Pub Crawl - Clermont: Suncreek Brewery and Clermont Brewing Company *LA/TX/OK/AR Travel Notes

I tried these two breweries in downtown Clermont on Wednesday afternoon. You get off 50 at 8th street. There is a sign. The first is closer to the lake (farther from 50) on West Minneola Ave. A few blocks in. On 8th street. The other is a block or two closer to 50 on Desoto St and one east (probably seventh). After these, I have pretty much tried all the local breweries for you.

Suncreek Brewery - A big warehouse type structure. New. I had a four item flight for $10 and a small Sol Splitter IPA. All were good. They also have two food options. One said Mac'd Out (like at Winter Garden Marketplace). The menu looked different though. I think the other was the pizza place from the WG Market called Michael's. I think I remember being told that they are owned by the same people. so, it is possible. I believe they have been open for five or six years.

Clermont Brewing Company - More of a restaurant seeking some hipster cred. Weird food options. sushi, hamburger stand, pizza oven. I tried a single beer. Had to respect Johnny Law. It was watery and sour. Place was new. Pretty big. Large patio. I think they have been grinding it out for a year or two.

*Travel Notes - LA/TX/OK/AR: Irma caused a mad scramble through LA to start the trip. I stayed at the Doubletree in Lafayette for $110. Not much there. Ate fried oysters, catfish and shrimp at Sam's Southern Eatery. Saw Cajun Dome and Swamp at University of Louisiana Lafayette. And Borden Milk plant. Stuck in heavy traffic the day before going through New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Possibly worse going to Houston the next day. If disaster strikes, just stay home. Stayed at BW in Waller TX (nw Houston) for $86. Ate tacos (fajita, lengua, asada and carnitas) at Ranchito Taqueria. Ate a tasty half chicken at Waller County Line BBQ the next day. A billboard coerced me . Had a 1/2 lb of lamb ribs after that in Elgin TX (near Austin). Very good. They claim to be oldest bbq joint in TX. It was a tip from a guy I met at Waller CL BBQ. Saw another place (Meyer's Elgin Smokehouse) on the way in. Grabbed a brisket wrap there. Saw the road to Shaw's BBQ. As it wasn't a Saturday, I didn't go. So close though. It is in Lexington. Stayed at the Holiday Inn Town Lake in Austin for $125. Ate at Kemuri Tatsu-ya. I saw them on A Chef's Life (I think I've been referring to it as Chef and the Farmer). I had: hot pockets of cheese and brisket inside a tofu wrap, raw octopus with wasabi root and quail egg, grilled beef cheeks skewer with peaches and ora king salmon rolls in cold beef broth. Got stomach cramps after and had to cancel seeing the bats at dusk. For breakfast I went back to this area (east side of 35 on Cesar Chavez) the next day and had an egg and cheese and arugula on a roll at Lou's. They charged a 5% packaging fee. Good food though. There are alot of places here now. I tried to try the new Mueller BBQ spot (forget the name) in Jarrell TX (north of Austin). The whole family seems to be trading off the name now. The info online was wrong. Only open for dinner. I stopped in Waco to see the Waco Mammoth NP. It was covid closed the last time I tried. Slept at the Four Points Arlington the next two night for $90. Great value. The city has a shuttle that stops there at takes you to the stadiums. I saw the new Ranger's stadium the next night. Discovered a brand called Rap Snacks (chips) at the gas station. I ate lunch at Prince Lebanese Grill. On 3D. It was past ATT Stadium on the same street. I had a lamb and beef shwarma platter. It was good. Also grabbed a less good gyro for dinner. On the way out I stopped at Sprout's Spring Roll & Pho (Closer to 40 around ATT). It was on MvF. Had the house vermicelli. It was to have C/B and S. Only had beef and shrimp. The Bowling HOF was also in Arlington. Six Flags was closed. West on 40 at north on 35 I saw Texas Motor Speedway and North Texas University. Both north of Fort Worth. Stopped at Chickasaw NRA in Sulphur OK. Mostly a lake. In Roland OK (AR border) I stayed at the Cherokee Casino Hotel for $104. They gave me the top level. Drove to Little Rock and saw Little Rock Central High School NHS. Drove south to around Gillett AR and the Arkansas Post NP. It's a fort on the Arkansas River from the time of the Spanish. The rest will be in the next post. 

**I saw on You Gotta Eat Here a corn flavored ice cream with corn nut pralines. Also saw a rolled up pork roll at another place.that was fried that they called a hot dog.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Cocoa Village and Titusville: Cryderman's Barbecue, Bugnutty Brewing Company and Playalinda Brewing Co

I tried these places on Tuesday. The first two are before the bridge (King St) to the beach. Not the bridge that goes to Port Canaveral. The one south. It may be the Beach Line (528 I think). I came in the other way because I took the first bridge. In Cocoa Village. The last is on US 1 at the southern end of Titusville. I have to add that I took 46 to US 1 and down to Titusville to try the beach at Playalinda. It is inside the Canaveral/Merritt Island National Seashore and Wildlife Refuge. It costs $20 for a car. I bought the annual parks pass for $80 (my last one ran out last month anyway) and now I can go whenever I want. Which I will. I think I like it better than NSB. Plus I think it is closer. They even have a nude beach. Who knew? Can't believe I've been missing out for so long. I also re-visited the Haulover Canal. It's a little north. It's a manatee sighting place (read about them in the AAA magazine). As are the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon inside the park. Summer isn't prime viewing season. 

Cryderman's Barbecue - A total surprise. I was early for Bugnutty and hadn't eaten yet. They are one block south (behind) of Bugnutty on Florida Ave. Alot of Texas style barbeque from a guy from Michigan. Cooks like a Texan though. Had a sample of brisket and three brisket confit tacos for $10. Brisket was perfect. The brisket for the tacos is scraps. However, they are clever (at least marketing wise) in calling them confit. They said they take the scraps and heat them in the oven to baste them in their own fat. I'm buying. Never seen that before. The tortillas and topping were good and fresh too. They also sell pork, ribs, turkey, sausage, etc. I just visited Texas and they compete. The place is mostly an outdoor seating area. Covered. Wood. It's cute. I wish we had one here. There is another branch in Melbourne. Cryder Man, Cryder Man. Does whatever a Cryder can. And that is cooking bbq!

Bugnutty Brewing Company - They moved from Meritt Island to here. I had a six flight trial for $15. All were good. I tried all types. Space is warehouse like. Open at 3pm. Lots of parking. I think they opened less than five years ago. There is another brewery nearby called Dirty Oar. It was closed on M and Tu. They also gave me a flyer for Oceanside Distillery in Cape Canaveral.

Playalinda Brewing Co - This spot is the"Brix" location. It's a term in alcohol production. They have the original in downtown. This spot is bigger and newer. More complete menu. I tried one beer (had tried others at bars) and had their poke. I met the chef and he recommended that over his tuna sashimi ramen special that Tuesday, a ribeye, tuna tataki and red fish. It cost $11 and the beer cost $4. Great prices. The other things mentioned were also reasonable (ribeye was $21). The poke was very fresh. All the components. And you know I don't crave poke. Jasmine flavored rice. This is a real gem. Some interesting things on the menu like malted cole slaw. The place is large and impressive. You can see the brewing equipment too. I was told that they started with a crazy chef who set the standards very high. So high that they couldn't turn a profit. The new team has toned it down a bit without losing touch. Not sure if it is now profitable. Quality is still beyond acceptable. Sounds like an episode of a Gordon Ramsey Kitchen Nightmares. Great for drinks and dinner. Opens at 4pm. Really surprised by this one. I think they opened this two years ago. The one downtown also opens at 4pm. Smaller menu. Oh. The beer was good too.

*I decided to break up the Travel Notes in the next two posts. Probably Sunday and Tuesday. Also, if you take 46 to the beach, know that the airboat ride place (on the billboard) isn't open for business anymore. Not sure if they will be again.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Eustis and Mount Dora: Wolf Branch Brewing Co, Cheese To Share and Ceviche Express

I stopped at these places on my way back into town on Sunday night. The first is on North Bay Street (SR 19) in Eustis. There are two areas in Eustis. This is in what I think they consider the old town. North of 441. The next two are in downtown Mount Dora. In a new (I think right as Covid hit) marketplace they made in the space that I thought I was going to be trying a new restaurant in. The space has had a few iterations. One was an Icelandic place. They have opened up the floor plan and married it to the space next door to make a marketplace. In addition to the two I tried, they list these as tenants: Feast Paninis, Shadrach's Pizza, Empanada, Lampe Berger, Mediterranean & Coffee Kitchens, Fun Ko Poke, Handlebar Lounge, Beruit Bites, Claire's Creperie, French Flair, Sweeties Bakery, Cava Wine Bar, European Breads, Caffe Kitchen. Some of these may not be food places or no longer in business. Most spots had closed for the night and I took some blurry pictures of some signs that listed these tenants.

Wolf Branch Brewing Co - They also had a space in the market at Mt Dora. This is the original. Smallish space. They only had four of their own beers. They were average. Peach Blonde Ale, Rauchbier and NE IPA. They also had a sour I avoided. $8 for three beer flight.

Cheese To Share - Cheese platters, fondue and few other things. I had tequenos to go for $10. Only 5. Baked. Pretty bad and too expensive. Just a half of a string cheese in a blanket. Fondue was $25. That seems high. Platter was $20. Didn't see quality of the product. Place has a Latin feel. They said they have been there for two years. But, I was last there during the lock down and this marketplace didn't exist then. 

Ceviche Express - I had the small Express. It was mahi and shrimp. It cost $17. It was one of the better ceviches I've had in a while. Tender, fresh mahi. Fresh shrimp. Fresh avocado, tomato and onion. Large portion. Oddly, I just went to the market in Winter Garden today and I ate at another ceviche place. The guy there said that this guy was his ex-employee and this space used to be his. He is getting his ass kicked by his ex-employee. The ceviche here was MUCH better and they gave me more. Also comes with corn chips or plantain chips.

*I have two or three (depending if I split one up) posts coming in the next week. Will split my new travel notes into two sections after them.

**In Mount Dora the English spot near the train has moved into a bigger building down the street and a coffee place replaced it.

Connie's Cafe, Deland

I had hoped to finish off the last three Deland locations on my way out of and back into town, but, I decided to take another way back (next post) because one of the remaining spots is only open at night and I came back earlier than that. Didn't trust they would be open tonight. This place is a lunch only (closes at 2:30 I think) that opens around 10:30am. It is inside a building on the corner of the two main streets though town. New York and 17? I should know by now. I grabbed a turkey club melt for $6. It came on a pita. It was ok. I had prepared myself for breakfast. This was a compromise. The menu is mostly salads and sandwiches and burgers. The owner said she has been in charge for seven or so years? The place has been there much longer than that. It looks it. A bit dingy. Why I got my order to go. It seemed popular with with what seemed like locals. 

*I noticed into town that that breakfast place into town (other locations too) had shuttered.

**I finally stopped at a store on 40 in Silver Springs that touts Whoopie pies. I grabbed a Key Lime one for $3 and a Moxie (had just seen a tv show on how it was made) soda. Pie was better than the Moxie. They also sold other sweets and whoopie pies with ice cream. They are like big macaroons. The place is called Sweet Janes. It seemed like almost every restaurant on 40 had changed names (and probably ownership).

***Expect a deluge of posts. My vacay was truncated/sped up by Ida. The next few days will be spent exploring locally.

Island Fin Poke, Longwood *PA/NY/MD Travel Notes

I tried this new (one month) poke place on 434 in between 436 and I-4 (a strip mall with a Publix) on Wednesday at lunch. They let you put three scoops of fish/chicken in the bowl. I mixed tuna/salmon/octopus to see as much as possible. They were fresh. Better than most places. Then again, most of these places start out conscientious and then "stretch" the shelf life of the product. Rice was also ok. It cost $12. Hawaiian theme. Yet none of these places knows what a true Hawaiin poke is. You would think someone would google it. They serve them in paper bowls. Phew. I was worried that those billions of third world miscreants (and if you don't believe me actually travel to one and see how environmentally concerned they are) were going to spoil the environment. We got you Mother Earth. No need to exert yourself going here. I'm sure there are one or two in your neighborhood. perhaps one in your house?

*Travel Notes - PA/NY/MD: I got off 95 before Fredricksburg VA because of an accident (two that day and one in GA coming back). Was going to anyway. Just a few exits farther north. Had to take a parallel road (1 to 17W and 66 to Winchester WV and north on 505 (I think) to 68W (I think) through Upper MD to Morgantown (nice lake before town). Then north to Friendship Hill NHS (some early Treasurer). Slept at at Hopwood Motel in Uniontown/Hopwood PA for $65 (rack rate). Went east the next day to Fort Necessity (Washington lost to French there before the Revolution). Then north to Fallingwaters (a Frank Lloyd Wright home). Then through some nice white water rafting areas and east and north to Johnstown Flood NHS (dam break). Then north and east to Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS (had to go over mountains here. Canals no good). Then north and east to College Station (Penn State). Then north and east to Williamsport (Little League World Series stadiums). Then north to Mansfield. Cute college town. Slept at Hampton Inn for $166 (rack rate). The Nascar race race in Watkins Glen purportedly raised the pricing even this far away. Plus in was a Saturday. Ate and had beer at Yorkholo Brewing Co. Had a pulled turkey with barbeque and honey mustard sauces combined. Drove to west and north to Canisteo NY (Cider Creek Hard Cider). Couldn't find it. North to try and find Wild Brute Winery in Arkport. Didn't find that either. It was raining very hard. Went east to Hammondsport NY and finally found something. Finger Lakes Beer Co. Then tried to find Steuben City Brewing. Found a retail bar for Cider Creek. Had some and a horrible chicken Caesar salad. And some Steuben and other NY beer.  South tip of Keuka Lake. Drove up about a mile and turned into first winery I saw. Turned out to be good. Domaine LeSeurre and Weis Vineyards. Prices at LeSeurre were too high. Tasted an ok Pinot Noir. Bought a bottle of Gruner Veltliner at Weis because it was more reasonable. They had a great patio over looking the lake. Had just opened. North and east through Finger Lakes to Seneca Falls (home of Tom Coughlin) and to the Women's Rights NHP. North to Oswego (on Lake Ontario). Slept at the Evergreen Motel for $84. North to 1000 Islands. Really 1864. First stop was Henderson Harbor and a light house. Next to Sackett's Harbor and a War of 1812 fort and cute town. Had a Route 3 (RB with Munster) at Sandwich Bar. There were a few nicer options as well. Then to Watertown. They have river rafting from there that didn't fit in the schedule. North and west to Cape Vincent and the Tibbetts Point Light House at the beginning of the St Lawrence River from Lake Ontario. Then east to Clayton. Bought mozzarella whips (thin pipes), a snack mix of sesame sticks with everything bagel spice (they had many flavors you see on bagels) and corn chips with chia seed baked in and Adirondack sodas at River Rat Cheese . They also sold cheese cut into shapes (and colored) like cookies. Plus alot of snacks. Maybe the cutest town. Slept at Westwind Motel for $93. Next door was St Lawrence Spirits. They claim many awards. Tried a few. Nice deck over the river too. Have a high end restaurant and boutique hotel too (Chateau). Next east on to Alexandria Bay for the Uncle Sam's Boat Tour. That day they just opened up the US plus Canada tour. It was $37. Included Boldt Castle. An island castle by an ex Waldorf Astoria honcho. Had a seafood sub and fries that were called sour cream fries but really just sour cream dusted fries at Jwreck Subs. Made me think why no one has taken all the potato chip seasoning to fries. Slept at Ship Motel (right in town) for $125. Drove east to Schermerhorn Harbor in Hammond to take the tour to Singer Castle (sewing machine people). It cost $35. Then east through Ogdensburg and then south and east back to Watertown. Then south past Syracuse and out of NY. Tried to stop a few times in PA, but, the hotel quotes were insane. Finally made it to Carlisle PA. Lucked into a $95 room at Sleep Inn. Had ok veal parm with spaghetti at Al's Pizza. The next day saw many better choices a few blocks in town. A very cute town. Something to do with Molly Pitcher. A college called Dickinson. Grabbed a Birch Beer Ice Cream at Massey's Frozen Custard. Tasted like vanilla. Drove to Gettysburg (past Appalachian Trail) to find that my restaurant (Gettysburger) wasn't open for lunch that day. Went south to Cacotin Mountain NP (home of Camp David). South to Frederick MD to Monocacy NB. Then south to C&O Canal Trail and Potomac Heritage NST. Nice drives. Short. Then south to Clara Barton NHS. Then I forget if I mentioned Wolf Trap NP and Prince William Forest NP (not in MD).

**I forgot to mention these Korean things at Area 51 in the FL Notes. She called her ramen - ramyeon. I haven't seen a Korean take off on the soup. This was smart. They also sold Makgeolli. They said it was Korea's oldest alcohol drink. Never heard of it. It may be like sake.

Grub Crawl - Sanford: Maggie Dog and The Greenery Creamery *NC/SC/VA Travel Notes

I tried these kiosks in Henry's Depot on First St on Tuesday at dinner. The first just opened two weeks ago. The second is an OG. I also learned, while here. that the space in the middle (now used for seating) will become a Git N Messy BBQ (without the original cook). They also have torn up one side of the outside for more access/parking.

Maggie Dog Specialty Links - A half dozen "fancified" links. I chose a rabbit sausage with bacon on the side for $10. Obviously not worth it. Not a particularly large sausage. Not particularly tasty. Could have been any animal. You can buy a PACK of similar ones in a supermarket for less. Bacon was stale and dry. Sat there for a long time. Cold too. Came with a fruit sauce. I forget which. Charged an extra 40 cents to go. Why exactly? Best element was the tiny cup of pasta salad. Very thin short tubes. Like in boxed mac and cheese. Same owner as the fish place next to them (Current). They need to drop the pricing in half.

The Greenery Creamery - They also have one downtown. I believe I rated them. That is why I think I've ignored this spot. Plus I can live with out ice cream. At least I think they make their own. when I was traveling last week, I kept passing packed ice cream stands. It made me pause. Why are idiots paying for ice cream they can buy in stores. Most of these places just buy the same mass produced ice cream we can all buy and scoop it for us. Ohhhh. We are that stupid and lazy. Well you are. I grabbed a coffee, cream and cookies mix for $4+. I forget the name and receipt just says "solo". It was good. They have about a dozen "gourmet" concoctions. Cones or cups. They said they make the cones here and the ice cream at the other location.

*I saw these oddities on tv. Waterfall cake (stolen from the internet I assume) by Buddy Delastro (sp?) and crumpet sandwiches from a place in Seattle called Queen Bee.

**Travel Notes - NC/SC/VA: These are actually the first and last states I hit. Will save the North for next post. Slept in a Comfort Inn in Wilson NC for $105 (rack rate). Grabbed a chopped pork sandwich with cole slaw at Ralph's Barbeque in Weldon NC (really the Roanoke Rapids main exit). Mushy. On the way back I slept at a Comfort Inn in Ruther Glen VA for $105 (rack rate). Had a pulled turkey sandwich at Boogie's Turkey BBQ in Elm City NC (on 301). It and the next two were on the Chef and the Farmer show. It was ok. Big. The show said turkey is becoming the "it" meat in the black community. I drove to Greenville to see ECU. Nice town. Nice facilities. Then just outside of town to Sam Jones BBQ in Winterville NC. It is an off shoot of the next place. More modern. I had a Jones Family Original Platter of pulled whole hog pork, a side and corn bread. Very good pork. Great potato salad. Interesting corn bread. It was like a dried polenta square. Dense. No sugar. Good. I drove a few miles south to Ayden NC. I had a whole hog pulled pork sandwich at Skylight Inn. I was pretty full and had dinner to go. It was a tad less good than at their sister shop. It also made me wonder how long can meat sit out without being refrigerated? The Inn had pics of Carter, Bush, Reagan, etc. It must have been famous for a long time. I never got the memo. I drove to Kinston NC to eat at The Chef & the Farmer. I've watched her show for a while. On PBS here. It was ok. Gritty swordfish. Watermelon salad on top was better. Ok (voluminous) Boiler Room beef fat fries with Kitchen Sink sauce. Dull menu. Overly pricey. It's right in the middle of the downtown. I slept at a Quality Inn for $107. Drove to Harker's Island to get a ferry to Cape Lookout NC. A NP. Drove back through a spit of land starting in Atlantic Beach that was kind of like New Smyrna. Slept in Jacksonville NC at the Coastal Motel for $88. Not on coast. Next to Camp Lejeune. Drove through Wilmington NC to North Myrtle Beach. Had a brisket sandwich at Bar B Que House. Sign said they were voted best bbq for ten years. It was good. Original location south of Myrtle Beach in Surfside. Never found Coastal Carolina Univ. On to Charleston SC. Had lunch 2 at 5 Church. An old church. Had a good and interesting Salmon vs Eggs (cooked salmon aside poached eggs and spinach on toast). Had dinner at 82 Queen. Was purported to be the originator of she crab soup. Bartender said that was bs. Good thing. It was bad. Bitter. Dry scant crab. Never would have taken off if they created it. Also had bbq shrimp and grits. Better. And tomato pie. Kind of a quiche. I think that was my first. Good. Slept at Days Inn for $112. Plus $20 for parking. Grabbed peach cider, apple and praline pie, popcorn on the cob and fried peanuts at Carolina Cider Company in Gardens Corner SC (on 17). Pie was so good that I ate it before I reached Florida. It was a six incher. I popped the popcorn yesterday. So fun. Came with a bag. Made the usual amount. All microwave popcorn should be like this. Dried on the cob. From Uncle Ozgoods of Kansas. Peanuts were a bit oily inside. From Uncle Bud's in Tennessee. Next post on Wednesday.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Mimi K's, City Market Bistro and Atlantis Bistro *FL Travel Notes

I tried the first place at lunch two weeks ago on my way North. I tried the other two at lunch and dinner yesterday respectively. The first and third are near the center of Flagler Ave (by the beach). The other is in the old Local Pearl Oyster Shoppe spot on the land side of the Intercoastal.

Mimi K's Beachside Cafe - They are in that alley way that has the Cuban place I just reviewed. Breakfast and lunch. I think they close at 2pm. Weekends until 4pm. Also closed on T and W, I think. It seats about a dozen inside. I grabbed a Cajun Benedict because I wanted shrimp. It cost $14. I recall it being ok. Five or more shrimp. Ok egg timing. Can't recall what the bottom was. Probably a muffin. It seemed like there was one waitress, a prep guy and a cook doubling as a waitress too. That slows things down a bit. I actually jumped ahead of other tables and it still took twenty plus minutes. Place was full. Seemed a mix of tourists and locals. The menu had skillets, benedicts, sandwiches, ricotta pancakes, vanilla french toast, etc. Only around a dozen items. Charming enough to go back to.

City Market Bistro - Looks almost the same inside. They dropped all the oysters except IROCs. Owner/Chef had a place in Ormond Beach (or near there) before this. Changed hands in February. Open for lunch and dinner. Closes for two hours between 3 and 5pm. Limited menu. A dozen or so things. Burger, chicken sandwich, shrimp cocktail, mussels and three seafood mains are all that I can recall. I grabbed the grilled ciabatta for $8 to go because it was already 2pm and I wanted to get to the beach. It was different and better than I expected. Three slices of bread topped with dressed cherry tomatoes, black olives and pickled red onions and a creamy spread. Tomatoes were fresh. Alot. I think they can be trusted. 

Atlantis Bistro - They have been in the queue forever. Open at 4pm. Really an Italian spot (one of those Italian bistros) with some seafood items. I call places like this a "to go menu" spots. They don't have "business cards". They print to go menus. The quality is usually lower. No outlier here. Perfectly pedestrian food. I think the owner was also cooking. There was a kitchen help sign in the window and some woman came out all exhausted and the staff treated her like she was in charge. The output wasn't great and it took a while. I surrendered to the Chicken Romano at $16. I didn't get the feeling they could do anything more extreme. And when the waitress told me the green mussels (why not black ones?) were frozen. I knew I dodged a bullet. Plus they wanted up to thirty bucks for the seafood dishes. Dull ones. With dull ingredients. Plus they went silent on the price of every special and when you asked you found out why. The only reason I contemplated the mussels was that they had a pithy name ) Mussels Lemonade. The chicken was to be topped with mozzarella and prosciutto. Terrible quality on both. If I wasn't informed it was mozzarella. I couldn't have guessed. Plus the chicken had no crust/color. Not sure if they dumped the wine in too quickly or what. It was pale and boiled. At least pan fry it if you won't finish it in the oven. It came with steamed broccoli or roasted potatoes. When you read what I've been eating lately, you will see why I chose something healthy. It probably wasn't. Alternately raw and mushy. With some carrots. It wouldn't surprise me if they reheated some old broccoli with the rest. That is what the complimentary bread seemed to have been. Hard as a rock. I'll bet that had been to two or three customers and reheated before me. Plus they served it with most repulsive "pesto" and olive oil. It looked like a loogy/phlegm in oil. Didn't touch it. Service was spotty. Never checked in. No refills. Ambiance is isolated to the ceiling of wine corks. Rest is pure mismatched junk like French wine signs and plastic grapes. Probably all dust covered. Clientele was mostly codgers. Probably from there. Probably from dives up North where this quality of food is the norm. I do not recommend it. Open for 14 years. Apps were all over priced and lame too.

*Updates on the area - The Thai place near 1 is now an Irish pub called The Spot. Was open at lunch. The bowl place (from Winter Park) near the draw bridge (Flagler) is closed. That spot is death. The Greek place (Beacon) near the beach on Flagler re-opened yesterday. A Mexican place opened above Boston's Fish House.

**Travel Notes - Florida: I have a whole East Coast trip that I will divide into three posts. I'll just do Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach on this one because I'm tired. Check back in three days. I grabbed a terrible poke bowl at Timoti's. They used hot basmati rice! I had ok sushi at Akari. I had an interesting brisket and pulled pork egg rolls just to sample at Area 51 BBQ. Was too full to try the good stuff. Plus they have a Korean menu too. Disgusting Oreo flavored cream cheese bagel at Aloha Bagel. Bagel not great either. They had lots of weird cc flavors. Like peanut butter and bacon ranch. Good pulled pork with pimento cheese on wheat bread sandwich at Happy Tomato Cafe. All these are in or around Fernandina. Stayed at Amelia Hotel for $122. By far the cheapest option.

Grub Crawl - Hourglass District and Lake Underhill Rd: Uncommon Eatery and Estrella Latina *SD/ND/MN/WI/IA/MO Travel Notes

I tried these two spots on Wednesday at lunch. The first is in the Winn Dixie shopping mall with Rogue Pub on Curry Ford Rd. The second is near Meatball Stoppe at Goldenrod and Underhill. 

Uncommon Eatery - They are a catering concern that opened up the front of store. They said they opened fifteen months ago. I thought it was less. They have a small space with unwaitered service open to the public. Small menu as well. I settled on one of the three salads. Curry Chicken for $10. I wasn't paying $12 for bao (2 types) or $10 for an empanada (2 types). I also threw in an order of Moroccan Fries for $4. The salad was disappointing. Shredded chicken (I want chunks) atop of a smattering of field greens. Could have been bought from a supermarket. Chicken probably comes in a bag. They threw in some sliced strawberry and nuts and nuts. Some raisins in the salad. I also tasted dry curry powder in the salad. Lazy. It was made worse by the generous portioning. More to suffer through. The fries were limp. Seasoning ok. Topped with parmesan. Also a big portion. They also sell a grilled cheese, pork sandwich, chicken sandwich, poke bowl, crab cakes and soup. All over $10. I expected more. Maybe a different meal would bring different results. The room is decorated in Grandma level tchotchkes and mismatched chairs and tables (4). order at a counter. Open for lunch and dinner.

Estrella Latina - Open from breakfast to 5pm. No frills Latin. I had the roast pork from the buffet (also has a menu). They don't speak much English, so, I thought it would be $6. It was $8. Maybe the quote was for the chicken? Maybe they hosed me? still a deal. Came white half a to go tray of rice and a side. I chose yucca. Good. Buttery rice. Ok yucca. Pork was good too. Atmosphere is lacking. Dirty and bland. Big menu. No need to exert yourself finding them. I'm sure you have something similar near you.

*Travel Notes for SD/ND/MN/WI/IA/MO trip - I canceled a trip to NE because of Hurricane Elsa. Should have risked it. Plane left on time. Booked a $65 ticket to KC in its place. with one week notice. Rental car was just a tad more than NE. Lots of fast food in the beginning. Stayed in Sioux Falls SD at a BW (rack rate) for $130. Pricing was insane. Fried chicken nuggets at Slim Chickens. Drove to a crap NP in Pipestone MN and thru Fargo to Jamestown ND. Stayed at Jamestown Motel for $50. World's largest Buffalo Statue. Drove through Bismarck ND. Had a Neuron sandwich (brisket and mac and cheese) at Erbert's and Gerbert's. Drove to Stanton ND and another waste of a NP (Knife River Indian Villages). Onto Theodore Roosevelt NP and onto MT. Ate bad chili cheese fries and hamburger at Retreat in Glendive MT. Stayed at Baymont for $102. Drove back to ND and Fort Union NHS near Williston ND (home of Phil Jackson). Across ND to Stanley and the Dakota Drug Co where they claim they invented the machine that makes blizzards. Had a brickle and butterscotch whirl whip. Onto Minot ND and Scandinavian Heritage Center. Ate an ok bacon cheeseburger and fries at Burger Time. Slept at Noble In for $73. Onto Geographic Center of NA in Rugby ND and Grand Forks ND (U of ND). Slept across river in East Grand Forks MN (Fairfield Inn) for $96. Ate lunch at Fat Albert's Subs in Grand Forks. Had a "cubed meats" sandwich called the Punisher. They put all the chopped up ends of the sliced meats (like seven kinds) in a sandwich. Up north to this little notch into Canada called Lake of the Woods at Warroad MN. Onto Bemidji MN. First town of Mississippi. Paul Bunyan. Had ok beer at Bemidji Brewing Co. Slept at AmercInn for $130. Minnesota is expensive. Like the socialist enclaves usually are. Drove towards Duluth (east) and up to Two Harbors MN. Had ok beer at Castle Danger Brewery. Ok smoked Alaskan shrimp at Lou's Fish House. Slept at Voyageur Motel for $130. Everything booked. The first 3M hq is here. Drove east to Bayfield WI to take a boat around Apostle Islands NP. Tried last year. It wasn't running. Tour was $50. Ate at Pickled Herring Club. Had whitefish livers and a smoked trout and blue cheese naan. Slept in Washburn WI at Washburn Inn for $201. This was the cheapest thing within twenty miles. Drove south to Minneapolis MN. Slept at LivInn in Fridley for $103. Had Dum Ka Chicken at Hyderabad. #1 on Yelp. It was described as chicken in yougurt. Seemed like dark meat chicken tikka. Went to 3M Open in Blaine. It cost $65. South to Waterloo IA. Home of John Deere and Hostess (before sale) and Wrestling HOF. Ate at Newton's Paradise Cafe. Had a great (and huge) pork tenderloin sandwich (Iowa's thing) with parmesan fries. Slept at HoJo for $78. Went to U of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. U of Kurt Warner and David Johnson. Onto Marshalltown and Taylor's Maid Rite. They do loose meat sandwiches. Had two with cheese. I think I saw this place on some documentary about the Lincoln Highway. On through Cedar Rapids (Quaker Oats) to Dyersville IA to see the Field of Dreams movie set. On through Dubuque to Maquoketa and the Econolodge for $77. To Mississippi River and down to Davenport. Through Wapello IA (pit stop for lousy meager brisket sandwich at Cynful Smokehouse) to Eldon IA and the house from the Grant Wood American Gothic house. Onto Ottumwa IA (Radar O'Reilly's home) and Hotel Ottumwa for $75. They had a free breakfast at 2nd Ave Cafe. Eggs. Through Osceola IA to Maid Rite Diner. Had another loose meat with cheese. This time it was goo cheese and bigger. Cost more. Called a mega cheese. Onto KC and Gates Bar BQ. Had a Nooner sandwich. Was to have had brisket and burnt ends. No ends and sliced brisket. Real let down. They are supposed to be great. need brisket pencil thick. Took forever too. Also stopped at LC's Bar BQ. It was on No Reservations. Had a pork and burnt ends platter. Also no ends. Big chunks of pork. They had a fire in the smoker while I was there. Doused it with houses. I think my pork was washed. Also a disappointment. Got lost driving around and found a nice area with their zoo. The area around the gates I went to was also nice. Art museum and U of M KC, etc. Also some nice restaurants, etc. Will have to try KC again. Slept in Independence MO at My Place for $97. Went to downtown to see where Joseph Smith claims the Garden of Eden really was. It's an LDS temple. I had already done the Truman bs. Saw a soda factory for Polly's Pop. Back to near airport (Platte City MO). Stayed at Ramada for $71. I have to report that the KC airport is way better. Each five or so gates has their own TSA. My line had no people. Plus it's in the same hall as the check in. 

**I forgot to add these odd products: birdseed salad (sunflower seed and broccoli) and peanut butter monster (m and m's) cookies. I also saw a show on Austin TX that explained those Migas tacos I told you about. They put crushed tortillas in the eggs.

Bombay Street Kitchen, Orange Blossom Trail

I tried this Indian restaurant on OBT in between Lancaster and Oak Ridge (across from an Army and Navy store) last night. It is from the Aashirwad/Tamarind people. I guess this is a less formal offering? The menu didn't seem too "street" to me. Most of the usual suspects. I'll have to premise my review with a caveat. I believe I ordered the one thing you shouldn't. I saw a few dishes on other tables and they looked pleasing. I had the tandoori pompano (whole fish with bones) for $20. I like that silvery sucker and I've never ventured that far down the tandoor rabbit hole. It was a box that needed checking. Thought it wouldn't work. I was right. Even if the fish is fresh, I think that kiln would dry out anything that delicate. This was dry, mushy and foul tasting. The rub really overpowered the fish. Very bitter. Not sure if I was supposed to take off the skin. It was slightly better with it off. The fish tasted a bit too fishy. I'll bet it was frozen. And old. A smaller pompano. It came with an afterthought garnish salad and lumpy basmati. Not sure plain basmati is a real match with tandoori fish. Not a great composition. Maybe some vegetables?  I'll take this chance to veer off on a food tangent. I saw a taste test on Cook's Country that American basmati sucks. It has to be aged for at least 9 months. We don't do that. Indian brands like Dawaat do. We now return you to your original broadcast. The menu is broken down into small plates (things you can find under appetizers on most menus), bigger plates (similar and a chicken tikka bao is maybe the one concession to diversity/street food), vegetarian curry, dakshin se (crepes, etc), non-veg curry, tandoor, biryani, bread and Chinese. Is there anything "street" or atypical there? Maybe the Chinese? The place looks nice. A box. High ceilings. Bar. Visible kitchen. Gray, black and orange colors. Cutlery and glassware and serving vessels were cool. Copper serving pots. Tapered, conical glassware (real). Open for five months. It seems to have garnered a reputation. The crowd looked like they drove into the neighborhood. I talked with one table (tourists) and they said that a friend who lives here told them to go there. And Open Table recommended them. I haven't checked the word on the net/street. It was getting fuller. Service was a bit understaffed. Nice though. No refills. Didn't wait long for service. They are open for lunch and dinner. Lunch stops at 3pm. Dinner starts at 5pm. Ample parking. I think you should give it a try. Just don't order the fish (actually use that as a rule of thumb in most non-seafood spots). Try something with the gunpowder spice mix. That is one of the street foody sounding things they do offer.

*Here are some oddities I saw on my last trip (notes to follow on that in next post): A salad creating machine called Sally and microwave pork rinds by Lowrey's Bacon Curls in a supermarket in East Grand Forks, MN. Folios' cheese wraps (like tortillas) and meat sticks by Steve's Smokey Acres in a supermarket in Bemidji, MN. Those sticks looked like skinny hot dog or undried jerky. Jellied Pot Roast Beef Loaf by Elliott's in a supermarket in Two Harbors MN. It was sliced liked bologna. And guacamole mixed with hummus by Holy Land something? Swiss Almond cheese spread in a supermarket in Bayfield WI. They had alot of wacky flavors. Odd restaurant stuff in the next post. In three days or so. Only one grub crawl left in the hopper.

Grub Crawl - Winter Park and Altamonte Springs: The Bridge (Closed) and Las Lomas

Here are two places I've been apprehensive to try. It seems with good reason. Both are in spots that have seen multiple failures. Which leads one to contemplate whether a location has a Siren's call to "loser birds" (About Last Night reference) or losers just share the same brain. Regardless, we have two new entrants into the "soon to fail" club.

The Bridge - If you've never seen a non-Greek try and emulate a NY diner, this is your chance. There are more of these faux-similes popping up with every new non-Greek immigrant invasion of the Big Apple. Not that diner food is particularly good, but, these places can't even reach that low bar. This one smells of a Russian diner. Maybe it was just my Eastern European waitress, but, the overly formal (gauche) decorations and club music (at noon) brought up Brighton Beach memories. Not that I've had many. Never wanted to end up in a trash bag in a dumpster for mouthing off to the wrong gangster. Mostly things I've seen on tv. But they are white, so, I won't be criticized for lampooning their culture. Anyway. The menu is soooooo perplexing. It doesn't match the vibe. It's cheap diner food. It's equally disjointed. Branzino, mussels, filet mignon or burgers, grilled cheese, wings. Pick a lane! I'd drop the low end. Especially if you are going to overprice everything anyway. My cheeseburger was $17. And it was one of the cheaper things. A pale, machine pressed yawn that I'm not sure would beat a Whopper in a taste test. And I hate Whoppers. The brioche bun was stale and too cloying (they all are). Plus it was much bigger than the patty. L,T,O. Semi fresh. It came with coated fries. Hate those. Low class. And that's the feel. It's tacky. From the burger with gold leaf to the velveteen drapes. It's tacky. The table next to me had some ok looking calamari and tomato soup. Maybe there is some hope? My half a can of soda cost $3.50. No refill. The table next to me got a full can. Not sure if they paid extra for it. An iced tea is $5. I got off cheap. The place seats about forty. The have a bar. Breakfast all day. It's on Morse. Off Park. I think it was a vegan place before this. Opened at the end of February. Probably beyond hope. Maybe they can get a book deal though.

Las Lomas - On 436 near the Sunrail station. I think it was a buffet place last. The less said the better. Open for five weeks. The worst kind of Americanized Mexican. Think big lumps of pre-cooked, shredded chicken and ground beef on a grill and slapped together in seconds. I had the three chicken enchiladas for $6. Raw tortillas. American cheese? Bland sauce. I chose to freeze the beef taco ($2) for later. Not hopeful. The enchiladas made me fell nauseous. Not because they were off (possibly), But, because they tasted so bad. The place is a dark, open square. It seats many. Only three tables of dumb gringos eating. The most interesting thing was the ceramic backing on the seats. Don't infer that the long build resulted in a beautiful interior. Skip this one too.

*Some things I forgot to write about in the last post. La Tizon sold cezo tacos (brain). Had that before. Alambre was grilled beef with bacon. Suadero was brisket. Had that before. Tlayuda translated to "plate". It was like a tostada. Never seen that before. Frank's Famous also had two hot dogs wrapped in bacon and fried. Never seen that exact combo before. Also learned on tv that basmati rice needs to be aged for 9 months to be good. US growers rarely do that. Daawat is a good brand from India. Also that whiskey sent down river and onto the northeast via boat aged in their barrels and got better and more amber as a result. Dumb luck. And Cognac is just brandy from the region of Cognac. White grapes. Don't know why the whole sherry, port, brandy thing throws me. But it does.

Grub Crawl - Deland: The Table, Wrap It Up and Boston Coffee House *CA Travel Notes

Well it seems that most of you found my last post even though the email alert is gone. Don't know what with craft you are employing. Maybe someone could add a comment explaining how for the rest of the flock. Anyway. back to over two weeks ago... I tried these places in Deland at lunch time. All are downtown around New York Ave. Three more to go. Connie's, Abbey and a pho place.

The Table - This was the real draw. I saw them on that trip through a few months ago, Open for a year. There's a coffee/pastry/market at street level. This is down some steps away from the corner of the block in their old banquet space. There is a patio in front. Waterfall. Modern look. The flow inside is a little off. Bar. I had the fried chicken mac and collards for $16. Four pieces of chicken. Moist. It had a rosemary rub that I would lose. They also had an Italian chicken. I wonder if they are trying to do double duty with the chicken. Doesn't work with a Southern type chicken dish. The batter also had a grainy mouth feel. It also had a Thai like three pepper jelly that clashed even more with the rosemary. The mac was overcooked. Needed salt. Collards were bland. Not as sharp as I hoped. The goat cheese grits on the menu looked interesting. They are open for lunch and dinner. It was pretty full. Service was fine.

Wrap It Up - I saw some places I missed walking around. this was one. Decided to get something I could eat before my flight. Grabbed a Chicken Wrap with ranch and blue cheese for $7. It was ok. Thankfully I added a second layer of wrap or it would have oozed all over my clothes. I think they said they aren't that new.

Boston Coffee House - I guess there are five of these around CF. I just grabbed an iced coffee to knock it off the list. It cost $2. They also have a breakfast and lunch menu. Seating. Said they have been there for 26 years.

*Travel Notes CA - Prices were pretty jacked. LAX was a complete zoo. Even at 10pm. Bumper to bumper to the rental car counter. Whole place seemed boarded up. MCO wasn't bad. Left at night. Maybe because no European red eye flights it is slow? Spent first night at a gross Wingate near the airport ($103). Ate in Morro Bay (had to adjust itinerary and get to the coast because of heat) at Taco de Mexico. Chili Colorado and al pastor and carnitas tacos. Pretty good and hefty. Slept at a Rodeway on PCH for $134 (rack rate). Almost every hotel was full. Had a Diggler breakfast burrito at Frank and Lola's Front Street Cafe. Huge. Drove up PCH to SF. Stayed at southwest corner of Golden Gate Park at Ocean Beach. Horrible Rodeway for $143. Ate at Sri Thai. The only choice. Tried Pad Himipan with crispy chicken. The chicken was mostly hides. Not great. Drove across Golden Gate Bridge (I'm withholding what I saw - mostly National Parks - and fast food stops because of time constraints) to Sausilito and had a rancid lox and caper spread on a bagel at Bridgeway Bagel. Passed on many oyster places near Point Reyes NP. Damn. Slept at Budget Inn in Laytonville (cost consideration) for $109. Ate an overdone ahi banh mi at the Loco Fish Co Food Truck in Arcata. Eureka had little to offer. Had a terrible Battery Point Snapper at Sea Quake Brewing in Crescent City. Searched the name. No such thing as that snapper. Probably rock fish because they were offering that up the coast. Beer was good though. Slept at ultra-noisy Redwood Inn. Slept in Hi Lo Motel in Weed the next night for $78. Near Mt Shasta. A traffic accident made me stop in Susanville the next night. Super 8 at $101. Drove through Reno to Mammoth Lakes the next day. Had lunch at Gojira Ramen. Had a poke bowl with yt and salmon that they added spicy tuna and crab to. Grabbed some great deals at a market called Grocery Outlet. Slept at Shilo Inn for $142. Drove through Death Valley to Las Vegas and onto Barstow. Had a bad Barstow Burger at Barstow Burger. Better carne asada taco. Slept at a gross BW for $111. Slept at Western Holiday Lodge in Three Rivers (Sequoia NP) for $122. Onto San Luis Obispo. Slept at Avenue Inn for $129. Ate lunch at Frank's Famous. Had a huge chili dog and fries. Grabbed some gross brown butter cookies at Brown Butter Cookie Co. Had a very good tri tip sandwich at Old SLO BBQ. Also wine and beer from the area. They had those card machines. A so so breakfast of eggs benedict at Breakfast Buzz. Good lengua and al pastor tacos at El Tizon. They said that means ember. Slept in Lompoc. Gross Surestay next to a DMV for $95. I believe they put up illegals here as they get processed. Farm country. But, a friend says every CA DMV is the same. In Santa Barbara (by UCSB) grabbed spam, pork belly and Chinese sausage bao at Lao Wang. In Malibu, had steamed shrimp at Neptune's Net. Had Santa Barbara uni at Broad Street Oyster House. Had a yt sushi burrito at Howdy's. Served on some kind of wrap that I think they said was soy paper. Was thicker than the soy paper I've seen. had specks in it. Quinoa? Some weird stuff I ate: Rodopa Bulgarian White Cheese, strawberry flavored cake, Solely fruit jerky. I also saw pouches of pho beef bone broth by Nona Lim. That's all I can recall. I'll supplement if necessary. Gas was $5 in some areas!

Bashu Hot Pot, West Colonial *OR/NV Travel Notes

I tried this Chinese hot pot place on West Colonial and Kirkman two weeks ago at dinner time. It is in a strip mall that has mostly Asian choices. It opens at 3pm. Closes at 11pm. The owner said he may extend hours. In which direction, I know not where. It's a typical hot pot restaurant. Why don't we know the Chinese would for that (or all the other types)? Google translator says Huoguo Dian. I guess that's why. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. It has been open for three months. It's all you can eat for $26. You chose one of six broths. I chose the mushroom based. I added their three sliced meats (lamb shoulder, pork belly and Angus beef). I believe the menu said it was beef stomach or belly or something odd. It was all thinly slice from frozen carcasses. As they do it. All were fine. Beef was a little tough. They bring them to you. Large amounts. I supplemented these with a few selections from a jam packed buffet area. I grabbed quite a few large shrimp, hen of the woods mushrooms, mini sausages, lotus root, and beef balls. I also had some small umbrella shaped mushrooms that I thought were baby something or others. I thought shitake. But, my searches aren't confirming. I did find an interesting one called "parasol" while searching that this was not. They seem to be an "it" thing. The beef balls were stuffed. I enjoyed that. They also had things like: noodles, crab, fish balls, tofu, crab balls, vegetables, etc. Another two areas for sauces. Mostly fresh. And then you cook them in the broth. They have eight booths under a a fake porch ("menlang" according to Google translate) overhang. Ten tables in the center. All with electric heating surfaces. It was about half full. All Asian. Kind of young crowd. Service was a bit thin. Most were eating their dinner at the tables. They also seemed to be babysitting their children with cartoons on the communal tv. It was annoying hearing those infantile songs. I was told that the name is from a region in the Szechuan province. I was expecting a little more. Could be a little cleaner and professional for $26. Sill, it was ok.

*Travel Notes from OR and NV - It was mostly a CA trip, but, I will end the next review with that. Let's see. I passed through southern Oregon and stopped for gas and saw a sign for Rogue Creamery in Central Point (really Medford). I had  their classic grilled cheese (I believe it was mostly cheddar with some of one of their blues). I also grabbed a single serving of a brie that turned out to be not theirs and a chocolate and blue cheese truffle that I also think was somebody else's. In Las Vegas, I stayed at the El Cortez downtown because I got there on the weekend and prices were crazy. Plus I wanted to eat downtown. The hotel room was kind of good for under $100 with fees. and free parking. I couldn't get into my dinner choice (Carson Kitchen). I settled on a lousy chicken flauta at La Comida. I had a few good Viking Beach Parties at Atomic Liquors (LV's oldest bar) and pretty bad $6 pizza slices at Evel Pie. But, it was Evel Knievel's joint! At lunch, I had the best (only out of five or so) by far Cacio e Pepe at Esther's Kitchen in the Art's District. It is in between Downtown and the Strip. You should find this area. Alot of restaurants, breweries, etc. I saw Esther's and Atomic on the Hubert Keller show. They said Esther's has been open for eight years. It still seems to be a hot ticket. I got in at opening time and it wasn't long before they were turning people away. I didn't get into the hidden speakeasy at the Mob Museum. Private party. I came through Death Valley and stopped at a dinosaur dig NP called Tule Springs. It wasn't completed. No VC. Started in 2014. It is only like ten minutes north on 95. Another suburb that is brand new. I also went to the Valley of Fire SP north on 15. It was great. $15 for out of staters. Many movies shot there (Total Recall). You can come back to Lake Mead via 169. I did that and stayed in Boulder City at the El Rancho. A little motel for $94. Saturday price. I ate surprisingly fresh sushi at Momoyama. I had an ok breakfast of eggs and hash browns and banana bread at Southwest Diner.

Grub Crawl - Downtown: Motorworks Brewing and Pokeworks *NY/NE Travel Notes

I tried these spots on Orange Ave at lunch on Friday. The first is in the old Mini Cooper/Orlando Brewing location. The second is next to Morgan and Morgan. Hey, it was a double "works" Friday!

Motorworks Brewing - Their main hub is in Bradenton. I guess they operate food services too. I had a Gronkzilla (just had to) Red Ale and an Intellectual Property IPA. 4 ozers for around $3 each. They had different prices. Odd. They were good. Just trying to knock this one of the list and not let the meter expire this time. They had a menu of flat breads, sandwiches, burgers, apps, etc. Place looks nice. I think they have been there for over a year.

Pokeworks - A chain. Not sure if I've ever had the pleasure. Don't recall. This one was better than most. Fresh ahi. Rice done properly. Had a small for $9. You choose from a few bases and proteins and toppings. Can also be had as handhelds and no rice, etc. The seaweed leeched green coloring. Dye? Modern look. Order at a counter. Been there a few weeks.

*Travel Notes - New York and New England: I flew into Albany because it had the cheapest car rental rates (and cheap, non-stop flights) in the country. Such a pleasure to navigate a next to empty airport after OIA. Although, lines not that bad this time. Ate dinner at Wicked Awesome BBQ in White River Junction VT. Had a spice rub to it. Not bad. They won't sell "sandwich" brisket in a platter. I expect that is the lean. Never heard that before. Good policy. I wonder how many places do that? Wasn't expecting to eat bbq. Not many choices around there. Had root beer basted pork and maple rubbed chicken. Slept at a Hampton Inn for $127. Went to Dartmouth in Hanover NH the next day. Slept at North Conway Mountain Inn in North Conway NH (Gateway to Mt Washington Valley) for $97. Ate dinner at Luchador Tacos. Bad burrito. Good Mexican (spice) Whoopie Pie supplied by Il Cakes. Had breakfast at Peachs (not a typo). Eggs with Guinness bratwurst. They had a lot of crazy dishes like eggs benedict crepes, apple butterscotch pancakes, banana coconut (inside) pancakes, a wrap with baked apples, cranberries, walnuts and chicken, etc. Drove on to NW Maine through Berlin (saw a moose and turkeys) and drove up Route 201 to Canada. Lovely scenery. Million Dollar Bird House Wall, lakes and Kennebec River. Then back past Plymouth State University and onto Squam Lake (On Golden Pond) and Lake Winnipesaukee (Grown Ups) and on to the coast and Rockport. Slept at the Starlight Lodge for $107. Staff from Longwood gave me a discount. Landed at Rockland Cafe for lunch after most Yelp places only took cash or were taking their sweet ass time. I had an under cooked (the inside had black sludge) one pounder masquerading as a pound and a half for $24. Still good. The internet says that sludge is eggs that haven't been cooked and a female lobster is a hen. It has been forever since I've seen that and some of the roe was cooked, so, I don't know if that is true. It came with lousy slaw and fries. I passed a sign that said (fish shop) lobster was $8 a pound. The other places were selling rolls for $22. I also saw cooked lobsters for much less elsewhere (ie some place in Winsooket across from the famous Red's had a pound a halfer for $17. They must rip off tourists (when not demanding cash to cook the books and avoid the tax man) in that area of the state. Drove a few miles south to Port Clyde and the lighthouse from Forrest Gump (Marshall Point). I ate dinner at the Maine Diner in Wells. It was on 3D. Had the Clam-o-rama for around $24. Fried bellies, strips, cake and  chowder, corn muffin, baked potato, slaw. Pretty good. Not a huge fried seafood guy. Realized these places are so cheap that they don't cut off the "tail/trunk" of a steamer that you hold and discard when eating them steamed. Had dessert (whoopie pie ice cream and peanut butter pie ice cream) at Skins Scoop in Ogunquit. Slept at Mariner Resort Motel in Ogunquit for $107. Drove back north a few miles to Kennebunkport for lunch at Mabel's Lobster Claw (on Food Paradise). Had a lobster roll for around $24. Piled on a closed bun. Either lazy or purposeful to make it seem like a big portion. Was ok. Fries were better. Saw the Bush compound again. Back south through Portsmouth NH to New Castle Island and onto Hampton NH. Drank at Smuttynose Brewing Company. Had dinner at Shane's Authentically Austin BBQ. Another unexpected meal that was better than you'd think. Slept at Lamie's Inn for $124. Went west through Exeter NH (Phillips Exeter Academy) back through NH and VT to MA and Jiminy Peak (skied there a long time ago) and slept in Lenox MA at Wagon Wheel Inn for $61. Bought good sushi, pizza and Vermont cheeses at Guido's Fresh Marketplace. Drove through Pittsfield to see my pre-teen summer camp and onward west past Hancock Shaker Village to NY and Martin Van Buren NHS and up to Latham (near airport). Slept at a Baymont for $73. Had lunch at Latham 76 Diner. Challah French Toast and eggs and link sausage. Love that real diner link sausage. Had to finally try a diner. Accomplished everything except two islands. Ferries either not running that day or too early for my taste. Going back in a month. Maybe then? For places (especially Maine) that were so strict with Covid, no one was masking, etc now. Crowds already too. And the Governor of NY is full of it once more. No vaccination shot area at Albany airport. Asked a few people (ie TSA) and they said they haven't seen it. Ever! Our news (and maybe national) said Albany was an airport that would be doing it. Then again, just saying it (or tweeting it) seems to count for action in today's world. Enjoy this. Last one for a bit. And remember, the emailed advisory is going away soon.

Grub Crawl - NoDo: Maki Hibachi and The Tavern

These two places are about a block from each other near the 7-11 gas station near I-4 and Colonial. One a half a block past (east) of the 7-11 on the other side of the street in a new building on the corner. That is Maki. Tavern is half a block west of the 7-11 on the same side of the street. Next to a tattoo parlor. It was last some Latin place with lazy hours. I went to Maki last night and Tavern today at lunch.

Maki Hibachi - Their first foray was/is in Lake Nona. This spot had been under way for two months. It looks good. A bit familiar. Kind of last century Park Ave or Beverley Hills looking. A poor man's Four Seasons feel. The tones shift from dark gray to light gray to tan. That color scheme is echoed in the fabric. Slate floor. Blue chairs. Tasteful. Art Nouveau-ish. A rectangular floor plan. Mostly booths. The cooking area is behind glass on the right side of the room. I think most of the appeal to hibachi is the "show". Maybe you can see it from other seat locations. I would have had to have made an effort if I wanted to see it. The cooks are Vietnamese, so, maybe there wasn't a Wade Wilson whirlwind going on at all. I had the Land And Sea dinner ($24) and two pieces of yellow tail nigiri ($6). I wanted the "old school" Benihana experience. It has been forever since I've done hibachi. It was good. The sirloin was supposed to be medium rare. It was well done. Still. a good piece of meat. No fat or gristle. The shrimp were good too. Firm. Would have loved some old fashioned butterflying. Good, fresh zucchini, mushrooms, onions and carrots. A mountain of fried rice. Acceptably greasy. I didn't arrive until almost ten pm and they let me sneak in before they closed. They started turning off the lights and so on, so, I was shoveling the stuff in a gave up and packed up the rest of the meal. That hurts the experience a bit. The meal also came with a light miso soup and a nice salad. The cutlery and plates were funky. The yellow tail was very fresh and cut long and thin-ish. It hung over the rice on both ends. The rice was also properly made and formed. Toothy. Room temp. Service was pleasant and professional. They also offer poke bowls, hot and cold apps, bentos, other entrees, sushi, sashimi, makimono, desserts and other hibachi combos. They have a kid portion hibachi. An app that has an entree price is the $29 Fire Stone Beef. At least the offer it. Maybe worth the trip. Not a lot of places offer that. They also serve wine, beer, 'tinis, and around sixteen sakes. Parking is mostly around back. Not sure how that is. At ten pm I had all of spots (3) in front to myself. I'd give them a try. Not much to complain about. They are also open for lunch. Prices cheaper then too. 

The Tavern - I went back so I could add it to this post. I wasn't expecting much and they were starting to disappoint. I was ready to walk out. It was taking forever to make two tacos and the Diet Coke was tasteless and flat. Plus they were blasting (even after it was turned down) mumble rap from a speaker two feet from my table. Remember it wasn't even noon yet. The place was earning it's "bar" designation. And that isn't a compliment. The tacos finally came and it took my annoyance level out of the red. The tacos were ok. Mostly tasteless (except for the cotija), but, they were something and fun. I guess this style (birria) is a fad that I hadn't run across yet. The internet says that a 2019 Super Bowl taco truck ad made these things a thing. I guess they are real big in Chicago. The real "birria" is a stew from Jalisco. These bad boys are a mix of quesadilla and tacos. These had shredded beef in them. 2 for $6. Smallish. I saw a chicken taco and it was much larger. It comes with a cup of dipping liquid/broth. That also was mostly tasteless. Anyway, it was fun to learn. Their menu is sandwiches ($11) and Mexican fare. It's not a barrio place if that is how this is reading. The tvs were tuned to sports. No MS 13 tats in view. The place is unkempt and small. It is really a bar first. Only two booths and a few high tops. I'm not sure why anyone wants to open in this space. It's hard to find. A little parking out back that the tattoo studio next door competes for. Maybe the foot traffic from the new buildings will be enough. I can't really advise you to sample it, but, find those tacos. They opened March 8. 

*I have one more post in the queue. Probably Sunday night. It will have my NY and NE Travel Notes from my latest trip. I noticed driving around last night that they really fuck with I-4 at night and that Bubbles place on Mills is moving down the street to that failure spot that has been Segofreddo, etc. Orlando Meats on Virginia was closed. I think they moved elsewhere. Cork & Fork on Hoffner closed. Now an El Potro. Eden Market re-opened near downtown. Neon Beach opened near Motorworks downtown. Great Greek opened (actually a while ago) near the courthouse. Hangry Pants on South Orange seems to have rebranded as Hungry Pants. Maybe I always had that wrong? Tori Tori on Mills was packed. That Conrad's bar on Mills was actually open. Something new going up near it.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Baracoa, Ocean Breeze and Tayton O'Brian's

I feel bad demoting that wonderful Florida Gulf Coast Travel Note in the last post so soon, but, it seems (by the statistical tool supplied by this site) that everyone who reads these posts does so right after they are posted. The inevitable result when you are shadow banned. Doesn't portend well for when they disable the email announcements later this month. Here we go anyway. Oh one more thing before that! Try and find a documentary about Cambodian donut shops in California. I believe it is called Donut King. 

I tried these spots on Flagler Ave (the main street) today at or just after lunch. I expected big crowds at the beach and in town. It was deserted. I believe two spots on the other side of the Intercoastal have closed or changed hands. The Oyster place had a new name. Will have to pop in and see. The Thai place seemed to have closed. Glad I waited (or was thwarted). As Forrest Gump would say, "one less thing". On Flagler, The Beacon was closed and requesting donations to reopen. A new "fancy" (according to a local) place is being built across from the gas station. In the Publix strip mall on the beach side, the steakhouse is turning into a Colt (I forget the rest of the name) bbq. Colt's something Stand. Pig? They raised the area just after the bridge. It had a crappy seafood place. There is a new Starbucks just beyond that.

Baracoa - A town in Cuba. Not the best option at Chipotle. I had (what else?) the baracoa for $10. It's a Cuban on sweet bread with baracoa (paprika) sauce. It was good. Plantain chips made by some local guy. They sell around 9 sandwiches, empanadas, soup, tacos, Sloppy Joe's, sides, desserts, wine, beer, coffee and "rafts". Those seem to be maduros (sweet bananas) under lettuce, rice (coconut, yellow with peas or white), under meat and topped with veggies of some kind (the slaw of cabbage, coconut and pineapple) seemed interesting. They have patio seating and a small counter. They market themselves as "to go" though. It's the only Cuban I can think of in town. A nice, casual play. Closed Sn and M. 11:30am - 6pm. In a courtyard on the north side of the street around the gas station in the middle of the road. I really thought I'd remember the name. Open for two years.

Ocean Breeze Bar and Grill - They are at the beach parking lot. Up some stairs. Good views. I sat at the bar. My idea. Still could see the ocean. An open environment (no windows) that looks like a tiki bar. High ceilings. I had the sesame encrusted ahi tuna app for $16. This was after the beach. It was damn good. A whole tuna steak. An inch thick. Fresh. Sliced into strips. Not that much "floss". A real surprise. Came with seaweed salad and avocado. Not bad for a plastic menu tiki bar. They also had burgers, fish, quesadillas, tacos, salads, sammies, grouper cheeks, etc. Big bar up front. Lots of seats on the patio (beachside) and along the exterior. Fast service. TVs. Way better than I expected. Forgot to ask how long they have been there. I think it has been a while. 

Tayton O'Brian's Irish Pub - An Irish pub at the beach. What could be more natural? That is why it is one of the last to be tried. It also looks dingy from the outside. I expected a smoke stenched shit hole. It was really nice inside. Cool. Clean. No odors. They sell the usually junk food and Irish staples. They claim some awards won long ago. I had some chicken strips called Lucky Toes wrapped up to go (for $9) because I already had my fill and they were low risk. They were ok. Probably just thawed from a bag. However, I wouldn't be put off by my order. I'd wager they can deliver a competent (nice to see I still can't spell this word) meal. The inside has dollar bills all over the ceiling, a live music area in the corner, booths, etc. They said there is an outside area out back. Open for ten years. 

*I also checked into what I think was the first place I every went to in NSB. Right on the beach on Flagler. The Breakers. Pre-blog. It is kind of skanky. They serve lunch and dinner. A dull menu. More of a bar. A bar in the middle of a rectangular floor plan. One side hangs over the beach. The other is inland. I believe there is A Marriott behind it. Just thought I'd include it even if I probably won't be making a return visit. You can inform me if it needs a second looksee.

Grub Crawl - Winter Garden: Fat Mike's Hot Chicken (Closed), Empanada & Co, Sir Benji's Donuts, Mac'd Out and This Little Piggy *FL Gulf Coast Travel Notes

I tried these places (near or in the Plant Street Market) on Thursday just past lunch. I grabbed everything to go,

Fat Mike's Hot Chicken - Replaced a taco place. In building across from marketplace. Kind of fast casual. They sell half and quarter chickens, tenders, sandwiches, sides and ribs when available (not currently). I had a chicken sandwich for $6.50. It sucked. Freezer burn. Plastic/rubbery chicken. Medium heat was higher than that. Spice rub. Not sauce. Made it drier than it was already. Coating had no flavor of its own. A general disaster. If I hadn't spent the fifteen minutes they quoted as the wait time buying other food, I would have been even more disappointed to receive this dish. Came with horse radish tasting slaw on the side and bun with pickles. I think they have been open for under a year. Open for lunch and dinner. Has indoor and outdoor seating. Looks like a fast food location. 

Empanada & Co - Stall. Small supply of glossy empanadas. Had a chicken with some sort of cheese for $4 with tax and tip. Better than expected.  May also have location in Mt Dora. Recently opened here.

Sir Benji's Donuts - Stall. I think they said open for two years. Much better than the last donut (Pattie Lou's) I tried. Same squeeze batter into hot oil in front of you. Much better results. These donuts were much larger and fluffy. Almost collapsed into a ball under their own weight and size and syrup. Sold by the dozen. I had one topped with some kind of Orange Blossom honey syrup. Reminded me of a Persian desert I had with rose water. This was also superior to the vulgar toppings offered at the last place. They had around five choices. The dozen cost $6. 

Mac'd Out - Stall. Open for three years. Owned by the pizza stall people. I think it was a pasta stall last time I was here. Looks like one. Now does expensive mac and cheese. Adding a topping really only adds 20% to the overall cost. The cheese was way bland and they dull it up further by adding bread crumbs on top. You really need a topping. I tried the Philly Steak for $12. Steak was really the only redeeming part. Aside from the rosemary they season it with. That clashed with the rest. And it had zero salt. I hope that rosemary isn't in the bread crumbs. You can't escape it then. I think they use cavateppi (two solid, thick bands of pasta fused together). Neither google nor duckduckgo wants to return a search query and I know it's misspelled, so, I quit. An odd choice and another reason I think this was once a pasta stall. The shape doesn't lend itself to absorbing much of the cheese and was dense and paste-y. Big portion. They warm up the pasta (why they use a thicker one probably) in water then run in through a broiler. Can add pork belly, chicken, chorizo or bacon. I'd work on the cheese if I were them. Open for three years.

This Little Piggy - Stall. It turns out I went here already (July 2018). I hated it. Good thing I forgot. I tried a half pound of brisket for $8.50. They divide it into fat or lean. I tried fat. Thankfully they seemed to see that half of the cut was fat and seemed to compensate by giving me a bigger portion. They really need to trim the fat cap more before smoking. However, this brisket was much better than last time. Nice flavor. A little bark. Tender. Thick cut. The sauces were also better. A sweet and a tart one. I used the left overs on a shrimp cocktail. I'm surprised that I can't recall some Southern place replacing cocktail sauce with barbeque sauce. It seems like a natural. Have had it in shrimp and grits. They also sell pulled pork, ribs, chicken, pork rinds, cauliflower, sides, loaded fries, salads and desserts. Open for three years. Open until 7-10pm depending on the day.

*Travel Notes: Florida Gulf Coast - I spent one night in Clearwater Beach and one in St Petersburg. And stopped at Weeki Wachee State Park along the way. Clearwater was ok. Not the greatest crowd. Beach has a pier. Ate at two Frenchy's spots. I think I learned of them through the AAA magazine. Dinner at Frenchy's South Beach Cafe. It was near the hotel. Had a Cuban burger. Not sure if that was a first. Topped with ham and pork and pickles and Swiss and mustard. Better than I expected. Lunch at Frenchy's Original Cafe. On other side of circle as you enter town. Had fried grouper bites and a dozen Cedar Keys clams. Clams could be raw or steamed. I went with steamed. Ok. Grouper was basically a shish kabob dipped in batter. Fish was dry. Batter wasn't cooked through. I stayed at the Clearwater Beach Hotel for $126 because it was the cheapest with parking. Ok. Could slip into rats nest with a little negligence. I settled on St Pete because they had a really highly rated hotel at a cheap price and I wiffed on Weeki Wachee on the way down and had to go back that way upon my return and needed to stay kind of close. It was a godsend. I really liked it. Many museums and bars and restaurants. Seemed safe. New pier. Walkable. Maybe my new favorite Florida destination. The hotel was called The Hollander. Cost $121. Free parking. 9.2 on Booking. Cute little boutique hotel with a pool. St Pete's main street is Central Ave. I came in from the west and followed it down from the high 50's streets. Many stores and restaurants and bars all the way in. Baseball stadium is also walkable from downtown. I ate near there at Buya Ramen on 9th and Central. It was on 3D. Good duck confit ramen. Tried two bars featured on other tv shows (ie Drinking Made Easy) according to tvfoodmaps.com. The Mandarin Hide (fancier) and Five Bucks Drinkery. No masks. Lots of people out mid-week. They said a branch of USF close by keeps it lively all the time. Not that it matters one way or the other to me (I only mention it to add info some may find helpful), there seemed to be a discernable gay presence around town. I never knew. I recommend a getaway here asap. Something for everybody. I just scratched the surface. Like a better West Palm Beach. On the way home, I went back up 19 to 50. At that junction is Spring Hill and WWSP. It has some kitschy mermaid show that is supposedly a Florida tradition you need to do to be a true Floridian. It cost $13 to enter. Show was for kids. Little Mermaid. Left half way through. Park is small. The spring is worse than Wekiva, et al. It had capacity limits until a few days ago. why I had to try a second time. Drive across 50 is easy. No crashes. The traffic through downtown on I-4 was stalled due to a crash. I laughed as I made right onto 50 and just had to weave through the West Colonial idiots.

Grub Crawl - Winter Garden: Three Birds Cafe, The Deli Downtown, Piccolo Coffe Co and Harrell's Hot Dogs

There will be two Winter Garden posts in succession. One on the way out of town. One in. These are for places on or just off Plant St. I tried them at lunch time on Tuesday.

Three Birds Cafe - They just opened opened this month. They said it was a place called Savory? I know. who cares? Just trying to help you visualize if you've been through recently. It's on the corner as you come into town. Nice look. Looks like a juice bar or spa. Very white. Order at a counter. They bring it out. Semi fast casual. Breakfast, all day brunch, lunch and maybe dinner. I had trouble deciding between some brunch "toasts" and the sandwich type items. There was only like a dollar or two difference, so, I ponied up for the extra slice of bread. I tried the chicken pesto with artichoke and spinach spread for $13. It was good. Pressed. Came with an arugula and chopped tomato salad and chips (out of fruit salad). I also had an unsweetened tea for $2.50. They have artisinal sodas. I remember a prosciutto and brie wrap, a cranberry chicken, an avocado chicken, a roast beef, etc. Saw a delivery of fresh bread coming in. They have a patio in front and around ten tables inside. And some window counter seats. It was full. Many women. They seemed understaffed. It took a little while. Satisfactory experience. English-cenric peoples call women birds. I wonder if the owners are such? It's funny. The g button is next to the f. I mis-typed cafe and it came out as Bird Cage. Well, it amused me.

The Deli Downtown - They are about a block down on other side of street from Birds and a half block down a street. I just grabbed two chocolate chip cookies because I was already full and they were the cheapest. They cost $1.50 a piece. They said they make them. Seemed so. Good. They have a menu of around a dozen sandwiches that you would expect. A little jazzier than a deli. I think they said they have been there for three years.

Piccolo Coffee Co - They share the same space as Deli. I tried a cola cold brew. Ice coffee, sweetener and soda water. It cost $3. Good. I find iced coffee a little boring. Not sure if I've ever had that before. I thought I hadn't. But, now I think I've had one before. I think they said they have been there for under a year. I think they said they have another location in Mt Dora.

Harrell's Hot Dogs - They are on Plant St. I think they were last a bbq place called Harry & Larry's. Now dogs and sausages. I had one with mustard for $4. It was just a Sabratt's (I think they said). Mostly heavily topped dogs. Like Italian and chili cheese. Looks the same. A small space. Order at the window. Opened right before Covid.

*Most places hadn't changed since my last visit. A few new places. Mostly snack places. There is a new NY Bagel place that they said replaces some other breakfast type place. Down by the marketplace, the Italian restaurant is now a Burger Fi and the Taco Loco (?) is a hot chicken place. Peeked in at Matthew's Steakhouse. A rib eye was near $50! A few of the stalls inside have turned over as well. Will expound in next post and give Travel Notes on Clearwater Beach and St Petersburg. Maybe on Monday.

Grub Crawl - Downtown and Mills: La Boulangerie, Pattie Lou's Donuts and Dochi Mills (Closed) *OH/MI/IN/KY/TN Travel Notes

I tried these spots after lunch on Wednesday. The first two are around the corner from each other on, what I believe, is the corner of Pine and Magnolia. Although the receipt to the first says Rosalind. It is the one that comes north from South Orange (parallels I-4 in front of Lake Eola and the band shell). It is in front of the new apartment complex.. I believe it is called Modera. The final one is near Japango in Vietnam town. I also noticed a new poke place has opened in front of Morgan and Morgan. And Motorwerks brewery is open too. And I think a new place called Maki is diagnol from the 7-11 on Colonial (up from that road that passes Lake Eola). Couldn't see if it was open yet. And the remodel of the Korean spot farther east on Colonial seems nearly complete. I think it has the same name.

La Boulangerie - A bakery+. They had a much more intricate menu than I was expecting. Pasta, duck breast carpaccio, tuna sashimi and tartare, raclette (skimmed hot cheese), fondue, hot stone cooked chicken/beef/duck/shrimp/scallops, charcuterie and cheese plates, pizza, sandwiches, panini, oysters, crepes, omelets, soup and avocado toast. Good pricing. They are from Lyon. Paris and they fight over who is the king of gastronomy. Place looks modern and clean. I just grabbed a baguette after I saw that the place needed a real looking into. It cost $3. Pretty good. Parking can be a pain (meters or garages) downtown. They claimed that you can now use the lot on Central for two hours free. I used a carry out reserved space in front. I wouldn't count on that being available too often. They close at 5pm. This could be a really good addition. Opened fairly recently.

Pattie Lou's Donuts - They are in a soft opening that started a week ago. The mini donut maker was the only one working. I grabbed a small (dozen or so donuts) in a white, Chinese food type container to go for $5. They were fine. You can top them with a "sauce" and add toppings. I just did the chocolate sauce. It was ok. Modern looking, white walled space. Only location.

Dochi Mills - I first told you about their location in the East End Market. Never was there when they were. This is a new location right near the intersection of Mills and Colonial. Across from Mamak. Opened six weeks ago. Cute little store with donuts under glass at the register. I tried a churro for $2.50. Good. I don't know if you remember my Vegas notes from last July 4th. I told you about a Hawaiin poke place that sold these donuts? They look like big beaded bracelets. Soft center. Fresh. They had just a few flavors. I think they have more consistent hours than the original spot. Perhaps you can go and make the guy at the Orlando Weekly happy with your anti-anti-Asian support. I'm sure he's fighting Arab anti-Semetism now. Right? That would be consistent.

*Travel Notes - OH/MI/IN/KY/TN: I went mostly because they had the cheapest rental car prices and I wanted to see Mackinac Island before the season started. Plus the rest of the National Parks and Memorials. Let me start by saying what a joy it is to fly into Cleveland versus flying through our POS airport. There were three TSA lines and still only three people in each line. Rental car counter had no line. And if there is a gap in the action, it usually means fast food or chain hotel or leftovers. I started off with a stroke of luck. Found Gideon Owen Wine Co (btw - there were multiple dozens of wineries in all of those states with possibly the exception of KY) on Catawba Island (more of a peninsula) and had one of the better bouillabaise in recent memory and a very nice cheese board and some ok wine. Pink Catawba and Chamborcin. I took a ferry ($16) from there to South Bass Island and Put in Bay to see the Perry memorial. Cool island. Would have stayed longer, but, forecast was for rain. drove up the thumb of Michigan (coastal drive) and stayed at a dive motel (Lakeside Motor Lodge) in Port Austin for $86. Continued up the coast to Mackinaw City. had a hot dog at Wienerlicious. They use Koegels frankfurters and Vollwerths brats. Had Coulotte (sirloin) steak with MP and veg at Rusted Spoke Brewing Co and tried samples of six local beers. Star Ferry ($28) to Mackinac. Stayed at the Murray Hotel on Mackinac Island for $104. Nearest to middle of downtown and the Grand Hotel (the landmark) was sold out. Had a Black Russian (turkey, Russian dressing, slaw, bacon on black rye) at Chuckwagon. Had pecan fudge at Ryba's. Sampled ten more local beers and had good wings at Mary's Bistro Draught House. Had overpriced breakfast of eggs, etc at Pancake House. Back to main land and down other coast past Sleeping Bear Dunes NP. Had French Silk (chocolate mousse with chocolate slabs) at Sherman's Creamery in South Haven. In Indiana I saw the Indiana Dunes NP to Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler in North Indianapolis and onto Indiana University in Bloomington. Ate a good meatball sub at Eric Gordon's Greek's Pizzeria across from the football stadium. Greeks seems to be a chain. I know you geeks don't know who Gordon is. South through Vincennes (GR Clark NM) to Lincoln's home. His mother died of milk poisoned by plants their cow ate when he was nine. Through Land Between the Lakes NRA on the Tennessee border. Fort Donelson. Stayed at Dover Inn for $77 because it was the only hotel. Ate at Mama Meas (no typo). Had an ok pizza served by a fairy princess. Canceled a sub at Penn Station in Mumfreesboro TN (Stones River NB) because they kept redoing it. A chain that is basically Quizno's. Drove back north through Nashville (getting so trafficy) to Mammoth Cave KY. Did that and stayed in nearby Park City at the very cute Grand Victorian Inn for $89. Ate at their Mammoth Railway Cafe and had barbeque glazed, sliced, pork shoulder, fried corn and pasta salad. First time for fried corn (niblets). Drove from there to Bardstown KY. This started a bourbon distillery adventure. Had a good CB at Bardstown Burger. Went south about fifteen miles to Maker's Mark. Then back and north about ten miles to Jim Beam. Back to a few in BTown. East to just south of Frankfort and did those (ie Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve). Nice horse farms. Had an ok Hibachi shrimp and rice and two rolls at Koi Express in Frankfort. Drove through downtown to do Buffalo Trace and then back on the highway to Louisville where I did a few more (ie Bulleit) on the way. In Louisville stayed in a new area near the river and baseball field called NuLu. Had good bbq at Feast. Good beer at Akasha Brewery. Nice walk around town. More distilleries. Lots of homeless under the bridges. Very dead. The mayor locked them down all year. A few drinks at Garage. Drove to Old Louisville district in the morning. Saw the campus and sports facilities. Got a Hot Brown (turkey, Mornaise, bacon on toast) at the Brown Hotel (another reason I went there). The bartender told me about a cemetery in town. Cave Hill. Went and saw Muhammed Ali and Colonel Sanders graves. Drove north through Muncie IN and Ball State. Back to airport area and had an ok roast beef and sliced chicken sandwich at Dave's Cosmic Subs in West Lake OH.

Grub Crawl - NoDo: City Pub and Guacamoli

I tried these places on North Orange Ave (north of Colonial/50) on Wednesday at lunch. They are neighbors. The first was North Quarter Tavern. The second is in the place that had Caro-Bama Cue and a Canadian chain. They call the space a marketplace now. There was also a coffee stall beside it. I don't think that is/was the Canadian enterprise.

City Pub - They have been there for two or three years. Seems like the same thing as the old place. The layout is the same. The menu seems similar. Not sure if the old place had photos of older Orlando. but, I kind of think it did. I had a cheeseburger with fries for $11. Overwhelmed by the bounty the night before. Garden variety burger that your buddy would grill for you at a cookout. Smallish. Roundish. Saw it flaming from grease in the kitchen. Inside was medium. Cheddar sat hard on top. Veg were ok. Yellow tomato, onion and bibb lettuce. Brioche bun. Ok. Fries were wedge and coated. Fail. Fail. Wedges are for breakfast. Coating is for candy. The rest of the menu was pub fare. The odd man in was a gyro plate. Thye have trivia nights. Parking is almost non-existent. Luckily, my secret spot is still unknown.

Guacamoli - They do smoothies and toast. I had the cheapest one (simple) for $6. Lots of guac. Creamy. They swear it's Haas. Seemed so. Way too salty. Also had some funk to it that I hope wasn't "secret sauce". Made in back, so, that's always scary. Can never tell who has a score to settle. They also do a Caprese (mozz) and a salmon for $8 and $9. Out of mozz. The smoothies are $8, $9 and $10. Kale, strawberry and moca. Opened in October.

*One more post tomorrow with a Midwest Travel Note at the end. Then we're up to date.

Grub Crawl - UCF Area: Mei's Kitchen, Mark's Jamaican Bar and Fujiyama Sushi

I tried these three places in a strip mall on the left side of University Blvd (coming from Winter Park or Downtown) after 417 and before the UCF campus on Tuesday night. All were to go. The last two were places I have already reviewed. I retried them because it has been a while. I will give short reviews of each. You can go to the original postings for more. I'll give the month and date.

Mei's Kitchen - A Taiwanese place. They were closing (around 8pm), so, I had to get my things to go. I suspect the quality also suffered. But, It was still good. They have around twenty tables inside. Kitchen behind the counter which is in the rear. Modern look. I went for variety since I wasn't dining in. I had the fried oysters (5) for $7 and a Gua Bao for $3 and a braised pork belly bento box for $10. The oysters were good. Came with a french type dressing. I doubt they were shucked on site. Probably bought in bulk pre-schucked. The bao was a riff on their standard pork belly. I think this had peanuts or something. It was ok. The bun was a little pasty and small. The bento was great. A huge amount of white rice with savory ground pork mixed in. The belly was thick. Meat was tender. Fatty. Around six slabs. They threw in a soy dipped hard boiled egg and egg drop soup and an egg roll and a savory cabbage salad. I might have liked that cabbage salad the best. Never had it before. Think of kimchi without the heat and bitterness. This was cured in mayo or something. Savory and slightly sweet. They have a two sided menu. Around a dozen finger foods and some entree type stuff and bao and bentos. I think it's worth a foray. Open for just under a year. Faucet in bathroom lit up when you turned on the water. 

Mark's Jamaican Bar - They were across and up the street before this move. I think they said they did it three years ago. According to my first post (July 2015), I liked the jerk pork and hated the patty sandwich. I had the barbeque jerk chicken plate this time. It was good. Four pieces of mostly non-dry thigh and drum. Heavy on the sweet and slightly spicy sauce. I had green bananas and rice and beans and a dumpling as sides. The rice was not overcooked nor dryn or crunchy. Nice flavor. I knew the other two would be bland. They have to be. Still ok if eaten with another component. Have to keep mixing it up. It only cost $9. They have a pretty big menu. Oxtail was around $15. This place looks a little nicer than the last. If I can remember properly. A bar on the right. Tiny room to the left. Patio seating. Next door (on the corner near the street) to Mei's.

Fujiyama Sushi - Tried it February 2009. Liked the chicken. YT was so so. Had a yt roll and a spicy tuna roll this time. YT was flavorless. Tiny amount. Cigar shaped, nori wrapped roll. Spicy tuna had no nori wrap. They usually use the scraps for spicy rolls. I think they might go down a level and use tuna from a can. Plus it was orange and not red. Both cost $6. Overpriced for the quality provided. The place looks twelve years older. And it wasn't that hot then. But they are still pumping out food. It's on the other side of the Publix's from Mei's. *Just saw on an NHK show that Okonomiyaki and takoyaki were a post WWII thing. They sort of existed before, but, were an adaptation to the scarcity of food, desire to eat western (don't get that) and the wheat flour we brought to them after the war. And Yama means mountain. So, they are Mount Fuji.