Grub Crawl - SoDo, OIA Area and Azalea Park: Cornerstone Pizza, Koon Thai, Star Gyros and ChimiKing *Fiji Travel Notes

I tried this spots on Thursday and Friday. The first is on E Michigan away from I4. East towards 436. The next is on 436 at the airport entrance. Right side. The last two are next to each other on 436 between 408 and 50. I also was going to a pizza place across from Koon. It has passed. There is a Cuban food truck in the parking lot now though.

Cornerstone Pizza - They have been there since te 80s. This owner for 26 years. Total dump. I had two slices at $2.50 a pop. Typical NY. Garlic-y. Cheese had slipped all over. Underdone. They also have a few salads, sandwiches, apps, calzone, wings and two dinners. Prices are low (ie $10 subs). Places is tiny and slovenly. A few seats. Parking. I just went because it was the last place on the street I hadn't tried. For exactly the reasons I described.

Koon Thai - Don't boycott them. Corrupted minds. I thought it might just be a drinks place since it calls out boba on their signage. It was so much more. A full service Thai concern. Probably pan-Thai. I forgot to ask. Some seafood and Isan dishes. So, probably south and north. I tried the three curry dish with chicken for $17. It was a mix of yellow, green and red curries. I had never seen that approach before. Probably not an authentic Thai dish. I liked it. They also mixed in all the ingredients (ie potatoes and peppers) that come with those dishes. Lots of veg. Fresh. Rice was good. I only ate half and the rest today. I did an experiment that worked. Dipping a baguette in the "soup" is as good as sopping up a bisque or mussel juice. I wonder what would have happened if the French colonized Thailand instead of Vietnam. The food mash up would have been outrageous. The menu is large. Their digitally displayed version does a good job explaining them. It moves through it and highlights a dish every few seconds and shows a pic and describes it. Some interesting items are: Isan sausage, duck larb and stews. They have another place in Jersey. Mostly white look. Some plants and orchids on levels. Wood tables. Some unframed posters and displays on the walls. Maybe eight tables. It was full. Probably people from the adjacent hotels. Nice find.

Star Gyros and Grill - It was last Cappadocia. Kept everything the same. Feels creepy/dirty. The ceiling tiles are stained. They were (ineptly) fixing a sagging ceiling light by thrusting a section of pipe under it. But, I guess if Cornerstone can pass a health inspection anyone can. Adding to the lack of appeal was the lack of any customers. I settled on a chicken gyro because it was the cheapest/quickest thing. It took a while. I starting envisioning a scene from Waiting with them getting jizzy with it. A large circle jerk in the kitchen. The chicken was in chunks. I saved the meal for the next day. Nuked it to kill any germs that might have come with possible spooge or from the actual ingredients. It was bad. Poor thigh bits with sumac or some bitter herb blend. Onions and tomatoes. Like bad Chinese take out. Came with those gross formed french fries. The menu is more pan-Med now. They had the donation box for madrasas. Soups, cold apps, hot apps, specialties, sandwiches, burgers and pasta. Beyti, iskender, orman kebabs are some of their specialties. Nearly everything about the place gives me pause. I hate Med places that try and do Western dishes. I hate squalor. I hate an empty restaurant. I hate being served by people who conceivably could hate your guts by the look of you. It took all of my being not to toss this in the trash. Hopefully, this was all in my head. But, I won't be returning. They just opened recently. It is easy to miss the alley to the parking in the rear. Looks for an equally skecthy rub out joint aside them. Maybe you can pull a twofer.

ChimiKing - I stopped here for them. They JUST opened. Latin. Island latin. Huge menu. Daily lunch specials. I was exhausted, so, I just settled on a tripleta for $12. Very good. Pork tasted Asian-y sweet. Beef (usually strips of unchewable gristle) was cut into to tiny pieces. Tender. Chicken was fine. Ok roll and sauce and potato sticks. Saw some Dominican dishes. Not sure if that is who they are. English was a second language here. Pretty fulll. Around ten tables. Counter in front. Order there. Hidden kitchen. Parking in the rear. One color scheme (dark brown/black). New looking for this area. Worth a try.

*I was exhausted because I was supposed to be in Fiji. However, our rainy season decided to start the minute I was trying to get to Dallas to get there. Even with finagling a spot on a flight two hours earlier, our pussy air traffic controllers and/or federal safety dickheads (FYI - they have been fucking multitudes of travelers since then) kept us grounded for hours because of a little (approaching) rain. And then when they finally released us, they switched us to a runway on the opposite side of the airport just as we were to take off and let others jump our slot. This is the tropics right? Lightning capital of the world? The Swedes and Norse can fly planes in blizzards, but, we quail at a drizzle. I also have to give a giant middle finger to the Dallas airport for taking thirty minutes to get us to a gate. And AA for not trying to fly faster or apparently informing Dallas that we were arriving. Don't even get me started on how many terminals AA uses in Dallas and the crappy sky train. And the biggest, dirtiest finger to Fiji Airlines for not letting me on the plane even after I still somehow got to them ONE MINUTE before BOARDING closed. Plane was still there. Attached to gate. Gate door still open. People still boarding. After they changed their own boarding time to be 90 minutes earlier than the ticket they sold me. For a flight that can have no issue being late because they have one a day. Departure time twenty minutes past that. Why have a departure time? Obviously boarding closing time is the only thing that matters! And after that AA couldn't get me home because they said Fiji had control of the ticket. I had to buy another ticket (they were the only ones going before the pm of course) from AA at an inflated price to get home. I had to wait all night at the airport. The plane going back was grounded because of a door issue. We had to change planes. Just a lovely day of travel to nowhere. And that ticket to Fiji wasn't cheap either. And of course I chose this time to book the hotel in advance for the whole time. Non-refundable. There will be blood! How was your day?

Update - Fiji isn't doing dick. They aren't nice/generous people as sometimes reported. Said travel agent had to apply for refund of unused portions. I enlisted Expedia. They haven't heard back from hotel or airlines. AA finally got back to me. Have to call them back. I remembered that you can demand taxes back. That is often more than flight portion.

Final Update - Expedia got Fiji to capitulate to their share. American said only Fiji could return their portion as well. Still pending. American did return the subsequent ticket price that had to be purchased. It took alot of pressing. Expedia got the hotel to refund all but the first night. They refunded that from their own coffers. They also returned the American portion (or similar amount) of the ticket (kind of) as a "sign of good will". All sums were credits to my credit card. No coupons.

Grub Crawl - Oviedo and UCF Area: Tikka Shack, Shokupan Bakehouse, Juici Patties, Rainbow Cone, Smashville and Big Dave's Cheesesteaks

I tried these spots on Sunday at lunch. I had too many items and ate some Monday. The first is in a strip mall on the west side of Alafaya Trail near Mitchell Hammock and after the bigger malls there. The second is at the old Hangry Dobo space in that strip mall on Alafya Trail and University across from UCF. The older one. Now there is an ingress and egress spot on Alafaya, so, you don't have to go down University and wait forever to make a left. The third is down Colonial (50) about a mile. In a strip mall (Reedy Plaza?) on the south side that doesn't really have a remarkable tenant to point out. The fourth is at the Waterford Lakes "mall" back on Alafaya Trail. Behind the Portillo's and in front of the Target. Next to Cruncheese. The fifth is back on Alafaya Trail going back north. On the east side in a strip mall with no remarkable tenants. About half way back to Mitchell Hammock. The last is east on Mitchell Hammock on the north side in the first strip mall on the left. In the front by Ford's Garage.

Tikka Shack - This franchise "Indian Grub" spot that they said is in PA and TX opened a month ago. Nice build. Modern. Large. High ceilings. Black, white, gray with some green accents. Huge, generic mural on the entire left wall. Semi-open, stainless steel kitchen. Order at a counter. Maybe sixteen tables for four and two high tops for six. Window wall in front. Only two working. Seemed like mother and daughter. Maybe ten there at lunch. Mostly Indian. I had the Methi Malai Curry Bowl for $13.75. Good. I had it hot. Chunks of thigh meat chicken that I think they kabob under a broiler. Basmati rice wasn't dry. They had five other curries. I chose this one because it had the sexiest name and ingredients (methi/fenugreek). They also have: four vegetarian bowls, bowl/wrap/salad tikka grill, three naan tacos, four biryani rice bowls, three naan pizzas, three wings and five starters. High water mark is $15. Low of $6. Sides and Kid's Options. Veggies, paneer, chicken, shrimp and lamb. Much better than I was expecting. No problem with parking.

Shokupan Bakehouse - It is milk bread from Hokkaido. Opened two weeks ago. Chiffon Bakery people. Sweets and shokupan and bao and another type of omlette sandwich. I had the regular with beef bulgogi. It's thick, semi-sweet toast (top and bottom) with scrambled eggs, cheese, lettuce and beef. The beef and sauce were delightful. Some of the best bulgogi in town. Thin, delicate, moist. Some fried onions in there. The sauce stayed within the parameters that should be set on saltiness/sweetness/richness, etc. The bread was probably topped with melted butter. Something that made it shine. Not oily though. Nobody except the French know how to make scrambled eggs, but, these were ok. Not over done. Still too "connected". Too omlette-y. You need to fluff! Get some air into them. Break up the protein bonds. Still better than most. Maybe three or four eggs worth. The cheese and lettuce were superfluous. Also some kind of mayo based dressing. Big portion. It cost $12.50. I also tossed in some kind of croissant that had cinnamon roll look. I forget if they riff on the cronut. This had pistachios inside. The croissant was a bit dry. The pistachios were a bit stale/soft. Probably a day or two old. It cost $5.25. Many other expensive looking pastries. The place is small and narrow. Four low "tables". Very white on white. Black lettering. A display counter on the left with the kitchen behind it. Things made to order. Two cooking. Two taking orders. This will be a Favorite.

Juici Patties - I can't help myself but I loved them. It's such basic slop. But I loved them. They seem to be the top patty people in Jamaica (and NY). A franchise of over 50. The Jamaican Jolibee. Only five kinds (ground beef, chicken and vegan) and two are just spicy versions. I had the spicy beef and a chicken for $3.79 a piece. Great value. I think a Taco Bell burrito is more than that. These have three to four times the filling. Both fillings had good flavor and heat. Both had odd mushy parts with actual meat amongst the paste. The usual, weird, flaky shell. Not oily. All these patties (from frozen to fresh made) share characteristics. They aren't haute cuisine. But, as the kids say, these just hit differently. I wanted to "yawn emoji" them, but, I just kept getting more excited about them. Maybe it was just the right time and day. Speaking of which, they open early (9am?). Small, unimpressive storefront. No seats. Seemed pretty popular already. Open for about a month. I would get one every time I drove by if I lived here. Cheaper than most empanada places. Could be a cheap Favorite.

Rainbow Cone - Out of Chicago. Insist that the are the original (1926). Ok. I had a scoop of Palmer House (New York Vanilla, cherries and walnuts) for $5.49. Good. Small. Nice quality ingredients. Made for the hotel. They also do a thing called "sliced" ice cream. And sundaes and mini donuts and shakes and cakes and ic sandwiches. Sherbert too. Small space. Unsure of seating. Hospital white. Order at a counter. Pleasant staff. Open for a month. If I valued ice cream more it might have been a Fav. Open 11am on. Like normal places should be. 2pm ice cream dilettantes!

Smashville - I was just driving along (unplanned) and wondered if that was new. It was. First week. One location in Jersey. Smash burgers, fries and fried chicken sandwiches. I had a single for $7.50. It came with cheese, sauteed onions, pickles and a comeback sauce. Ok bun. It tasted ok as an ensemble. The beef alone tasted like meatloaf. I hate the smashburger concept. Trying to make it look bigger than it is so you can charge double. Forces out all the moisture. An unfortunate, destructive chapter in food history. Get two Jamaican patties instead. The chicken I saw was way larger. However, it cost alot more. Order at a counter. Open grill behind that. Long, rectangular space. Black, white and red. Huge graffiti tag of their name on wall. A few tables. One outside. A "counter" area. Three others dining there.

Big Dave's Cheesesteaks - Never seen a black owned cheesesteak joint before. Not saying anything is wrong about it, but, I just can't recall seeing one. Can you? I mention it because Big Dave's face is plastered all over the place and this is at a franchise level. You would have thought that if his place was so famous that he could take it national that I would have seen it on tv. They usually make a bee line for diversity stories. *Ahh, it seems it isn't a Philly thing. It is an Atlanta thing. And a West Philly (think Fresh Prince) not South Philly association. My suspicion is proven right again. Alas, I won't ever know if his chessesteaks are any good. I just got some Whiz fries to go for $5. Why? The $12 CS was the size of my hand and that pissed me off. Alternatively, the fry portion was huge. However, the whiz took the whiz out of it. Such an odd concoction. It congealed immediately. Tasted like American cheese. Odd herbal aftertaste. The fries also were weird. Crinkle cut and fried well. That was promising. But, they had an odd texture inside and an odd taste. I think their oil is wrong/cheap. AND I think they fry the salmon egg rolls in it too. Tasted like those a bit. They have three types of CS (beef, chicken and salmon). Egg rolls of the same. Almost went there, but, I had the smashburger in the chamber. Went with a complimentary dish. White, red, Johnny Rockets look. Open for a week. A few people eating there. Parking is congested.

*I also tried to try Haraz Coffee at the corner of 50 and Alafaya. It wasn't open yet. Looked very close.

**I updated these tutorials: Spectrum Wifi and Mobile Phone Installation Tutorial (6/2/2024), Tree Removal Tutorial (3/5/2025) and Plumbing Tutorial (3/11/2025).

Grub Crawl - Casselberry and Winter Park: Diamond Chicken, Aladdin and Somo T *MT/WY Travel Notes

I tried these spots today at lunch. The first two are in a strip mall at the Red Bug Lake intersection on 42 next to a WaWa. The first had been Alex's Fresh Kitchen. The last is on Aloma near 436 in the strip mall with Boston's Fish House and one of those ice cream shaped ice cream places.

Diamond Chicken - A Halal snack shop. I had a chicken burger for $6. It was a pathetic McChicken patty on an ok roll with a ton of mayo and a semi-fresh slice of tomato and wilting lettuce crudely chopped. I was going to order a gyro, but, I didn't trust the look of the place. I think the guy said it was a pre-sliced, on the griddle exercise in laziness. They also had 5 burgers, grilled chicken, wings, cheesesteak, gyro, platters ($11-$14), sides, etc. No change to the place. A few tables. Dirty look. Open for a few months. A step down from Alex.

Aladdin - I've been meaning to throw this long standing (36 years) Lebanese joint a bone for ages. Been there pre-blog. I was a bit scared when I walked in. Seems to be down to the husband and wife now. Getting old. Lights off. So, I just grabbed a chicken shwarma to go for $10. Tasty. Chicken cubes. Tomato seemed fresh. Pickles. No sauce. Although dark, it still seemed clean. I doubt there is anything new as to the decor. Black booths. Gray paint. Some Arabic framed scenes and decorations. Maybe twenty tables. Manageable menu. I saw some more life when another patron came in to sit down and eat and was asking questions. Let me know if they can still deliver. As of 2020, it seems they still were getting Best Of awards. The shwarma grew on me. Maybe a Fav?

Somo T - A two month old Vietnamese drinks and small menu spot. Better than Black Phin. A coffee was only $5 to begin with. I don't waste money on these, so, I tried a $9 Banh Mi. Short. Much better than Pho 2 To. Ok roll (the weak link). Had all the veg. Thin pork roll. Peppery head cheese. Roasted pork was good. Sweet. Hard to locate the pate. But there. Something akin to mayo. They had three other types (incl veg). And sticky rice. Maybe one other thing. Also some sweets. A Thai Tea Burnt Cheesecake was a first sighting. Also smoothies, etc. The place is modern. Spartan. Bright white. Four tables of four, a nook and a communal table. At least two up front and one in the back. Had a few customers. Maybe a blogger taking snaps. Better than I expected. Looks good. It translates to Number 1. The banh mi grew on me. Maybe a Fav?

*Travel Notes - Montana and Wyoming: I flew to Bozeman on UA for $312. It was to be through Denver both ways. The plane back broke. I had to scamper to get an agent at the gate (they were pimping the stupid app) and got back through Chicago three hours late. They were late getting there too. They will not let you board unless you give them your credit card and agree to let them charge it if they have issues with your bag size. At MCO, they made us wait to disembark while they unloaded the cargo area. That's a new one. Always something with these dicks. I rented a Malibu from Hertz for $210. So cheap that I didn't even try and rebook at a later date. I think they don't apply sales tax. I stayed at a Super 8 (Expedia 7.8) near the airport in Belgrade because the plane was to arrive near midnight. It cost $80. One mile west on 90. I was there to ski Big Sky. I had had a reasonably priced room near the mountain queued up waiting for when I landed to book. It disappeared. So, I bought a ticket over the phone (it was well reduced during this final week - $69 advanced) for $107 ($98 plus $4 tax and card fee of $5) and booked two nights at the Sapphire Motel (Booking 9.3) on 7th for $170. I then drove to 7th near 90 and tried to find some breweries that were out of business and didn't realize that that was where some of the others were too. I came down Main St and over to 11th and MSU for a bison pepperoni pizza and beer at Bridger Brewing. Up 19th and west to 27th to Outlaw Brewing and back 7th towards the hotel to Last Best Place Brewing (this was not planned). I had carnitas and asada tacos and pastor and shredded beef sopes from a big white school bus across from the hotel called El Rodeo. There were quite a few food trucks around.

The next day I drove 191 to Big Sky. I rented skis at Christies at the village before the resort for $58. They gave me a performance package at a basic price. At Big Sky they wanted $82 for basic. Skiing was a bit cloudy and slushy. Not all of the mountain was open. Still it was great. Just a sweater. Pretty empty. Lightning fast lifts. Free parking. Shuttle cart. I drove back and bought some goat cheese and wine, etc at Albertson's. Watched Round 1 of the draft. 

The next day I drove 90 east to Livingston. They had it down to one lane. I saw it on a Anthony Bourdain rerun the night before I left. It is a town about twenty miles east at 89. Since this was a road I was told previously that I should drive, I made a reservation at the Yellowstone River Inn (Booking 8.2) for $86. I drove 89 south to Yellowstone NP. Great views (mountains and cattle) along the Yellowstone River. I ponied up for an annual pass ($80) and decided that this was how I was going to spend my weekend. I had been there two or three times before. Through the west and southern entrances. This is the northern. I saw their fort/village and arch and Mammoth Hot Springs. Drove to the northeast entrance through Lamar River Basin. Many animals (bison, bear, marmot, pronghorn, elk, snow hare, etc). Many new borns. It climbs above the snow line as you go on. Looks like Switzerland. I drove it back the other way and back to Livingston. I almost stayed in a small town called Gardiner near the entrance. The hour drive back to Livingston was a pleasure though. The drive back may be more scenic. I drove into town and drank beer at Katabatic Brewing Company on West Park near Main St and original Neptune's Brewery on North L. Albertson's and the draft again. I should add here that I wondered where they filmed Yellowstone (aside from the ranch at Darby) and other things. That turned out to be mostly in Utah. And the only real on location film not in Missoula or Glacier NP was A River Runs Through It. Here along 89. The town is cute though. Bigger than I expected. I didn't pay enough attention to the Bourdain episode. I just resaw it this morning and I missed a few things that I drove by and could have stopped at.

The next day it was back to the park. I drove southwest this time. Mostly above the snow line. Some great geysers in the middle at Norris Geyser Basin. I drove east at one point to Canyon Village. Thankfully, I ignored the road closed (only about half of them were open) sign and saw these two great waterfalls (Upper and Lower) on a rim drive around the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Then back and out the western entrance. I stayed there at the Gray Wolf Inn (Booking 8.1) for $100. Wine and goat cheese, etc from Market Place. More draft and The Last of Us. I intended on trying a bbq place on 3D. It wasn't yet open though their web site made it seem like it is open all year.

The next day I drove back into the park (it is $35 a day btw) and south to Old Faithful. This was also the last part of the park that was accessible. I must have just missed the last eruption. Waited 75 minutes. Still cool. Back out the park (and the geysers along the way) and up 191 past Big Sky to Bozeman. Another nice drive. Decided I would rather be near the hot springs and airport than downtown, so, redid the Super 8 for $149 for two nights. Albertson's (no wine or cheese) again.

The next day I drove the five miles back to the Bozeman Hot Springs. It was only $21 during the week. Four outdoor and one indoor pool. Also had a steam room and sauna. Not bad. Gym was extra. I'm unsure if all of them were "natural" baths. Smelled a little too good (chlorine) for that. Free towels and lockers. 

The next day I dropped off the car and flew out in the morning. Airport had no lines. A joy. 

Once again I found things to fill the time. Only rained Sunday night. 50's-60's. Wore shorts most of the time. Didn't really feel like driving to Billings or Missoula, etc. Gas was around $3. Spent $58 on it. $581 on hotels (none gross). $443 on everything else (incl ski and park). Parking at MCO was $128. $1732 in all. Ate alot of $5 meals at McD's and Wendy's. I had been to many "hot spots" last time. Wasn't really in the mood to deal with that again. Could have done a few more breweries or distilleries. Glad I finally was able to ski (and feel my toes). Last time I got blizzarded out the whole week. It seems like some of the coastal snobs have left. Still a ton of sprawl since last time. I used Booking mostly because the god damn website for Expedia wasn't working on my tablet.

Grub Crawl - Winter Park and East Colonial: Black Phin and Pho 2 To

I tried these spots on Tuesday at lunch. The first is in some flower shop that was previously Lombardi's on 17-92 where they start calling it Mills. The second is at the intersection of Mills and 50. 

Black Phin Coffee - Only Vietnamese coffee. I had one for $6! Too costly. Millenial waste of space. Of course it was packed. Just opened. Not enough parking.

Pho 2 To - The girl said it was southern Viet food, but, all the signage said or was of Hanoi. I wasn't sure if it was just a new sign for one of those existing places on that corner. It wasn't. It occupies two rooms. Fully decorated. Fake outside eaves. Cute. Earth tones and yellow. Lots of dark wood.  One of the bigger selections of options. I had a banh mi for $8. It sucked. Bad bread. No pate. Spongy pork roll. Small. Took too long to make. The one good element was the roast pork that I wouldn't be surprised if it came from Mills Market. The second room had these bins that may some day have pepared items in them. They sold a few dry goods. Parking is terrible. A few people there. Maybe a dozen tables. It deserves a look. Just avoid what I had. Open for two months.

*I was there to try Cowboy Curry. It wasn't open although internet had reviews.

Los Hermanos Taqueria, Curry Ford Rd

I tried this Mexican restaurant/bodega/butcher near 15 in the Hourglass District on Tuesday at lunch. It has been there a while. I never went in because I wasn't sure that it really had food. Poor signage. It has a full menu and arounf fifteen tables. I had a carnitas and a cabeza and a borrego (lamb) taco to go. Double corn flour wrapped. Raw. Mostly good quality meats. The menu isn't correct on costs. Lower than reality. The carnitas was $3. The others $4. Too expensive for what they are. Are Mexicans the worst shoppers? Seems like their own people aren't above ripping them off. Whenever I see manual laborers buying lunch at the supermarket, I wonder how how long they have to work to make up for not brown bagging. The room has scenic art on all the booths and tables. No region in particular. It was more than I expected, but, reductive. You can save your powder.

Grub Crawl - Longwood: Southern Fowl (Moved to Avalon Park) and Euro-Balkan Grocery *SC/GA Travel Notes

I tried these places today at lunch. They are in some perpetually underleased strip mall near 17-92 (I4 side) on 434. They are aside each other. The first just replaced a similar place called Nic & Luc Scratch Kitchen. The second moved across the mall. When? I'm not sure. It has been there for ages.

Southern Fowl - The Se7en Bites couple broke up and one of them has started this. In the kitchen. Opened a week ago. Mostly breakfast, lunch and brunch stuff. I had the "Simple" (two eggs, meat, starch and biscuit) for $10. I was going $14 Benny, but, the eggs aren't poached. It was simple, but, very good. Fresh eggs. Sunny side up not over easy and a bit mucus-y. But, no worries. It seemed like the sausage (or bacon) patty was hand made. Ground? Nice flavor. Not overcooked. The potato discs (or cheddar grits) were excellent. Crisp, yet, still had some fluff inside. The biscuit was large and seemed homemade. A bit salty. But, all in all, enough to warrant my return. The Breakfast menu has: biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, burrito, egg sandwich, frittata, hotcakes, loaded potataoes and a bruleed apple concoction called a Ditch Baby. $9-$15. Lunch has: Mac, 2 salads, PBLT, burgers, chicken, wraap and a soup broth dip sucker called Frenchie O'. $10-$15. Sides. Kid's options. Refills on the $3 sodas. I think the menu will adapt. They said they were inquiring into what people want. The place looks similar as before. Uncluttered. High ceilings. Light gray and and brown/red and black paint scheme. Semi-open kitchen. Maybe six tables. Order at a couter. Three on call. Around four other tables had already found them out. Lighter hours on the weekend. I think the are closed one day of the week. Parking is abundant. I thought it was going to be a soul food fried chicken place. It seems to be way beyond that. Lucky us. I just did a bunch of rated Southern boites (see below). So, I wasn't exactly jonesing for or forgetful of this type of cooking. 99% sure it will be a Fav. And a place that I won't only try once. Pricing is fair. Fowl is a hit. Man, that is barely pun-y. But better than Fowl is fair.

Euro-Balkan Grocery & Deli - I grabbed some liver pate and beer (Serb/Bosnian/Macedonian) and baked peanuts at this little market. Almost did Hungarian wine. Good prices. They have all the frozen meats and snacks and sweets and dry goods you expect. I will try something new every time I go to Southern Fowl for a meal.

*Travel Notes - South Carolina and Georgia: I drove my own car to Brunswick. I stopped on 105 (off 295 to Amelia Island) at Palms Fish Camp in Jacksonville. I had a good whole fried yellow tail with slaw and fries and hushpuppies. 105 through AI back to 95. I stayed at the Baymont (Expedia 7.6) for $89. Drove around a bit. Saw College of Coastal Georgia and DT. 

The next day I had a Willie Dog at Willie's Wee-Nee Wagon and a carnitas taco with homemade tortilla at Barrio Tacos next door. Then I crossed over to St Simon's Island and had a Cobb Salad with chicken at Brogen's North. Drove as far NE and NW up the island as you can. Back to 17. Took that a bit north to the crossover to 95. They are building a new exit there (and a Bucee's). Up to Hardeeville (entrance to Hilton Head). I stayed at the noisy and dirty Sleep Inn (Expedia 6.8) for $89. I should say at this point that I chose cities and hotels because of sky high rates at most of the nicer places and these first few days weren't part of the reason for the trip. I just needed to get out of the house. I had ok fried chicken at Chickin Lickin'. 

The next day I drove 95 to 26 to Columbia. Got off on 1 to Bull St and a left around twelve blocks to Segra Park. Bought a ticket ($18 behind home plate) for the Fireflies - River Dogs game that night. Back onto 126 to 26 to Whyte Hardee Blvd to a nice Sleep Inn (Expedia 8.2) on 20 for $86. Gave me a suite. I had a economical feast at Cook Out. A taco in a Dorito's bag, double cb, chili fries, quesadilla, corn dog, soda, etc for the price of a combo at most other places. Back to the ball park. Some historical houses (Woodrow Wilson et al) and gardens and art museum DT. The downtown is very nice except for the parking meters. So their establishments got no love. Nice game. Parking at a lot next door was $8. The ballpark is new and in some new development. 

The next day I took 26S to 77E to Exit 5 (Bluff Rd and Old Bluff Rd) about fifteen miles to Congaree NP. It's free. I went during Covid (btw check out (www.covid.gov) and it was all locked up. This time I just did a short hike and saw the Firefly Trail. Some time of year they have some big firefly celebration. Back on Old Bluff south to St Matthew and Orangeburg and 95. SE to Charleston. I had the Brunch BLT at Virginia's on King (and Hutton). It was from an old Travel & Leisure article. Fried green tomatoes, fried eggs, country bacon, pimento cheese with steak fries. Had to park in a lot. $1 for 20 min. Walked around Marion Square and Wragg Square. Drove to hotel past/around Colonial Lake. Stayed at the La Quinta on Ashley Point (Booking 6.0) again for two nights at $105 per. The parking was supposed to be $15/nt, but, was free. This time they gave me a room in the main unit and that made a huge difference. I drove to Whole Foods on 17. You hipsters will buy anything. Hopped water? On the way back I stopped at Charles Towne Fermentory. The distillery next door is no longer one. A cheese place. Ate and drank to the sunset at the hotel. 

The next day I drove back to downtown. Bypassed a place called Chez Nous because of parking. Ended up at Wentworth (lot) and Meeting for plan b (really a). The Watch at The Restoration Hotel (Travel & Leisure article) off King. It is a roof deck (must be best views) restaurant. Had a good shrimp roll with a side (salad). On the way to the next stop, I saw a sign for Vivian Howard's Handy & Hot at The Lindy Renaissance Hotel. Grabbed a biscuit with jam. Moved on to Hyman's Seafood. I have been slowly learning that this is famous. Signs said top 150 historic restaurants in the nation. I had a really thick (like a dip) bowl of she-crab soup to go. There was a line. But, the place inside was half seated. The food I saw didn't look that great. Like a guy named Hyman would make it. First name Buster? I drove back to 17 and 171 to 700 to Wadmalaw Island to the end and PM King's/Hum Grocery (How She Rolls on PBS) for a terrible turkey and provolone sandwich. Back a mile to the Charleston Tea Garden (America's only tea plantation). Factory tour was free, but, trolley tour was $20. A magnet was $14! Back towards Charleston. There was a winery here that I was talked out of visiting. Stopped at Low Tide Brewing on Johns Island. I liked this area. Had only been to the Kiawah Island cut off. Had a drink at California Dreaming near the hotel. Looks like a fort. Great views across the water to Charleston. Ate and drank to the sunset at the hotel again.

The next day I drove to Hilton Head Island. Saw the RBC Heritage at Harbor Town Golf Links. $25 for Wednesday Pro-Am. Free parking and shuttle. Drove 95 home. Accident at Crescent Beach cost an hour. 

Spent $83 on gas. $473 on hotels. $300 on the rest. $856 total. Weather was great. Lots of traffic going the opposite way. Crashes, etc. 95 in SC on a weekend is hell. Two lanes do not cut it. Cops let trucks do whatever the hell they want. It turned out that things were so expensive because of high school holidays. I thought they would be this week. Didn't do Folly Beach at Charleston because I figured it would be jam packed. No Bill Murray sightings.

Grub Crawl - International Drive: Sports & Social, Kings Point, World Cafe and Mr Burdog

I tried these spots on Wednesday at lunch. The first is on the second level in the middle of Pointe Orlando. The second is on the other side of Sand Lake Rd on the east side in a strip mall near Carrier. The third is a little north of that in a strip mall with the defunct Roboland. The third is farther north yet across Kirkman in a strip mall on the west side near Fun Spot/Hash House A Go Go.

Sports & Social - A huge (two story high ceilings) sports bar with some food. Huge tvs in the center. Maybe thirty assorted sized tables in that room with a DJ booth and bar. You pass another bar area (with beer pong, tvs and bubble hockey) and a second floor balcony like area on the way. There is also a small darts, beer pong and Golden Tee area past that. And an outdoor area farther down a hall. I grabbed a cheese steak with fries for $16 to go. I hadn't intended on eating here. Didn't know it existed. Just checking the look of two newbies around them. The cs was pretty good. With whiz and onions. Beef was tender. Not quite a full hoagie. Roll was good. Fries were pretty good too. Took a bit too long for an empty restaurant. I ended up eating it all in the car after the place I was going to sit down at (something like the Garden Plaza at the Rosen) turned out to be a lame AYCE buffet and the other place with a sign you can see from the road there (Zebra's) was just a bar open at night. At least that long time mystery is solved. The menu had things like burgers, salads and the usuals. Nice look. Mostly black. Could offer a good time. I think it's a year old. Didn't love the facility fee they added.

Kings Point - I think it has been there a while. Kind of like a diner that added some Brazilian items. I just grabbed a chicken and catupiry cheese empanada (they sell nine kinds) to go for $6. It was ok. Shredded chicken. Bland. Large. Half moon shaped. Better warmed. Couldn't get them to admit if they buy them. I was going to have ice cream, but, they had a weird (not bad) way of selling it. By the pound. And they didn't list the cost. Didn't feel like asking. You scoop it (hard kind) and could add some syrups and toppings (like milk powder). Not really conducive for take out. They said it was a Brazilian way. Some menu stand outs are: beef stroganoff, beef parmigiana, mussarela sticks (their spelling), Calabrese sausage, fettucine Alfredo and acai. White, gray and...red. Hah. Not black. Two rooms. Maybe a dozen tables in each. Not fancy. Antiseptic. They thought Kings Point was what that area of town was once called. Better than I assumed it would be.

World Cafe - Open since 2002. Diner like offerings. Small. Maybe eight tables. I finally got my ice cream here (I had already rejected one scoopers of Hershey's brand at the new Candy Cream Cafe for $6 and rolled ones at Mr Cool for $8) after bypassing a couple others on this side of I Drive. Blue Bell ice cream. I had the pistachio and walnuts for $4 in a cup. Good. The place is drab. 

Mr Burdog - They took over from Thunder Burger around nine months ago. Looks the same. Basic. Now Brazilian. 9 Dogs, 5 sandwiches, 3 veg stuff, specialties, 5 kid's menu and 23 burgers (Brazilian, Gourmet and American styles). I grabbed a $8 cheeseburger because it was the same cost as three tenders and they were the cheapest thing. Combos can get to $27! The cheapest dog was $9. It was ok. Flatish patty. Salty. Meatloafy. No toppings at all. Brioche bun. The most interesting part of the menu was written in Portuguese. I asked and some were skewers of meat. All in all a bit to over priced for me. Used to be a food truck. Now I get it. Bur(ger) Dog.

*I may knock out two other Pointe Orlando spots later this month. Maybe some long timers at the other Rosen Hotel too. Sal's at Pointe Orlando is only open at night, so, it will probably be a while (if ever). It's funny. I eschewed Divana Carne because it starts at $40 for AYCE (things like smoked salmon, carpaccio and sushi). I ended up spending $40 on this junk. International Drive is mostly all accounted for now. Also, drove past Epic Universe. It does exist. Still working on all the roads to it. And Sand Lake exit.

The Chapman, Winter Park

I tried this classic American spot on Park Ave (near to Fairbanks) on Sunday at dinner. I had the angus beef brisket cheeseburger for $23. It's among the cheapest things you can get. It was good. The meat had a funk. But, no after-effects, so, I guess it is a feature. Normal American cheese. Possibly hand crafted pickle slices. Some sauteed onion. Four cherry tomatoes that may have been marinated. A possibly whole wheat bun that was a bit crumbly. I'm not sure if that is a characteristic or if it was getting old. A wilted piece of lettuce and some thousand islandy sauce on the bottom bun. Very salted. Ok crust. A tad above medium. I asked for medium rare. It came with four potato spears (aka steak fries). They were very good. Almost a whole baked potato's worth. The outside was just crusty enough. I was pretty full after all of this. Basic plating. Steak knife. Cloth napkin. The rest of the menu is a bit boring. They add some sandwiches to the lunch menu. Some apps like: crab cake, ahi two ways, a lion's mane mushroom that I believe was fried and maybe a soup or two. Some high teen salads. The mains were things in the high twenties+ like: roast chicken, fettucine, rigatoni and steaks that started at $69 and went up to triple digits. Some mid to high teen desserts (5) and sides. Cocktails, etc as well. Pretty big wine list. Up to $500 for champers. Sixteen or so tables on the left side. Three or four on the right not counting the large bar or lounge chairs by the fireplace. Many tables out front. I think I saw a private room in the rear. Excellent interior design. The de rigeur white, black, gray tones with flourishes of gold, steel, glass and mirror. I believe it is a bit more deco than nouveau, but, there is alot of metal. Metal mesh screens separate the bar from the left room and parts of the left room. Glass chandeliers. Velvet drapes. Paintings. Wood tables. Fabric-ed chairs. Mixed earth tone tiled floor. Recessed lighting. Columns. Tons of staff. Mostly female. Brooks Brothers unis. Always smiling. Attentive. The dish didn't come out lickety split, but, maybe they were pacing or had a skeleton crew on Sunday. I liked the ambiance. Nice ambient music. A place for adults. But, there were babies in tow. The inner rooms were about 3/4 full. I didn't have a res or a wait. Dress code is casual. I did kind of feel like it was a bit like a nicer Houston's. But, I haven't been to one in a while and I think the local one is a bit better than the average. I would get a bit more adventurous with the menu. But, I would probably be out of business in a month. I just couldn't give anyone a two word synopsis of what they do. I would probably describe the look. Still, it could be a Fav. Open for a month or so. I think they do a brunch now too. Pretty sure they are open all week. You could make the effort. From the group that does Boca down the street.

*I tried to try Luca Turci. However, they could only bring themselves to operate until 7pm. I wasn't really going to suffer through this anyway. It seems like the exact same Italian menu as their College Park location. And I've already brought those thoughts to you. This spot is small, but, looks nicer. On Morse which is about halfway down Park.

Grub Crawl - Downtown: Evergreen Juice Bar and Nuri's Tavern

I tried these spots on Friday at lunch. The first is across from Publix on Central at Lake Eola. They said it was previously an insurance office. The second is in the old Robinson's location on Pine near Orange. Across from the Thai place and Papi Burgers. It is owned by the Primrose Lanes people and they also has three other concerns (something Mather's Pharmacy that I went to ages ago, a jazz club and something I think they called Aloha) above them. All open at night. I suspect that I won't be back here until it is walking around weather again. Every other announced newbie still doesn't seem to be anywhere near to being open. No one knew of the prospective food hall or where it will be. I thought it was across from the library.

Evergreen Juice Bar - Opened three days ago. Juices and toasts. I had a small fruity tooty something smoothie for $8. It was ok. Seven in total. Half with peanut butter. The toasts looked ok. $11 and up. Seven also. Some with salmon and tuna and avocado, etc. I don't recall juices. They said coffee was coming. Modern look. Mostly white with black accents. Order at a counter. Right side. Tiny room. A couple of tables on the right. I wasn't keen on this going in. If it wasn't hot, I would have just bought one of their (probably outsourced) cookies to escape with the least harm.

Nuri's Tavern - Opened around a month ago. Finally doing lunch every day. Dinner too. Pretty late. Closed on Monday. Disappointing. I had wings (6) in buf-a-que sauce. Ok. The sauce was too berry tasting to mix with blue cheese. The blue cheese seemed to have a ranch base. Only three, thin, limp pieces of celery too. The cost $16! Almost $3 a wing. I chose those because the pizzas looked pathetic. Cracker thin squares of twelve inches at $16 to $19. Five with sauce. Four "whites". I hope they didn't decide on this style because of cooking time. I may have seen circular ones coming out of the kitchen. The menu didn't read that way. Only six apps such as meatballs, salad (2) and beef 'roni cups. $9-$14. An odd melange. They also have a few beers, wines, cocktails and soft serve ice cream. The place look nice. Robinson's was pretty nice. Two sides. Bar in back. Lots of elbow room. White and light wood. A few ornaments. Phone booth. Tvs with sports. It's the best thing about it. Then I'll say the execution (not including the type of pizza they have chosen to make). The prices are the third worst thing about it and finally the menu. Weird selection and too tiny for a full blown restaurant. Maybe for a food truck. Two servers. Food isn't as good as Primrose Lanes and no bowling gimmick. Needs a rethink if they aren't trying to be the "Waffle House" to their connected booze bars. Robinson's was better.

*I have some emails if you wish to lobby NSB to return some free parking. mayor@nsb.com, yperrine@nsb.com, lmartin@nsb.com, jmcguirk@nsb.com and bashley@nsb.com. 

**I noticed that Publix is now cheaper in many items than Winn Dixie. A WD chicken is now $10 at WD. Still $8 at P. Eggs were just above $5 at P. Sodas and water are cheaper there. Even those $1.69 toasts in packaging were less. WD also plays games with alcohol. Overcharges and then discounts. Luv ya Aldi!

Grub Crawl - Universal Area and Winter Park: Surah and Taco's Lab

I tried these spots yesterday at lunch. The first is in a strip mall down Dr Phillips as far away from Sand Lake as possible. I think that is Conroy. The second is on Fairbanks towards Rollins in the old King Bao location on the left. I was just checking if they indeed were open and just decided to get it out of the way.

Surah - Korean. Means dishes made for royalty (Joseon Dynasty). A little uneven. They took over for some other Korean place recently. I had the lunch special ($2 lower) beef bulgogi with rice for $18. It was the mirror image of how it usually is. The beef had a nice subtle (not cloyingly sweet) flavor and was tender. The rice was a mushy mess. Some onions on top. Took way to long to come out. Only a table of four there at the time and they were already in the process of dining. The bon chon (6) were: fish cake, kim chi (too salty), spicy burdock cubes, diced pickled burdock, a simple salad and sweet peanuts. The last two were firsts. One server. Twelve tables and an offset room. A few with burners. Wait for it...white, gray, black decor with dark stained wood accents. Brown tile floors. Sticky. The pen to sign the check was also sticky. Metal water glass. Weird, plastic panda water bottle that I hope they didn't take from the table next to mine and refilled. AC was too low. Small menu. Some bbq meats that I think started at $26 (to +$40). Fried chicken and pork cutlets. Bibimbap and a couple others. That's it. The place is like one of those old hotels that they try and funkify. It just doesn't feel right/new. Cleanliness is also appears to be suspect. No reason to exert yourself to get here. I think they close up between 3:30pm and 4:30pm.  

Taco's Lab - They think they can differentiate by being a "lab". The only "experiments" are in name only. I can't see one thing on the menu that is original. Maybe the sauces? But, they aren't described. Two $6 tacos. Three at $5. Three at $4.50. Things like breaded fish, shrimp, mushrooms, birria and chicken. I had a Camal Tradition with chicharron (that is also labeled as pork belly) and one with carnitas. $5 a piece. Both with onions and cilantro on a corn tortilla. Ok. Bigish. That type also comes in chorizo or suadero. They also do $13 to $16 fusion bowls (some of the same stuff with rice and beans) and $9 to $14 quesadillas. Elote, guac and cheese dip are the apps at $9 to $10. Three desserts from $8 to $9. Only four tables. Order at a counter. One cook and the owner. White. Parking for eight behind. Sadly (for them), the other two taco places near them (one on the other side of I4) are better. They do seem to want to please though. Second week.

*I also went to New Smyrna Beach today for the last time. They have put up pay meters at every beach. Can't reward that small time thinking. How come progress seems to result in making something worse? And here's a shocker - almost every parking lot was empty. Good business acumen town council.

Grub Crawl - Sanford: Hot Asian Buns and Wildflower *Southern California Travel Notes

I tried these two spots in downtown Sanford yesterday at lunch. The first is on Sanford Ave (more inland). About two streets up on the right from the street most come in on. The second is back towards the center. Between Hollerbach's and their market. I found it funny that the first traded their food truck for a brick and mortar and on this day there was a beer and dog event with food trucks and those food trucks were stealing all their business. I also stopped at Taqueria Navarro again to sort out the lengua confusion. They said it sometimes is fluffy/pulled if the mother does it. The usual way if the daughter does it. It was that way this day.

Hot Asian Buns - Shall I start the jokes on where we've seen that sign before? As I said, they were a food truck. I think popular. I think they had a Guy Fieri plate on their wall. Who can read his chicken scratchings? They opened around a month ago. Tiny footprint. Around five tables. I had the pork belly confit bao for $6. It was good. Two slices. Hoisin sauce, preserved mustard greens, cilantro and alot of peanut powder. They also have these baos: Korean Fried Chicken, Pork Asada, Tempura Shrimp, Beef Bulgogi and Vegan Chorizo. All the same cost. Also three rice bowls ($14-$16), wings ($14), fries ($6-$10), teas and a dessert. The place is also dressed in gray and black and off white. Some wood. Some Asian decorations. Order at a counter. Open Kitchen. Three on the line. Only open for dinner W-FR. Noon on on weekends. It was about what I expected. Possible Fav.

Wildflower - I believe they have been there forever. I don't think I had tried them before. Pan-Latin mostly. I think only for dinner most of the week. I have always liked this location. I think it was a bank at one point. They decorate it in an off blue with yellow. White marble floors. Dark, floor to ceiling drapes. Blue and white, Arabic patterned tiles on the walls. Panels. Windows. Black and wood table tops. Stools and chairs. White ceiling. Large, metal, gold ceiling fans. Plants. Around ten tables of varying lengths. A bar at the rear. Mostly Latin women there. Four or more servers. They had a full and brunch menu. I had the chorizo shrimp and grits to go for $14. Good. Plain grits. Tasted rich and creamy once you mixed in the oily chorizo sauce. They may use that roll of $2 chorizo you can buy at Winn Dixie. The shrimp were some the fresher ones I've had in a while. No iodine taste (less one). Mediums. Shell off. Nice firmness. Seven. All in all, I'd call it a successful dish. Good price too. Some items from the brunch menu are: arepa, french toast, chicken and waffles, chilaquiles and fried eggs. $11-$16. The regular menu has hot plates and cold plates ($12-$15) and mains ($16-$25). Things like: ceviche, tostones, flatbread, cachapas, burger, fish tacos and steak. Possible Fav.

*Travel Notes - Southern California: I flew Frontier late nights to LAX for $224. Rented a medium from Hertz for $343. It $100+ more when I booked the flight. Did it again day of and realized the discount. At LAX, I didn't see the signs for a bus to baggage claim. Walked way too far. Ask for it. I drove the 405S to Laguna Hills (taking advantage of the lighter traffic) and stayed at the Laguna Hills Lodge (Booking 8.0) for $106. Double Double combo at In n Out. 

The next day I drove through Laguna Beach (parking meters everywhere) and on to Dana Point. Some pics from the Strand Vista Park. Drove by the Ritz where I challenged my ex-girlfriend's father to a fight (over the phone) after too many martinis (both of us) while in college. Totally her fault. A burger with tots at The Point. Watched the tourny. Back to the 405 and on to San Diego. I stayed at the shitty Riverleaf Inn (Expedia 6.0) on the 8 for three nights at $248. Drove around. Found Old Town SD (close) and a mall. Wine, etc from Ralph's. 

The next day I met up with friends for breakfast of chilaqiles at Breakfast Republic. Then rugby at the University of San Diego (beautiful). We were going to return for a pro match. That didn't happen. More drinking did.

The next day I had lunch of potato taquitos, corvino fish taco and chopped salad with chipotle shrimp with my sister at Puesto at the harbor. Took in the Midway air craft carrier museum ($39). Walked that area.

The next day I walked through Old Town. I drove the 8 east to San Diego State University. Had lunch of beef taquitos at Senor Pancho's. Saw their tennis courts, arena and baseball field. Drove up 15 to Temecula. Did tastings at Gershon Bachus Vintners ($22/6), Danza del Sol ($25/6) and Frangipani Estate Winery ($20/6). All good. I also drove in and out of (if too $) Robert Renzoni ($30/5), Baily Estate and Fazeli. I drove past their equestrian center (Galway Downs). They said it is where they are doing the LA Olympic events. Dinner at Jack in the Box. I stayed at the Signature (Expedia 8.6) near 79 for $174 for two nights. Watched White Lotus.

The next day I drove to the left part of the wine trail. Bypassed Thornton, Churon and Bel Vino because sit down rule or closed. Ended up at the oldest winery - Bella Vista. They were just bought out. They seemed to be selling off the older vintages. Still ok though. $27/6. They gave way more tastes than six. No tip expected. Owner serving. Great hill area views. On to Wiens Cellar. $20/4 or $30/6. Pay in advance. No tip. The guy threw away the slip. Any thing I wanted. Probably would have given me a taste of every bottle. I had to call it quits because it was getting ridiculous. All very good. Wine Enthusiast and Spectator awards. Slipped him a dub. Dinner at BK. I'll interject here that fast food prices were higher in CA. And they had like two people working. Love that working wage. It has no negative consequences.

The next day I drove 79 inland past Warner Springs to Borrego Springs and Borrego Anza SP. Some guy has put statues all over the desert there. Cool. Free. I saw it on that Samantha Brown show. Nice descent down a mountain before that too. They were clearing brush on the road. Some delays. I then took 86 to Salton City for the Salton Sea. I had been a while ago. You can take the first two "exits" (Marina Ave or Salton Sea Beach) and get kind of close or Desert Shores and get right up to the northwest part. Man it smells like sewer. Also some weird memorials on rocks going north on the left side. I drove on to Coachella. It seems like they grow dates there. Off at 62 Ave or so to center of town and the polo fields that they do the festival at. Very Mexican. Back to 86 and I messed something up, so, I ended up on 10. Took it to the Indian Wells exit. Went to the tennis center on 111. They were having the kids' Easter tournament. Took it to Palm Springs. Stayed at the Infusion Beach Club (Booking 7.5) for $100. Dinner of wine and fried chicken from Albertson's. It was ok until they started paving the street in front of the hotel at 12 am. 

The next day I drove through a wind/dust storm on the 10 to LA. Stopped at the replica of the Original In n Out Burger stand (highway went over it) in Baldwin Park. Had a HB at the new space. Discovered I like that better than the double double. It's right on the 10 at Francisquito Ave. Went to DT LA. Had a pastrami sandwich ($28) to go (in fear for my car) from Langer's Delicatessen at 7th and Alvarado. Saw this and the next spot on I'll Have What Phil's Having. Drove Wilshire to BH. Lots of street work. Redoing tar pits. Changed to Santa Monica Blvd. Drove down to Huckleberry on 10th and Wilshire. Just had two mini quiches ($6) because of parking insecurity/uncertainty. Drove up Lincoln to try and get to the PCH. They were turning everyone back. Tried again from the pier. No rights allowed. And I forgot to take the 110 to Altadena when I was downtown. So, no fire news to report. Drove the coast past the airport to a Top Golf El Segundo. didn't play. They have an outdoor pitch and putt there too. Back to LAX. Dropped off the car. Walked the three miles to my gate (missed the bus area again). The usual 45 minute delay loading (same on the way here) by Frontier. Quiet drive home at 5am.

Nice trip. Spent $87 on gas ($4.50-$6). Spent $623 on hotels. $333 on food, etc. $128 on Fast Park. $1648 in total. Good time of year to go. Every other location considered had more Spring Break inflation. Weather was good. Got unusually hot in the desert (90s). Weird flight times actually worked out in the end. Less traffic, etc. I was going to do this trip a week or two earlier to see the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament. Maybe next year. Find notes in 2022 if you want to see which wineries I wen to last time.

The Rev, Ivanhoe Village

I tried this newbie from the Santiago's Bodega people Thursday at lunch. It is next door on Virginia. It stands for revolution. It was first envisaged as Ramen Revolution. It still has those (5 from $15 - $24) plus some pub grub and oysters. I had the fried chicken thighs (3) for $14. They were tempura battered. Small side of napa dikon slaw and hot pickles. I loved it. Really liked the quasi-Japanese pub feel. They played speak easy type music. Some items available were: oesetra caviar, gyosa, fried rice, lobster, steak frites, burger and goat cheese and beet salad. Oysters were a bit rich at $4 per. Lobster was $34. Steak was $41. Burger was $17. Specials. I think the menu will change alot. Wine, beer and sake. The free spicy boiled peanuts were outstanding. The owners were cooking and serving. Around ten tables and a bar. Mostly booths. Maybe a patio in front?. It was empty until I left. Open a few weeks or less. Open Wed to Sunday, I believe. Parking on side or back. It should be a Favorite.

Grub Crawl - Clermont and West Colonial: Dim Sum House and Saigonese

I tried these spots on Tuesday at lunch. The first is in a strip mall off 50. You can make a right on Hancock and the first left on Legends to come in the back way or try and find the small entrance on 50. The other is in Chinatown on 50. Far left corner.

Dim Sum House - The menu said they had the best something in Tampa. I guess that is the original location. I think I learned about them last summer. The menu has a mix of Chinese dishes as well as the dim sum. Fewer dumplings than I expected. They price the dim sum in four categories. They start at $6+. Most are in the more expensive categories. Soups start at double digits. Mains start at $17. The lunch specials are really the best way to stretch your dollar. The portions are very large and come with a spring roll and soup and white rice. I had the cashew shrimp with the corn egg drop like soup (choice of that or sweet and sour). Six, iron tasting, full shrimp. The rice was a bit too crunchy and dry. Lots of fresh vegetables. Lots of cashews. A slightly thickened, light brown/gold, savory sauce. Not salty. It cost a very reasonable $11. I also had an order of har gow for $7.75. Four. Big. Big pieces of shrimp. No real paste. Although they tasted of iron too. The problem was the wrapper. Way too chewy/glutenous. And they were too big to eat in one bite. Fall apart if you try and eat in bites. They delivered both at the same time. At least they delivered the soup and spring roll before that. Four wait staff/hostess. Pretty attentive. One waiter was a chatty Cathy around his section. He was a bit annoying to the rest of us. Twenty tables. Spaced far apart. A big room. And surprise surprise, the color scheme was gray and black with light wood. Is this page one of interior design catalogs now? Basket lamp shades and gold metal wall art. A bar area up front. Became around half full as I dined. Pop music playing. I'm not sure you have to trek all the way out here to get commensurate quality. Like a slightly better PF Changs. Not enough attention to quality or execution. But I'm sure they could if they wanted to. I do have a complaint about plastic chopsticks and slippery dishes. Are you trying to make it MORE difficult on us? Reminds me of the story/joke about the Chinese farmer that is out in the field with his pitch fork and shovel and sycthe and comes in at night and puts them away and pulls out his chopsticks to eat his dinner.

Saigonese - I just grabbed some cha gio (spring rolls) to go because they were the cheapest thing. $5.50. Ok. Pork filled. The usual. I may go back to try a real lunch. They had a full page of snail dishes that I don't recall seeing anywhere before. Concentrate on seafood. It looks cute. Yellow and black. Some 70s bric a brac. Murals. A few canvases of a Vietnamese girl. Iron basket lamp shades. Around ten tables. Obviously it has a Saigon theme. Dishes around $17. Opened maybe three months plus ago, but, still in a soft opening. 

*I also went back to One Stop Dumpling to try some of those colored dumplings. I had the Six Fortunes Soup Dumplings for $11.50 to go. Six. A few types. One was spicy. They placed them in individual tins. Very smart. The soup inside was ok. The wrappings weren't too chewy. Held their form. Let me state that both dumpling orders I had this day were far superior to Zen Dumpling.

Grub Crawl - Longwood, Orlando and Altamonte Springs: TK Coffee, Buzzers (Closed), Soni's, FL Bakery and Chayhana

I'm combining two days. I tried the first three spots at lunch on Friday. The first is in the strip mall with Ali Baba on 434 between I4 and Ronald Reagan. The next three are at an ever expanding strip mall on 436 between University and 50. The last is in a strip mall on 436 right before 434. Right side if coming from I4. I went there on Sunday.

TK Coffee & Donuts - They said they started in Tennessee. Opened recently. Two weeks? Franchise look. I had a chocolate frosted donut for $1.69. It was ok. Couldn't really taste the chocolate. They tossed in four donut holes. They were good. Nothing too new or different here from any other donut shop. They had some wieners in assorted baked shells. They looked desiccated. Kolaches. 

Buzzers Sports Bar - Weird menu. The usuals plus Thai, Mexican and Indian dishes. I had a gross cheeseburger with ff for $13. Onion/garlic in the patty (probably to mask the smell/taste). I could live without that. Lettuce, onion and tomato. Fairly fresh. Brioche bun. The meat was about as cheap as could be chosen. Like the pork at Zen Dumpling. Chuck? Worse? I swear I was biting into crunchy things that I thought were vegetables. But when I pulled them out and looked at them, they were "meat/veins". Thickish, shoe string fries. Open a month. Four or five tables with one twenty person, elevated, communal table. Eight person bar. Lamps made out of rope. TVs. Not a huge footprint. Booze. They double billed me!

Soni's Bakery - Opened a week ago. Argentinian. Selection is not complete. They said they will add more sandwiches and empanadas, etc. I had a brownie with walnuts for $4.50. It was good. The cake was a bit unsweet. The chocolate-y part was rich. They had cupcakes and other sweets. Small footprint. A few tables. Looks nice.

FL Bakery - I'm not paying the same or more for a Puerto Rican version of anything. Let alone Anglo interpretations with third world vegetables. They had to search for a girl who spoke English. The place isn't new. I was here once when it was another owner. Still a bakery. I grabbed a 1/4 chicken for $3.25. That is $13 for a whole. Do they think they are Whole Foods? Pass.

Chayhana - Uzbek (between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan/Iran) and Turkish. Chay means tea. Hana is a place where you drink it. I had the boso lagman ($17) and a pumpkin samsa ($3). The samsa was a samosa like puffed, baked triangle. Big. The pumpkin was a bit sweet and savory. A slight kick at the back end. Warm spices. Sesame seeds on top. The boso lagman ws a hand torn flour and water noodle (like long spaetzle) dish with strips of tender beef. Also strips of peppers and onions and an omelette. Scallions. Oily. I liked it. They included a tomato based sauce that I assume is for the samsa. The menu has around seven of these special dishes. A few soups and apps and desserts. The Turkish section has kebabs and shwarma. Prices are a bit below average. They push the QR code. The place is spotless. White, gray and black. Ten tables of four. Plastic plants and plastic under the tablecloth. A few decorations on the wall. Almost spaced evenly. One family was there at lunch. Seemed like one waitress (daughter) and one voice from the kitchen. Bakery case at the register. Open for L and D every day. Open for a few weeks. I'll be back. May be a Fav.

*Also in the first strip mall was the new Pizza v Tacos. They seemingly had no wait staff and their prices were out of line and I don't trust taco people to make pizza and the other way around. The one I saw looked sad.

**Regular Blue Plate mayonaise sucks too.

Grub Crawl - Downtown and Waterford Lakes: Leiah, Tikka Bowls, Gen Korean and Zen Dumpling

I'm combining two days. I tried the first two spots downtown on Tuesday at lunch. The first is next to (not affiliated with) the Hilton Garden Inn on North Magnolia. At the rear of the Courthouse. The second is on South Orange. Just south of Church St. Next to a deli (New York?). I tried the last two today at lunch. They are in that Waterford Lakes mall on Alafaya.

Leiah - Two partners with Ritz Carlton pedigrees. Named after the chef's daughter. Opened a week ago. Long build. It will be a Favorite. I had the Farrotto for $18. It is an original faro risotto dish inspired by Husk in Charleston (kinda). What can I say? Large portion. Oozing with sweet creamy goodness. I'm guessing aged parmesan. Fresh zucchini or squash. I forget. A tomato base. Wilted kale. Freshly made. The faro is supposedly healthier too. The larger grain size is interesting. A real surprise. I thought the description said sweet potatoes. I didn't see pieces of them. But, I could just be wrong on that entirely. Simple, but, fashionable cutlery and china. Cloth napkin. Nice plating (tiny flowers). The menu is small. Around six apps, six mains and three salads. I think it will be a non-static menu. Whatever is best at the time. Apps like octopus carpaccio, bisque and mussels. Around $7 to high teens. Mains like salmon, waygu/pork belly burger, roast chicken, house made parpadelle or linguine and turkey sandwich. Around mid teens to high twenties. Some with sides. The dinner menu is a tasting/prix fixe or ala carte one. A few more items. The place looks cute. Grey with dark blue and black accents. Paintings. Wine rack. Little butterflies and doves. Open kitchen. Around fourteen tables inside and a few outside. Not cramped. Only a skeleton crew so far. But, you get to know the manager and chef. Nice ambience. The Latin music isn't blaring or too current/offensive. I thought it could be a Hilton Garden Inn level restaurant. It isn't. It's much better. I would try and get in before the word gets out. And if you are staying in the hotel or work near by, you have been blessed. Let's hope you have the class/sophistication to appreciate it. It's a little gem. They said street parking becomes free after 6pm. There is a $10 lot next to them. There is free parking nearby (as I have written about before). But with all the people parking there now, I'm not telling any more people. I would like to add that you better make it more successful than the god damn Starbucks (emphasis on the bucks) next door. It's just plain embarrassing.

Tikka Bowls and Tacos - I get the tikka. Tacos? Not so much. Let alone why the mash up. They sell bowls, burritos, naan tacos or salads. You choose a meat (chicken, steak, goat, fake chicken or paneer). Then a sauce and some toppings. They also have biryani, wings and dessert. I chose the chicken with tikka smoked curry sauce (spicy) on the naan (3). They make them look like fat tacos. But, they are naan. Industrial looking. Palm sized. I added some rice (two types), fresh jalapenos, cabbage, pico and sour cream. It cost $11. $1 for goat or steak. It was tasty. Everything was fresh. Good flavors. I just ate the stuff off the naan with a fork at home. Tried to save the naan for the next day. Scarfed it down after dinner. They had yummy sauce on them. Damn time change. You can have beans in lieu of sauce it seems. It must be a chain. The menu had a truncated list that included Dallas. Open for six weeks. Small footprint. A few tables. Order at a counter. They had a tortilla press looking thing that they were warming those and the naan with. Line went fast. Full house. Better than the Indian pizza chain. I guess around the same price as Chipotle (it has been a while). The whole Mexican inclusion must just be to ease dummies into Indian fast food. It barely draws on that culture. It is more of a West Indies experience than Indian. Better than I expected.

Gen Korean - Another that will be unrated. I just walked out. The idiot host was seating everyone by the kitchen and bathroom in an empty restaurant. After no one acknowledged me upon entering. For a restaurant at this stage of its life cycle, you can't still be making these blunders. I'm not surprised on the three times I have popped in that they are empty. Opened a few months ago.

Zen Dumpling - Another huge disappointment. They said the original in Duval. About as good as the Jags. I had some shrimp and pork dumplings to go for $12. Every non-wok item was fifty to one hundred percent (that's double) what it should be. The dumplings (6) were malformed. Seemed like only rubbery pork. Bad flavor. They have a window with guys making the dumplings. It seemed like they were being taught. I hope my order was a work shop. Of course the place was full. Looks ok. Lots of wicker. Grey and blue. Light wood tables. Rock mural. Steam baskets and rolling pins on the wall. Lots of waitresses. Probably needs more cooks. They also have tapas (you had to use a Spanish term), soup and bao. Small. Maybe fifteen tables. Opened recently.

*I tried to include the new pizza place on Pine (Nuri Tavern). They only do lunch on weekends. It looked great. More jeers to the I4 maintenance department. If there is one. I saw them sweeping the toll lanes. Regular side still looks third world. Great p.r. Orlando tourism commission! Let alone the danger/eye sore.

Plumbing Tutorial

Issue: After a tree removal, I started having issues with the plumbing. First the shower in the far bathroom overflowed (eventually drained) after the clothes washer drained its water. Then gurgling/blooping in a toilet between it and the bathroom and the same overflow in the shower. Then that toilet's water level started higher than usual and gradually sank to almost nothing after a flush. The water from it overflowed in the shower.

Estimates: I spent one hour on this because the tree guy claimed if it was a broken sewer line that he had patched it before and it was no trouble. Then he started backing out of it and gave me a plumber that couldn't even come out until four days later. I went to Google and searched for the top ten plumbers in CF. Then clicked on the Yelp result and wrote down a few of their names. I also had an ad from another outfit that I picked up some where and a few flyers I had stashed over the years. I Googled them. I started calling. A few were very helpful in discussing all the possibilities and plumbing in general. I knew nothing. Most wanted $450 to go in with a camera and then snake the drain. They said they had an attachment that could even bore through a root. I scheduled two for estimates because some thought they didn't have the staff (it might have been a whole re-routing issue at this point) or charged just to come out or were up first and I didn't like their cost at the time. I had a $176 ad at the time. I believed that to be a base line. This is the list and what they told me (the number before Yelp is how many reviews):

Drain Doctor: 352-272-7727. Umatilla. 17 Yelp 4.5*. Didn't have staff if big job. $250 camera. $220 clean line. If new main line = $2000-$4000. He spoke with me for a half hour. Nice guy. Tom.

Modern: 689-220-7356. Winter Springs. 95 Yelp 4.6*. Had to have tech come out to quote. He did. Around $450 to do camera and clean. Time limit. May drop price if no clean. Wouldn't guarantee success. Extra if problems (bend). Tried to take control of the relationship. 

Teles: 689-285-5249. Orlando. 66 Yelp 4.8*. $250 camera and $220 clean line. Nice guy. Said he could patch a break. I was saving him if the others failed.

Emerald Plumbing: 407-898-3538. 1258 Google 4.8*. Everyone in my community uses them. I don't know why. Their quotes were dog shit. $180 just to come out and diagnose. $425 an hour to diagnose/camera.

Plumbing Today: 407-904-0949. A flyer. Any old discounts were not in effect. $89 to come out. No flat rate. Nothing done then. May break pipe.

Benjamin Franklin: 321-710-8247. 18 Google 4.9*. $176 drain cleaning special. Free service call/estimate.

I scheduled Modern and Benjamin Franklin. Both came. Texts for on the way and arrival. Modern was a bit too abrasive. See above. Franklin was a bit wishy washy. Immediately backed off the ad price. Went to the $425 neighborhood. Said the ad was just from the access hole to the street (ad states "includes camera inspection, drain clearing and locating the source of the problem". No limitations). I thought the problem was there, so, I didn't argue the point. He tried to upsell some $120 yearly package.

Service: I agreed to the Benjamin Franklin offer because he said he could do it right then and there (not just a quote call) and it was a roll of the dice and the down side was the same quote price I had been hearing. I could also call bullshit if the problem was inside the house and just lose $176. However, he didn't have the tool in the van to open the cap. It is an inny and most are outies. Said he would go to Home Depot. After a few hours, he called and asked if we could do it the next morning because they didn't have the tool. I agreed. He came the next day at 8am. Greased the cap. Had some issues with opening it. Told me I had to pay an extra $200 for a new cap (even before he had opened it). But, it would be the same price (lower) if he had to snake through the back of the house. I was expecting the bait and switch and concentrated on the possible drop from $425 to $380 because I still was unsure of the position of the clog/break. He eventually forced the cap to unscrew. No damage. The right side (from inside) of the pipe was full of water. This meant the clog was on the street side. He put a coil looking thing (attached to a machine) into the hole about seven feet in and water started flowing. He then put the camera in. At first he thought there was no pipe damage. Said he saw some green plastic. I'm still not sure if he meant that he saw it flow away or the piece that was lodged in the coil. Then he backed up the camera and found a break area. I showed him some green pipe the stump grinder pulled out. It was a match. He told me to flush the toilets and run the shower/bath a few times. I did that and checked the clothes washer too. No issues. Even the water level in the toilet returned to normal. He then pulled out a echo locator type tool to pin point the break. Said it usually cost extra. Called his boss to ok it. I think they were trying to justify the extra charge. I didn't really need it because I saw the length of coil that went in and could eye ball the area. I paid via cc on his tablet. They emailed an invoice. Said they would mail a paper one. 

Conclusion: I learned so much. The morning before I tried to fix this, I called some friends and learned of these to access points I have outside my home. Different shapes and sizes it seems. Mine were a knob outside (main line side) on the wall and this circular cap on my front porch. My friends' were on the lawn. Learned the map of my plumbing. I did know where the shut offs are. Learned a bit more from the tech. If I have another clog, I'm fairly certain I can attend to it by sticking a hose or something down to the affected area. A patch may be a pain. Although I think there seemed to be enough left of the pipe and what is over it to make it a non-issue. I'll start digging around (literally) if it continues to clog. Good to know the tree grinding (that I didn't want to do but my HOA insisted on) was the cause and my internal piping is solid. It's amazing how little fluid goes through that big pipe. I don't know how dangly that shard of plastic could have been to cause a dam to clog it. Glad to know I didn't need a retro fit (or any guests had flushed things I didn't know about over the years). I have no crawl space. They would have had to re-route, I guess. I had some friends say you could rent a snake from Home Depot for $50 a day. Another said Amazon sells these cameras. Now I know where to put them if needed again. The internet said plumbers ask $45-$200 an hour. Even a drainage issue is around $400! God help you if it is something more.

*Update 5/6/2025: The issue of the broken sewer line was finally remedied by Septic Dominators (407-888-8400). They put a rubber sleeve on one area that was "encumbered" and joined the other side with a fitted piece that they cut to fit the damaged area. They then covered the joints with some kind of cement. My tree guy picked up the bill. I believe he said it was around $400. But, this was a special favor price that they gave him and who knows if that was the true cost.

Taqueria Navarro, Sanford *CO Travel Notes

I tried this taqueria on 17-92 near 46A today at lunch. It opened ten days ago. They said the style was Jalisco and another region I didn't compute. I had a barbacoa sopes, lengua tostada and a canrintas and asada tacos. All were $3 except the $4 lengua. They were mostly good. I would prefer that they grill the taco tortillas. They were rushing things. The barbacoa that they list as head had more connective parts than meat. That's the luck of the draw I guess. The asada was very diced. The lengua didn't seem like lengua. Maybe they confused the barbacoa and that. Came with a green salsa. They have a salsa bar. They sell: tacos, sopes, quesadillas, gorditas, tortas, tostadas, burritos, tacos grandes, quesadilla chicas and drinks. The top price is $10. The other types are: pollo, chicharron, desbrada, chorizo, pastor, carne molida, jamon and camaron. The place is basic. Maybe ten tables and a few outside. Order at the counter. It was pretty full. Came out quickly. Parking. Open 7D 9a-9p. I found this place by accident. I was returning from downtown Sanford (because the lazy bitches at this new bao place still have a food truck work ethic and only open after 4pm and only five days a week) after a miscue. I'm almost glad it happened. I'll bet this is the better option.

*Travel Notes - Colorado: I flew at night to Denver on Frontier for $68. I rented a car (my choice) from Hertz for the week at $324. Got a brand new one with Sat radio. I slept the first night at a Sleep Inn (Booking 8.1) at the airport for $96. In the morning I drove to Grand Junction. Lunch at McD in Vail. I took the road to Powderhorn and bought my lift ticket for the next day (no dynamic pricing) for $104 and rented skis for $62. That road is very pretty. I then drove back to 70 and Grand Junction. I stopped two exits further on in Palisade because they were touting wineries and I had time to kill. I stopped at the closest one (Grande River Vineyards). I had a flight for $13. Almost all their wine was good. They kept giving me free tastes. I applied the flight price to a bottle. An ok rose. I didn't see that it cost $23. Still a deal with a $13 discount. I'll interject here that all the flight pricing in Palisade was reasonable. The bottle prices not so much. I'll also declare that the wine here is excellent. I was dumbfounded. It was getting late and I tried to try another aside it. They were closing though. I stayed at the Grand Vista Hotel (Expedia 8.2) for two nights at $51 plus $14 parking per night. That is not a misprint. Grand Junction is near skiing, has excellent wineries and a downtown, great scenery and some of the cheapest, ok quality hotels in the country. So much so that I recalibrated my whole trip around it. I grabbed some food at Safeway for dinner. Did this every night.

The next day I drove back to Powderhorn. A great, uncrowded day of sun skiing. I had a corn dog up there. Stopped again in Palisade. Did Colterris Winery and Spectrum Sauvage Estate Winery this time. Colterris was better, but, Spectrum was more cutting edge. They had sparklings that followed the Pet-Nat method and even a hopped one (it was pretty good and the only time I have ever heard anyone trying that). I was the only one at any of these tasting rooms. There is a well marked wine trail.

The next day I changed rooms to a Studio 6 (Expedia 7.2). Mistake. I had a huge, end of hall, quiet room at the other hotel. These pics looked ok and I figured they would make me check out anyway, so, I gambled on variety. It was an extended stay Motel 6 with an ok update, but, sleazy guests and noisier. Before that I explored and had lunch in downtown on Main St. Good jalapeno steak benedict at Dream Cafe and a Truffle Shuffle (prosciutto, dried pear, brie spread, Manchego chips, sunflower seeds) at The Hog and the Hen. Free parking was a bit of a struggle. Colorado is so addicted to this revenue. I drove back to Palisade. Left Red Fox because they didn't have vintage wine. Drove to Carboy (a glass barrel) Winery for a very good flight. Then to Book Cliff Vineyards. An ok flight at a great location. Then I started to drive away from downtown. Great views on the trail. Stopped at a good looking place called Restoration Vineyards. The owner was the ex-biggest after market auto parts dealer in SF. The wine was excellent. They had a food truck. There were other vineyards I passed by. 40+ in all. I love this area because it is like a time machine. It is like many wine regions used to be. Before they became a hassle. I reticently encourage you to drop all of them and come here. I put it that way because I'm afraid you will ruin it for all of us. Like that nimrod on the insurance commercial who says "hey Fam...I'm out here...manifesting abundance...". But, I guess it's too good to keep to myself. I would seriously move here if they had a bigger airport. They even have summer activities. You can bike it. And there is another wine region south of here.

The next day I drove to Glenwood Springs. All the big resorts were doubling down on their ridiculous pricing (ie $259 for Winter Park). I decided I would try Sunlight. It was about ten miles from town. It cost $100. I did that the next day. This day, I drove to Aspen. It was a Saturday and too full. Plus they were super dicks about the paid parking and I had been there many many times before. I turned around and ate a roast beef and cheddar sandwich in Basalt at Mountain Heart Brewing. Had a sample too. Then back to GS. I checked in to the Starlight Lodge (Expedia 8.0) for the next two nights at $101 per. I rented skis for $52 at Hanging Lake Activities across the street (much better quality than PH). I then drove to Ironside Mineral Baths ($100+) and some gondola that goes to an amusement park. It was too expensive for what it was. I might do it when the park is open. It is on top of a mountain like in Barcelona. So cool. Never noticed it before. I parked the car and walked across the bridge to downtown. Almost did the baths, but, it was getting too late. I had a flight at Casey Brewing and a trout (fishy) blt at CO Ranch House. I should say it was around 60 degrees this whole week. 

The next day I awoke early and was one of the first on the mountain. I did this because I noticed the day before that the parking lot near the entrance got full quickly and was muddy. Plus they wouldn't sell me a ticket ahead of time and I didn't want to make multiple trips and it was a Sunday. It was a good move. The mud was still iced over. I got a spot right at the entrance. Ticket line was short. I can't tell you how many hours I almost had the place to myself. It was big enough. No runs I couldn't handle. Great views. You don't need the hassle of Aspen et al. Go there. They also have a deal with Powderhorn where you can get three free days here if you get a yearly pass at PH. I believe that only costs $300. I think they said ski rentals here were $40. I left a bit early because I was worn out and had decided to do the Glenwood Hot Springs pool. I grabbed a pastrami rueben with fries on the way back at the 19th Street Diner. Returned the skis. The baths cost $34 plus $5 for a suit and $4 for a towel. I had been meaning to day this for ages. It was fun. Very historical. Bright sunshine. I then washed off and went across the bridge and had a flight at Stoneyard Distillery and a cobb salad and a flight at Glenwood Springs Brew Pub. I also grabbed a large guac and chips and Qdoba on the way back and drank some remaining wine. I think this town will be a part of most future trips as well.

The next day I drove back towards Denver. There was a big storm coming and I didn't want to be stuck on the wrong side of the Eisenhower tunnel. I had a lunch of a cheesesteak with arugula salad at The Drunken Goat in Edwards. I stayed at the H&H Motorlodge (Expedia 7.8) in Idaho Springs for $89. I drove up to Echo ski resort to see it when it was open. It's another cheaper option. Back to IS. Grabbed a roast beef with swiss and jus at Big B's Soup and Grilled Cheese across from the hotel. Went into town to try and try a cidery. They didn't make there own and I was worried about getting a ticket, so, I left and got some McDonald's. It snowed as predicted.

The next day I drove around Denver. Got off 70 where there is an old amusement park. Stumbled upon a huge comic book store. I'm not that type, but, I had time on my hands. It was interesting. I pretended I was on Big Bang Theory. I then drove down the street next to the tracks and espied Original Chubby's Burger Drive In (since 1967) and assumed that meant it was iconic. I grabbed a DCB (ok). I saw a Mexican place across the street. Walked there. Kike's Red Tacos. They had framed reviews that said they were a food truck and had a 5 star Yelp score. I grabbed a goat birria and asada taco. Both great. I then drove to downtown. Zig zagged every street. When I got to the state house, the usual liberal malcontents were starting a self-serving protest march. I had to drive around it. Gave then all a one finger salute. Stumbled upon their Natural History Museum/Zoo/Golf Course. On Josephine, I think. Back to 70 near the Purina Dog Chow building. Saw the Denver Coliseum. Back on 70 to DIA. Fueled up. Had a Son of Baconator (on sale for $3). Returned the car. The third (secret) TSA area has been closed. Possibly the worst collection of miscreants on the flight. Half hour late leaving as usual. I spent $73 on gas. It cost anywhere form $4 to $2.60. $120 for airport parking. Total Cost = $1928.

Tree Removal Tutorial

This is the outline for removing a a large tree (60-80ft) from your property. There is alot of "divergence" out there, so, shop around or cross your fingers. I tried to do an exhaustive search. A lack of internet enabled data from the State and sloppy/contradictory data when there is some doesn't help. You are kind of at the whim of Yelp, Google, etc. There doesn't seem to be anywhere to find out if they really do have (active) insurance (other than calling their provider and I never did and don't know if they would release that info) and Sunbiz.gov is a mess to find out if they are licensed. Most didn't seem to be. Many had similar names. Bob Vila said the cost should be $200-$760. Average of $400. The internet said $3-$10 a foot or $5 average. 60ft-100ft = $200-$1000. My tree had three "prongs". Not sure if that changes things. Those prices seem unattainable in CF. I was willing to forgo stump grinding and haul away. It's probably best that I had those done.

The Search - I began with Google and searched for tree removal companies in my town. I compiled a list (that I mostly began ignore because of the issues cited above). I noted their locations and phone numbers and if they had reviews. I also gathered info from ads I had accumulated or had been mailed to me and cards placed in my door. I will list all the competitors at the end. I ended up (initially) choosing some guy who confronted me while I was cleaning my yard. That fell through. Read below to see their villainy. The second choice was the very very last number I had on my list. Not sure how I got it. I was going to go with the company that helped remove a part of another tree after Helene, but, they wouldn't schedule me for within three weeks at the earliest. and I was spooked at scheduling bs after I signed a contract thanks to company one. The company I went with scheduled me for the next day. You also have to find out how they are going to do it. Climb. With or without spikes (if pruning). Small Crane. Truck sized crane. Combo. Bobcat. Haul away included? Protections for the home. Ropes. Stump Grinding? Workman's Comp?

The Estimates - This was the easy part. They all showed up the next day. Oral, paper and interactive internet based. Most quotes were without stump grind.

Deangelos Land Services - $600 and they would remove some excess debris. They charged my neighbor $2000!

J&J's Lawn  Tree - $800. $200 removal. $200 stump. $500 trim.

Your Tree Services - $2000. $100 stump.

Classy Oak - $900-$1000

At Your Service - $1600. $200 stump. 

True Outdoors - $900 all in.

Decision - I went with True Outdoors. They matched prices and seemed legit. 150 5 stars on Google. Claimed to have insurance and workman's comp. I didn't verify. The owner suggested he would be onsite (ended up doing the work). Said I could call his insurance co. He seemed to be clean cut and trustworthy. And most importantly, he gave me little time to hem and haw. He surprised me when he said he would meet my price and could do it the next day. Said he had a crane. How could I say no? I signed his estimate/contract on his tablet on the spot. Received a text and email confirmation.

Service Day - They texted the next day at about eleven am. Said they were on their way. A half hour later, four guys showed up. The owner said he didn't want to use the crane (access issues) and would do the cutting himself. I was ambivalent. I didn't want any long cuts to scrape or hit the roof (or my neighbors) because they couldn't shimmy up far enough. But, I didn't want my (or my neighbors) lawn torn up either by a crane. Long story short. He got to cutting. It took about two hours. Only one minor dent in a gutter drain. I could have lived without the bobcat going on to my lawn so many times to pick up debris. They had a guy with a leaf blower on the roof. They cleaned the yard. I ended up paying $60 to remove excess debris from Helene. They emailed me a bill. I paid online. 3% cc fee. The only possible issue was that the guy grinding the stump found plastic pipe debris. He may have hit the sewer line. I had an issue with a back up in my shower three days after this. I called the owner and he said he would stop by. It has been a week and he hasn't. Keep tabs for an update. 

Warning - Here is what happened (or didn't) with Deangelos Land Services. They scheduled me and didn't show. They gave me this price ostensibly because they were doing my neighbors as well. I guess they flaked on her too. I will interject at this point that with hindsight I believe they do the higher paying jobs first. We re-scheduled for a week later. That day the boss (Lex Kovacs) came and said he needed bigger machinery (True Outdoors would disagree). Could we do it the next day? Then it rained. Could we reschedule? "Thank you for being patient with us, we'll get this done". I waited a week and then thought I would get a reasonable due date. FYI the statements in quotation marks are from our (and his sales guy Anthony Siler) text thread. "Welcome back. We will be there asap". I asked if he could be more specific. "I can't, this job is complex and pricing is also too low to plan a day around. So I have to fit it in when I have some softness in my schedule and I am in your area. Your job was quoted to be done on the same day we were across the street. Which is why it is more than 50% off its regular price. If this is urgent, and you don't want to wait for us, I can give you a few other tree companies that I trust. They could get the work done sooner that are a little less busy than we are". He then sent a few links. I texted that we had a written contract and that I hadn't created this problem. I waited a few days. He ghosted me. I texted the Sales Guy to see if they had canceled the contract so that if I found someone else they wouldn't come after me for the money. "Unfortunately we will be canceling our contract with you due to not be able to get the proper equipment to do the job safely. If you insist on taking action, feel free to do what you need to do and I will have our attorneys respond promptly". "You and I know that you have no grounds to take action because in our terms and condition it clearly states that we can cancel the contract at any time for any reason". I then wrote that that would defeat the purpose of an agreement if one side wasn't bound and that since they supplied the contract it would be read against the drafter. He then ghosted me too. I texted that I was trying to keep them from making a poor business decision. Recall that they missed the date they had assigned for me and the neighbor. Then others. Then promised "asap" weeks later. Then immediately backed off that when pressed. Said it was a matter of dollars and cents not availability. Then tried to wiggle out/extend the waiting period without canceling. Then unilaterally broke the agreement.

In the end I will likely not take them to small claims court to teach them a lesson. I believe I (and you) could get the difference between what we bargained for and the additional cost of a replacement as an award/damages. Maybe lost time and punitive damages. A real suit for specific performance is less likely or advisable. However, I am going to hit every ratings service (BBB, Chamber of Commerce, Google, Yelp, Angie's, etc) that I can find. And we have this website and my big mouth. So all in all, I think it will end up costing them more than the difference in whomever they ripped off in place of me.

Conclusion - If you don't shop around you will get ripped off. Don't look like a sucker. Have a low estimate ready to bargain with. Verify as much as you can. Make sure what kind of equipment they have access to (some of them said they would have to rent it). Ask how long it will take and when it will happen and what will happen if it doesn't. I guess you can ask about all the terms in their contract (I assume they will think it gives them all the leverage). And pray nothing bad happens. Because it is a big enough pain in the ass to begin with. I would be there for the cut. Take pics and/or video before and after.

List of Companies (with info) -

J&J Lawn & Tree: 407-774-2076. Longwood. Lic seems inactive.

Tree Doctors America: Orlando. Lic active. Listed as Daytona Beach.

Amazon Tree Care: Apopka. Lic active.

Sunstate Tree: Sanford. Lic inactive.

Angel Oak Arbor Care: S Daytona. Lic inactive.

Higher Standards Tree Care: Daytona Beach. Lic active.

Jean Pierre Tree Service: No lic info. I think this was a business card.

Ben Muriel Landscape & Tree Service: Maitland. Lic inactive.

Legend's Tree Experts: 386-320-9291. No lic info.

A Budgets: 407-327-2520. Winter Springs. Lic active. 3/5 Stars.

Seminole Pro: 407-431-1484. Sanford. Lic active. 5/5 Stars.

JB Tree Care: 407-450-1424. Geneva. Lic inactive. 

Core Tree Service. 386-282-3023. 

McCullough: 407-734-5854. 

Word of Mouth: 407-862-9779. Altamonte.

Classy Oak: 386-500-8105. Daytona.

At Your Service: 321-303-0315. Apopka.

Elite Tree Care: 386-436-0177.

Your Tree Services: 321-303-1677. Deland. Didn't have proper equipment.

Gregg's: 407-866-8022.

True Outdoors: 386-956-1883. 150/150 5 Stars on Google. 2/3 5 Stars on Yelp.

*Update 5/6/2025: They did hit the sewer line. It was finally remedied around a month later by Septic Dominators (407-888-8400). They put a rubber sleeve on one area that was "encumbered" and joined the other side with a fitted piece that they cut to fit the damaged area. They then covered the joints with some kind of cement. True Outdoors picked up the bill (I had to pay $400 to have the sewer line unclogged). I believe he said it was around $400. But, this was a special favor price that they gave him and who knows if that was the true cost. It took a few weeks to get True Outdoors to attend to the issue. The first promised "inspection" never happened. They also didn't come through with a recommended plumber and I had to quickly do a audition. I had to then text and call a few times. Some communication was ignored. But, finally the owner came out and dug up the area and found the damaged area. He immediately scheduled the sewer specialist (next day service) and paid them directly.

Roof Power Wash Tutorial

www.thisoldhouse.com says it should cost $300 to $1050. www.longboatkeyroofing.net says $150 to $1000 with an average of $452. Asphalt shingles are less. Dirtier is more. There is pressure v soft. That's all the info I was armed with initially. I did no research. I approached a guy doing a neighbors house. He quoted $350 and walkway and driveway for an extra $75. I accepted. His company is Fireman Tom's Pressure Washing Co. 407-459-2032. firemantom@gmail.com. Licensed and insured. License as of 2015 in Oviedo. A+ at BBB. He came on time. Washed all and structure too. Used my faucets. I think only soap or chlorine. Soft. Had to leave to fix broken strap. Put garbage bags around gutters. Left at 5pm. Great effort. No issues. I paid online. 3% credit card charge. I doubt you will find better.