Mama Louise, Sand Lake Rd Area

I had plenty of time and free mileage on my rental car on Wednesday, so, I decided to drive down here and scratch these guys off the list. It is where Carriera's was on Dr. Phillips Blvd. I really wanted a pizza, but, I did Chicken Parmigiana with Spaghetti for $8.50 because I didn't want to wait. All the lunch prices are about half of the dinner prices. I think I know why. You get half as much. They lost my order. Only three parties in the restaurant at the time. The chicken part was mostly breading. The pasta was soggy. Probably pre-cooked and warmed in a bath so it becomes even more overcooked. Sauce was au naturel. It's a shame because while I waited I read some nice article on the owner and saw a table eat a nice looking pizza. They are trying to do a New Haven style experience here and I've been to some of those places like Frank Pepe's. The menu here runs from $10 apps (really sides) to $15 to $18 entrees. It makes no sense. A pasta dish is almost as much as steak or veal or chops. Pizza starts at $15. They opened in December. It looks the same. It seats well over a hundred. It has a band area and a patio. The bar was nicely stocked. If I ordered something else maybe I would be a little more enthusiastic. But, as these guys like to say - "It is what it is". At least it's not a chain and at least the worst you can get screwed for is $18.

Maddey's Craft and Cru, Downtown - Closed

If you are a assiduous reader of this journal then you will know that they and I got off to a rocky start. Three times I tried. And three times they weren't open. I really was loaded for bear (is it bear as in I'm going to kill a bear?). I tried them at lunch on Wednesday. They are behind Hamburger Mary's on Church Street. I had the Angus burger because I had been in the UK for three weeks and I wanted something home spun. Plus the pulled pork didn't seem like it would tell me much about how they cook on the fly. It has to be made ahead of time. The burger came on a pretzel roll with a green tomato jam and white cheddar and a side of Parmesan fries. It cost $14. A little steep. The roll wasn't very pretzel-y. That is a good thing in my book. It was kind of brioche-y. Fresh. The cheddar was cheddar in a Vince Vaughn slangy 90's compliment way. I couldn't taste the jam. The meat was good. A wide grind. Seemed lean. Beefy flavor. Good color. I ordered it medium rare and it was rare. That made it hard to review the flavor. The seared coat was beefy tasting though. The patty was big and hand made. They didn't push down on it while grilling it. It broke the string of bad burgers I was on. The fries were thin with a touch of skin on the ends. They timed the fry nicely. They gave me two portions worth. The grated cheese was an unneeded touch of flare. They served some home made catsup that was more of a tomato sauce (no sugar). I liked the effort. Tells you something. Soda was $2.50. They use crushed ice. Sometimes that stuff stinks worse than cubes. Not here. Hopefully, they will keep the ice machine mildew free. The menu is limited. Burgers, salads, apps, pizza and pasta is most of it. They add a steak and fish ( I think) for dinner. It's pub grub and pizza. The theme seems to be NYC. If they can do the Italian side of the menu as well as the American, then I think we have something here. Nothing to get crazy about. My brother used to get all these hard core porno magazines and one (Hustler I think) had a movie review scale with erect penises. Not sure why I'm telling you this, but, I'm sick of the usual rating devices and this seems unusual. The best was "fully erect". These guys are "3/4 erect" based on what I've seen so far. It's not new. It's not progressive. It was just one slightly under cooked (but acceptable) burger and some fries. I still hate the layout (as always) in this location. It still looks like a work in progress (ie wine cellar area isn't operational and full of junk). However, it seems like they are taking this seriously. Service was good. It was clean. The menu seems manageable. Prices are ok. They said they have been open for three weeks. The place was almost empty at 1pm. Maybe the lunch crowd had already passed. Maybe the dinner level prices at lunch scared them away. Maybe nobody who works downtown goes out for lunch when it is 95 degrees? It's just an observation. Give them a whirl.

Urban Crave, OIA

I'm not sure if it is worth it (rating an airport kitchen), but, it will give me a chance to to slam two deserving miscreants. I ate here on my way to the UK three weeks ago. I forget which terminal. It is the one with the Chili's (or some chain that serves Mexican). We'll get back to them in a minute. I had a Cobb Salad for $13. It was ok. They had some ok wine and beer choices. It took forever to get a salad that seemed pre-prepped. Now to the meat of the article. The first slap goes out to the dimwit at Chili's that didn't seem to know how to seat people in a half empty dining room. She just kept adding names to an unnecessary waiting list instead of filling tables. Perpetrator number two gets its own paragraph.

Norwegian Air. Where do we start? Let's start with their (probably illegal) policy of requiring a return ticket or they won't fly you out. I asked immigration officials in London if this is their policy (maybe a terrorism issue) and they said "No". They claim they state this on their web site. I didn't see it and they let people buy one ways. I'm researching this and the complaint letters are already written in my head if they are lying or violating the law. So, I had to "cement" my plans at the counter and buy a higher priced ticket than I would have had to or I would have not been allowed on my flight. Not to mention all the pre-booked stuff that would have been lost. They also quoted the price before tax while representing that it was an after tax price. Then the red eye (already late night) flight was 90 minutes late. Because of incoming delays. It is their plane that was late (and my 4pm back from England was 90 minutes late as well). On the flight, only water is free. Not even a soda! And that is only served sporadically. Headphones, pillows, blankets all cost. Getting a confirmed seat costs. a carry on over 10 kilos costs. I didn't catch the weight limit, but, checked bags over a certain amount (like the guy in front of me) costs. The crew was all from Thailand. They barely spoke English. I'll bet that is some union run around. They don't have shades on the windows. The movie selection was sparse. I'm all for paying ala carte, but, they push the boundaries of acceptability.

Loudmouth Burgers, Orlando

I tried this three month old burger restaurant today. In part to contrast it with the last post and in part to get it over with. You would think this place was right up my alley. It is on John Young just past Sand Lake. I saw it when I went to the Ritz a few months ago. It was offal. In that, that is what the meat tasted like. Offal. Pure liver. I don't know how you achieve that. If it is what is put in the grinder or if it is sign of age or contamination. It's not the first time this is happened to me. I guess there may be some logical explanation. I just wouldn't accept whatever it is. I had a mac and cheese burger because it sounded the least lame. It cost $8 and came with bacon bits and a chocolate chip cookie on the side. The mac had no flavor. Big tube pasta. Overcooked. The bacon was hard as rocks. The bun was ok. The patty size was big. It was machine made and probably frozen at some point. They served it very well done. It is a shame because they seem to want to be more than a fast food level restaurant. Even though they took over what was obviously a fast food locale (complete with drive thru) and the still make you order at a counter. The menu is five burgers (a spicy one, an egg one, a veggie one, etc), five chicken sandwiches, five-ish salads and french fries and onion rings. If you contrast them with SQ1, I paid what I should have paid there for a slightly worse burger. But, they added french fries for the four bucks difference. Here that would have been an extra $2. Still $2 up here. This place has less pizazz. Spartan and modern. But in an old fast food space. I remember white and black and maybe gray colors. They have one other outlet in Ohio. It seats about fifty. I had an ok sized crowd at lunch. Young'uns. I'd still pass unless you live close by.

Now it may be a few weeks before you hear from. Having strawberries and cream at Wimbledon and then....wouldn't you like to know. I hope I make it safely to the airport. I saw (on my way back from lunch) that the I-4 widening project had murdered some more people today and caused a log jam. Next time you see one of our illustrious leaders, ask them (for me) who has killed more people this year - them (through the widening) or the Pulse killer. I bet they wouldn't like to think of themselves that way.

SQ1, Winter Park - Closed

I went to this burger bar on S. Orlando (near Marlowe's) on Saturday for lunch. I think it is just a few weeks old. Let me start by saying that most of the my criticisms will be of an Existential variety. Like whether burger bars/pub grub should continue to proliferate (or exist at all). The same with chains and their corporate structure in general. This is case of both. These guys are out of Tampa. With owners from Oklahoma. I wanted a Cobb Salad, but, I got a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger for you people. Hard to report back on the raw salad when you go to a burger bar. It was ok. I didn't like the beef mix or the grind. No flavor. Stringy and pellet like combo of grind. They said it was Angus, but, they also said they serve Kobe (see my Doghaus rant on that) and I'm not sure how closely the people they buy the beef from follow the law or if the law has teeth. I believe I've seen/heard things that say they do not. They did cook it medium rare as requested. And that is what hurts me. THEY did nothing wrong. It is the corporate decision makers that hand cuffed them in this case. By GIGOing them. Who knows? Maybe this was just a bad batch of meat. I, also, don't like that they use a mold to craft the patties. The veg were fresh enough. The bacon was a tad under cooked. But, it is often soooo teeth splitingly overcooked that this wasn't such a negative. The cheese was cheddar. I don't remember it, so, it must have had little flavor. I, likewise, don't recall the bun. It came with fries. Once again, I fault upper management. I just don't like these starch coated, skin on fries. I even have a fear that the skin is painted on after they form them from mush. They don't get golden enough and taste like instant mashed potatoes inside. Lots of places use both this kind of beef and fries and that is why I ask the "Existential" question. I'd like MORE for a specialty shop. This was the same burger (minus inked incest survivors) I can get at Tilted Kilt. It was actually worse. The meal cost $12. And that is another HUGE issue. Their whole menu is about 50% too high. They have burgers that you could legally have sex with if dollars were years. The menu has "diversity" at the app level. Pub grubby type stuff. The main course level is almost all burgers. Granted they have them in chicken, lamb, pork, salmon, etc. It's that and some desserts. The space is also poorly laid out. They have a too big a bar area and then most of the tables are in a "moat" around it. Most of the table where I sat were one table away from the john or the kitchen. A lady next to me asked to move. In her words "I don't want to look at a wall".  I thoroughly agree. My table had a choice of walls to look at. Both sides of the table were at a disadvantage. The decor is also odd. It is plush and faux costly, but, it is if one of my old bohemian, prep school girlfriends took her bare footed, sun dressed ass down to SoHo and bought up whatever the gay guy with the queer eye said was in fashion at the time. It's bird's nest lamps and bull horns and bovine skins and pictures of food porn. I know it is Boho chic. It's just overdone. Even for this burb. Even for an equally tired trend (ie burgers). Plus upper management screws them again by making the bar area clash. It's a molded serpentined, recessed ceiling that you see at a food court or airport restaurant. And they painted it red. They probably think they are color blocking (like that was ever anything but lack of taste). The overall color scheme is grey and black with brown wood accents. Look. This is a slight riff on what you've had before. It is Demi Lovato in a Selema Gomez world. Do you want more tattoos and drug laden skeletons in the closet? Do you want the fat ass? Do you want the Bieber residue? Does it matter? The service and management were very hospitable and really want to please you. They want you to respond to their effort in "ALL CAPS!". I can only go lower case with a period at the end. Maybe they can convince the real decision makers to up their game? Maybe this post is the start?

Casey's Sports Bar, Lake Mary

I stopped in at this take over of Finnegan's last week at night. It's in the Winn Dixie shopping center. I opened the door and closed it. They allow smoking. It stunk. It didn't look any different. It was full (six people) of white trash. Now you know.

Avanti, Lake Mary - Closed

I had an order of lasagna and an Italiano Panini wrapped up to go from this take over of Ravalia's on Thursday. The lasagna ($9) was better than I expected. A huge portion. I tried a bite (it was to be dinner) and kept on eating. It is a non-traditional lasagna. They substituted a bechemal type sauce for ricotta. The filling was ground pork. They double sheeted the bottom of the lasagna. It was a two level lasagna. The reason for this may be that the owners are Colombian. It was good regardless. The tomato sauce was fresh. the pasta was cooked well. The mozzarella was good. The sandwich ($8) came on great bread. A sesame roll I would eat plain. They could have parted with a slice or two extra on the three cold cuts. The quality of the meat (cap/salami/pro) was middling. Also in the mix was mozzarella and red peppers. It came with fries. They could have used thirty seconds more in the fryer. Close though. I dipped the fries in the leftover lasagna goo. Lasagna fries have to be the next rage. Believe me. All in all I was impressed. Ravalia's got worse every time I went back. These guys didn't seem to have cleaned or upgraded anything, so, I expected the same poor execution. Ravalia's started out well too. Hopefully, these guys don't shoot their wad/lose their passion too quickly (or at all). Like I said, the place needs a bath and some botox. They just took over last week,so, I'll give them a pass. Though, I would have addressed that BEFORE I tried to lure people in. Maybe they are on a shoe string? They said the menu is a "new direction". It looked nearly the same as Ravalia's if you ask me. The place was full at lunch. The owner is the son of the guy who ran Wilfredo's on Lake Ivanhoe. I forget what I thought of that place. * Just looked. I hated it. Called it Sh-Italian. Man I'm funny.

CJ's Italian Kitchen, Longwood

I got a slice and a chicken parm sandwich to go at this Italian restaurant near Grafitti Junction on Wekiva Springs Rd last Thursday. I was going to eat there, but, it was empty and dark and the Ac was barely working. The slice ($3) was ok. It was a short and fat. The sauce was spicy. The cheese was odd. Probably a blend. The parm ($8) was under cooked and the chicken was not pounded at all. You could feel the fibers of the meat in your mouth. More of an American chicken sandwich type cut. The breading fell off easily. It seemed like it was hastily thrown together by a guy playing all the instruments. I'm 99.9% sure the owner was that one man band. He disappeared with my order and came back with the finished meal. The cheese and bread were good. It came with some decent fries. The owner said he used to run Juliana's (his wife's name I guess) in College Park. I'll have to look, but, I think I found them mediocre too. His last name sound more Romanian than Italian. If that matters to you. Or explains the non-traditional elements of the food. The menu is a greatest hits menu at fair prices. I'm surprised this type of banal effort isn't really popular around here. I take it it isn't by how quickly the owner tried to convince me it isn't always empty. The decor is very black. It needs a wash. It actually seems more like a bar. Now you know. They have been open for one year.

Best Seafood Place, West Colonial

I tried this seafood "market" and take out spot on West Colonial last night. It's near that big cop station and no that is not why I was down there. The place was as bad as it looks. I had two "jumbo" blue crabs for $10. One was good and the other was dead in the shell. Just pure mush. It gave me diarrhea the next day. I'm surprised it took that long. They drowned both in disgusting garlic oil. Nothing in the place looks fresh. The fish is still in those plastic bags you get at the frozen section of any supermarket. The worst part is that they don't stick to frozen fried items. They try and sell conch, crawfish, shrimp. mussels, clams, lobster! As fresh! The poor people in this neighborhood must always be retching. And the prices are sky high. The only thing I would consider ordering here is one of the $5 lunch deal. And hope they fry all the germs away.

Butter Chicken, Winter Park - Closed

I went to this Indian restaurant run by a Nepalese last Tuesday for lunch. It is on Howell Branch Rd on the Winter Park side. In some strip mall near a 7-11 that had or has some weird heavy metal bar. It took over a breakfast place. Uncle Henry's I think. I had the lunch buffet for $10. It was good. Five types of chicken (butter, tikka, tandori, 56, curry). I think the 56 (or something like that) is just old tandori pealed apart. Six or so vegetable dishes. I didn't try them. The usual veggies. I think there was soup and salad. They served fresh naan. The rice was a little stale. There was some dessert. The place is split into two rooms. They seemed to be saving on electricity (no lights on). The decoration is more hindu than muslim. The paintings/hangings portray more than written characters. The music seemed islamic though. The place seats about eighty. There were three other groups there at 1pm. The lone server was conscientious. The owner (down from Boston) was cordial. They take all credit cards and even bitcoin. It was better than I expected. They have been operating for around six months. They have a buy 6 get one free free buffet program.

Removing A Negative Item From Your Credit Report Tutorial

If you have read this blog for a while, you will remember a tutorial that chronicled my trip to an ER and the subsequent games they tried to play with the charges. I finally got around to disputing the claim (I had ordered a new batch of my free credit reports a few months before) they sent to a collection agency a few weeks ago. This is that tale.

Procedure

I try and limit my input of banking info or social security info from wifi connections. I keep a land line and ISP for these transactions. Using the dial up method was slow and it seemed like some of the companies were hiding places (ie under "collections" even if it said "no negatives" on the home page) where these charges could remain, so, I started using the 800 numbers and found that method more useful and timely. The three companies you need to contact are Trans Union, Experian and Equifax.

Experian (800-509-8495) was the last to complete their investigation. I was alerted today. I called them and requested a report because they hid the collection info online, so, I called to clarify what I saw and ended up submitting a verbal request. They took around four weeks. They sent a credit report to my house after the call. They sent the investigation result via the mail as well.

Equifax was contacted (by me) via their web site. They were the second to complete an investigation. They took around three weeks. They contacted me via email and I had to log in to get the info. They never sent any paper correspondence. That may be what you lose if you do it via a website. I had to request an updated credit report if I wanted to confirm it was off.

Trans Union (800-916-8800) was the first to respond. They cleared it up two days later. They sent written notification and another free, clean credit report. They even notified the other companies, so, perhaps one request is all you need to do. I spoke to a very helpful gentleman here.

I should add that they all sent printed notices that a fraud alert was put on my account and that the investigations had begun.

The Argument I Made: 

I basically explained that the charge was based on misrepresentation. They represented that the charges I paid were all inclusive. That turned out to be an untruth.

Conclusion: 

I was shocked at how easy it was to get this negative credit transaction off my credit report. I was really only trying to get my side of the story on the credit report. It used to be that it was next to impossible to get these reporting companies to amend your report. The opposite was true in this case. They didn't ask for evidence. They didn't stone wall me. The operators picked up in a timely manner. And of course they decided in my favor. The only "game" that you seem to have to watch out for is where they may hide certain negative information about you. Who knows it still may be there in an area they only show entities requesting my credit history. You can only do so much. I'll see if my credit score goes up.

You may ask why you would bother to do this if you aren't going to need a loan, etc. It is my understanding that almost everyone from insurance companies to prospective employers are combing through your credit history and judging you on it. That means no job, higher insurance premiums, higher credit card rates, higher auto loan rates, higher mortgage rates, etc. You don't want to be forced into settling with many of these collection agencies. You may have refused to pay because they were disputable and it was a matter of principle. Use this process to make sure you aren't penalized by the system. At worst, you get a fresh set of free credit reports.

*I encourage you to reread my auto insurance tutorial. Progressive is a bait and switch operation.

Manzanos Beachside Deli, New Smyrna Beach

I went to this deli across the street from the pizza place on Sunday because the majority of the "fancier" places were closed. I'm glad they were. If I wasn't such an idiot about trying new places, I would just come here every time from now on. I had a half of a NSB for $9. A half is like a whole normal hero/sub. This came with turkey, avocado, bacon and swiss cheese. I did mayo in lieu of ranch. The bread (French batard) was wonderful. A wide baguette. Crunchy. The turkey was about three inches thick. A generous portion of avocado. Half of the half of sandwich filled me up. They have lots of these pithy sounding sandwiches. Also panini, salads (green and mayo'd), breakfasts and even pizza. The place is a dump. Who cares? It was packed. The line moved quickly. A fountain soda was $2. A deal if you refill right before you leave for the beach. They have seating inside. Loved it.

Flagler Avenue Pizza, New Smyrna Beach

I tried this Italian walk up on Monday. Most of the sit down restaurants took the holiday off. I saw them on Saturday and the pies looked pathetic. Old. Congealed. I'm not sure if those were made in advance in anticipation of a holiday rush and are not the norm. However, the ones on Monday looked better. I just had a cheese for $3. It was good. I was scared when I saw how thick and crusty it was (it couldn't be folded), but, I liked it. The cheese was good. The sauce was unadulterated. They serve all the usual Italian fare. Even some pasta. It is small, so, it was full. Lots of teens. The place looks new and shiny. It has a big, welcoming open feel. They opened just seven months ago. I didn't see it the last time I was in town last year. I think that was November, so, that sounds right. It is on Flagler Ave across from the Shuffleboard courts. Not bad.

Ootoya, Altamonte Springs

I first became aware of this Japanese restaurant driving out of Koy Wan. I figured they would charge the same or more for a lunch than Koy's unlimited offer, so, I passed. I tried them on Sunday night (to go) because I was in the area and Koy's dinner price is higher then.so I wouldn't be mad at myself. Not that I wanted sushi after getting Mexican to go a few minutes before. But, I was there. I was pleasantly surprised. They were a step above the usual non-Japanese owned places. It may be a little gem. I need more data to make that call. I had two pieces each of red snapper and salmon. I also tried an avocado and peanut (I know) roll and an order of monk fish liver. The fish cost $5 (2 pc). One of the snapper was a little pasty. The other was good. They assured me it wasn't tilapia. The salmon was good. The knife work was a little clumsy. The rice was a tad over vinegared, but, otherwise up to snuff. The pieces were medium long and medium thick. The roll was weird as expected. I've never seen this combo before. The avocado acted as a kind of creamy peanut butter. The peanuts were salt roasted. I'm not sure if I'd order it again, but, it was an experience. The monkfish liver was ok. Four, thin slices from a cylinder of pate. It came with a ponzu sauce. It cost $9. I was just glad they offer it. They serve a wide variety of raw fish. The app list is a little more ambitious too. They serve tempura, katsu, teriyaki, udon, etc. They have a three roll special all day at $14. Lunch specials start at $10. The owner is Chinese. I've never seen Japanese Fried Rice before. Maybe it is a nod to his culture.The interior is very cute. It is on a lake (not the cleanest though). The room is very white with some wood accents and black calligraphy. They have (what I assume is) a fake cherry blossom tree in the center. It's a smallish, square room. The sushi bar is on the far wall. They pumped in lounge-y music. The service was polite and knowledgeable. They have around twenty sakes. I assume beer and wine too. I would actually go back for a sit down dinner. Two things (three including a return visit - four if it means driving far) that I reserve for special restaurants. They have been open for eight months. Pricing is equal to other less worthy competitors. It is located in a strip mall on 436 just off 434.

Fuzzy's Taco Shop, Altamonte Springs

Sorry to bombard you with all of these, but, I had a busy weekend. I stopped off here on the way home on Sunday. I just read about them in the Orlando Weekly and I had to go when I drove right by it. It is a chain out of Ft. Worth. Another one is coming to East Colonial. Tijuana Flats, Moes, Qdoba, Jimmy Hulas, Chi-pottle et al can kiss the ring. You just got kinged. This place looks nicer and has more items. The quality is way better too. I grabbed a soft shrimp taco and a hard shredded brisket taco to go. You order at the counter and they give you a beeper. The shrimp ($3) was good enough. Four shrimp, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese and queso anejo. The brisket ($2.59) portion was big and I didn't have to order three. It came with the same toppings. The hot sauce (on the side) was nice and hot. Good flavor. I don't think a single thing was over single digits in price. The place was packed, so, I guess the word is out. It seats about fifty. It is at the corner on Gateway Dr and 434. Near that road off the Maitland exit. Near the RDV complex. They have all the usual Mexican items. They also serve breakfast all day. I would never go to those other places again if they opened one of these near me. It will be on the low price "Best of" list at the end of the year.

Black Rock, Orlando - Closed

I was going to try one of the new place at Disney on Sunday and then hit traffic. I detoured to this location. I had read a while back that a new craft something or other opened there. It didn't take I guess. This place has taken root. It is a burgeoning chain out of Michigan. Seven locations in all. I think they said there is another in Tampa. It wasn't half bad. I have to get my head examined because this is like the third chain in a row that I haven't hated. I wasn't very hungry so I had a New England Clam Chowder and a Bubbling Shrimp appetizer. I was making up for the missed opportunities on Saturday in NSB. The chowder was good. Rich. Lots of fresh clams. The portion was a bit small. Really a cup. However, it was so rich that I probably wouldn't have wanted more. It cost $5. The shrimp (8) came on a hot stone (their gimmick). Actually in a cruset on a hot stone. It was "bubbling" in a black cajun/creole sauce. Not bad. It came with some really soaked garlic bread. I still had indigestion from Wahlburgers, so, I just took a nibble. The place is black and gray. It looks huge, but, seats less than you would think. It looks like it could be in a ski resort. The menu is high on the low end. Not too high on the upper end (ie steaks). Think $20-$30. All the apps were double digits. The $3 soda was a downer. Between tax, tip and soda, $16 turned into $24. I would suggest they hide their staging area better. The back left room has a birds eye view of one that is really egregious. It is on Apopka Vineland and Conroy Windermere. It has been open for either one or three weeks. Service was fine. They had alot of staff in uniform.

Doghouse, College Park

I saw this spot out of the corner of my eye when I ate at that mediocre bistro a few weeks back. I tried in on Sunday. It is an add on to that"fancy" ice cream parlor on Edgewater Dr. I grabbed a small tots to go because I don't pay $6 for a hot dog. Especially one on one of those 7-11 rotators. I pay up to $2 and only want mustard and sometimes sauerkraut. I'm not one of those Mid-western idiots that puts a chef's salad on one. The tots (Totchos) came with green onions, cheese sauce and bacon. They cost $4 for a small. The portion was more than enough. The tots were crisp and the toppings were good.The cheese sauce was ballpark cheese sauce (which I like). The bacon was a little raw.  Back to the dogs. They sell a "Kobe"dog. There is no way it is Kobe beef. I just saw a special on how Americans lie (it's more than puffery) about things being Kobe. It's a special grade that the Japanese sanction like the French do wine. Something like 200 lbs of it ever makes it to our shores. Even big restaurants like Homestead in NYC lie about having it. Don't waste your money and shame on them. The place is just a closet off the ice cream store. It has a hip look. They have been open for either three weeks or months. I forget what they said. Expensive hot dogs seem to be the latest scam to separate you from your money. I saw some going for $10 later in the day.

Dapper Duck, Downtown - Closed

I saw a review of these guys in the Orlando Weekly. They opened six weeks ago. It is run by the same people that run Downtown Pour. I went in last night in hopes of salvaging a trip downtown. It's not bad, but, it's not different. In fact it is the apotheosis (not in an aggrandizing way) of every industry trend. They have cocktails, craft beer, wine and hipster food. Can you be anymore lame? The menu is composed of burgers, shrimp and grits, short ribs and every other cliche. Yes, this fad is THAT played out! I never thought Downtown Pour brought anything special to the table (save the fact they got screwed by UCF's winless season ie free beer), so, this isn't that surprising. Downtown was pretty empty last night, but, this place was pretty empty for a new place and alot of the patrons were out of towners. Even the staff is dated. The hipster beard thing is played out. Don't you think? Hopefully, this a "jump the shark" moment for Downtown. The place does look nice though. Guess what kind of light bulbs they chose. The staff was nice.

Wahlburgers, Downtown - Closed

The party kept going on Saturday downtown. I had to eat at this glorified Wendy's because those a-holes at Maddey's still haven't opened. I had a triple cheeseburger for $10. I've had indigestion ever since. This is the second franchise I have tried. Not impressed. The whole menu is lifted from Wendy's. At double the cost. Of course it was packed. Every "hood big shot" who still probably made his date pay for dinner was there. They have a bar. It's on the corner of Orange and Church. It is to food what Marky Mark is to acting or singing. Mediocrity must run in the family. Funny story - my brother sells hair growing devices. One of Marky's piss boys called him up a few years ago. I wonder why. Maybe ask Donny.

Central 28 Beer Company, DeBary

I located this brewery on my way home on Saturday. You get off at Exit 108 and go to 17-92. Then either a right and a left at Spring something (looks like a housing community entrance) and then left on S Shell and a right into an industrial complex. Look for a lobster food truck. Or go left on 17-92 and find S Shell near the gas station and light rail stop and make a right onto S Shell. It was worth the effort. I tried the beers I hadn't had at local bars and they were all good. The place is cool. Every seat was taken. They have been in business since 2014. They have cases or growlers to go. A top tier local brewer.