Grub Crawl - Mills Ave: Pop's Pizza and Conrad's Shanty (Closed) *NM/TX/AZ Travel Notes

I tried these two places on Mills on Tuesday night. The first is near Tako Ckeeka. The second is near Hawkers (it was some bar with video games last).

Pop's Pizza - They are only doing take out. You park and order around back. Open for two years. No Monday. After 4pm. I had a regular pie at $10. It was 11" or 14". It was ok. Thin. Typical pizza cheese. Needed more sauce. It had a garlic taste. Crust had a sweet undertone. I also tried the Caprese salad at $7. Fair amount for the price. Mozz was ok. Tomatoes were a little refrigerated. Tasteless and spongy. I actually expected worse. Covered in olive oil and basil and salt and pepper. They sell other pies and a few other items. Limited menu. Seemed like one guy was doing everything. Said he can't get workers. Wonder what those 1.2 million "refugees' are up to?

Conrad's Shanty - Just grabbed a beer. $2.50 for a PBR. Small bar. Some table top games. Dark. Seemed like a good joint. No hard stuff. Closed Monday (I believe).

Travel Notes - NM/TX/AZ: I flew into Denver on Frontier for $148. Car (SUV) for two weeks at Budget was $750. Drove to Albuquerque. Stayed at Comfort Inn for $100 (Rack). Down the street they had a food court called Tin Can Alley. I had a brisket slider with Hatch chile mac and cheese at S-A BBQ. At Pho Kup, I had a beef banh mi. Did you know pho is from the French "pot au feu"? It's a beef stew. Had beer at Santa Fe Brewing Co. Drove to El Paso the next day. Stopped at Petroglyph NM first. Stayed at America's Hotel for $92. Went to Chamizal NP. Ate a great brisket taco and chicharron burrito with beans.at at La Colonial Tortilla Factory. On 3D. Taco shell was semi-hard. Had a wave to it. White corn. So good. Chicharron was soft. No meat. I also ate at Chio'c Tacos. It was a little north of the city center. Bad beef taquitos and worse cb. They were on Best Thing I Ever Ate. Which once again leads me to wonder why the show isn't called Some Shit I Tried. I drove back north to three parks that make up the Salinas Pueblo Missions NP. Slept at Green Tree Inn in Albuquerque for $76. Ate Almond Chicken and Won Ton Soup at China Luck. Had breakfast at Rebel Donut (Cheap Eats). Had an Apple Pie donut and Croissant donut with cherry jelly and chocolate chips. Drove nw to Valles Caldera NP. Ate lunch near there in Jemez Springs at Highway 4 Cafe. Had a pretty decent turkey sandwich with fries. Drove west to Chaco Culture NP. Twenty miles of unpaved roads in. Thirty miles of worse leaving. Don't know how they allow this. A private facility would be shut down. Drove south to Gallup. Slept at Sleep Inn on Route 66 for $85. Drove nw to Hubell Trading Post NP in AZ. North thirty miles to Canyon de Chelly. That was better than I expected. Stayed in the park at Thunderbird Lodge for $123. Drove to Page. Made detour past Vermillion Cliffs and Navajo Bridge to North Rim of Grand Canyon NP. It was 9k in elevation. Snow. Stayed at Sleep Inn for three nights in Page for $250. Ate at Gone West (pot roast with mp and bp). Saw Antelope Canyon. Took boat tour ($135) to Rainbow Bridge. This is why I came back. Tours were closed last time because of Covid. Can't get there by car. On Lake Powell. Drove to Vegas. That and the rest will be in next post. This trip was about checking off all the parks, monuments, etc I haven't visited. Now all done.

Moonlight Drive In, Titusville

I actually went here before the last post. For lunch. I grabbed what I thought was the two patty bacon cb. They gave me the deluxe bacon cb. It cost $9. It came with fries and a drink. Burger was ok. Bacon was good. Veg ok. Half the fries were good and half were under cooked. Soda came with ice. Asked for no ice. As I was the first and only customer, I think they could have done better. It's a old timey burger stand. From 1964. They also sell fried items like fish and chicken and other things you'd expect. Waitress service. You drive into a spot. Also, a tiny inside. Not sure if you can avoid the waitresses by doing that. It's kitschy.

*I tried the second parking area at the Canaveral Seashore this time. Think things are nicer farther down.

**I have a CO/NM/TX/AZ/UT travel update coming in the next post.

Grub Crawl - Maitland: Jalapenos and Pita

I tried these two places on 17-92 (N Orlando Ave) today. They are near each other. The first is in the location that was most recently Greek To Go. The second is in that new condo complex next to Publix. 

Jalapenos - Two women from Guerrero. Small menu. 7 items (2T, B, Q, N, Tamales and Fiesta Bowl). I tried the tacos Mex (carnitas and barbacoa) for $2.60 each. Just onions and cilantro on corn tortillas. The tortillas were made by somebodies hands. Meats were ok. I wouldn't complain if I had only these to choose from. Had better though. I also tried a chicken tamale. It was similarly acceptable. Order at the counter. Everything under a saw buck (just learned that another old timey term is a dixie). Open for lunch and until 8pm. Closed Sunday. Opened one month ago.

Pita - They say they started in Peachtree City Georgia. Map on wall shows this as only Florida location. Chain Med. Chain meh. A few fillers (gyro, chicken, beef, falafel, shrimp, salmon) in a pita or rice bowl or salad. But wait...there's less. Just kidding. They also have spreads and salads and fries and desserts. Hey, can I start a new "..." thing with commas? ",,," Not sure what it will indicate though. Might try and mine the whole symbol universe. Who made the period king? I tried a chicken shawarma bowl for $10. Lowest price point. The rice looks yellow in the pictures. In reality it was white. It was ok. A few chunks of chicken. Alot of ground up something or other. I believe it had a tahini sauce (gyro had tzatziki). Some veg tossed in top. Medium sized portion. White, modern interior. Lots of height. Order at a counter. A few, spaced tables. Not much of a draw. I believe there is even another fast food Med place down the street (if it hasn't shut down). I believe the opened recently too. 

*Saw a cool episode on Martin Yan show about Chengdu dim sum called xiao chi (small bites). And of course they can't phoneticize, so, it's pronounced sh-ow suh. Worth a search.

Nick Filet, Sand Lake and Dr Phillips *Nantucket Travel Notes

I tried this franchise in the old Lemon Shark Poke spot in the strip mall at the intersection of Sand Lake and Dr Phillips last Friday. They seem to think that slicing beef is a step too far. They sell sandwiches of beef loin. I suspect the "loin" is an inferior cut that qualifies as loin. Like the one you would get at a Sizzler et al. Needless to say, it was weird. A hunk of beef an a Kaiser roll. I had a classic for $12. It had some immemorable cheese and sauce. Too much. Sloppy. They had around four or five (predictable) styles. Call me crazy, but, I prefer my loin on a plate with a side of veg. It was also too expensive. They also sold another thing I prefer not to be in a sandwich. Lobster. Also, too expensive. Now around $25 and they said the cost was going up. Not that I would really trust a lobster sale in Orlando at a sandwich shop anyway. At best, it would be just pre-prepped, shell less, boiled, undersized lobster. They are out of Philadelphia. I asked and this "loin" thing isn't a Philly staple. They opened 4 months ago. Mostly open space. Spartan. Order at a counter place. 

*Travel Notes - Nantucket: I'll skip the sites and the commentary as I suspect you don't really read this section and are unlikely to travel here. Just the basics. Everything here costs double what it would anywhere else. Had a turkey and Swiss with a pathetic (well a little commentary) bun at Henry Jrs. At Millie's, I ordered striped bass tacos (that cost $24 for two) and there was no way they delivered striped bass. Maybe cod. Or worse. Overcooked too. Had an egg and bacon and cheese sandwich from Wicked Island Bakery. Had brownie batter ice cream at Jack & Charlie's. Had good swordfish tacos at 167 Raw food truck. At Nantucket Provision, I had the Terrific Turkey sandwich that Alex Guaranaschelli placed on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Now, I've tried a few of the things on this show and I'm starting to think that they get kick backs or are pimping a friend's place or don't get out much. It was a Thanksgiving riff. CB sauce and stuffing. It was ok. That's all. At Nativ Made I had a chicken, rutabega, potato, etc Pasty. Chicken salad at Corner Table Cafe. Cheese and bacon cruffin at Born & Bread Bakery. Also a loaf of sourdough and focaccia. Very fresh fish (cod) and chips and ff at Town. Udon with shrimp at Bar Yoshi. Stewed chicken and rice and beans at Stubby's. Godfather (pep, salami, cap) sandwich at Walter's. Chicken salad and smoked blue fish pate at Green Market. Pizza at Sophie T's. Donuts at Downyflake Doughnuts. I ate at the cheaper joints. Price avoidance. IE - a tiny sushi place called Lola's had an app of salmon (a cheap fish) carpaccio at $50. Two interesting things I saw at a place called Gaslight were: pig ear salad with crispy egg and a burger with black garlic cheese. Flew on Jet Blue (delays each way and not weather related) through JFK. Just over $213. Didn't stay in hotel. They seemed to start at $300 (on week days). There is a bus that drops people around the island. Car rentals too.

Melao Bakery, Florida Mall Area

I tried this Latin (probably Puerto Rican) restaurant on S OBT and Consulate Dr last Friday at lunch. It's just past the Florida Mall and Sand Lake and 529 or 526 (I'm confusing myself). Traffic here sucks. The name has a Spanish and a Portuguese translation. I assume the Spanish is the one we want. It means heart of honey. It's melon in Portuguese. I saw it when I was looking for Moroccan Breeze a few months back. I thought it was just a bakery. They have that too. I ordered a la carte. Funny that they don't use (or there isn't an equivalence) a Spanish term. I tried the Mofongo with Chicken Cracklings for $10. Just trying to try something off script. For some reason I was just expecting fried chicken skins on top. I forgot that what they call skins (chicharron) are actually pieces of chicken. That justified the price a bit more. I liked it. The chicken was a little dry. It was fried of course. The mofongo (fried mashed plantains) was tasty. They have a LARGE menu. Breakfast (5), burgers (4), baked potatoes (6), hot cereal (was intrigued by those), sandwiches (26), salads (4), plates (8), mofongos (10) etc. Reasonable pricing. They also had a buffet. Not sure how much. It seemed like they decided at the register based on what you ordered. Too dicey for me. It was pretty full. Quite a few gringos too. Pretty big cafeteria like space. I was glad I finally tried it. Pain in the ass getting out of the parking lot. One of the main toll roads is between you and S OBT. The original is in Kissimmee.

Grub/Pub Crawl - South Orange Ave: Gatlin Hall Brewing and Willy's Original

I tried these places at lunch on Friday. I had meant to try them the night before, but, Jet Blue did their usual awful worst to make that impossible. They are near Le Coq au Vin. Next to the Porch. Worth a visit.

Gatlin Hall Brewing - I had samples of the NE Pale Ale and NE IPA. Both were good. Hoppy. 5oz pours had different prices. Started at $2.50. The place looks nice. TVs with sports on. Tables and a bar. They host the next place and a pizza place that is opening on Wednesday and a Da Kine Poke stalls. Open from 11am to 11pm. Opened around a month ago. Had customers at 11am.

Willy's Original - They sell five burgers and three chicken sands and salads and dogs. Also fries and curds. I had the All American (cheese, two patties, veg) for $10. It was fine. Big Mac-ish. But fancier. A little chewy. Veg were fresh. Bun was good. They put the meat on the grill as a ball and press it. I used to be able to comment on "the grind" when the burger thing became a thing. Now I'm not sure I can tell how they do it. 

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Wake Up North, Island Roasters Coffee, Mason Bar and Touch of Italy

 I went to these places two weeks ago around lunch. The first three are on the road from downtown (on the mainland side) before the drawbridge to Flagler Ave. The second is in the strip mall with the Sentry Management offices (if you take the larger bridge and follow the road to the right).

Wake Up North - This is location two. I believe I reviewed the original. It is in the strip mall with the Publix on the beach side. Near Limoncello. I had Eggs Azules (bacon, blue cheese, spinach and tomato) for 11. They were good. Fresh veg. Properly timed fried eggs. Came with home fries and an English muffin. They offer waffles, ft, pancakes, eggs, sandwiches, soups, salads and lomito. The place has a South American vibe. Open four years here.

Island Coffee Roasters - I just grabbed an iced tea for the beach for $2 on the coffee side. They also have a separate area with sandwiches.

Mason Bar - I grabbed a tajin and lemonade popsicle for $4. Tajin is the chili and lime spice mix some places put on a Margarita. Or so they said. It was fine. They also sell acai bowls and drinks. 

Touch of Italy - I grabbed a pretty awful veal parm sandwich with chips at the $7 lunch price and ate it for dinner. Very tough. Cheese had no flavor. Average sauce. Carrots? Burnt hero. Typical Italian menu. The kind of place with a map of Italy place mat. Dark room. Guy who made (warmed) it was listening to heavy metal. Somehow open for 32 years. 

*There was one other place near the first three. Dough Girl. Didn't open at 2:30pm like the sign said. So I bailed. Saw another new place downtown on the mainland side. Something in Spanish. On a side street. Not open yet. Will fill you in some day.

**I just returned from Nantucket. I did four places today that I will break into three posts (probably M/W/F next week) and do a travel notes on the last one.

Grub Crawl - Winter Garden: Jodo Sushi, Local Butcher, Michael's and Ceviche Mix *FL/AL/MS Travel Notes

I tried these place at the marketplace on Thursday. The first two at lunch and then I swung back after Clermont at dinner time. I'll update that the Torres Chocolate stall claims to in reno and there is also a raclette style cheese stall and a juice stall and a popcorn stall and Antique-tea's stall and an outpost of Axum coffee that I have yet to sample. Also, new on Plant St were a French place and The Whole Enchilada. I also mis-remembered about the brewery that may have opened south of Michigan. Still one to go. And I forgot to tell you about Rap Snacks I saw in a gas station in Arlington. Take a look see if you want to how inconsistent racial polemics are. 

Jodo Sushi - I have a sneaking suspicion I had tried them before. But, I could find no evidence in cyberspace. I think I remember something about a South American aspect. Anyway, the prices were so beyond ridiculous ($26 poke bowl or $15 hand roll) that I gritted my teeth for the $6 salmon nigiri. The menu says two piece. They served three. It was ok. The part of the salmon that has equidistant horizontal lines of white. I believe that is fat not sinew. From the cheap tail section too. The lower quadrant too. Been there from the beginning.

Local Butcher & Market - I was a bit disheartened when I saw the Boar's Head guys delivering. Is that all that passes for specialty goods these days? So, it seems that the sandwich portion of the enterprise is hum drum. Maybe they do do something worth mentioning with the butchering? Maybe? I had a Meaty Butcher for $14. A Kaiser roll topped with roast beef, carmelized onions, provolone and a whisper of horseradish cream (really stingy with this). Lots of decent roast beef. Pretty good all around. They sell seven sandwiches in all. Came with a bag of chips. Been there from the beginning.

Michael's All Coal Fired Pizza - Claim a 1000 degree oven. I just sampled the basic 12". It was ok. The crust was yellow and oily. I don't love dough with oil in it. Makes it lean towards pastry. Otherwise, it was a typical NY style. Sauce had garlic and onion powder. Not great with a sweet sauce. Would try their wings (Rochester/Buffalo recipe) or meatball sandwich next time. They also sell stromboli, salad, etc. They have also been there since the beginning or near. Also own Mac's Up and one other stall.

Ceviche Mix - The originator of the one in Mount Dora. I had the same bowl here (mahi and shrimp). Worse in every way. Smaller. Tougher. Less fresh .Less stuff. Now it didn't help that I drove it home and the lime juice may have cooked the fish to death. However, I just get the feeling it wasn't top notch from the get go. He used unripe avocado too. It was part of a pattern. It cost $15. This is a new stall.

*Travel Notes - FL/AL/MS: I climbed Mt Britton (off 331 at DeFuniak Springs exit of 10) at Lakewood Park in Lakewood FL. It is the highest elevation in Florida at 345 feet! Before that I was talked into a thimble of sherry (because by coincidence I bought a bottle of dry sherry in honor of Frasier Crane and had some the night before and it was sour/awful) at the Chautauqua Vineyards (right off same exit). Sweet sherry is better. They claim they and another vineyard (I biden the name) actually have vines up there. As it was getting late, I tried to find a hotel off the highway near Pensacola. These bastards were looking for over $250 for a run down Comfort Inn.  I moved towards downtown (take the third of three exits they cite) and stumbled upon a boutique hotel called Sole Inn on Palafox Ave (the main street). They charged $145 all in (rack rate). But, it was right by all the things I wanted to walk to. Plus it turned out there are only around three hotels downtown anyway. I had a nice walk down to Palafox Pier. Along the way I found a sheltered food truck court called The Garden at Palafox Food Court. I came back towards the center and saw a few museums and Artel Gallery and ventured a few blocks east to what turned out to be a preserved old town. Very cool. Pensacola Bay Brewery was there. I popped in to waste time before I had dinner at Iron and ended up staying so long that they (Iron) stopped seatings at 9pm. How provincial. It seemed overpriced anyway. I grabbed slices at Graffiti Pizza because it was the only place open. I stopped the party short because I had to try and reconfigure my plans due to this Ida thing that was developing. In the morning I went to Joe Patti's Seafood. It was a few blocks west of downtown. It was more of a market than a restaurant. Nice selection. But, too crowded and it was 9am. Plus I had eaten the free piece of pizza they gave me at Graffiti for breakfast. Didn't buy anything. They also had a beignet stall in front. Driving through Mobile, I espied the billboard for Dick Russell's Bar-B-Q. I see it every time I drive through. This time I had time to see if it was bs. If it was really at this exit or miles away like some places trick you with. It was only a half mile north of 10. It was a full menu, sit down Southern cooking type of place. I had trouble choosing. Chose half chicken with turnip greens and potato salad and corn bread because I anticipated eating beef and pork and maybe crawfish soon and I had just clogged the system with cheesy pizza.. Very good. Then I did the middle portion of the trip (see below) and came back this way through middle Mississippi. Passed by Mississippi Valley State. That's a land lost in time. Slept at a La Quinta in Starkville MS for $102. It has grown since I last visited (the year that tornado crushed Tuscaloosa). Saw the Ulysses S Grant Presidential library on MSU campus. Why is it there? Drove through timber country to Jackson AL (north of Mobile). Had to shack up in these places because refugees from Louisiana and/or Labor Day vacationers were crushing hotel prices. Slept at a BW for $120. Finally stopped at USS Battlefield Alabama Memorial driving through Mobile. Had lunch at Mancis Antique Club in Daphne. Exit is right after you cross the bay. 98? On 3D. Had a bad Irish Cuban that took way to long. Drove a little south to Fairhope and tried Sunset Pointe at Fly Creek Marina. Also on 3D. This was good. Had a great tuna BLT. Side of grilled slaw. Wasn't even hungry. Whole menu looked good. Back too 10 and on to Tallahassee. Same hotel issues. Fortunately, this place (Comfort Inn on 319 NE) opened a few days before and they hadn't jacked the rates to the $300s (Labor Day plus FSU-ND Opening Game). Only $137 for a brand new hotel. Ate at Lofty Pursuits on the other side of 10. It's more of a sweet shop and ice cream place. Was in that AAA magazine. Had a good scoop of Mexican chocolate ice cream and a forgettable turkey and brie sandwich. Next day I drove on 319NE through the city to 61 and the Edward Ball SP in Wakulla Springs (like ten minutes south east of Tallahassee). It cost $6 and I didn't really have the time. I'll go back. They also have a Lodge and a riverboat cruise. This and the next stops were part of an article I clipped for manatee inhabited springs. Passed one near Ponce de Leon called Morrison Springs. Hooked up with 27E and popped into Wes Skiles Peacock Springs SP north of Mayo and south of Live Oak near Luraville. Couldn't find Ginnie Springs east of High Spring on the Santa Fe River. Back on 75 and home. Saw a new Steve Spurrier steakhouse opened in Gainesville. FYI. 3D means Diners Drive Ins and Dives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Connie's Cafe, Deland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bombay Street Kitchen, Orange Blossom Trail

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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