Bombay Street Kitchen, Orange Blossom Trail

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grub Crawl - NoDo: Maki Hibachi and The Tavern

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grub Crawl - NoDo: City Pub and Guacamoli

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chicago Dog & Co, Altamonte Springs

I tried this Chicago style snacks stand over two weeks ago at dinner. I had a double smash burger ($6) and a Chicago dog ($4) to go. While I'll never accept that a pickle and tomato justify doubling the price of a dog, I am liking the "salad" dog more as grow older. This Rover had good snap. Beef? The pickle was fresh. Two peppers that I tossed. Onions, relish and mustard. The burgers were beefy. Well done. Small. Thin. Nooks. Probably flamed. Grilled onions. American cheese. Ok bun. No condiments. They sell around ten things. Italian beef, dogs and burgers. Everything is probably priced double what comparable fast food goes for. But, that's in line with these mom and pop places. It took over an ice cream stand that I think was called Snowflake. They have a decent size parking lot and a covered picnic area away from the road. It is west (towards Apopka) of 434 on 436. Not too far past 434. On the right side of 436 coming from I-4. Next to another place that has been there forever. I think that is an Irish place. Open for probably two months now (factoring in my delay in reporting). I believe they do at least lunch and dinner.

*The next posts will be from this week. I may break one into two parts.

Pub Crawl - SoDo and Downtown: Rockpit Brewing and Broken Strings Brewery

I tried these two breweries after Disney two weeks ago. The first is on S. Orange Ave near Michigan (Illiana St). Behind Cecil's Texas BBQ. You can take the street after the rr tracks if you enter from I-4. The second is just past the soccer stadium on the left. On Church St.

Rockpit Brewing - Open for two years. Posters of miners on the walls. Not minors! That would be problematic. Small. Fireplace. Woody. New Orleans food truck in front. Good beer. Bar on the left. Means of operation all around. Tiny parking lot. Had a Cackler and a pale ale. $3 for a 4 or 5 oz. 

Broken Strings Brewery - Open (in some form) for five years. Said they "merged" with Black Cauldron. Small room. Means of operation behind a wall behind the bar. Parking lot. Said you can park there for games for $20. Rock n roll caricatures. Games. Vinyl sales area. Good beer. Had a red ale, a NE IPA and a Black IPA. $2.50 for 5 oz pours. I think they close early. Like before dinner time. Can't remember if that was a Covid thing.

*Another brewery called Gaitlin Hall is almost open south on S Orange (by Le Cordon Bleu) and Motorwerks on N Orange (Downtown) in the old Mini Cooper/Orlando Brewing space looks open. After those two, I think the one in Eustis is the last one in the CF area not accounted for.

Grub Crawl - Disney Springs: Paradiso 37 and Everglazed Donuts

 We've got a lot to catch up on and not that much time to do it in, so, The next posts will come fast and furious. Maybe one a day for the next week. I finally tried this supposedly 37 country (but mostly Mexican) restaurant two weeks ago at lunch. I think it is the oldest of the surviving ones. That it was the last one I went to tells you what my intuition thought of it. It's in the middle. Back by the lake. It has a Key West feel. The menu is supposed to be from 37 countries. Hardly. And why Canada and poutine is ram rodded in there, I have no idea. Maybe they are the only ones white enough to think this stuff is Latin. They do have something called an Argentinian steak and salsipapas (tiny hot dogs) from South America. The rest of the "foreign' options are things quesadillas. I tried the cheapest thing because the menu was simple and overpriced. Very Disney. It cost $18. It was the pulled pork sandwich. It was ok. The other barbeque spot there is better. Very sauced. Slice of pineapple. Slaw. Ok sesame coated bun. Ok fries served in a basket. Service was good. Food came out pretty fast. Bar on right. Patio on lake. Nice decor. Rum posters. You can skip it. Should I make a John Milton joke?

Everglazed Donuts - I actually came here for them. Open for three months. Gourmet donuts. The first location. Florida theme. Also sells drinks and beer. Two categories of donuts. One costs $4.50. One $5.50. I had a $4.50 Fruity Pebbles. It was pretty good. Big. I think I failed it. I didn't eat it right away and left it in a hot car. It mad the cereal kind of stale. It had a white icing blob on top. Donut tasted good. You could tear the top half from the bottom. It is a rectangular build with windows on the front side. You walk down to the counter and then pick up and walk the other way out of the store. Aside the bowling alley nearer to the circus tent. 

*I saw that there was a new (very popular) sweets place on the way to Paradiso from the green lot. I think it was called 8 Tracks way back. Now it looks like a Harry Potter theme rip off. Wasn't about to wait in line to find out. It was also nice to inter act with the Disney gestapo before entering. If only we spent as much energy combating terrorism as we do a virus. The new place next to Jaleo seems stuck in neutral. And no sign of the Brooklyn pastry store. There was some wood paneling over a location that was near where I first saw the sign. The sign is gone. Maybe they are too. Next post will be about two breweries.

Grub Crawl - West Colonial: Spicy & Juicy Crab and Hunan Taste *AZ Travel Notes

I tried these spots on West Colonial (50) last Wednesday at lunch. I knew the first would be bad and it was. I thought I had been to the second and I guess neither this blog nor I have a any evidence of that.

Spicy & Juicy Crab - I first ran into this place looking for another place around a year ago. It is in a shady strip mall at Hiawassee. It is probably the worst boil place I've examined. I ordered three blue crabs for $13. I figured they'd be frozen. They were. But, I figured everything else would be as well. As I said, they were frozen. Tasteless. Dry. Shrunken. I didn't even bother with the corn or potato.Hhad to get out as quick as possible before I caused a scene. The only other people there were a murder of crows. Female. They were all (one on the phone with an accountant or someone) loudly discussing plans to defraud the government. The one on the phone with a third party kept insisting she should get PPE money as she was an independent contractor. That and the music they chose made it a nauseating experience aside from the food. They have a big square room. Looks like it was once a bar. They had a pool table. Bar up front. They said it has been open for three years. No respectable person would step foot in here. To top it off, they added a 15% gratuity. I think I double tipped. Shows what kind of clientele they attract if they have to force people to tip.

Hunan Taste - In the back of the Westside Crossings Mall (Chinatown). Open for two years. Very interesting menu that I chose poorly on. They have exotic stuff like duck in beer sauce, tripe, rabbit, trotters, etc. Plus some basic stuff like Kung Pao chicken. I settled on a dry pot basil chicken for $14. I was taking it home. I didn't want anything that would spoil or spill. Plus these sounded simple. I figured it would come out fast. It was the kind of Chinese dish I hate. They rough chopped bad parts (drums and who knows whats) and left the bones in. It was micro-surgery to eat around the sinews and veins and bones. A real pain in the ass. Plus they covered it in a sweet and goopy sauce that made the chicken skins even soggier. It came with white rice. They were generous with the portions and the place has the sort of vibe that I trust. I'll have to try again. It's a small square room. Some tables of four and big family tables. All the customers were Chinese. I'd stake my reputation that it is considered a higher end place. The menu isn't huge. I almost tried the dumplings. Subtle, subdued decor. Hunan is south central China. Where Mao was born. Food is usually considered spicier than even Szechuan.

*I went back to Shanghai Lane and tried the salt soy milk soup and pan fried pork buns. Soup wasn't good. Buns may be my new favorite things. More dumplings than bao. I'll update that post with the details.

**Travel Notes - Arizona: Not too many. Much fast food. In Tucson tried a sandwich and french fry chain of thirty locations called Eegee's. Sucked. Had another bad chicken salad with almond sandwich at another smaller chain called Baggin's. In Flagstaff had a bad pizza at NiMarco's. Ok Moo Goo Gai Pan at Mandarin Gardens. Bad bison barbacoa tacos at Cowboy Club (on 3D) in Sedona. Ok green chilie and pork soup and French pastry (chicken, brie and pear sandwich) at Perfect Pear Bistro in Tempe. Bad carnitas nachos at Maskadores in Tempe. The best thing I had all week was at a burgeoning chain called Gadzook's. They one up Chipotle. They have a brick wood burning oven that they heat up your meal in. They market it as enchiladas and soup. You get two enchiladas or three. I had two. Modelo braised bison and guajillo braised short ribs. You fill them as usual. Then they go under the heat and the cheese topping gets all gooey. They also have veg fillings and roasted tomatillo chicken and green chile pork shoulder. The soups looked great. They also do tacos. Also do bowls. Someone should make contact with this ownership group. I think they just have three locations so far. I stayed at mostly $100 a night places. Nothing to write home about. Mostly went to National Parks. There is a nice town south of Sedona called Cottonwood. Weather was perfect. A little windy to start. Airport wasn't that crowded this time around. 

Grub Crawl - International Drive: Hidden Sushi and Ole Red

 I tried this twp spots on I-Drive on Tuesday night. Early. The first place has always been packed. they suggested I try at 4:30pm. They open at 4pm. They are in the strip mall near Fun Spot that has the Peter Glenn ski store. In the back corner. In the corner of  the space in the corner of that area of the mall. The second is in the space that holds the Ferris Wheel. Across from Tapa Toro. It's a chain owned/licensed by Blake Shelton.

Hidden Sushi - So hidden that they have flown under the radar for two to three years it seems. I ate at a Portuguese place here before that. They do Brazilian sushi. And while I'll say that I'm not thoroughly on board, they are better than the place across the street that I tried a few months back. No contest. They do a $24 Tuesday all you can eat. $28 on other days. I was stupid and ordered ala carte. It ended up being around the same price. I had 2 salmon uramaki (a salmon roll topped with shimeji). They said this was pureed mushroom. It was on top. They sell them by the piece of a roll. They cost $1.25 a piece. Not bad. I also had 4 very big pieces of salmon sashimi. $150 a piece. Fresh. I had 2 pieces of tuna nigiri. Fresher than I expected. Thick slice. I had 4 pieces of salmon nigiri. Not as good as the sashimi. A different cut of the fish. Tougher. They also don't do the rice correctly. Plus they use too much. A piece cost $1.50. Menu said 99 cents. I ended with one roll piece each of djo. One was salmon topped with honey and peanuts. One was salmon and cream cheese topped with crushed Doritos. They were very good and creative. $1.25 each. They have a big menu. However, alot is salmon and cream cheese obsessed. They also have a junk food starter menu with nuggets, etc. Most of the seating now is outside (still inside) now. Around fifty seats. The inside is a small rectangular space. service was good. It was about a third full. It's the better option if you are looking to try Brazilian sushi. 

Ole Red - A House of Blues type place. Live music. Stage. Big. Two stories. Open for ten months. I was going to try gator wings. They were out. Grabbed something cheap and fast that could be refrigerated. Hot chicken sandwich for $13. It was bad. A thigh that seemed to have frost bite. Rubbery. They also seemed to make it hot  by sprinkling on dry rub. That must be the Nashville way because I just saw a travel show where a place called Edley's did the same thing. I didn't remember that. I'm not a fan. It leaves you with a mouth full of unpleasant, raw grit. Plus it was too spicy in a burning way. The better part of the dish were the tots. They looked like golf balls cut in half. Half mashed potatoes and half hash browns. They weren't cooked through though. Worth it if they are done properly. I'm sure they copied someone. Can't wait to find out who really created these. The menu is predictable. I saw a bad looking burger and a huge pulled pork sandwich. The pork looked mushy though. Nothing unexpected. A tourist trap. Go for the music and hooch. I guess Ole Red is a dog.

Ellipsis Brewing, OIA Area

I tried this brewery just outside of the airport around two weeks ago at lunch time. I believe they said they have been there for three years. It's a small, square, high ceilinged warehouse section on TPC Blvd. This street is like a quarter mile up on the right off 436 at the street that has the Rock N Brew. They are only open during the day now. I had an average IPA and an average Pilsner. They had around a dozen beers. Alot had some New England designation. A sample size was $3. I would have tried more, but, I was catching a plane and driving and it was the middle of the day.

Grub Crawl - Sanford: Kitchen AF and Parva

 I stumbled upon these two in a strip mall (with a Qdoba) on 17-92 and Lake Mary Blvd about ten days ago at lunch. The first was in an ex- half El Salvadoran place I reviewed back in March of 2014 called Sunny Breeze Cafe. Not sure when they closed the doors. Told you I stumbled upon these. They say they also have a location in Winter Park on Aloma. I forgot to check if I reviewed that. That location only has lunch hours. This one is open all day.

Kitchen AF - Basically an order window. Which is appropriate because the food was fast food quality. I had an Orange Ave Chicken Sandwich for $9. I recently had two McChickens for $3 (for both). They were as good. The funny thing is they served it in a container ala the McDLT. Hot on one side. Cold on the other. This one was a frozen patty probably purchased at Publix. They sprinkled some old diced carrot and field greens on it and dipped it in "Mandarin orange sauce". Poor AF. Plus it took a while to make. I went to the next spot after I ordered and they beat them to the punch. The staff seemed stoned. They also sell burgers, pasta, soup, subs, bowls salads and dinners. I can't say I will be curious enough to find out if they are any better. Open for nine months.

Parva - They saved the day. A Colombian place that has been there for three years. I just ordered a pan con lechon (pulled pork) for $8. Notice the lower price. It was fairly moist (one top piece was a bit dry) and tasty pork. A fair amount. Swiss. Grilled (slightly under cooked) onions. Good roll. The plantain chips were a bit old. Just bought and ate two bags on a bogo, so, I was up on my plantain knowledge. They look like a coffee shop. The decor makes me think they took over one. But, they have a big menu.  Full breakfast. Rice bowls. Samplers. Apps. Finger food. Pastries. Meals. Beverages. Order at a counter. The decor was wood with steel chairs and coffee decorations. Looks new and modern. Video menu. I would go back again. Rushing this review to get back to the draft.

*A propos of nothing - I just viewed a travel show where they showed a Rain Drop Cake. Search it.

Russell's, Lake Ivanhoe

I tried this spot in the old Mesa 28 and Gargi's spot (fyi - the spot across the street is becoming a Gnarley Barley) on Lake Ivanhoe just over a week ago at dinner. It has been open for under a year. I've let it slip down the list because they haven't solved the parking issue that plagues this spot. They have only eight or ten spots. All the ownership groups that have operated in this location feel the solution is valet. After seeing Ferris Bueller's Day Off, I can't trust them. Plus I believe most car insurance doesn't cover them as operators. And I wonder how all the covid hysterics respond to this solution. I parked down the street. First off, I was dumbfounded that these spots were available. Then I was troubled by the contradictory signage. It said that there was no parking after 6pm. The sign was two car lengths away from the start of the block. Then an arrow pointed two car lengths down to the start. Did this mean only those two spots were verbotten? That seemed silly. Then again this is Orlando. I risked a ticket (didn't get one). But, I was distracted all meal long. The people in the restaurant weren't any more clear on the law. I also hadn't been here before because of the dinner only hours. I was going to try and parlay this into an excursion that knocked out two other places close by. They however were closed on Mondays. Oops. Back to the meal. Though the parking quandary was the most interesting part of the night. The place looks good. It never looked bad. Don't know why people insist on redoing perfectly good interior design when so many needy spots are out there. The bar is now directly in front of the entrance. The moved most of the seating towards the windows/lake. Down a level. "Coastal" art. Photos. Wood chairs with blue gray cushions. White noise suppression tiles dominate the ceiling. I think the main color is called taupe. I actually have forgotten what it looked like. Going off poor notes. The staff is dressed up. The menu is modest. The prices are highish. A steak was $44. $25 pork and $24 chicken. $19 burger was the cheapest. I had two apps. I had the crispy pork belly for $12 and the steak tartare for $17. The belly was ok. It had no gloss to it. Either they pat it dry or... I don't know. Leave it sitting all day? Even nuking wouldn't do away with the grease. It tasted alright. It seemed to be fried in a deep fryer. Four pieces. It came in a "sangria" sauce (why I tried it). It was more jam than sangria. Not a success. The steak was worse. Too chunky. Tough. Not a great cut. Poorly dressed. Few additives. Just capers. Not enough toast. No spark. And that was vibe. It was early, but, there was no energy. I'll wager it has filtered into the kitchen. I believe ownership is from the Big Fin group. They started with a supposedly polished chef. Allegedly. Not sure if he is gone. My meal and the other dishes I saw (ie beets and burrata) lacked pizzazz. You have to have sizzle or steak. Style or substance. I didn't feel either. It certainly has the capacity for both. Maybe I just hit it on the wrong night. Service was quick and friendly/flirty. With so much "medicine" being taken, you can never tell who is nice and who is high anymore. Maybe you never could. I'm starting to forget what I thought I knew and when I knew it. It seems like I am "seeing more of the field" than I should be if I was as "aware" as I thought I was back in the day. They say this location used to be a pineapple farm. Don't think I ever knew (and forgot) that. 

* I have at least four posts coming this week ending with an Arizona recap.