson in Zen from there. The place is a chain from Japan, but, it is unimportant. No one else really offers this kind of robata (grilling) experience. Some do it. For you. Some boil. Some (Koreans) have a similar type of self-cooking experience. But, I seem to recall they all use an electric heat source. Now hot coals are supposedly the best, but, I think I've only done that in Koreatown in NYC. They use gas under a metal disc with holes at Gyu. I had toro beef, toro pork, chicken breast and pork belly. The toro are thin cuts from the stomach area. The beef was great and cheap ($5 from around ten slices). The two pork items ($6 and $5) were ok. I preferred the chicken ($4). All orders had around ten slices. Very fresh. Very fun to cook. They had tons of options: veggies, tongue, intestines, all cuts of beef, waygu, shrimp, duck, etc. Lots of apps from fried sushi rolls to dumplings. Also some rice dishes and soups. Not everything is Japanese. They also drop the prices after 9pm (and at happy hour) automatically. On booze too! My pork belly dropped to $4 and a Sapporo dropped to $3. They also have a decent selection of mostly affordable sake. Service was very polite. My white server even tried to act/speak Japanese. It was full even at 9pm. People of all types. Lots of good humor. I wish they had a few more of these around town. Will be on Favorite's list. It is across from the Kokino strip mall before the gas station on Sand Lake.