Grub Crawl - Downtown: Neon Beach (Closed), Corner Pizza Bar, Robinson Coffee Room, Deeply Coffee Company and Neighborhood Eatery *SC/NC Travel Notes

I tried the places last Friday at lunch. The first is near Motorworks Brewing on Orange. The second is on Magnolia and Church. The third is on Pine and Magnolia next to Shots. The fourth is in that high rise at Magnolia and Palmetto nearer to the lake. The fifth is down the street from that (nearer to the Courthouse) on Magnolia. I want to thank Bluddy Diarrhea (or is it the fat lady?) for putting in all those pay meters that make downtown so unwelcoming. It really helps with the "congestion". Hope it pays for his Pro-Active. And I want to thank you all for proving to me, once and for all, that "word of mouth" truly is not an effective marketing strategy. Even if the content/product/service is free. I saw that Magnolia on Magnolia had shut down and Cucina looked like they didn't get scared off and is almost open.

Neon Beach - The brain child of the Tin & Taco people. A Miami themed place. It looks more like a bar. But, they have some food. Not sure what Miami based cuisine means to most people. I'm guessing Carib fusion. They do have a Cuban quesadilla. I was unimpressed by the selection or pricing. I settled on a Cobb salad after a week of questionable choices. Not that that is a healthy option anyway. It was ok. It cost $10. Mostly fresh stuff. Alot of blue cheese crumbles. BTW did you know that when you buy shredded cheese in a package it is teeming with cellulose? That's saw dust. Block cheese has a greater chance of being "real". The menu had snooze inducers like burgers and such. They said they were changing it soon. The place is kind of Miami. High ceilings. Bar in the middle. White orbs made of twigs. Pine branches. Kind of palmy murals. Open for a year.

The Corner Pizza Bar - It is the latest in this space that I think had been called the Magnolia Marketplace. I've been here when they tried to have different stalls. A place called 801 Coal Oven Pizza or something. Frankenfurters too? Now it is just non-Italian Italian and a bar. Basically the same thing it has always been. Same pizza oven even. I just had a slice to go when I realized this and that it wasn't craft pizza. Was just going for a pie anyway. Over priced. It (alone) cost $3. A big NY style slice. Ok. I say it is non-Italian because they offer things like pickle fries, Mexican pizza and jalapeno poppers. In addition to such Italian favorites as wings, strips and fries. The Italian items they do have run range from subs to pasta. Open for six months. I think they said they had 80 beers. Probably not a single Italian one. I think Italian. I think beer anyway! Every price ends in a seven?

Robinson Coffee Room - I just bumped into them. It's in a location that was Knife something and Red Mug something and Breakfast Club. Open for two years! It's cool. Very modern. Youngster hang. Insipid breast milk (I mean coffee and tea) pacifiers. Plus a small pastry counter and a breakfast menu of around ten items at around $10. Think avocado toast. Open seven days for breakfast through dinner. Big space. Patio. Oh, I tried a chocolate twist that I doubt they make. It cost $5. Bland. It may actually be closer to Livingston than Magnolia. Hence the name.

Deeply Coffee Company - Another breast milk sippy cup place for adult children. Open since 2015. I had a coffee cola for $5. Fine. Place is spartan. Seems like a work space for the unemployed or adult children whom can't let go of the college experience/atmosphere. They sell wine too. By the bottle. Like a store. 

The Neighborhood Eatery - Turns out I tried the same exact thing here on December 30th 2015 (if you want to read that post). Good to see they had staying power. I had the Koagie for $9. I think it cost $8 last time. Korean cheese steak/hoagie. Good. Sweet. Glossy bun. Small. Like half a hoagie. I'll take this opportunity to reprimand the every growing number of sandwich places that are pulling this (half sandwich) stunt. 

*Travel Notes - SC/NC: I ate a Cribb burger with smoky potato salad at Cribb's Kitchen in Spartanburg SC. Slept at Hampton Inn for $86. Grabbed terrible smoked chicken salad at Daddy Joe's Beach House Grill in Gaffney SC. Ok espresso and chocolate frosted and chocolate frosted with coconut at Local Lion in Boone NC. Had sloppy ground beef pot pie at Wild Craft Eatery. Slept two nights at really good Comfort Inn for $85 a night. Skied at Beech Mountain for $46 and $34 for ski package (there). Skied the next day at Sugar Mountain for $49 and $28 for skis package (there). There were cheaper rental places around both resorts. There was a little walk from the lots, so, I just ponied up to save walking in ski boots (with skis). Both resorts are around fifteen miles from Boone. While there (Boone area) I went to a place (highest peak) called Grandfather Mountain. There was a cool bridge on it. Because they were gay about Covid rules and it cost over $20, I didn't go in. Even though they wanted me bad. Boone is home to Appalachian State University. I drove around there. I also bought a bottle (untasted) of wine at Grandfather Vineyard. I also went to Appalachian Ski Resort. It wasn't worth it. Just for novices. Internet said lift tix were $44 (w) and rentals were $26 (w). Plus you had to pay for parking and they wanted a reservation in advance. I should mention that the prices at the other places were for during the week. Full day. On the way home, I passed by a place called Blowing Rock. You could see it from the gift shop, so, I passed on the $7 fee. I grabbed a half pound of bad sliced pork at Hannah's BBQ in Lenoir NC. Like they took that sliced tenderloin you get at the market and cooked that. I expected a hunk of cooked pork that they then slice. You know. Like human beings do. I seem to be channeling John Mulaney. I topped that off with a terrible STP Dipper (rb and t) at a place called Groucho's Deli (that turned out to be a chain) in Irmo SC. Slept there at a Hyatt Place for $113. Since I came back the way you might drive there (Boone), I will tell you it in reverse. 95N - 26N (to Columbia) - 77N (to Charlotte) - 85W (to Gastonia) - 321N. Pretty easy. Roads weren't tricky. Only possible issues could be very near Boone and then on the roads to the resorts. Those are still well used and modern and not very hilly. It's a good vacation. Skiing isn't that shabby either. Especially at these prices and being able to avoid the friendly skies. 

Grub Crawl - International Drive: Gordon Ramsey Fish & Chips and Thunder Burger (Closed) *FL/AL/MS/LA Travel Notes

I tried these spots on Thursday night. The first is in the Icon Park (south of Sand Lake) towards the Ferris wheel. The other is in a strip mall north of Kirkman. Peter Glenn ski shop is the most observable marker.

Gordon Ramsey Fish & Chips - Open for six months. I described the one in LV in a Travel Post. No loss of quality here. Not bad. I'm not keen on them (fried fish hunks) to begin with. These are about as good as they are going to get. Pricey at $15 for three large hunks and fries. Salty. Mostly well timed. A bit of raw batter inside one. Fries were good too. They give you two sauces. Nice decor. Simple. Nice packaging. You order inside a little hut. I believe you can't eat in it. Outside area. Remember parking is free here. Some new attractions nearby too.

Thunder Burger - Burgers and chicken sandwich. Named for Greek gods. I guess they don't know Thor is not from those parts. He's the outlier. I had the one with two 4oz patties and American cheese and veg. Forgot the name because they forgot the receipt. Good. A thicker burger. They claim Angus. Good bun. Came with good fries. Prepared to order. It cost just under $10. 7 burger options around the same price. A mini one was $8. They have a veggy one. The one with cherry tomatoes looked exceptionally nice. Fries, think cut onion rings and pork belly (rinds). They tossed in the pork rinds because I was so charming, I guess. Light. Open for one month. Brazilian. Gray. High ceilings. Brick walls. Tile. Order at the counter. Plenty of seating. You wouldn't know it was Brazilian run. Don't be scared off if that would have been an issue. Pretty grass roots "American" grub. Open L & D.

*Travel Notes - FL/AL/MS/LA: I spent the first night at the Comfort Inn outside of Tallahassee in Midway for $104. Nothing there. Avoid. I had a pulled pork sandwich in Milton (near Pensacola) at Grover T's BBQ. Had donuts (blueberry, chocolate frosted and glazed) for 80 cents a piece at Milton Quality Bakery. It was listed as best donut in Florida in AAA magazine. I drove to Fairhope AL. Stayed at Key West Inn for $88. Ate a muffaletta at Panini Pete's (on 3D). Checked out their pier. Had lunch on the Causeway to Mobile at Ralph and Kacoo's. Catfish Cocoorie (one grilled and one fried with crawfish on top) with roasted potatoes and green beans. Drove to New Orleans. Had a snack of three pieces of fried chicken and mashed potatoes at Willie Mae's Scotch House (on many shows). Lived up to the hype. Stayed in Alder Uptown (area west of Garden District) for $125. Got seafood gumbo to go at Saffron. I wasn't aware they require vax cards now in NO to do indoor type things. Ate breakfast at Camellia Grill (they and Saffron were in some article I cut out a while ago). Just a stupid diner. Had a lame Manhattan (corned beef and mushrooms and Swiss) omelet with hb. They and Willie Mae's didn't ask for your papers. Not gonna touch it. I checked out the Audubon Park Golf Course. Public. $49 a round. Looked good. Saw the Audubon Zoo. It was raining, so, I couldn't do much. Drove around. Stayed at the St Charles Inn for $156. I chose both hotels because they were one of the few with free parking. Grabbed a cheese steak with Whiz and a home made pretzel with Whiz nearby at Zinzer's because of the rain. It was good. Just stumbled upon it. Became dinner because of fatigue and rain. Zinzer is a greeting or something in Pittsburgh. Was going to stop at an icon called Dooky Chase on the way out. Vax facism uncertainty led me to defer that adventure. I drove on 90 to Bay St Louis MS. Didn't see that much evidence of the hurricane there or in NO. Ate lunch at Trapani's Eatery. Had veal covered with shrimp and mushrooms and some Creole like sauce with a side of spaghetti Bordelaise (pesto plus). Drove to Pascagoula MS for a crawfish joint a waitress told my about called Bozo's. Turned out to be famous. 2 lbs of real small and shitty crawfish. Only cost $4 a lb though. Maybe next time. Drove back to 10 and stayed at BW Flagship in Moss Point for $99. Drove to Mobile and had a rib tip sandwich with M&C at Dreamland BBQ. Went to Senior Bowl at South Alabama University. $20 end zone , walk up seats. $15 parking. Drove thru Montgomery to Auburn. Stayed at Sleep Inn for $100. Tried a Reese's PB Cup with potato chips, Snicker's with cinnamon and Fruity Peebles Kit Kat. Also had my first Bojangles chicken sandwich (came out this summer). SC and NC in next post.

Grub Crawl - Milk District and East Colonial: Cicchetti and bb-q Chicken

I tried the first place at lunch on a Sunday about two weeks ago. I tried the other today at 3pm. The first is on N Bumby across from a brewery and aside Mx Tacos in The Milkhouse. The other is aside a Publix on E Colonial near Mamak. It was a Chinese place before this.

Cicchetti Kitchen - I thought Cicchetti was a last name. Nope. They said Italian (Venetian) for small plates or side dishes. I think I knew that once. Not many cicchetti. Menu is small too. Dinner menu only added a steak ($18) and ribs ($16), I think. Didn't see it. Overheard a conversation with another table. Very Venetian? They offered: six spreads on toast ($6), a tartare/cruda ($12), frito misto ($12), mozzarella en carozza (carriage) ($10), and seven other things like sardines ($10). I grabbed a semi-decent (but small) Bacaro (where they sell cicchetti) Burger for $14. Kind of like an In & Out Double Double with taleggio, zucchini pickles, mustard and a potato roll. Came stag. Said each patty was 4oz (1/4 lb). Service (1) was good. Place is in a big white building. Patio in front. Looks lodgy. Wood, slate, brick. Full length bar to the rear. Two rows of tables in front. All window front. There is also a Kelly's Ice Cream. and a Foxtail Coffee. Not much of a marketplace. I believe they said they opened in September. I was hoping for a little more. Seems like they are focusing on the bar.

bb-q Chicken - They lower case the b. Not me. I tried them after CK two weeks ago. Wait was 40 minutes at 2pm. I declined. Is everyone eating like a Spaniard all of a sudden? Went back today to fit it in this review. Waited twenty (or less) minutes at around the same time. Not really worth the effort. I just had my first Bojangles chicken sandwich ($4) a few days ago. That's a better value. I ordered the half Golden Original Chicken (fried) for $14. This chicken had a mastectomy (no breast). Just thighs, drums and wings. I think they said eight pieces. It's ok. The crust is light. Too light. Tempura-ish. No bite. Little crunch. Neutral to oily tasting. Probably because no spicing. You get some (flavorless) heat at the back end. A hint of sweetness. Like a pancake batter. The chicken was moist. They are clever in the to go packaging. It is cardboard and has vents. The chicken can't steam and ruin the crust. It appears they are a global chain. In 57 countries. I may have eaten in one before. They also sell wings and boneless chicken. You can choose from a range of sauces. Smallest sizes of those cost more than my box. They have beer. The place has one lengthwise, communal table on the left and some fours on the right. It was full both times. Must have a following. You order at a counter. They have a big mural showing how they fry the chicken. Don't get why it's called"bbq". No bbq. I guess I'm not in love with KFC because I think I was non-plussed by Chi-Kin too. And I'm getting sick of paying sit down prices for take out effort experiences. Think off them as Wing Stop and they may exceed your expectations. They were open for a week the first time I tried. Now three? They cemented their hours (a sign said) at like 11am or 12pm to 3pm and then a two hour break and open for dinner at 5pm to like 8pm? 7 days. 

*I'll have an I Drive and then a DT review in the next week. Including a travel note per.

Grub Crawl - Waterford Lakes and UCF Area: Wine 4 Oysters, Hangry Dobo (Closed), Kung Fu Tea, Soupa Saiyon University, Las Carretas and Shaka Shaka Tea House (Closed)

I'm going to combine some of these from today and yesterday because it makes more sense geographically. I can't believe I'm missing the fourth quarter of the Chiefs-Bengals for this. The first one is way south on South Alafaya Trail (past Curry Ford). In Waterford Lakes. The next three are on University around UCF. The last two are also on University. Up on Goldenrod. I went to the first four on Saturday at lunch. The last two today apres lunch. It wasn't the plan.

Wine 4 Oysters - The OW made me aware of them (somehow) maybe two years ago. They have been languishing on the list because of their location and mostly dinner (M-F) hours. I tried. I just never drove far enough to spot them. They are near a community called Eastwood. In the Eastwood Shoppes. Look for a Publix. Google Maps says Winn Dixie. They said they have been open for four years. So, the OW was late to the party to begin with.  It was much smaller than I thought. And way less shacky. It's really a wine bar that sells things that go with it. They have a portion of the menu that is all oysters. Mostly Gulf ones (they said). They were selling Texas ones. They only sell raw ones by the dozen. So, the two halves added up to zero for me. Didn't want twelve warm water oysters. They cost a reasonable $20 by the way. The rest come with some flavoring or cooked. I did wade in with the oyster stew soup for $8. It had a thin, cream (more milk like) broth with some red (probably hot sauce) mingled in. Chock full of mussel sized oysters. A little mushy. Probably where the leftovers end up. And then may bathe until ordered. It came with a slice of bread. It was soft. Crusty would have been better. And that's the feeling you get. It could be better. I tried to pair the stew with a reasonably priced main. That was in lieu of just trying a main. A non-oyster one in an oyster place too. I chose the lamb tacos. Good in volume. Poor is quality. Very dry. Probably were good at one time. I wonder if they mass cook on Monday and then mete out the results over the week. The slaw and fat tortillas were good. Showed effort. The lamb just killed it. Two tacos. The place is a narrow rectangle. Cutely decorated. Soft tones. Bar on left. The owner (Russian woman) was the service. Two families and a couple while I was there. Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian, if I were to guess. The menu had some surprises like 4 claws of stone crab for $20 and Russian "ravioli". Around ten "surf" option and ten "turf" options. Probably deserves your consideration. If you aren't too far from it.

Hangry Dobo - In the strip mall on the corner of University and South Alafaya Trail. Open for one year. Tiny. narrow place. Ready to go buffet area and seated dining. I chose take out. Chose a small Pata Tim because it sounded funny and I don't think I've had that before. Good call. Soft, tasty braised pork in a spiced vinegar marinade. Around a pound of it. I think it cost $ 9 or $12. They may have given me the large. No printed receipt to consult. A two item combo with rice was $13. Pretty big selection. They even have sisig. Decor looks worn for the length of ownership. It's Filipino, if that wasn't apparent.

Kung Fu Tea - Only tried it because it was next to Dobo. Had a white grape punch. I think it should have cost $4. I think they added boba and charged $5.50. Totally gross. Super sweet. Boba added to the grossness and wasn't good boba anyway. A chain. Few in Florida. Open for eight months. 

Soupa Saiyon University - I recently realized that I tried the original (Universal area) a while ago. Didn't love it. Didn't love this. Had soup there. Had steamed dumplings here. Chicken, shrimp and pork. All sucked. Straight from the frozen food aisle. I remember buying a bag (20+) of similar dumplings for $4. These cost $4 per order. In other news, the place was packed at 2:30pm. It's in the old Taco Bus location near Rouse. Open for two months. Place looks like a hip manga comic book store. Black with lots of murals. Order at the counter. 

Las Carretas - Mexican. Open for four months? One of those "trying to be classy" places like Don Julio. Went to it because the temp at the OW reviewed it. Not really worthy of the effort. Had a pork tamale and chicken enchilada to go because I wasn't in the mood for Mexican and the prices were pretty high. High teens or more. For basics like a plate of tacos, for instance. These were a la carte. $4 a piece. enchilada was bad. Dry chicken. raw tortilla. Bland sauce. Tamale was better. Came with cheese and green tomatillo salsa. They also threw in chips and water salsa. Chips were multi-colored. Holy shit. Cincinnati is going to win! Huge menu. All the regulars. Place is modern. Blue. Big outdoor patio. Bar in back. L shaped interior. Booths. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Shaka Shaka Tea House - Grabbed a black plum smoothie while waiting for food. Next to Las Carretas. Open for four years. Hawaiian twist on Chines/Taiwanese tea stuffs. Smoothie cost $5. Ok. Fresh. 

*Tried to bring you fried chicken news from new Korean one on 50 and/or Jam in WP. Both had forty minute waits at 3pm on Sunday. Are we all becoming Spanish? An Asian place on Lake Howell turned out to be closed as well. And I also drove through Avalon Park while at Wine 4 Oysters. Didn't see much to sample. It's near the nuclear power plant. Further south on South Alafaya Trail. Stoneybrook golf course is nearby too. 

Grub Crawl - Lake Mary: Frozen, Stackd Brownies, Cocina Maya and Royal Rasoi

I tried these spots over the last week. The first is on 46A. I tried it because I was trying out the new Halal Guys. It is next door. The second is down the first left (Home Depot) off I-4 (I believe that is Primera Blvd) in an gray office building at 605. The third is all the way back towards Altamonte Springs on 17-92. In a strip mall near a Publix that is a back entrance to SCC. It was some Euro themed space last. The final one is in the strip mall on the right of Lake Mary Blvd after Lake Emma Rd. Near 1-4.

Frozen - They sell nitrogen made ice cream (and some snacks like Dragon's breath). Open for two years. I had a regular honey for $5. It was really good. Don't recall ever having honey ice cream of any type before. It's a natural/. Very big scoop. Place looks like a lab. Impressed. I saw that a new Mexican place is going up in the old Turkish place(s) space. El Cochololo or something.

Stackd Brownies - I read about them in the OW this Summer. I think they had the wrong address because I kept checking a newer complex farther down and it never materialized. Finally saw some home made signs for a bakery on the street. Found it because of them. A tiny closet sized space. I tried a bread pudding something or other for $4. It was awesome. Moist. Delicate. It came with some fudgy brownie swirled in. The brownies are all cupcake looking. They are opening another location near the Brooklyn Bagels and Burger Fi at Rinehart and Lake Mary intersection next week. Find them. And you know I don't like sweets much. Open for less than a year.

Cocina Maya Grill - Open for one month. They had a section for Yucatan/Mayan dishes. All were around twenty dollars. That is more than I wanted to gamble. Didn't read as very distinctive anyway. I settled on the flautas for $14. The low mark on the menu. They (2 ch and 2 b) were skinny. Hard. Pretty average. One tasted of dish soap. Very little guac. Lettuce, salsa and sour cream. The place is sterile. White walls. Spartan. A reclaimed palette serves some decorative purpose up front. Not sure which. Tables are very far apart. Bar area. The four booths were stacked with middle aged gringos. I was hoping for more. Trying to be upscale. Only the prices are so far.

Royal Rasoi - The OW screwed me on this one. Said it was new. Has been there for four years. I'm not sure if ever reviewed them though. A quick search said "no". It was kind of a waste of twenty bucks. Although, I did get to sit and watch all the planes filled with Biden's illegals fly past on their way to the Sanford airport. Which is quickly turning Lake Mary into a ghetto area. In addition to being the worst food community in UCF. I had the Royal Rasoi Chicken for $16. It was a Tandoor cooked, yogurt basted breast in a masala similar to Chicken Tikka. Orange. It was very sweet. They claimed the tomatoes do that. Suspicious. It was a big portion. Enough for two. Came with basmati rice. Boiled egg too. Good. Chicken showed signs of being frozen. Huge menu with veg, goat, lamb, etc. Place looks drab and dirty. My seat had crumbs on it. The manager and maybe one piss boy were all the staff they had. Only one other table seated with me. And of course these morons put us back to back. Most purchases seemed to be for delivery. I wonder if that is an Indian in America thing? You see alot of that in India. Guys delivering lunch to the office workers. They said they have locations in NJ. Georgia opens this month. I believe the name of the place indicates a type of cooking used for royalty. Didn't leave me feeling all that special. Oh, if it wasn't clear - it's an Indian restaurant. 

*Probably will have a UCF one on Sunday night. Then a DT one. Then maybe a PSA on how to upgrade your phone (and keep your existing plan) by switching out a SIM card. And one on repairing a crack in your tooth. Why we demanded medical plans and not dental coverage is beyond me. These guys are something else.

Grub Crawl - SoDo: Clean Eatz and Crave (Closed) *UT Travel Notes

I tried these spots at lunch on Wednesday. They are both around the hospital on South Orange.

Clean Eatz - Run by body builders. Open for five months. They offer wraps, salads, bowls, smoothies, flatbreads and same frozen meals. I had a Hammerhead (salmon, turkey bacon, spinach and guac) wrap combo for $9. It came with a few sweet potato baked waffle fries and a drink (tea). It was pretty good. Nice size. Salmon was a bit fishy. Fries were as good as they could be. It's an order at the counter, fast casual place. Modern look. The to go meals were pricey ($19). They have parking in the rear. Across the street from that condo complex down there with the Target. It's worth a visit just to remind yourself that some people still take (honest) pride in their appearance. Even if they are teetering on caring too much. Maybe one of them will squeeze you like the roll of Charmin that you are. Believe me now and listen to me later.

Crave - They offer hot dogs and barbeque and more. Open for two months. They are part of a chain. Maybe out of NY. I was just expecting just dogs. I ordered an all beef dog with chili and cheese for $4.45 and a brat with kraut and mustard for $5. Both were stuffed. Good buns. Chili was fine. Dog was good. Brat was spicy. Good. Big. I veered away from the 'cue because they source it. It may still be good. Brisket, pork and chicken. Sandwiches or plates or bowls. They have pretzels, tacos, tots, cheese sticks, sweet corn nuggets, cheese fries, twice baked potatoes, desserts, salads, corn bread, mac, corn, etc. Plus they have a beer wall. You get a card and it address the wall. Hello wall. Around a dozen (mostly local) beers and a wine and cider or two. The place is lodge-y looking. Small. Rectangular. Three tvs. Patio (and parking) out back. Dogs allowed there. They have game nights. More than I expected. I just fear it is in a bad location. You can drive right past it. Near Pulse. 

*Travel Notes - Utah: I drove from Vegas to Provo. Stayed at Sleep Inn for two nights at $90 per. Stopped in Beaver for The Creamery. A real gem. Ice cream, cheese, food products and even a kitchen. A nice, new, impressive building that you can see from the highway (and I had). I had some great ice cream. Their tiny portion was huge and only cost $2. I had the Jolted Cow. It was sweet cream with espresso and caramel swirls and fudge brownie chunks. In Provo, I had some pre-cooked (dry and stringy) fried chicken thighs at Station 22 Cafe. MP with pork gravy was better. I skied at Sundance for $119. They charge for parking on weekends this year. Lift topped out at $109 last year. Rental was $50 something. Pretty good resort. I ate at Bam Bams BBQ in Orem later on. Delicious brisket and mac and cheese. Big portions. I drove to Salt Lake City to pick up some books at my favorite used book store. I didn't stay over because hotel and lift ticket prices for the resorts around there were high. Plus I learned of two "cheap" resorts back toward Vegas. I ate at Gourmandise. French short rib stew with plum and sweet potatoes and potatoes. I actually wrapped it up for dinner. Stopped south of the city to see the Rio Tinto MLS Stadium. I stopped in Lehi and tried an offshoot of a highly rated place in Orem (wasn't open yet when I started the drive) called Cubby's. I had a Cockadoodledoo (grilled chicken and Swiss and bacon and avocado spread on a Ciabatta). A little disappointed by the choices they had. Across the street was J Dawgs. I grabbed a Polish sausage there. I slept that night in Beaver at the Days Inn. It was $68. I skied Eagle Point (twelve miles in) for $75. Skis were $45 with tax. You had to get to the right side of the mountain to get to anything difficult (blacks). Not a bad resort. I had beef taquitos and nuggets at Mel's Drive In back in Beaver. A big bus or two of  big girl athletes jammed up The Creamery. I stayed at The Mountain View Lodge in Parowan for $106. Should have stayed in Cedar City. Cheaper options. Ate at the Chinese restaurant on site (not many options). Drove to Brian Head resort (fourteen miles in). Had a shit fit when I arrived and found out flex priced tickets were now $130. Started the week under $80. Not worth it. Maybe the $60 it usually is. Drove to Cedar City and ate four eggs, sausage and hash browns at Market Grill. Saw Southern Utah University and an LDS Temple. Arrived in St George. Stayed at The Chalet for $69. 9.2 on Booking. Found a park atop the city (Red Cliffs Desert Reserve) with great views. Toured Dixie State University. Odd. I know. Had beer at 4 Hive Three Five. Had tea at Sakura. So slow I left. Had pineapple chicken curry at Banana Blossom Thai. Lastly, had a good Morty's Burrito (eggs, bacon, fries. cheese, ketchup and Sriracha) at Morty's (Yelp ranked) the next morning. Weather was great. 40's mostly. Sunny mostly. Didn't need the SUV. 

Grub Crawl - Mills and Downtown: Matcha Cafe Maiko, Moge Tee, Great Greek and Bagel World (Closed) *LV Travel Notes

I tried these spots over a week ago at lunch. The first two are south of 50 by a block. Not much available parking around here. The third is near the Courthouse on Magnolia (bottom of a condo) and Livingston intersection. The last is towards the I-4 on ramp. Past the 7-11. Near Cafe Trastevere. Really Sodo.

Matcha Cafe Maiko - The last word tells you that it's Japanese. Not much more than those insipid beverages that are seemingly everywhere and ice cream. They said they may add food sometime in the future. I grabbed a cold Hojicha tea for $3. It was one of the cheaper off ramps and I don't think I've ever had one before. They toast the tea. It tasted like nori (seaweed). Open for one year. One of a half dozen or so within a half mile...

Moge Tee - Speak of the devil. Right across the street is a Hong Kong (they said) chain of cold beverages. Also open for a year. This one just had drinks. They said they also have a location in Sand Lake. I tried a Red Bean Tofu Pudding tea for $6. Had to find out what tofu pudding was like. It was like free form boba (with red beans). Not bad. You really had to keep breaking up the tofu (settled on the bottom) with every sip. Interesting. I preferred it to boba.

Great Greek - This place had been on the list for a while. I never tried it because of the lack of parking. I found some free space near the Trinity Church on Livingston and Ruth. One block back towards the east (lake). You have to past the new hotel (Home 2/Hilton) and make a right and circle back to Ruth (one way). There are around eight free spots at the end of the street on the right. They have been also open for one year. Typical Greek options. They said they have a location in Winter Garden. I tried a daily special for $9. It was pulled lamb in a pita. I've had shavings and cubes and chunks. Don't recall pulled. It was ok. Too salty. It does have potential though. Came with onion, tomato and tzatziki. Pita was good. It has a fast food type feel. New. Clean. Bright. It was pretty crowded. 

Bagel World - Seems to be a chain from Jacksonville area. They said they have a place in New Smyrna. I believe I've been there. This one looks much different. New. I just grabbed a bagel with cc for $3. It was ok. Dunkin Donuts quality. No chew. They may put oil in the dough. Open 7am-2pm. Small menu. Mostly breakfast (egg) sandwiches and a few lunch ones. They said they get the bagels delivered daily from Jacksonville. Not sure if I was supposed to say "wow" or "I'm sorry".

*Travel Notes - Las Vegas: The trip was mostly skiing in Utah. I flew into Vegas because it was cheaper (flight and rental car). I'll break this up into two posts. Flight cost $130 on Frontier. Hertz was $370/wk for a small SUV that ended up being an Equinox. Gas to and from was around $130. Stayed night one at The Linq for $27+$42 RF. It was a high end room too. Parking was listed as free. They reneged. Cost $15. Will dispute it with cc company. Dinner at 11pm was a double double at In & Out. Had breakfast at Siegel's Bagelmania near the Strat. It told you about it in last Vegas post. It wasn't as huge as I expected. Just really a diner/bakery. Grabbed a corned beef sandwich and potato salad for $17. It was just ok. On the way back, I had terrible all you can eat sushi at Umiya on 4465 Flamingo near Arville. I searched dim sum and sushi on Yelp and this came out as number 5 rated. Avoid. I also did the search with just sushi and it wasn't listed in top ten. Who knows what is going on at Yelp? I stayed at the Golden Nugget Downtown on MLK day for $44 plus $41 RF. It was a manager's special room. They gave me a pretty good one on a high floor. Wouldn't let you in until after 3pm though. Free parking. I had dinner at Pop Up Pizza at the Plaza. Two pep slice combo for $13. Signs said they were Best of Vegas. Pizza was pretty good. Soft crust. Plus they had a mural of the Beastie Boys eating pizza. So...you know. I had lunch at a fairly new plaza on Spring Valley Rd. Shanghai Plaza. I tried a few places. I bought a Hokkaido tart and a milk pudding pastry at 85 (degrees) Bakery. $4 in total. I grabbed a classic onigiri at O.Onigiri. It was spam and egg. It cost $6. They sell Okinawan food. I grabbed a squid ink hot dog at CrunCheese. It cost $4. It was a Korean hot dog spot. This one had black squid ink in the batter. They stuffed it with half a hot dog on the bottom (cut the tip into little squid tentacles) and mozzarella up top. Fried it. They also served it with sauces. I chose ketchup and cheese mustard. I think they gave me honey mustard. If not, cheese mustard doesn't taste of cheese. I ended the day with dinner at Ping Ping Pong at the Gold Coast Hotel on 4000 Flamingo and Valley View. It came up as number 9 on that Yelp search. First of the Dim Sum places. It was ok. Dinner dim sum menu was basic. I settled for two har kow, ribs in some sauce and two Chinese sausage bao. It cost about $30 with tax and tip and tea. The menu was whacky. They had bursted blood vessel as a dish! I rented a room at the Orleans on Tropicana for the hours before my red eye. It cost $40 plus $40 RF. They have a big arena there. The minor league hockey team plays there. If you aren't aware. I choose my hotels based on if I haven't tried them before and then price. They are putting up a new hotel near the Sahara. Hard Rock is now Virgin. You had to mask inside most places. It didn't seem very busy.

Pinery, Lake Ivanhoe Area

I'll give us a break after this one. This one probably deserves to simmer at the top for a while. Although, it seems like most people read these within the first day or not at all. I tried this Southern inspired new comer (June) tonight. It is across from Russell's on Lake Ivanhoe. I parked on the cross street. It's the one that leads to downtown. I can't remember it now. Orange? Parking is an issue around here. They say they have free valet in the condo above. But, is it really ever free? They did enough thinks right to probably make the Favorites list. They did enough things wrong to put it in doubt. I'll explain the missteps first. They served the starter and the entree within seconds of each other. This is such a basic faux pas that it should automatically dq you. On top of that, the fries were half cooked. They could have used that time to do things correctly. But, maybe the fish would have become soggy in the meantime. They do know that you don't have to start each component at the same time if they have different cook times, right? My waitress also disappeared for long stretches of time. Not from me. From the room in general. The table next to me ordered six cocktails that took around twenty minutes to be "curated". I didn't see her at all during that period. I strongly believe she watched the bartender make them. That table still hadn't ordered their dinner when I left. Some of them arrived not long after I did. That wasn't the only disappearing act. She never checked back on me during the time I was there. Maybe she was the chef too? Sad, because she was otherwise competent. The tv at the bar also had some hiccup in which it asked the owner to press some button. No one appeared to notice or take responsibility for it. I kept staring at the dead screen and waiting for someone else to notice. It seemed like a metaphor. There only seemed to be one and half waitresses, a hostess and a bartender on call. On the positive side, the place looks cool. They didn't have an attitude. No dress code or wait. The menu was interesting. The alcohol choices were high end. The pricing (excluding drinks and mains) were reasonable. The food was well prepared. I had the smoked peanut soup to start with. sounded sexy. It cost $7. It was jammed with potatoes and tomatoes and carrots. The broth was light and not super peanuty. It was better than I expected. I may have had this once before. It may be a new one for the list. Who can remember anymore? I chose the Rachael grouper sandwich with side over the soft shell crab sandwich. Figured it would be fresher. They said it was Florida born. It cost $18. It was basically a fancy rueben. A female one. I guess Rachael is also a Jewish name and that's why it is called that. Served on marble rye toast. A light aoli with pastrami spice. Another silly reason I chose it. Some slaw. Unlike most of these, they had self control on the toppings. It wasn't overwhelmed by them. The fish was fried perfectly. Just a dusting of cornmeal or something. The fish may have been a little old (slightly mushy). The fries were the right kind/cut. The McDonald's kind. Just not fully fried. Alot of them. Plating was basic, but good. The menu has starters, sandwiches and mains. The mains were things like pork chop and fried chicken and maybe a fish. Around eight items. All were above $30. The sandwiches were things like burger or yard bird. They were above $15. Came with one side. Things like broccolini, potatoes, fries, sweet potatoes, etc. They cost around $4 a la carte. Apps were in low teens. I forget what they were. Oh yeah - Cedar Key clams was one. Around ten of them. Workable menu for the kitchen. The place looks nice. Like a model room from a Pottery Barn catalog. Grays, brushed everything, wood, metal, tile. Plush cushioning. Wood tables. Three big copper "tubs" on the ceiling. A bar room in front. Dining room beyond. Three, front facing booths in the rear. Tables in front of that. Seats about eighty. Patio in front. Lake view. Staff was outfitted. They are trying. The wine, beer and hard alcohol selections were more than "me too". Some wine was over $250 a bottle. Local beer. Mostly Kentucky, craft whiskey. High end scotch. They also have a cool backstory that I kind of remember. The area around Lake Ivanhoe once held a large pineapple farm. They use that story in the name and in the artwork. All in all, I found it superior to it's neighbor - Russell's. I was expecting a similar let down. I didn't get one. Maybe on par with the better American cuisine options in town. I'd give it a try. The crowd was pretty young and affluent looking. Some geezers too. It must have a decent rep. I heard some foodie banter from some of the tables around me. 

Grub Crawl - Longwood and Sanford: El Pollon, Two Bell's Cafe and Ciro's NY Pizza

I'm going to combine two days into one because frankly they don't amount to much anyway. The first two are around the light rail station off Ronald Reagan Blvd. The second is in the group of stores around Target near the Seminole Mall. I went to first two at lunch time on Thursday. The other at lunch time on Friday. There are a few others that were closed in Longwood. I've been to most of them before. They have new names now. They are: Historic Bar, Green Leaf, Nan & Pop's Ice Cream (open after 4pm) and Wild Hare Market.

El Pollon - Replaced on nearly identical one called Jon Jovonni's. Food from Peru. Typical menu. Prices in teens. Highest price is $18. Open as this for two years. I just had the 1/4 chicken with french fries and salad to go. It was fine. Salad was fresher than I expected. Came with avocado. Fries were a little rushed. Chicken was a little small. It cost $7. They have a "special" that is the the same chicken with beans and rice and somehow it costs a buck more. Not a bad little place. Said they were a one off.

Two Bells Cafe - They replaced Zanzibar. It's claims to be a cafe. Although they no longer do the burger. It was one of half dozen lazy offerings (ie avocado toast and egg sandwich). They also sell other people's baked goods. Maybe they make their own hot drinks. I guess every community thinks they need one of these. Although they are really as interesting as a water fountain. I grabbed two pop tarts that were made at Olde Hearth Bread Co in Cassselberry. They cost $2.50 a piece. One was apple cinnamon. One was guava. Good. 

Ciro's New York Pizza - They said they replaced Mama Something's. I kind of recall the switch. Couldn't find it on this site. They were an Il Positano before that. They renamed two years ago because they dropped a partner. I grabbed a two slice meal for $6 to go because I hadn't had pizza in a while and didn't really feel hungry. It was fine. Typical NY slice. I just learned on tv (from a Chinese guy) that you should scratch the bottom of the slice to see if the crust is good. It was. They had a full menu. Philadelphia water ice. Said they were from the Island. 

Grub Crawl - Mills Ave and Lake Ivanhoe: Pour Choice Tap House and Wabi Sabi at the Hall on the Yard

I tried these two new places in the late afternoon after the football game. The first is on Mills (one of the blocks closer to Virginia). The second is at the new condos on the train tracks on Virginia (Alden Rd). It's called The Hall on the Yard. Many food stalls. I also saw two new (to me at least) places on Mills before you cross over 50 (from TP or DT). One was a tea place. Across the street was a bakery/cafe. I think it was Japanese.

Pour Choice Tap House - You give them your card. You get a wristband. It has only $20 max at a time on it. Place wristband against sensor. Pull handle. The screen calculates each pour. They give the per ounce price ahead of time on the screen. They sell beer, hard seltzer, cider and wine. Beer has the most taps. About two dozen in all. It might depend on how often they change it up for someone like me. I tried five in minutes and didn't want or already had most of the rest. Only cost me $8. They sold ping pong balls (for beer pong) from a gumdrop machine. Open space, TVs with sports on. Big white space. Food truck in rear parking lot. Open for two months. Pretty full. Mixed crowd.

Wabi Sabi - Chose them from among a dozen or more options. Had been craving a Banh Mi and I like the term. It means the art of doing everything as well as it can be done (in Japanese). They had a coconut curry pulled chicken one for $14. Never had that kind. It was good. So stuffed. Also came with basmati rice. Made it two meals in one. The rice was a little dry. Bun was just ok. Don't remember much of the menu. It was a rotating video screen. A bulgogi banh mi too? It's pan-Asian. Open for two months. You are supposed to sit at a table and order through a waitress or go up and order to go like I did. The place is all dolled up in marble, etc. They want you to treat it like a real restaurant. As such, most of the pricing is over what similar food stalls would charge (pre-tip). They also have a grand second floor with great views. The hall is very large. Not very wide. Long. They have a a stall for most popular food staples. It will take a while to try them all. Parking is terrible. Few spots. I had to park near the Imperial. They said that they have been in soft opening for two months. I think Wednesday they are engaging in some formal opening ceremony. Maybe that was this past Wednesday? For density and curiosity, it is one of the things you should try and experience. It is a spectacle. It will be interesting to monitor the turn over. I suspect the lack of parking, competition from with in and nearby and formality may make succeeding here a struggle. If the East End Market or Winter Garden Marketplace (and the many re-visits) are any indication. Not open on Monday. Opens at 11am. Also saw a beer garden in the rear and a Foxtail Coffee and an ice cream place across the play space in front.

*Gnarly Barley opened on the corner. I forgot to mention in the last post that it finally occurred to me that the park at the end of the road in NSB is a federal park. Not a state park. My annual pass gets me in for free. I drove through at twilight. Beautiful. Apollo Beach. Saw two armadillos and tortoises. Will start beaching there. Beach is much cleaner with softer sand. Hilly. The beach on Friday was stunning. Water was like glass. Could see marlins or something jumping out of the water. Perfect sun, wind, temp. Sunday was almost as good. A tad more undertow and clouds. I feel so bad for people in the North. Even the ones going home after enjoying Florida must have been suicidal thinking about what was waiting for them. I have two more in the queue. Maybe Sunday and Monday. And maybe a yet as done one for Tuesday.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: La Terraza, Upper Deck and Limoncello

I tried these places this weekend. The first and second at happy hour (4pm-) on Friday and the third at dinner on Sunday. The first two are next to Boston's Fish House on the intersection of the main road over the Intercoastal and Atlantic Ave. The last is across the street in the corner of the Publix Marketplace. It was where the Spanish River Grille was.

La Terraza - I was surprised at how upscale it was. It's above Boston's. It has a nice deck. Nice decor. Bar in rear corner. Near the semi-open kitchen. I just grabbed a tortilla soup because I had planned to get dinner on the way back (see previous post) and it was a cheap get and I kind of felt like having soup. It cost $7. It was a bit salty. Otherwise good. Very generous with the shredded chicken, Fresh avocado. Lots of strips. I don't recall getting the queso fresco and the sour cream was served in a plastic cup on the side (didn't look like sour cream). The broth was very dark. They wrote "tomato base". Not bad, but, I prefer chicken base. Gold color. Their menu was "popular" with a touch of "authenticity/class". They had burritos, tacos (street), fajitas, flautas, quesadillas, enchiladas, chimichangas. But also, gorditas, empanadas, chilaquiles, tamales, mole, milanesa, ceviche, dinners and they called their chips - totopos. I think the bartender said the food was Oaxacan. They had lengua, chorizo, carnitas, bisteak, chicken and pork tacos. A ton of margaritas. They said they replaced another Mexican place a year ago. This has to be an upgrade. I'll have to go back and do it right. Open every night and during the day on the weekends. A few parking spots in front. Most in the rear.

Upper Deck Bar and Grill - On the bottom floor to the left of Boston's. I just strolled through. It was packed because of NYE. Selection wasn't that unique. Tiny. Had a stage for a band. 

Limoncello - I have to begin with how I hate the name. It just screams mediocrity. So many basic Italian places with this name all over. This was slightly better. Could be special with a little care. They charge like they already are. The menu is broken into the three courses that Italians (and restauranteurs) prefer. However, they (like most non-elite American Italian places) serve like Americans, so, you really only need a primo or secondi. Don't get trapped in the $100 person trap. I used this logic to pick off an interesting sounding primo/pasta called Paccheri al Cognac. It was ok. Sausage was straight off the supermarket shelves. Industrial, bland, sliced something or other. Lazy. Cheap. The mushrooms were from a can. Lazy. Cheap. The pasta (large rigatoni) could have been fresh, but probably was not. It took too long to be served and the waiter warned me that it would. Can't think of what else would have a long cooking time. The cognac was probably bargain basement. It was an ok tasting dish. Some care to the plating. I'm not sure that it should have been topped off by my waiter with hot peppers and cheese. But he did it anyway. Not sure if the chef would have wanted this pasta dish to get that treatment. It cost $22. Maybe $21 on the menu. It was a new experience. They had some expensive dishes. Around $50. The cheapest secondi were marsalas and piccatas in the mid-$20's. They came with angel hair. Apps were all mid-teens or higher. Primos started in the $20's. The lasagna was $25. It seemed like one guy was doing all the work. It was near empty and the pacing screamed - one guy at the helm. The place looks nice. Either dark or romantic based on your perception. Room is split into two sides. Patio. I remember a black ceiling, natural wood walls and chairs and tables that followed that color scheme. Bar at far wall. Bartender seemed to know what he was doing. Wines by the glass were a step above yet familiar. Not sure how fine the wine list is. I'd guess above average. Service was attentive. Dressed up. Probably wouldn't be dashing enough for a place like Bice. No dress code. People in shorts. They also own a place in town called Little Italy. I think I had some of the same issues with that place as I do with this one. Still in the "faking" stage of "faking it until you make it". All things are fixable. I just suspect they are doing the best with what the have and never will justify the pricing. Should probably aim for one weight class below where they fight now. Like Garlic. It was packed. And I think they serve semi-quality Italian dishes. It's one of the last ones in NSB that I haven't tried yet.

*Some new things I've seen on TV or tried out. Jefferson's Ocean Bourbon. They sail it around the world on purpose like Vikings. Ok. Had a Swedish vodka called Purity. Wine Enthusiast gave it 94 points. Better as a mixer than straight up. I tried putting black pepper over creme fraiche with caviar. It woke it up. Not bad. I also made a "suicide" of all the kinds of caviar. decadent. Caviars came from Whole Foods and Costco. Doable. Also tried using a shrimp as a cracker for a fish spread. Very paleo. It worked. Saw a thing called black garlic. They age it and it comes out looking like licorice. Hot pepper water. Supposedly big in Hawaii. Not sure if they do it with just water or if they add vinegar. Had the vinegar one. Learned a coconut can have a mini-coconut (white ball) growing inside it. Very rare. They said it was awesome. Spongy. Learned that dim sum means "point heart". Like you love it. And tapping the tea saucer is like bowing to your server. 

Grub Crawl - Osteen and Sanford: Osteen Diner, Gator's Riverside Grille and Angel's Soul Food and Barbeque

The next three posts will also be a little out of order. I want to end on the most local one. On Friday I tried the first two. On Sunday I tried the last. The first and last are in Osteen. I believe the SR is 415. I drove east on 46A and made a left at an intersection. I sometimes take this to NSB. Gator's is not far from there. Make a left to a marina and it is under the bridge that spans the St John's River. Their menu says Sanford. Not Osteen.  The diner is a few miles up on the right. Angel's in on 46A at the intersection that has a sign that points towards the airport. Sanford Ave. Behind a Marathon station.

Osteen Diner - I tried it once at breakfast on the way to Titusville. It was too packed. Pretty packed this time. Not much choice around there. I dithered between a breakfast and a lunch. I had had a Jones for a Cuban sandwich the day before. They had one. Wish I had gone with the breakfast. My Jones was subsiding and their's isn't that great. It cost $11+. Bad roll. No real pork. Just ham and some sliced pork roll. Big though. Fries could have used another minute. Came out almost too fast. Kitchen was flying. Huge menu. Nothing probably made too well or too poorly. A tad expensive. Has a country theme. Sign said it has been open since 1999. 

Gator's Riverside Grille - I ate here once way back. They said they have been open for forty years. I hate places named like this. They all have this burgers, sammie and fried critter menu. Where ever they wallow. I had a black and bleu burger for $9+ because it was one of the cheaper things and I didn't trust them with much else. Only came with chips. Everything seemed extra here. Burger wasn't that bad. Bun was good. Charred. Ok inside. Not quality bleu cheese. Soda tasted weird (ahh - receipt said RC. They said Pepsi. I'm not going crazy). Served in a small styrofoam cup. Gave a refill. They challenge themselves with grouper, alligator, catfish and some fish called pangasius. I think it is a cheap river fish that other places call something else (pango?). For some reason they claim to use Herschel Walker's family recipe for chicken tenders. He's not a Gator. He's a Dawg. From Georgia. How did they get it? Odd. They also steam snow crab, mussels, clams and white shrimp on Sundays. $12 - $19 a pound. They had enough wait staff. Views of river were nice when cigarette smoke wasn't being blown into your eyes. Mostly outdoor seating on a porch. High tops. Most of it was covered. Enough parking. Pretty full. Very casual. If you left in what you are wearing now (even if you are in your pjs) you will probably be the best dressed person there. 

Angel's Soul Food and Barbeque - I was mentally punching myself in the face while I waited forever for a pulled pork sandwich as everyone else was getting theirs. I ordered that because I figured it was pre-made (quick) and I didn't want the squirts before the football game the next day (if they tried to get revenge on me as a Colonialist). Plus they make ordering hard. They don't list the price on anything. I wasn't going to go down the list and ask the price. They already had a 'tude. As I imagined all the spit and jizz being added to the sauce on my sandwich, I saw that they serve chicken, liver, turkey, pigs feet, chitterlings, tilapia, whiting, curry, oxtail, chops, brisket, catfish, ribs, meatloaf and all the sides. Dessert too. I took my sandwich ($6) home and was surprised that I could see no fluids/gloss on it. And more pleasantly, it wasn't pulled pork. It was chunks on roast pork. I'm not sure if this is how they do it. Or if it was a substitution. I was just glad that it gave me a plausible explanation for the time delay. And that the race wars weren't simmering in Sanford. That meant that I was glad that I didn't throw it out my car window (like I was tempted to do) and with a little decontamination in the microwave for extra safety the sandwich might be eatable. It was. It was good. I don't have to eviscerate them online. I may go back again.You order in a line. The stuff is mostly displayed in front of you. Some stuff (like my pork) in back. They had some seating. People seemed scared of Covid. It was empty. Not great interior design. They said it was a book store. I swear I ate here (at another bbq type place) years ago. They said they've been there for seven years. The menu says the Orlando Sentinel voted them Best Fried Chicken. Not sure when, where (as in Sanford?) or if that was true. Closed M and Tu. Opens at 11am. 

*I also saw a barbeque food truck north of the diner called Lady Sugar Something or Sugar Lady Something. Prices were high ($13 was a sandwich) and she wasn't serving yet near 1pm (on Sunday) and you had to get sides, so, I passed on it. I tried on Friday too, but, they were closing at 4pm. I have a NSB and then a Mills/Lake Ivanhoe post coming up for you later this week.

2022 VRBO Florida Citrus Bowl, Downtown

I'm going to do this one day out of order because you don't care about this one. I drove down around 11am. No traffic. Parked on Church St at a private nursery type parking lot near the soccer stadium. It cost $10. Any closer was double. Near the stadium was $30-$40. A person in the lot right next to the entrance said they pre-paid at $140. Game started at 1pm. Kentucky versus Iowa. Went to ticket booth on lake side. I think you can only buy a walk up on game day. I bought a ticket in the second level in the end zone for $60 something. Same as when I checked on the first day they went on sale. No line. They said it was the cheapest. Hard to believe when the 300 level had people in it. Maybe those are student only tickets? My biggest issue is with the digital ticketing. I queried the "help" kiosk (because I hate being at the mercy of my phone) and they said that if your phone goes dead or if you have an issue with the ticket (one couple had no bar code) you are basically screwed. They can't print diddly. You can get a printed ticket through will call if you do it way in advance. I saw some physical tickets. I'll never get why they think a one size approach is good business. It defies the defined rules of sales. The lady who sold me the ticket claimed it would be texted. Kind of. They texted a link that you needed access. Why they can't just text that is beyond me. I had it done at a Milwaukee Bucks game. The stadium had a decent wifi network. Not that hard to access. Just had to give your email. You probably can use a fake one. It didn't refer back to it for anything.When I tried to get in, the sunlight made it a total pain to scan. I just love how technology makes things simpler. They had a few food stalls and distractions out back. Inside they had 4 River, Little Caesar's, Mooyah and some other things. A dog was $5. Soda was just over $5. 4 Rivers was trying to get $15 for a sandwich. Some merch. Great weather. Good game. Great  time. Left with 7 minutes remaining and had no traffic leaving. Kentucky brought more people. That was surprising. They said 50,00 plus attended. Glad I finally did it.

2021 Favorites List and Travel Notes Index

It was another rough year for the industry. Few break throughs. Lots of reductive concepts. Lots of snack bar level ambition (pizza, tacos, burgers, donuts, ramen, etc). Lots of poor execution. Lots of turmoil. Once again, I had to grade on a curve just to fill this out.

$$$$-

$$$- Osphere, Aji, Hunan Taste

$$- Shanghai Lane, Tokyo Ramen, Thai Halal Grill, Ramen Takagi. Deli Desires, Mei's Kitchen, This Little Piggy (Winter Garden), Ceviche Express (Mount Dora), Cryderman Barbeque (Cocoa Village)

$- Taino's Bakery, Parva, Ziggy's

Travel Notes Index

January 31 - UT

February 5 - SC/GA

February 19 - MT

March 10 - FL

March 12 - AL/MS

March 14 - LA

March 17 - TX

April 2 - NC/SC

April 18 - CO

May 4 - AZ

May 24 - OH/MI/IN/KY/TN

May 31 - FL GC

June 14 - NY/NE

July 2 - OR/NV

July 4 - CA

August 1 - SD/ND/MN/WI/IA/MO

August 19 - FL

August 23 - NC/SC/VA

August 25 - PA/NY/MD

September 12 - LA/TX/OK/AR

September 15 - FL/AL/MS

October 8 - Nantucket

October 31 - NM/TX/AZ

November 4 - NV/UT/CO

November 12 - FL Keys

November 18 - FL GC

November 23 - FL/AL

December 10 - FL Keys

December 20 - SC/GA

Ma-Se Sushi Eatery, Longwood *SC/GA Travel Notes

I tried this partially Japanese and partially Thai/Lao place on Friday at dinner. It replaces some whacky sandwich shop from Jacksonville or Tampa that was in this strip mall with a car wash and a pizzeria. Near the tracks on 434. It confused me. I thought it was just sushi. The menu is half Thai+. That always gives me pause. Although one of the two chefs may have been at least half Japanese. It's harder to look for "traits" when masks are worn. I did see a sign (far away) proclaiming Jiro a sushi chef. The first name (last names go first ) was very long though. Long enough to be Thai. Any way. I just trust Japanese chefs more with my sushi. Not that others can't learn the skill. They can. It's just an odds game. Remember when incorporating statistical logic showed you were endowed with a MORE advanced mind? In this case, I may have been right. Or wrong if there is a Japanese presence. I sampled two pieces of conch nigiri. The rice was bad. Bad temp. Broken husks. No discernible vinegar. Probably wrong grain. Etc. The conch was also spongy (old). It should be crisp. Like an apple. No flavor either. It should be sweet. The tuna I saw looked barely pink too. The salmon looked ok. And it is expensive. Only by a buck or two. But, that adds up. Renting this tiny location in a shit hole strip mall in a poor area of town should DECREASE the prices. Inflation or no inflation. All apps and rolls were also over priced. They did ply me with a sample tuna nacho. The tuna cubes on that were fresh. It was from the other sushi prep area. I didn't get to gaze at the quality of the fish in that area. And it was nice of them to do that. My main course was from the Thai side. Part curiosity. Part damage control. Part whimsy. I had the Ma-Se Noodles. It only cost $15. I wasn't sure if I had had it before. It is the place's name. It was ok. Half the chicken (alot in the dish) was like plastic. Freezer burn. The wavy, thin noodles were nice. Came with scrambled egg, cabbage, mushroom, onions, scallions, chili and they said Chinese broccoli. Not sure I received much of that. The Thai side is less expensive. It could be called the carb side. Yaki soba, fried rice, lad nar, kee mao soba and two chicken and three seafood dishes. The salads and apps are "pan" too. Tiny room. Maybe five tables of four and a sushi bar for five. A section of one wall with some sheets ripped out of a magazine to make wall paper is the decoration. Nice service. One cook. One waitress. two sushi chefs. Sushi orders to go took a while. The lunch menu isn't a great value either. A sushi roll sleep walk at $12 or $11-13 noodle/rice yawn. They have been open for two months. If they just had their stuff together a little more, I would have loved to recommend them. They even give 10% off to first time customers. I just need more Japanese obsessiveness. Fresher ingredients. Tighter controls. FYI - the name is a play on words. The end of "irasshai-mase" (welcome) from Japanese and ma-se (let's meet or something) from Thai (according to them). 

*Travel Notes - SC and GA: I went back and added "travel notes" to the start of all of the previous ones. Not that it probably helps. Maybe that can be the search phrase/word? Or the full name of the area or its abbreviation? I drove to Hilton Head and stayed at the Home 2 Suites for $104. Ate a lunch of ribs, ps and mac just outside in Bluffton at Jim n Nicks Bar B Q. Turned out to be a chain. Ate a dinner of fried chicken sandwich with slaw and pimento ch and ff at Chow Daddy's. On Food Paradise. Ate a brunch "smoke stack" of fried eggs, sausage, pulled pork, hb, fruit salad and toast at The Smokehouse. Winner. Ate a forgettable Wavy Nood of pork belly and egg with ramen at Nood. Slept at the Grand Hilton Head Inn for $99. It was near Coligny Beach. One of the few public ones. Had breakfast at Stacks Pancakes. The Hilton Head breakfast of 3 eggs, sausage, pancakes and hb. Had a dinner of bad fried oysters and fries and hp at Marley's Shrimp and Burger Shack. Slept in the Sea Pines Resort area at the Inn at Harbour Town for $254. It's on Travel and Leisure's top ten Southern hotels. It was fine. They actually just called and comped the room because I bitched a little in a review. I had a lunch of their supposed famous Calabogue shrimp salad with ps at Salty Dog at Braddock Cove inside the Sea Pines area. Walked the Lands End beach there. Had a pre-dinner of chicken pot pie soup and fried chicken salad sandwich at Nectar Farm Kitchen. A really cute place. We could use a few of these. Grabbed a surprisingly good meatball sub with house made chips at Fat Baby's Pizza. Slept at the Best Western at Coligny Beach for $111. Grabbed a terrible broiled flounder with rice and beans lunch at Skull Creek Dockside. Left town for Charleston area. Drove through Beaufort, Hunting Island and Fripp Island. Visited the Magnolia Plantation. Didn't go in because it was near closing plus it cost $29. Ate a disappointing brisket and smoked pork belly and ps and mac at Swig and Swine west of Charleston in an area called West of the Ashley. Pork belly doesn't smoke well. Slept at the Town and Country Inn for $111. Ate a breakfast of two eggs, sausage and toast at Early Bird Diner. On 3D. Went down the street and grabbed a Boxcar fried chicken sandwich with pimento ch and peach slaw at Boxcar Betty's. Left town because hotel prices in town were redic. Drove to Johns Island to see the 400+ year old oak tree. Free. Drove to St Simons Island. Stayed at the Ocean Suites and Inn for $104. Visited beaches at Massengale Park, Coast Guard Station and 15th St. Ate a dinner of lobster salad and blacked shrimp on a salad at Mullet Bay. I knew it wouldn't be lobster at the price, but, at least others have the decency to just proclaim the surimi - crab salad. Ate a lunch of Huevos Esplendidas (wrap of scrambled eggs with salsa and avocado) at Palm Coast Coffee. Lucky with the weather. Didn't plan to stay so long in HH. Glad I did. I think I finally found the place (Van der Meer Racquet Club) my tennis team had spring practice at years ago. Was going to try and stay at two high end resorts in St Simons. Rates were too high. Can't see paying high dollar for Georgia. Who would? Hawaii maybe.

Pupusas and Burritos Grill, Sanford *FL Keys Travel Notes

I tried this two year old (seems longer) mish mosh (Latin American, American, Italian, etc) near 17-92 on 46/S. Park Ave today at lunch. I pass it on my way to and from 95. I disliked everything about it except the food. Reservedly. I grabbed two Pupusas for $3.50 a piece. One was what they translate as ground pork. In Spanish it is listed as Chicharron. Further confusing what that word actually translates to. The other was queso and loroco (a vine with edible flowers). They described this as artichoke tasting like. They took a while to appear. I hope that means they were being made to order. The pork pup wasn't sealed together. It split in two. Never had that happen before. It was ok. It could have been cooked longer. Corn tasted a bit raw. They offer a hot and a not hot sauce for it. Plus vinegar-ed "cole slaw". It adds a dimension. The loroco did taste a bit like artichoke. At least it was a new experience. They also sell pizza (saw two steel pizza ovens), sandwiches, gyro, Mexican items, Carib items, etc. The place is just a bare white square. No effort. No decoration. I expected it would be like this. Why it has been ignored. The pricing is also bad. Maybe 25% too expensive. A burrito was over $10 for instance. Pizzas were near $15. 

*I forgot to alert you to a delivery site called Gold Belly. They deliver from many famous restaurants.

**Travel Notes - Florida Keys: I first stopped at a place on US 1 in Pinecrest that looked cool. It wasn't. Just another three step bowl/burrito place. Called Diced. Had an ok chicken wrap. In Islamorada, I ate dinner at Ziggie and Mad Dogs. Had one of the better cheeseburgers I've had in a while. Cheapest thing, Plus an ok shrimp cocktail too. Was a Capone hang out. Now owned by a 70's Miami Dolphin. Stayed three nights at Creekside Inn for around $133 a night. Keys getting expensive. Seems like hotels are only partially renting rooms to inflate prices. Had mahi reuben at Island Grill. Had a great pizza at Enrico's after watching the sunset at Mile Marker 88. Had a meh chicken salad sandwich at City Hall. Dinner menu looked better. They have a nice wine store inside. You'd never think it from the outside. Scuba'd at Islamorada Dive Center. $95 plus $30 for gear (pre tax). Great coconut and coffee ice cream at Mr C's. Drove to Key Largo for happy hour (half price on already cheap drinks) at Jimmy Johnson's Big Chill. Went back for dinner at Old Tavernier. Mushy yellowtail snapper almondine with "risotto". Old school flop. Wrong rice. Mushy too. Expensive for what they delivered. Very good and generously portioned bread crumb encrusted hogfish at Lazy Days for lunch. Looks like a dump. But, great view and surprisingly good food. Saw some sick shrimp cocktails. Huge! Drove to Marathon. Stayed at the Sea Dell Motel for $145. Cheapest thing available! It was ok. Not fancy, but, quietish and no glaring disappointments. Saw sunset at Burdine's. Got a media noche to go at La Nina. Got a beef empanada, croquetta and pork tamale at Juice Paradise Cuban Cafe. Didn't want a sit down dinner. Marathon location of Captain Hook's didn't have a pm dive, so, I drove to Big Pine Key to dive Looe Key Reef. $95 plus $36 for gear. This was a better dive site. Sailed by Little Palm Island going out. It has a hotel that is $2500 a night. Ate a Turkey Club at Big Pine Rooster before the dive. Drove back through Marathon to Castaway for lionfish sushi and lionfish miso soup. It was on 3D. Had dinner two at Twisted Shrimp in Islamorada. It gets a 5 out of 5 on Yelp. Great "fried" shrimp and roasted brussel sprouts. Barely coated. Like salt baked shrimp. Excellent. And it's an order at the counter place. Low maintenance vibe. Spent the night at Travelodge in Florida City because at $80 it was $40  less than anything in the Keys. Had lunch in Pinecrest at another place that looked cool. It wasn't. Called Grown Drive Thru. Crappy Cobb salad for $11 because everything was WAY overpriced. Trying to get you for $20 to start. Another stupid three step fast casual place. Plus it was only healthy crap. No traffic snarls either way. Only rained Monday morning. Temps in the low 80's. Water temp also good. I also laid out at Founder's Park (free with Creekside parking pass) in Islamorada and Coco Plum beach in Marathon.

Grub Crawl - Thornton Park: 808 (Closed), Island Time and Sperry Deli & Creamery

I tried these places in on East Washington St today at lunch. This area is now done too. The area was pleasantly empty. I even found a parking space though the main area near the lake was closed off. They had a marathon earlier. 

808 - The area code for Hawaii. They opened in August. I had the two item platter for $14. I chose the Kalua pork and grouper fingers with white rice and macaroni salad. Served in a cafeteria tray. Lei type flower in the middle. The pork was ok. A tad dry on the outside. Probably oldish. They topped it with a tropical barbeque sauce. Big Portion. Three grouper fingers in a bloated tempura coat. Made them look bigger. I believe the grouper was frozen. It may not have totally been defrosted inside. Bland. Needs a sauce. I finally realized (near the end) that there was soy sauce on the table. That helped. Rice was good. Mac too. I tried mixing it up. A forkful of mac and pork was the best. You can add a wide variety of menu items to a platter (ie tuna or salmon poke, chicken, spam, etc). They sell pokes, handhelds, apps, etc. They were doing brunch (eggs, macadamia nut pancakes, etc) until 2pm. Probably just a weekend thing. Some traditional things like spam masubi and loco moco (burger patty and gravy dish). It's a fair representation of island food. Not a fast casual place. Sit down. Fifteen four person high tops. Thirty seats at an end to end bar in the center. Sixteen seats in the front patio area. High ceilings. Woody. Surfboards. I think Dexter's was here before them. Half price drinks during the day. A card said. Double check. About ten people there. Not a ton of Hawaiian options in CF. Could be better. But, could be worse. Not a waste of time. Service was good. 

Island Time - I think I reviewed them already. Forgot to check. Been there before. Not sure what it was called. Why I've ignored them. If I have. Open as this for nine years. They said this. Seems exaggerated. New owner for the last two years. That seems more like it. Now they serve more food. I got the Mangu for $12. Why? Craziest thing of course. They said it is Dominican. Google agrees. It was one runny egg with ground sausage and smashed green plantains. Egg (thankfully) wasn't that runny. One is not enough though. Sausage and plantain were good. Better overall than I expected. Ate it for dinner. Also had needless avocado slice and tomatoes. Small place. Most of the action is in front on the patio. Small bar inside. One waitress. One cook. One stove. They had about ten brunch items. Dinner menu was lightly bigger. I remember: a Jamaican grits and shrimp dish, deviled eggs, burger, etc. When you go past it at night, it seems like a bar. More expansive though. As you can see. Caribbean. Anglicized. Porch area was filled.

Sperry Deli & Creamery - Across the street from Island Time. Kind of grubby. Barely a creamery. Just a display container of Hershey's ice cream and sandwiches and salads (as in tuna). Small patio in front. I made my own sandwich for $8. 8" hoagie of turkey and swiss and Russian dressing. Turkey could have been Boarshead. It was in a package. They sliced it. Swiss was pre-cut. Lettuce was meh. Tomato was fresh. Too little dressing. Roll was mass produced and still under baked and over floured. Those need to go. That's the problem. It seems to want to be bougie. It's just ordinary. It wouldn't take much to fit into the neighborhood. The guy said it may close. I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Or. Do better! Clean the place up. Decorate it cutely. Get some better product. It has been open for two years.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: The Spott, Dough Girl (Closed), Lilly Rose Cafe and Cafe del Soul *FL/AL Travel Notes

I tried these spots on Friday at lunch. They are all on the intercoastal side of town. The first and last two are right in the center of town. Like five more spots to go. All open for dinner only though. A new one (La Fiesta) is opening near the drawbridge.

The Spott - Like Zee Boyzzz, the extra letter must be for more flava. They opened in the Thai restaurant spot on Canal St four months ago. From the looks of it, it seems like an Irish pub. It is more of an up scale (in concept) place than that. I had a sous vide chicken sandwich with fries. It cost $14. The sous vide part is really for affect. A dish like this (that is pan sauteed anyway) doesn't need it. And the results didn't warrant it (if done correctly). It just made it bland. It came with veg on top of a supposedly hand made bread. It needed a sauce/spread. The bread wasn't that great either. I think it was supposed to come with avocado. That was mia. The best component was the fries. They were that scoop shape I think I told you about in a Moab travel note. The ones that look like Frito scoops. I should have gone with a burger that had bone marrow butter, Nueske bacon and an egg on it. They said the beef is Schneid and Sons. I guess that should mean something to me. They also touted (who knows if they actually buy it) duroc pork. It came with edamame. Interesting? Or revolting? The menu had some appealing items on it. Prices were high. IE $30 for a grouper sandwich. $3 for a soda. It was more than I thought I was going to experience. That might be part of the problem. I wasn't expecting a fancy feast. So, it kind of struck me as needlessly pretentious. Go in with expectations. Service was ok. I went late-ish, so, it wasn't too full. They did a good job on the reno. Bar in back on the right. Open spacing with tables in two rows. TVs. Sports on. I wonder if it will be a tweener. Too high brow for the sports crowd. And too butch for the foodies. 

Dough Girl - On the road to the draw bridge. They open at 2:30 pm. I don't get it. They sell cookie dough. It tastes like crystalized sugar. Get's real dry real fast too. A big scoop of it. You can get it with ice cream (shake, float or side by side). Doubles the cost. That may help. I tried a scoop of Cookie Monster (blue with oreos and chips) for $5. As I said, I don't get it. They also had "nachos". On waffle cone circles. Open for a year. 

Lilly Rose Cafe - I saw them while driving to the beach. Off Canal on Downing. Open for eighteen months. They sell girlie food. Vegan-y things. Soups, wraps, smoothies, salads, juice, etc. Maybe some of the meats were real. It was late, so, many things in the showcase were gone. I found out after that they could have made me something then and there. I settled on a soup. It was damn good. $5 for a small. It was enough though. And they didn't fill it with liquid. Beans (at least two types), barley, sausage (seemed real), kale, other veg, chicken or veg stock. Came with chips (blue corn). Very tasty. Cute, little spot. Not much (if any) seating. 

Cafe del Soul - I that it was Sol driving by last time. Guess it ain't a Latin place. Open now. For two months. Off Canal on Magnolia. L and D. Seating. Nice atmosphere'interior design. Owner has two places in NorCal. Moved here for health reasons. Glad to have you. Another girlie, vegan-y place. Though you can get chicken instead of tofu. It's gmo of course. Like my natural Covid antibodies. They sell soups, nachos, quesadillas, rice dishes, quinoa dishes, wraps, salads, smoothies, juices, drinks, beer, wine, kombuchas, canned cocktails, champers, desserts, tea and coffee. I had a Hummus Yummus (can you tell I order by monikers) for $10. I know. A little high. Plus you must add $3 for chicken. It was good though. And I don't go cuckoo for veggie puffs. It had hummus (no duh), red leaf lettuce, feta, edamame, almonds, regular lettuce, cukes, onion and a ginger vinaigrette in a spinach tortilla. Pretty filling. Who knew I could be satiated by two vegan-ish enterprises. I'd go back for more. This place is more "substantial" than Lilly Rose. You could have a sit down meal here. Even a date. Large, open space. High ceilings. Counter. Semi-exposed kitchen. Modern, yet earthy decor. I'm worried I might be seduced by these healthy options. Where's my yoga mat?

*Travel Notes - Florida and Alabama: I stayed the first night in Chipley because I chose the Miami/FSU game day to travel. Remember that I chose the FSU/ND game day to stay in Tallahassee to start the season? I stayed at a Comfort Inn for $104. It seemed like it had been damaged. Hurricane? Shit town. I drove to Ponce de Leon the next morning. Went four miles south of 10 and made a left to Morrison Springs. No fee. Then circled back and went about a mile north of 10 and a mile east to Ponce de Leon State Park. Another spring. Fee required. Didn't swim in either. Drove through dt Pensacola to Cub's Crawfish on 98. It became some other road. 200 something. This place (I was told on last trip) had great and cheap crawfish. They were cheap. But, it (as I found out) isn't crawfish season. That is mid January (pushing it) to July 4th (pushing it). So, I ate frozen crap that gave me the squirts by dinner time. Live and learn. They get 4 and a half stars on Yelp though.  I continued on that road past Perdido Key to Orange City AL. I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn for $97. On the beach! I drove west through Gulf Shores AL to the end of 182. I came back and had a half pound of red shrimp at Lartigue's Seafood Market (across from hotel). I ate dinner at The Gulf. It was on Food Paradise. They take shipping containers and make a place out of them. Great location. Had a good tuna poke bowl. Has a bar area and shops. Right on ocean by a canal and aside a bridge. Found out this might be a chain. Saw one in Fort Walton Beach later on. The next morning I drove to 59 in Gulf Shores and went north a mile or two and hung a left onto 180W. Took it to the end. Intercoastal part of area that goes further west than the coastal. Great drive. Mobile Bay on the north side. Ends at Fort Morgan. Funny observation. Signs for graveyards seemed to go out of their way to let you know they were established AFTER the Civil War. Came back to 59 and went a mile back to the coast and ate at Original Oyster House. On Man v Food. Ten years ago! Time flies. Had a half dozen Area 3 Louisiana oysters. Good. Tried trigger fish again to see if Farlow's screwed me. Maybe. This filet had the firmness and thickness near the dorsal area that I remember. It came with two sides. I did a baked potato and cheese grits. Invented the baked potato with cheese grits topping (instead of melted cheese) inside. Passed Lake Shelby and a fancy Lodge by Hilton on the way back. OC and GS are nice. Not as congested as Destin. Really getting more "updated" though. I went back to Florida and made a right on 172 to the Naval Air Station. Sign says Pensacola Lighthouse. It must be inside the base. I didn't see if they would let me in. Blue Angels there too. Back through Pensacola over bridge to to Pensacola Beach. Sign said toll road. Didn't want to trip the rental car EZ Pass. Stayed on 98. Drove it to Navarre Beach and found I could take that road back to PB. Did that. I goes through a portion of Gulf Islands NS through PB to Santa Rosa Island and Fort Pickens. The end of Florida. Back the same way to Navarre. Back to 98 and into Fort Walton Beach. Stayed at La Qunita Inn for $90. Ate at Nacho n Taco Taqueria. Had a lengua chimichanga and a bad chicken empanada. Drove east through Destin and south on 30a. They are doing work on a bridge, so, I had to detour half way through. Great drive though. So clean. Great communities. Stopped in Seaside. The destination. Where they filmed the Truman Show. Found his house at 36 Natchez (also 31). Had lunch at one of the many food trucks. The Meltdown on 30A. Had a All American grilled cheese on Texas toast and a Strawberry Goat Forever (Alabama Goat Cheese, strawberry preserves and prosciutto). Drove east through Rosemary Beach. They have a fancy hotel called The Pearl. Past Panama City and Port Joe and Mexico. Beach. You know. The one the hurricane crushed. Still building back. Maybe even better? Past Apalachicola. Stopped at St George Island. Stayed at St George Inn for $106. A crumbling dump. Ate at Paddy's Raw Bar. Eaten up by sand fleas. Said they had Apalachicola Oysters. Found out there is a two year moratorium on harvesting them. They sucked. Whatever they were. Even worse mahi tacos. Whole island isn't really anything. Drove east to 319N. Went to Leon Sinks Geological Area. Found out it is closed for two years. Made a right onto 61S to Edward Ball Wakulla Springs SP. Stayed at Lodge at Wakulla Springs for $125. Great lodge built in the Thirties. No park fee if you stay here. Took a boat ride for $8. Saw manatees, etc. Swam. They filmed Creature from the Black Lagoon and Tarzan movies here. Ate at the Edward Ball Dining Room for lunch and dinner. Good cb for lunch. Not so great Panhandle Chicken with mashed red potatoes and mostly cheeseless mac and cheese for dinner. Still nice ambiance. Had a dog at The Parlor too. Warning! No tvs. Drove down to 27 and south on 47 at High Springs. East at 340. North on some road shortly after. To Ginnie Springs. Didn't stop. Cloudy. Will go back. Costs $15. I think you can tube. Can get to it from 75 at Alachua exit (399). And that is it. another one in the books. Weather supported a trip to these locations. Prices were low in most places. DT Pensacola was still high.

Grub Crawl - Deland: Pho Company Noodle House, The Abbey, Sidecar Home Market and Loaded Lunch Box *FL Gulf Coast Travel Notes

I tried the first three at night about two weeks ago on a Saturday. They are all around Woodland Blvd (17) and New York Ave. The last is on New York Ave (44) back towards I-4 near the Deland HS turn. I tried that on this Saturday at lunch. Now I have given you every spot in Deland.

Pho Company Noodle House - Open for five years. Some how they had a wait list. I sneaked in. I tried the curry chicken with white rice. Let me say that no cuisine has lost as much respect with me than Vietnamese. I pretty much only like banh mi now. This was a piss poor attempt at a Thai dish. I'm not sure if they really make this in Vietnam. Many countries do a version of a neighboring cuisine. I've never seen nor heard of the Vietnamese doing so. It is plausible. Maybe just what places in the States do? They also had some other "pan Asian" items as well. Like bao. The curry had no heat. Bland. Bisque like. I swear they used the chicken roll from the banh mi. The chicken was in little slices (stuck together). Sad if they did that. The rice was mushy. Not good. Even the soda tasted off. The place is a long hall with a mural on one side. Not a destination spot. Open for lunch or dinner.

The Abbey - The reason for the trip. Only open at night. A bar. I had a mead they make for $5. Called Abbey Normal. It was good. Sweet. They have a few. Plus wine, beer, cigars. Good selection. Brick walls. They let dogs in. Patio. TVs. I was leaving early the next day or I would have stayed longer. Open for many years. I'm just not here often at night. So it slipped by.

Sidecar Home Market - A furniture store with a bar and things in a fridge. I grabbed a coffee in a can for the next morning. Cute spot.

*I also passed by the alley with Persimmon Hollow and the courtyard area with a bar/counter that I think is called DaVinci Gardens. It's still there. I believe I reviewed it ages ago.

Loaded Lunch Box - A real dive of a snack bar. Had a terrible (unoiled) grilled cheese for $2 and an equally bad hot dog (the cheapest type of bologna dog) for $2.50. They do other sandwiches and burgers and fish and ribs. Open for eight months. 

*Travel Notes - Florida Gulf Coast: I drove from the Keys on 1N to 997N in Florida City to 41W (Tamiami Trail) to Naples. Stayed at the Lemon Tree Inn for $102.50 (Booking gave me a $20 coupon). I was way cute. Little bungalows. Two blocks from 5th Ave. I had dinner at bha! bha! on 5th. It is upscale Persian. I forget what designation they claimed. NYT Best or something. I had a great Lamb Bedemjune Koresh (stew) with eggplant and tomato and sour grapes (the draw). Very large portion. Came with basmati rice. I had a good Sandra's Hottie burger of cream cheese, cheese, bacon and jalapenos at Brooks Burgers near the hotel the next afternoon. It also claimed to be the second best burger (I believe in the country) per Trip Advisor (they said). No idea if that was true and when it was. Sign out front said it was called Lindburghers. Like the pilot. I guess that was a popular place or they wouldn't have a sign saying so. I drove up 41 through Fort Myers. Went to the Edison and Ford Winter Homes. Didn't go in because I have seen it on tv and I think it was $25. I was going to do Sanibel but the bridge had tolls and I didn't want to set off the rental car EZ Pass. Drove north past other pay bridges to Cape Coral. I think I took 78W in North Fort Myers to Cape Coral and then Matlacha Island and then Pine Island (has a ferry to a place called Caya Costa. Cabbage Key is another spot you need a boat to get to too). Drove it south to St James City. Then to the north end at Bokeelia. They were ok islands. Not very developed. I then took some road just past Matlacha to Punta Gorda. Stayed at the Punta Gorda Waterfront for $95. Ate at The Perfect Caper (beat Bobby Flay with mussels). Saw this in Food Traveler magazine a while back. Had the mussels, a terrible salmon tartare (pasty) and chicken liver pate. Drove up 41N and west on 776 (about eight miles past the Gasparilla Island turn off at 771) to Englewood and Farlow's on the Water. Rays spring training stadium is on this road too. Same article. It looked better than I expected. It was packed. Mostly hunch backed old Irish ladies. I had to send back the mussels. Like raisins. I had a triggerfish (that I think they gave me barramundi instead) with a weird cold quinoa salad and papaya salad. All disappointing. The chef is from St Croix. I think. Menu reflects it. On a lagoon/river. Drove back to Punta Gorda and drove up to I-4 from there. I believe it was 17N to 64E to 98N to 27N. Next post will have my west of Tallahasee and Alabama notes.

Grub Crawl - Lake Ivanhoe and Audubon Park: Ziggie's Pizza and Sugar Dough *FL Keys Travel Notes

I tried these new participants last Saturday afternoon. They are semi-near each other. The first is on Virginia in between Lake Ivanhoe and Mills next to Thirsty Topher. The next is across from the East End Market in the old Bluebird spot.

Ziggie's Pizza - The partners from Perla split. This is one of them. Ziggie is a nick name. He and his bro do a New Haven "inspired" pie. No coal oven. It's steel. But they said it gets to 600 degrees. Open for two months. Only pizza. Some funky toppings. I had the basic OG. It cost $10. Not bad. Gray-ish under crust. Alright char. Thin! Almost no crust. Was better than Pop's in that you could taste the sauce. Cheese was ok.

Sugar Dough - I had a spam quiche danish because it was the weirdest thing. It cost $4.50. No complaints. They sell cookies, cruffins, crowaffles, etc. Not much of a departure from Bluebird. I will opine that if a business had this lack of alternate sex employees, there would be a scene. But. since it doesn't involve white males, no one will kvetch. You are more evolved though. Don't let your behavior tell you otherwise. Some sort of past discrimination sterilizes your innate bigotry. Gurrl power.

*Travel Notes - Florida Keys: I will break the trip into three parts. This is the first. I left a few days early because the prices were rising due to a boat race. Plus the weather was deteriorating. I slept at the Rock Reef Resort in Key Largo on Sunday for $117. I like to drive down on Sunday. Less traffic. I ate dinner at Ballyhoos. I had an Iron Skillet of Mahi with Shrimp and roasted mushrooms that were sauteed/boiled. I had a poor slice at Upper Crust in Key Largo. I had a mahi sandwich in Key Lime Butter with ff at Hobo's Cafe at lunch. Good quality mahi. In Marathon, I slept at the horrible Kingsail Resort (noise) for $244 for two nights. I whiffed on scuba. Went to the wrong place (based on last year's rates) and passed. Found out a place called Hook's had reasonable rates the next day. Ate dinner at Barracuda Grill. It was surprisingly ambitious and expensive. Had Roast Duckling with veg and mp. Also a salad with sweet cherry peppers. Had lunch at Porky's. A bad yt snapper sandwich with potato salad. Supplemented the lunch with a snack of stone crabs at Key Fisheries. Found out that deformed claws are called floaters. They sold them for 1/3 the price per pound. They were going for $30 this year. These cost $10. The meat was about a half as large. Some claws seemed to be "full". It was worth the discount. Never seen them offered up before. Had another snack at a food truck called Las Isla Taco Grill. Had a bad al pastor taco and a good mahi. Ate a bad hogfish sandwich at Sunset Grille under the 7 Mile Bridge. Good spot to see the sunset though. Ate an ok egg and sausage breakfast at Stout's (cash only). Ate lunch on the way out at Lazy Lobster in Key Largo. A lazy. tail piece yt tuna sandwich with store bought, watery potato salad. Sad. I think I'll go back in December since this trip got truncated. Got a few more scuba options. I went to Naples next. That will be part 2.