Tom's Watch Bar, International Drive *Germany Travel Notes

I tried this sports bar near the intersection of Sand Lake and I Drive last night. It is on the top floor of the building a half a block south on I Drive. It is a chain. I know they have another in Vegas. It opened a week or two ago. I had the All American Cheeseburger for $18. It was ok. Preformed, but, acceptable patty. Earthy tasting. Over a 1/4 lb. You could not adjust the temp. It was medium well. Sweet and sour pickle slices. Good brioche bun. It came with a choice of fries or tots. I chose tots. Good. Alot. Crispy. Not oily. Served in a wire basket with a plastic cover sheet. Side of ketchup. It came out quick. Not bad for 10pm. The menu has few surprises. Tacos, fried chicken sandwiches, prime rib sandwich, salads, mac and cheeses, etc. $18 to $24. The apps (nachos, hummus, etc) ran from $14 to $18. The service was attentive and polite. The space is large. High ceilings. L Shaped. Black is the main tone. Concrete too. A long bar with seating. The area near the kitchen is a little unsightly. An area up a staircase that was closed. An outdoor space with its own bar on the I Drive side. Views on three sides though. Seats over 200. About 1/4 full. All types. Even kids and babies with bad parents. The walls are lined with screen and projection tvs. Three regular tvs between them. The sound is ear splitting. They haven't evened out what level the announcers are on and what level the crowd is on. The crowd noise is too loud and drowns out the announcers. Plus it gives you headache. And it is annoying when you are watching one of the other events. I would rather have no audio or music. You may have to pay for parking. I parked aside it. At other times, this lot may be full. They are only open for lunch on the weekends. 4pm to 11pm otherwise. Not a bad addition to our community.

*Travel Notes - Germany: I flew to Frankfurt via Santiago DR and Boston (return) on Jet Blue and Condor for $630. Neither gave me record locator numbers (a first). Jet Blue finally did with a last minute email and I could check in online and it also checked me onto my Condor flight. Which was good because their website is a clusterfuck. So bad that I had to take the train to the airport in Frankfurt to use a kiosk to check in on the way back because it was the first segment flying that portion and Jet Blue's website couldn't save me that time. The Condor site kept hanging up on the chose luggage page. They tried to charge for everything. Jet Blue did how ever almost fuck me by not informing me that the idiots in the DR (the transit point) make even transferring passengers fill out some form (plus go through customs and back). And their idiot counter people just call it an eticket. Don't you think they should be using the term entry form or something like that? Eticket sound like a boarding pass. In the Dr, they listed (never fixed) the flight to Frankfurt as Puerto Plata. I've already written too much on this subject.

You can take an S Train (above ground) from the airport to the Main Train Station for 6.30E. I paid in cash. It made change. It takes about fifteen minutes and is the last stop. No one checked my ticket. FYI - the exchange rate was about 1E for 1.08 US. I stayed the first two nights at the pretty decent Ramada Central Station (Expedia 7.6) about four blocks down on the main road out of the station (Kaiser Strasse) for $69 a night. It was a bit drizzly (was most days) the first day. I got some food at the market (Tegut) and went to sleep. The next day I bought a 35E ticket from a machine at the station to my next destination. These idiot machines in Europe ask for a pin on a normal credit card! Luckily, the bullshit number I entered on my AMEX fooled them. Didn't work with other cards though. These machines did take cash too. They had an English language option. I will have to go into a lengthy explanation of the fare structure, etc at the end. Then, I walked a few block into the city center (where the skyscrapers are) and took out some cash at the Commerzbank. Then right towards the river at some point. The street that has the Klein Markt Halle and the Dom and the Moderne Kunst Museum. Then down to the Main River and over a bridge to this area that has apple cider bars. Then back and across the iron bridge and back to the Rathaus and back to the main street and down it a bit more. It is a busy shopping street. It was a bit rainy and there isn't a ton to see and I knew I'd be back, so, I called it quits and did another market run again. I should add here that the area around the station is a bit annoying. Druggies, homeless, etc. There are also many refugees here as well. BTW - tell them you are there on business to avoid the 2E a night hotel tax.

The next day, I grabbed a frankfurter (because you gotta) at Wurst Heldon at the station and left (I took 11am-ish trains that got me into the next place at check in time at the hotel) for Koblenz. The Rhine and the Mosel meet here at a Kaiser Wilhelm statue point called Deutsches Eck. There is also a castle across the Rhine that you can take a gondola to. I stayed near the station at the tiny and poorly valued Trip Inn City Hotel Hamm (Expedia 8.2) for $112. And they were the cheapest! It was a Saturday. I thought the Eck was close to here. But, I read the map wrong. No bother. I went to the station and bought a 31E ticket for the next day and took a pleasant walk through town and along the Rhine. Down there, I just walked down the Mosel side a bit and back and perused a food truck festival and saw the St Kastor Basilika. On the return, I took the route through the middle of the peninsula/city. Saw the Rathaus, etc. Got dinner at a Lidl near the station. FYI - I would stay here and do day cruises or take buses down the Mosel instead of staying in the towns (unless you have a car).

The next day I took the train to through the Mosel region (it was flooding its banks) to Trier. After this is France. It is the oldest Roman settlement in Germany. I bought a 46E return ticket to Frankfurt at the station. I stayed at the perfectly placed Hotel Porta Nigra (Booking 8.0) for $73. I should add that it was a Sunday and many shops were closed. I walked to the Porta Nigra (a black Roman gate) and down that main street to Haupt Markt. Then left to the Dom and onto the Konstantin Basilika and Kuefurstliches Palais. Through the garden to the Kaiser Thermen (Roman baths). Don't pay. You can see the whole thing from around the corner. Onto the Mosel and the Romer Bricke (bridge). Back to center and the Karl Marx house, Markt Kirche St Gangolf and Karl Marx Statue. A deparate 9E tuna sandwich dinner at Subway.

The next day I walked through town a bit more. I got screwed again because it was some holiday. Back through Boulay and Cochem to Koblenz. Those two towns are suggested stopping of points for the Mosel. But because of the flooding, high hotel places, etc I chose to bypass them. I will tell you that the train only follows along the Mosel to Boulay. South of that it goes inland. I planned on staying in a town south of Boulay. When I found out a bus was required, I just cut bait. The wineries also didn't seem that accessible. The train was a nightmare. Had to stand the whole way from Koblenz. Back in Frankfurt I stayed at the noisy Concorde Hotel (Expedia 8.6) a block to the left of the station for $47. I bought a 46E ticket and walked to the Opera House, Goethe Museum and along the river (everyone was there because of the holiday) to the Stadl Museum and back. The hotel was in the red light district. It was pathetic shell of itself if it ever was notorious. Dinner of chicken schnitzel sandwich and egg and salami on mei seicke (a popover like pastry) from Quicker's at the station.

The next day I went on to Nurnberg through Wurzburg. I stayed at the Privat Hotel Probst (Expedia 8.8) just inside the walls in front of the station. I walked to the St Lorenz Kirche, Pegnitz River, Haupt Markt, Rathaus, Schoner Brunnen (fountain), Frauen Kirche, Albrecht Durer Haus, Kaiserburg Castle, St Sebald Kirche and up Karolinen Strasse. Dinner from Lidl. The next day I bought a local train 4E ticket (I freeloaded the return) to where the Kongress Halle/Documentation Center and Zeppelin Field are (a few stops from the central station) and a 28E ticket for the next leg. They held some of the Nazi rallies you see in film here. Exit left from the exit and look for a lake. Wasted 6E on a ticket for some shit museum when I could have just entered the building for free. BTW - it is all being torn apart. The stands, etc are gone. It is just an empty horseshoe. I think they are renovating it to be a new political building. I walked around the building to the Zeppelin Field. There is a hockey rink and a football stadium aside it. At the other side was a bunch of stone work that I think was the seating area for their parades. They were also working on that. I continued on (around the lake that is there) to the station. It wasn't really worth the effort. Back in town, I walked past the Konigs Tor, Modern Art Museum and Germanisches National Museum. Back to Karolinen Strasse and had a Drei im Weggla (three shitty sausages in a roll) at the Original Nurnberg Kiosk. It's a local specialty. Around the left side of town. Walls, bridge, castle again, etc. Dinner from Lidl. 

The next day I took the train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It is a medivil town. I stayed at the noisy Hotel Gasthof Post to the left of the station and outside the walls. I bought a 20E ticket for the next day at the only kiosk. No workers at the depot. I walked into town. Entrance, Rathaus plaza, Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store, Berggarten, St Wolfgang Kirche and Walls. At the end of the walls, I walked back into town and bought some wine at Frankischer Brennereiausschank and a LKW Burger Fleischkas with Kraut Salat and Gebratenen at Metzgerei Erich Trumpp because you couldn't pass that up. It was a fat slice of some big wurst that I saw being sold in Nurnburg. A little more walking through town center and the St Jakobs Kirche. Dinner from Aral gas station market because I didn't see the great big market next to the station when I came in.

The next day I went onto Wurzburg. Known for wine. I bought a 26E ticket. I stayed at the very nice Hotel Franzikaner near the Dom and Residenz (Expedia 8.0) for $85. I walked down to the Main River. Left to a bridge and around the farther side of the Fortress Marienburg. This took forever and I thought I'd have to turn around. Luckily, I found a passage through the vineyards at the farthest end and cut across. Through some very pretty areas. I doubt many take this route. I did screw up coming back. There was a park about half way to town. I thought I'd get better photos if I stayed farther away from the fortress. That whole way was blocked by buildings. Maybe the park was not? Back across the Alte Main Brucke to Dom Strasse. Marien Kapelle, Falken Haus, Neu Munster and the Dom. Dinner from Tegut. I started to rain heavily. 

The next day I walked to the Residenz Palace and back through town. I got lost and ended up more north on the river and got some better angles of the fortress and made a right that brought me back to the station. I took the train (1 hour late) to Stuttgart. I bought a 66E ticket. I stayed at the ok Hotel Bawu (Expedia 8.8) right across the front of the station for $66. They are doing alot of construction at the station and around town. I got lost trying to find my way to the Mercedes Benz Museum. That and the Porsche Museum are the main draws. It was good because it started to pour an hour later. I ended up finding this park (Schloss Garten) that had all these buildings (opera, ballet, etc) around it. Dinner from Tegut. I think you need to use the subway to get to both car museum. A big hill blocks you from Mercedes and the Porsche seemed even farther away.

The next day (I bought a 2pm because it was the cheapest and I arrived so late the day before) I walked the other way around town. I saw the Rathaus, Stifts Kirche, Markt Halle (closed because a Sunday), Porsche Store, etc. A plaza was hosting the Hamburger Fisch Market. I had sauteed Kap-Seehecht (Cape Hake) at the Hamburger Bratkartoffeln stall because it was the busiest. Past the palace on Konig Strasse. Back to the station. The train was late. I arrived at Frankfurt with just enough time to do the river walk (farther) again. I got caught in the rain. Had one of the beers I bought under a tree. Had to buy groceries at the Zam Zam Halal Supermarkt. I stayed at the nice Victoria Hotel (Expedia 8.6) for $128 for two nights. Three blocks up from the station. The next day I had to do that BS at the airport and there was some issues with the trains, so, that took hours. I had to buy a two way local ticket for 12E. I got lost trying to find the Marshall Plan building. It's a college now. It was called the IG Farben Building. They planned and carried out the WWII rebuilding scheme from here. Back through town. Dinner from Tegut. There was S8 train scarcity the next morning, so, I took some other train to the first stop and connected with one there. I didn't pay because the machine wouldn't take my card and had no cash option. No one checked me. Had I stayed on the first train, I think I would have been found out and had to pay a 60E fine. Getting to the gate was no issue. Flight was late because (once again) some dipshit didn't show up and we had to unload their bag. Jet Blue was late by an hour because they claimed the flight before needed extra security time because it came from the DR. Doesn't it always? Didn't you know this? Why didn't you say plane leaves at that time then?

The weather was cloudy to drizzly 75% of the time. Not enough to worry about. It was hot enough. I never needed my sweater or long pants. Daylight started before 5am. Sun set late. All hotels had poor pillows, curtains and noise making maids. The meals I didn't speak of were the usual charcuterie, cheese, wine, beer, hummus, rolls, etc from markets or McD's. I drank every night. Local wine or beer. I tried these items for the first time: Meats - Parmesan Salami, Weisbauer Beskada Gerbraten, Schwarz Walder Schinken, Knoblauch Salami (I've probably had this), Cheese - Stilfser, Berg Bluten Kase, Bread - Chia Spitzerl. I had a ton of every kind of 1.50E Ritter chocolate bars because of the price. As usual smoked salmon was around 4E, prosciutto 2E, cheese 4E, cold cuts 2E, wine 3E to 7E, beer 1E to 2E. You have to just make your own sandwiches, et al! It so easy. Don't buy premade ones for 6E! It was good seeing the southeast part of Germany. Hotels were cheaper than I expected. Trains continue to be expensive. The quality of life is deteriorating in the cities. Still safe enough though. They never jaywalk. I kept calling them "Guter Hund".

Some thoughts on the trains. I still don't get it. They have ICE and IC trains that are the fastest and most expensive and mostly long distance. They have the RE that stop at every town and are cheaper. What I don't get is the price swings. Sometimes Flex (refundable) were cheaper. Sometimes I got a ticket for unlimited travel that day (the 46E ones). You must write your name on those. Sometimes they had limitation warnings yet they offered them up for sale and it seemed did not apply to that travel day. Why scare us? The lines for people to talk to were usually ridiculous. Why I just went to the machines. They also make it seem that it makes two or three stops. Nope. Dozens. You should also hit the print schedule button before you buy the ticket to find it where the transfers are. The screen won't tell you. You can also print out the three or four trains that are leaving in you time window. Many times seats were hard to come by. Sometimes no one checked my ticket. Sometimes it looked like the whole train was full of freeloaders. Transfer times were usually really short (like 5 minutes). There is supposedly a 49E a month unlimited pass you get online. A CS guy in Trier told me it automatically bills you every month. Not sure how hard it is to get out of or its limitations. The 3, 4, 6, 8 day passes seemed expensive. The internet said a six day was 248E. At 41E a day at that rate, almost all my day before purchases were cheaper. 

Donating Your Vehicle Tutorial

I decided on WUCF after looking into some of the other charities that market themselves to the general public. Many had issues. The first step was clicking on their donations link off their homepage. Then you fill out a form with info like vin number and condition. Immediately after they called me to verify this info and arrange a pick up date. A truck came on that day and hauled it away. I had to fill in some of the information on the title and give that to the driver. They gave me a donation receipt. I took some video and pics (title too) just in case.

I will consul that I believe they aren't doing this in compliance with the law. They (the auction house which sells the vehicle and sends the proceeds to the charity) ask you not to fill in mileage or make them the transferee. I believe they would have to pay for a new title that way. I called the charity, auction house and DMV for guidance. I received little and contradictory guidance. Some charity sites online were equally unclear. UCF had no instruction page for this. I emailed two of their departments. They couldn't answer the query.  I wrote up the mileage but played their game on the transfer line. I do believe that I had legal liability between the time it went on the truck and the sale.

I canceled the insurance and returned my plates to the DMV and waited for confirmation of the sale which was supposed to take place a week later. One never came. I had to email them. They said it could take 4 to 6 weeks. I received an email about a week later with the sale price and some tax advice.

Grub Crawl - Longwood and Lake Mary: Moliendo Cafe, Uno Mas (Closed) and Love Le Boba & Bakery

I tried these spots on Monday and Tuesday at lunch. The first is just east of 434 off 17-92. The second is on 434 closer to I-4 near Max & Meme. The last is in between the new chicken sandwich place and the Thai place on International Parkway at 46a. 

Moliendo Cafe - I saw this while car shopping and then they put a two for one coupon in my mail. They said a new owner took over three months ago. He is Ecuadorian. The menu is a mix of non-island Latin. I tried another Ecuadorian soup (caldo bolas verde) for $15 and I guess the $14.95 cazuuela frijoles was free. The soup is a green plantain dumpling soup. The dumpling is like a giant matzo ball with some shredded beef, etc in it. The menu said Colombian sausage. I only tasted beef shoulder and chichirron. Maybe two pieces. Also some green peas, a quarter cob of corn and cassava in a beef broth. Good. The beans had white rice (soft) and about ten thick pieces of fried pork belly (chicharron) and some of that sausage. Two maduros and a corn cake. Very filling. The rest of the menu had things from burritos to seafood. Nothing far from $24. Lunch specials near $10. The owner seemed to be the cook. One waitress. Red brick walls. Ten large flatscreens. Black ceiling. Rectangular layout. Bar on left. Seemed like live music area in rear. Two people eating. Open every day. The name is a riff on to grind coffee. It also seems to be a song.. It is funny that I went from zero food from Ecuador to two in a week. It is a value with these coupons. Could be worth your while.

Uno Mas - F&D reimagined their Italian kitchen into this hodge podge under a Mexican sombrero. They kept the pizza and oven and added things fron their other restaurants like American fare like burgers and Mexican fare like chimichangas. I had a Mexican grilled shrimp wrap for $16. It was good. F&D always delivers. Around ten, fresh, medium-sized shrimp. Nicely timed and seasoned. Caesar salad inside a well toasted tortilla. Simple. Good. Some bacon bits. A side of tender (to just done) tots in a mini fry basket. I never went to the Italian conversion. Now it is ranchero looking. Tile floors. Red brick. Stained wood. Black lamps. Wood bureaus housing tequila. Skeleton (Not chicas) mural. Four booths. Tables. Bar. Patio. Lots of parking. Three servers. Good service. Around ten in for lunch at 11:30 am. Open for a month. I think it is the rare multi-ethnic menu that works. Like I said. It's F&D....

Love Le Boba & Bakery- They replaced a Thai boba place (T Baar) a year ago. It still has that sign above the door. They also sent me a coupon, so, here is their pub. I picked up a free ice cream that is still in my freezer. They said it was Edy's They sell sugary drinks, etc.

Grub Crawl - Curry Ford Rd and Winter Park: Crispy Cones, Smokemade Meats + Eats and Forward/Slash Distillery * FL Gulf Coast Travel Notes

I tried these spots on Saturday during lunch. The first is on Curry Ford Rd next to that co-op that has Foxtail Coffee in it. The second is up Curry Ford to South Crystal Lake Dr. A block down (north) that road. The last is aside Fairbanks. Across from the Tars baseball stadium. Aside some abandoned (yet loaded with cars) car dealership eyesore. 

Crispy Cones - A chain from Idaho that makes a Czech pastry that looks like a cone. They wrap the dough around a dowel. I tried the cheapest. $5 for a small one filled with cookie butter (liquified Bischoff cookies). It was fine. Sugar sprinkled on top. It was a bit undercooked. You can get these with Nutella and one other spread. Extra for ice cream. They may have had a few other items. You could get pints of ice cream to go. I think they were $9 a pint. They trumpet the fact that they were on Shark Tank. Odd hours. Only normal hours on the weekends. After 4pm otherwise. Order at a computer terminal. A few seats. Looks like an ice cream franchise. Parking is not abundant. Open for a month or so. I've had these in Europe. They were longer and unfilled.

Smokemade Meats + Eats - They do all wood Texas barbeque. I tried a 1/2 lb of brisket ($17) and a hot gut sausage ($5). It came with two slices of decent white bread, pickled onions, sliced pickles and two sauces. The brisket was pretty good. I had a slice of lean and a slice of moist. A bit bland. Not much bark. Not very smoky. A fat pocket that should have been trimmed. Good pull. Not oily. Moist. It needed the mustard and the pepper vinegar sauces. They must do their own sauce making (and pickling). The sausage was a bit grainy. Flavored with whole mustard seed, etc. A bit of heat. Large. It was ok. Probably home made. It would explain the odd grind. They also sell pulled pork ($13), pork ribs ($11.50), turkey ($13), chicken ($13), jalapeno cheddar sausage ($5) and smoked mushrooms ($12). Today they sold a $36 a lb beef rib. The brisket sandwich is $18. Pulled pork, turkey and mushroom are $14. The sides are: cheddar grits, pinto beans, coleslaw, potato salad, collard greens, mac and cheese, tomato zucchini salad and hash and rice. All $4 for a small, $8 for a medium and $12 for a large. I only saw the mac and collards. The mac was very gooey. Very milky. The collards were collards. Green. Their baked goods are: banana pudding, bread pudding and gooey butter cake for $6. White bread and beef fat tortillas for $10. Cheesecake (Sunday only) for $8. I think they said they make those too. They sell soda, beer, lemonade and sweet tea. The beer was between $4 and $7. I think the sodas were $3. Water was free. Only around six tables of four inside. A few more outside. No decor. Order at a counter. Limited parking. It was busy. Not as busy as other times I was told. Open for two weeks or so. Only open on weekends. I think they did pop ups before this. Not the head of the class, but, up there. I'll have to try a few more items before I make my final determination. 

Forward/Slash Distillery - They take other peoples' barrels and monkey around with them. I had one shot of bourbon from Virginia and a four distillery mix of bourbon that they call Rhapsody. Both were $5. I liked the quality. Mostly obscure distilleries. I'm still not sure why those distilleries allow them play with their product. Isn't it kind of insinuating that it hasn't been created properly? And how different is their version versus the original? It kind of ruins it if you want to sample that spirit to learn its characteristics. Anyway. It was a hip, cool, little venue. Not many seats inside. Two patio areas. Open for a year and a month. They make cocktails. You can buy bottles. They sell whiskey, tequila, gin, rum, etc. They make their own bitters. The cheapest bottle was $39 for the rum. I think the whiskey was around $80. Lots of parking. Odd hours and days. Wed-Sn. 4pm. 2pm Sa and maybe Sn. Open for thirteen months. Big, white building.

*Travel Notes - Florida Gulf Coast: I drove to Lakeland on Saturday. Heavy traffic from Disney past Celebration. Stayed at the too noisy Travelodge (Booking 8.0) for $109. Saw the Flying Tigers (on 33) at Joker Marchant Stadium for $15 (free parking). Drove the next day to Dunedin (92/Hillsborough Ave at 301 intersection past the airport and past 19). No tolls. I saw the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark for $11 (free parking). On Douglas Ave. I tried to try some breweries or restaurants in town. But, it was Cinco de Mayo and they had streets closed off, etc. Most of the breweries (around seven) only sold growlers or four packs. I didn't want that much. The town seemed cuter this time around. I'll go back. I drove back to 19 and went south. Hooked up with 275 after following Alt 19 a few miles. You can take that all the way from Dunedin. But, I remember it as being longer. I went over the sky bridge and exited on 19S at Tera Ceia. It became 41S. Took that to Sarasota. I stayed at the great value Kompose Boutique Hotel (Expedia 9.0) on University next to the airport for $87 plus $12 resort fee. I originally only booked one night. I added two when they upgraded me and I found out it was way better than the other (more $) hotels and I didn't hear any plane noise. Same price. This is by far the best value in the area! I ate dinner at the Anna Maria Oyster Bar a mile north on 41. I had a shockingly good grilled Open Blue Cobia with home made chips and cole slaw. The ahi sashimi app was less good. The next day I had lunch farther south on Siesta Key at Anna's Deli (Best Thing I Ever Ate - Katie Lee). The Hunter (T/H/SwCh). They thinly sliced the t and h. They piled up like air. It was delicious. I drove a mile south to Turtle Beach. Free parking. I had an early dinner at Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar a few miles north on 41. Grilled grouper sandwich with potato salad. The next day I had lunch on Main St and Washington at MADE (Food Paradise). I had the BLFTA with salt and pepper fries. Fried green tomato and candied bacon. Everything was very good. All fries should be peppered from now on. I drove over the bridge to Lido Beach. Free parking. I drove that night to Bradenton. I saw the Marauders (Pirates) for $15 at LecomPark (free parking). Had beer at Magnanimous Brewing across the street. I also looked in on Motorworks Brewing a few blocks down the street. I had a hamburger and a fried chicken sandwich at Salem's on 41. The next day I had a M&M chocolate donut at Roncs on 41. I drove by the Ringling Museum (been) and some new museums on 41. I took 301 to 70E to Braden Rd to 95thSE to 93rdSE to 85th to the Linger Lodge (Food Paradise). I had this fried platter with gator, frogs legs, catfish and au gratin potatoes and baked apples. It was fine. I drove back to 301 because I had time to kill and went north to 41 and back across the bridge ($1.75 toll) to 275 and off at Dale Mabry Hwy in Tampa. Thankfully I saw a sign a few blocks down for Cigar City Brewing. I chilled there for a few hours and then went to George Steinbrenner Stadium to see the Tarpons for $11. Free parking. They were the only dicks that didn't print out tickets. I went north to Hillsborough. I followed that until I saw a sign for I-4. No traffic at all coming home at night. The weather was warm but sunny. It wasn't very busy at Sarasota. Ate at McD's for the missing meals. I either had front row center seats at every game (except Tarpons - they like empty boxes for elites like their big league team) or it was first come seating. There were barely one hundred people at any game. A pleasant long weekend in God's country. 

Grub Crawl - Winter Park and Casselberry: Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar, The Fry Shoppe and Ave Maria

 I tried these spots today at lunch. The first is behind PF Chang's in the Winter Park Village on Orlando Ave. The second is on 436 in the southeast shopping plaza at Fairbanks/Aloma. The last is north of that on 436 across from the shopping plaza near Howell Branch Rd. Across from a Metro Diner.

Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar - Open for two months. I'm told they are turning their properties into these bar/retail stores. The menu is small. Maybe seven apps and seven mains. Some salads and desserts. I had the mahi tacos (2) for $15. They greatly exceeded expectations. A ton (candy bar dimensions) of fresh (though probably frozen) fish. In a seemingly (though not probably) hand made corn tortilla. Fresh enough diced tomato, cabbage with slices of raw red onion and tortilla sticks. Some kind of tasty lime white sauce. They also had sliders, quesadilla, crab dip, corn dip, flatbread, etc. You order at a counter. They do bring you the meal and bus. A few cold water containers. The place is mostly patio. Around twenty tables of four and six or so high tops and some rail seating. The inside bar area seats about twenty. White. Some moderately dark wood accents with light stone. Wicker baskets around the lights. Lots of white speakers and misters. Black seats. There were around eight people there at lunch. The happy hour drink prices didn't seem so generous. $9 wine and $6 beer and $11 mixed. Not sure what the regular prices are. My meal was near the low end. I was really just marking this off the list. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed it. Hopefully, they deliver this level of quality to everyone everytime. It's not substantial enough to deserve a lot of effort to seek it out. However, if you are in the neighborhood and just need something simple that also allows you a relaxing boozy environment...

The Fry Shoppe - It is in an old drive thru ice cream hut or something. They sell skin on and battered fries in a paper cone. I had skin on with my free sauce (Kansas City BBQ Mayo) and free topping (shredded cheddar) for $6. It was fine. I guess McDonald's and Wendy's charge almost as much for their cheesy fries. They also sell $12 versions. They have a lunch special that awards you a free can of soda with those. It looks a bit dirty. No seating. A walk up window. Took too long. But, I suppose that means no microwave. Open for a few weeks.

Ave Maria - It was a Colombian (Capachos) place before. Now Ecuadorian. Coastal cuisine. They have a small menu. Maybe seven apps. Mostly empanadas. A filled plantain. Some soups. Chicken and fries. A few stews. A few seafood dishes. Similar things to their neighbors. A few riffs. I had one of those. A marinated tuna fish and cassava soup (encebollado de pescado) for $18. It was good. A bit bland. A bit bright. The tuna was excellent. Enough. Some raw, white, sliced root. A side of fried plantain chips. They had another with tuna and shrimp for a few dollars extra. The place was cleaned up a bit. It looks less cluttered. More professional. Bar area. It still is dark with low ceilings though. The people were very nice. Spoke English. Seats around ninety. Maybe twenty people there at 2pm. I didn't register their make up. I have to recommend it if only for the lack of Ecuadorian competitors. If we are to learn of this cuisine, we probably need to learn it here. Happily, they seem up to the job. Open for two months?

*I started the day on Lee Rd. This new spot (Oh Hey Cafe at Open House) was basically a day care with a coffee and tea area that sells bought muffins, etc. It is such a shame because it looks substantial. I had been waiting to see what it was going to be. It is next to nothing. You can/should avoid it. Also, Bricks and Bowls is nowhere near ready. They seem to have another location at Conroy.

American Kitchen Bar and Grill, Disney Area

I tried this hotel restaurant at the B Resort oday at lunch after Tom's Watch Bar turned out to not be open yet and Pinstripes was only doing a $35 buffet. It is on the left on the way to Disney Springs. A long time ago, I read that it had been redone and never tried it. I couldn't think of any other option down here to try and I was not about to turn around and head back. The items were expensive and limited. The cheapest thing was a $18 grilled chicken sandwich. The waiter said they had a $18 buffet with unlimited sodas. I laughed and accepted that. I had two preformed hamburgers, a hot dog, two chicken strips and some fries. The burgers were a bit meatloafy. The toppings were pretty fresh. It was an ok buffet. Dinner adds a $40 steak and a few other items. Lunch had a $21 burger, mid teens apps, Caesar and Greek salads, etc. The decor has a full truck centerpiece. Brick. Exposed duct work. Black paint. Service was sociable. He said he had worked there for decades. Parking was free. They do breakfast too. I think eggs Benedict were $16. Not a destination spot.

*FYI - I will not be trying any of these ridiculous omakase newcomers like Omo by Jont and Natsu. Or any of the old ones like Soseki. I'm boycotting this genre. It was ridiculous when legends like Nobu or Morimoto or Masayoshi were doing them in Manhattan at $100. It is armed robbery down here. I've eaten at Alain Ducasse for less. Don't look for a review. Unless you want to book it and pay for it.

Air Conditioning Repair Tutorial

Let me start be stating that I came further and further appalled at the apparent state of Air Conditioning Installation and Repair in this state at this period in time. It is like everyone associated with this industry is the innkeeper from Les Miserables. Almost every review was either an obvious pro-provider fabrication or tale of disaster. People were upsold or lied to or overcharged. I mean in the thousands of dollars. Warranties, duct work, bs "issues", etc. Through some miracle of perseverance or serendipity, I think I may have found the last honest repair man in Central Florida. I am almost reticent to give him to you because I may never be able to retain his services (or the industry may take a hit out on him) from here on out. Oh, well. His name is Paul Sabacinski of Premier Air - Air Conditioning & Heating. Make sure you don't deal with a few other companies that use that (or similar) name. He is not a franchisee. The phone number is 407-327-7714. 1079 Winding Waters Circle in Winter Springs, FL. Payment by check or Visa/MC/Discover. License # - CAC058648. I checked with myfloridalicense.com and and he was up to date. No complaints at Yelp (only three at all) or Better Business Bureau (no BBB reviews either way) or Google or Expertise (I think). Website is www.premierairfl.com. In business for 24 years. From Worcester MA.

Issue: The last hour of the last hot day in the Fall the cold air seemed to not be so cold. I kicked the can. During the winter, there were some odd things with the heater. It wouldn't (automatically) shut off when the temp was reached and the emergency heat setting would come on and off. But, it worked (sort of). I kicked the can. This Spring the air didn't seem very cool again and it wouldn't (automatically) shut off when the temp was reached. Last year I had a issue where the blower wouldn't turn off when the outside unit did. This was solved with a new chip. That was with the people who installed the unit. They wouldn't come out for free to diagnose what I felt was their repair failure (oops), so, I decided to get a second pair of eyes on the unit. Plus I feel the overcharged me for the repair anyway. I dithered until now.

Research: I started looking through the mailers I save and looking at the bigger companies on line months ago. I started with Google and then Yelp and then Expertise and a few other ratings sites. I believe all but Yelp are full of it. They have to be in bed with these companies or susceptible to manipulation by them. Here are the companies and their phone numbers and ratings. I also checked the four in this Five Star Rated booklet that comes in the mail. The new Angi's List (Home Advisor) was too involved to suffer through. I didn't even call any of these companies though. I was too disgusted with the stories I read about them. Thank God I read a post on Yelp about another company that mentioned Paul. I would still be auditioning. I'm only listing the info in the hope that the search engines associate this post with them and save some people the headache. Most of these came up as the tops in the field in my area. What a joke. Some do more than AC, so, the ratings includes those jobs as well.

Frank Gay: 843-258-6781 or 407-900-0497. Google 4.7. Yelp 1.1. BBB 4. $89 Diagnostic

American Air: 407-499-6808. Google 4.9 

Service One: 407-519-2408. Google 4.8

Pro Tech: 407-573-7291. Google 4.9. 2.8 on Yelp (40 Reviews)

Facemeyer: 407-633-5263. Google 4.9. $98 Diagnostic

Mid Florida: 386-753-3667. Google 4.8

Del Air: 407-674-9563. Google 4.5. Yelp 1.8 (219 Reviews). $99 Diagnostic

Downtown Air: 689-223-7982. Google 4.8. Yelp (Poor Reviews). $129 Diagnostic

Matthew Robert: Google 4.3. Yelp (Poor Reviews)

ARS: 407-270-1387. Yelp 1.4 (147 Reviews)

Strada Cooling: 865-424-7277. I forget which site 3.1 (56 Votes). $89 Diagnostic

*From the Five Star Rated Book

Service Experts: 407-338-4661

Cool Today: 407-574-2275

United States: 407-495-1496

Result: I got an appointment the next day. I did have to call back after my message hadn't been returned by 4pm. He showed up within the time window promised. It turned out to be an easy fix. A malfunctioning capacitor that was only sending power to the fan. That caused the wall unit issues as well. He checked out the freon levels and pressure and amps et al of the system. We checked that heat and air were functioning as they should. That it shut off when the desired temp was reached. It cost $148.65. No extra labor charge over the $89.95 diagnostic charge. 5% for credit card over check. Total cost $250.53. Had to let him write down my cc number for billing once he got back to his office. He gave me a detailed invoice. I had read online that people with capacitor issues found them on Amazon for $40. If he made some money off that, so be it. Most people just tack on labor if you get them to reduce the parts cost anyway. I paid the last guys $425 to replace a free (under warranty) microchip! Paul was pleasant and had all the parts and tools in his truck. He once even taught AC Maintenance at a college. It didn't seem from this interaction that his lack of an online footprint was because of a "rebrand". You always have to worry about that. I advocated that he would have been listed as a new operator if he had a shady past and was starting over under a different name.

Post Script: I learned that emergency heating is done by a strip inside the furnace alone. Normal heating uses that and something in the outside unit. The strip uses way more electricity. I probably wasted the cost of this repair in increased heating charges this winter. Capacitors often go down in our intense heat. The outside unit needs to be making a low hum when it is working properly. Bushes around the unit aren't necessarily bad. They provide shade to the unit. Freon recharges are "supposed" to cost $200-$400. The Greenies have forced another freon type to be outlawed. You may not be able to recharge after this year. You will have to buy a new unit. I still think maintenance specials are bs and an opening for them to create an issue that they then charge you to fix. They seem to involve coil cleaning, level checking and drain cleaning. They charge around $89 (on special) for this. My unit is ten years old and I have never had this done and there were none of these issues present at this inspection. I had a longtime suspicion confirmed. You can get odors (poisons) sucked into your living space from gaps in the furnace in your garage. You can plug them, but, it is a pain. Air out your garage before you start the system and/or do not keep things that give off gasses in there. Please write up honest reviews when you use they people. It is hard to get the true pulse. People who have really been screwed over and fake praise seem to be the two types of reviews. Tell us if their are good people out there. Even if you have to do it within a negative review. And please get a second opinion if you get an outrageous demand.

Now do any of you know a good tree guy (up to date business license, insurance, etc)? That seems like an even bigger cesspool.

Grub Crawl - International Drive and Downtown: Chuck Lager (Closed) and Los Tres Golpes *FL Travel Notes

I tried these spots on Thursday at lunch. The first is just off Sand Lake Rd near Chuy's. The second is in a white building at 743 N. Magnolia Ave where Bagel World used to be. Sort of across (diagonal) the 7-11 at 50.

Chuck Lager - They said the owner beat Bobby Flay or something. I think his meatballs were the challenge. He (and I guess the original location) is from Delaware. Wilmington? They said his name is Fabio. In any case, it's a new chain to try. I had to sample the meatball sub at $18 after that introduction. It wasn't bad. Four golf ball sized meatballs. Pretty tender. Not world beaters though. Way too little sauce. A bit on the sweet side. Ok amount of provolone or mozz. I forget. Just melted on the roll. Roll was ok. Not stale. Some basil. Served on a fake plastic sheet with recipes on it atop a metal tray. Good silverware. It came with a healthy portion of in house potato chips. Barely salted (ok with me) and sprinkled with a touch of vinegar. The rest of the menu is a mish mosh of mostly snack foods. Most apps are double digits. "Mains" are around mid teens to mid twenties. Things like spaghetti and meatballs, flatbreads, burgers, hot chicken, steak ($40), etc. I don't recall any seafood. A big selection of the hard stuff. Flights. Most are over $10 a serving. Beer is $8 a glass. Wine by the bottle was 4x retail. And that is the rub. Everything is about 25% to 50% overvalued. I'm not sure if the other locations have the same price points or they think they can soak tourists, but, I'm not sure the care is great enough to justify the premium. It's just hokey bar food cooked by amateurs. Maybe if good old Fabio was at the helm it would be understandable? The place looks nice in a cookie cutter sort of way. Red brick and stained wood walls. A map mural of Route 66. Three rooms and an area up front that they can draw a curtain on. A large square bar in the center. Patio. Brown leather seats. Seats over 100. Empty. Open for a week. I would maybe try it at 3pm-6pm happy hour. Beer drops to $6 and they have some snacks at $8. 

Los Tres Golpes - They said it means the three hitters. I'm sure that is bs and it has a slang meaning like "players". Google says to strike or slap. Maybe they are slapping their monkey? I grabbed the pernil rice bowl to go at $14. It was very good. Soft, moist, garlic-y pork. A bit salty. More garlic sauce on top. Yellow rice with black peas. A bit soft. Tasted like it was boiled in chicken broth. Two sweet plantains. Cabbage, red onion and tomato with garlic dressing. Everything was flavorful. Lots of garlic. Not oily. It's a Dominican place. Small menu. Five sandwiches. All were egg sandwiches. Under $10. Two other rice (chicken, mushroom) bowls. Some empanadas at $5. Not much on decor. Open for three months. Not open on M or Tu. Open 11am to 2am (and 4am on weekends)! I'll have to ruminate on whether it will be a Favorite. Close. Very close.

Travel Notes - Florida: I did a little loop to break in the new car. I started in Port St Lucie. I saw the Mets Single A for $16 (listed as $14) and $5 parking. I stayed at the brand new Woodspring Suites (Expedia 9.8) for $133. It was a Saturday and not many non-gross options in the area. I had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, potato salad and cornbread at Nana Morrison's Soul Food. They are from Charlotte. I drove to Jupiter and got in free (some strange policy they have about not opening up to the public on Sundays because of costs) to the Cardinals Single A. Free parking too. I had chicken salad on a bagel at Bagel Boyz and a brisket and links sandwich at Mrs Smokey's Real Pit Bar B Q on Donald Ross Rd. I drove down 95 to Fort Lauderdale and hung a right at Commercial Blvd. I was doing that to get to 75. It took me to the Inter Miami CF stadium (near the private airport). I kept going west until it ends. Then onto the road that goes by the Panthers arena. It turned out to be a toll road. Onto 75 (Alligator Alley). Also a toll ($6) road. I got off just before Naples at Collier Blvd. I stayed at the La Quinta (Booking 7.4) for $88. I drove south on Collier to Marco Island. I had a half dozen Wellfleet or Blue Point (I forget) oysters, shrimp cocktail and mixed fish tacos at The Oyster Society. These were happy hour snacks. About $10 each. The regular menu was no bargain. I saw this on Samantha Brown's Places To Love. The next day I drove to 41N. I ate a shrimp salad sandwich with fries and potato salad at Swan River Seafood. I was trying for stone crabs, but, their market had them at $40+ a pound and the place (Oakes Farms Market) I went to last time was still rebuilding from the hurricane. FYI - most places down there are still f'd up. I continued north and hung a left on to Bonita Beach Rd. Drove through Estero and Fort Myers Beach to 867 and over to Sanibel (toll). I drove towards Captiva. Stopped at Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium (closed on Monday), JN Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Turner Beach (shells) and Captiva. All this from Samantha Brown. I saw her two food stops. Latte Da was being rebuilt. Mucky Duck was open. I wasn't hungry. Back to Bowman's Beach and up the other side of the island and back to the Lighthouse (closed). I had Playdough (yellow vanilla flavor) ice cream with colored sugar cookie bits at Magic Bus Ice Cream & Caffeine. I went back over the bridge to Macgregor Blvd. Up to College Pkwy (toll) and across the bridge to Cape Coral. I stayed at the Dolphin Key Resort (Expedia 8.4) for $78. Had beer at No. 3 Craft Brews. Some wine and smoked salmon (bogo) from Winn Dixie. At check out some guy told me to go to Cape Coral Yacht Club (public beach with free parking) on the Caloosahatchee River. I had a bad Cobb Salad at The Boathouse Tiki Bar. The Cuban was on Food Paradise. I laid out on the beach. I drove over the bridge to Allure Suites (Expedia 7.4) at $76. I had tacos at Taco Works. I went to the Twins Single A for $15 and $10 parking. I saw that the Red Sox have moved (Jet Blue Ballpark) close to there since the last time I saw them. They have no minor league team there though. The next day I tried to find stone crabs once again (in Fort Myers) and failed. I ate at Farmer's Market Restaurant next to one of the places that had none. I drove to Clearwater. 75 to 275 (toll) to 19N to 60. I stayed at the Palm Cove Motel (Booking 8.3) for $113. I went to the Phillies Single A for $12 and $5 parking. I was going to go to the Yankees, but, I didn't want to dick around until 6:30 pm. So, I came home early. 60E to 295 to I4. I think I'll hit the other four teams next week. All games were at 6:30pm. Empty. Sundays at 12pm. No games on Monday. Perfect weather. I'll have to learn about Pay By Plate. 

The New York Bagel Boys, Oviedo

I tried this spot on 426 on Saturday at breakfast. They are or in an old strip mall about five miles south of Red Bug Lake. Only open until 2pm. I had a bagel with an obscene (normal in NY) amount of cream cheese for $4 and a plain bialy for $2. Both fresh. CC was good. Enough left over for the bialy. That had garlic in the middle. Salty. They had breakfast and lunch sandwiches around $10. Around eight tables. They said they started as cookie bakers. They sold those in bags too. They did what they do correctly. But, I'm not sure it's worth the trouble unless you live nearby.  

Grub Crawl - Audubon Park: Boxer & Clover (Closed), Skyebird (Closed) and Dochi (Closed) *Brazil Travel Notes

I tried these stalls at the East End Market on Corrine Dr on Tuesday at lunch. I started downtown, but, the Weekly was wrong about Wave Sushi being open (still weeks away) and The Drake's menu was way too heavy (and $) for lunch and no one was at Los Tres Golpos. I'm kind of glad that I was finessed over here.

Boxer & Clover - Just started this week after a soft opening period. The Hinckley Meats people. In the back on the left. I tried the two meats with two sides for $20. I had brisket, ribs, potato salad and beans (supposed to be collards). Four slices of brisket and four ribs. Brisket was from the lean side. Still moist and tender and broke apart (and held together) as it should have. Nice bark. Pepper rub. Smoky. A thin bead of buttery fat. Excellent. The ribs were a tiny bit worse. Just because I like them less resilient. I'll bet that they use a high quality breed of pork though. Compared to Briskets, the meat was firmer. More attached to the bone. But, that could be because it was fresher. I think they brined it. It was too salty. They kept on the silver skin. Short length. Not a ton of meat per bone. Pink. Salt and pepper rub. Nice crust. Smoky. The bbq sauce was excellent too. Thin. Vinegar. Slight heat and sweetness. Pepper. The potato salad was incredible. Fingerling potatoes with skins on. Properly boiled. Non-sweet mayo. Scallions. Some herb I can't place. It reminded me of this great chicken salad my college food court had. I have never been able to find its equal since. The beans were great too. Tangy. Onions and tomatoes. Some heat and sweetness. Needless to say that this will be a Favorite. It's a stall, so, no seats or decor to speak of. They have a few more items on the menu. Pulled pork, etc.

Skyebird - I'm not sure if I have ignored their existence for the seven years they have been there. I don't remember buying anything before. Maybe a drink to cross them off the list? I tried an avocado spread with chickpeas wrap for $10. It was meh. Raw, wheat tortilla. They said the avocado was Haas. I'm unsure. A bit citrusy. They could have added that element though. Whole chickpeas with some diced tomato and shredded lettuce. Just dull. No flavor. They sell other wraps and drinks. All vegan stuff.

Dochi - Another location of the 50 at Mills mochi place. I had a $3 ring of churro/chocolate. It was good. Still fresh. 

Travel Notes - Brazil: I flew to Sao Paolo thru Panama City and Bogota (return) on the shitty Copa (Co-lombia/Pa-nama) Airlines and back on Gol and the shitty (chintzy like Frontier) Avianca Airlines for $669. I checked in online and even with that the kiosk wouldn't print a pass (after scanning my passport) and made me move to the long check in line and the guy there must have made some mistake because they checked my passport again at the gate. And then we waited 45 minutes for late arriving passengers bags to be loaded. No tv on Panama to SP segment. None on either flight back. Avianca pawned my first segment onto Gol. They didn't give me a locator number for them. So, I could not check in online with Gol. And Avianca's web site wouldn't check in the Gol part. And the pdf for their segment wouldn't download. And there other issues I won't go into. Gol was a better airline anyway. Actually gave you two meals (and free drinks). The airlines were by far the worst part of this trip. They gave my endless anxiety for no reason. And it was never the flights themselves. Mostly on time and reliable. I learned after booking that US visitors would need a Visa again starting five days after I arrived. I could not get official info on whether I was grandfathered in if I arrived before hand. I assumed I was. It seems I was. But, I was under the fear that it would be an issue until I left the country. If I would be allowed to. In Sao Paolo, I breezed through customs and used the ATM. I learned that they have real banks in Terminal 2. I tried to find the shuttle or other bus at Terminal 3. I didn't. Only ones going where I didn't want to go. I saw a sign for Bus Station and I walked from Terminal 3 to 2. I ended up taking the $44 Reals (their currency) shuttle bus (www.airportbusservice.com.br) from the onibus "terminal" in Terminal 2 (Domestic) just across the car lanes. 5 Reals to the Dollar. The idiot at their booking counter said the next bus was two hours away. Glad I ignored her. They made me use a credit card (nao Ingles issue), but, I paid cash on return. There are four ways into (I don't acknowledge Uber) the city. It was hard finding out correct/current/non-contradictory info (in English) online. Taxi ($). Train (turned out to leave you off far away from center and you needed a transfer to the station at the airport). Bus (I could never find the one with number I needed and it left you far from center too). I would take the shuttle. Find their route map and stay at a hotel near it. I stayed at the Novotel Jaragua (Expedia 8.4) in the old city center because it was on the shuttle bus route. I stayed in that part of town because some idiot online said that (area) was the best for a first timer. It was a nasty area filled with druggies and homeless passed out all over the place and no commensurate attractions to make it a wise choice. The hotel cost $148 for two nights. It was 70+ years old. Queen Elizabeth stayed there. I hoped a big hotel like this could get me in early (I arrived at dawn). Nope. I walked around (plazas, metro, library, theater) and had McDonald's (I ate there 80% of the time) until check in and then finalized the rest of my agenda online. I grabbed dinner and wine at Carrefour. The next day I walked up to Avenida Paulista (where I should have stayed). They closed it off on Sunday. It was a nice walk. Very crowded. Saw a tightrope walker, MASP (Modern Art Museum), Parque Trianon, lots of buskers and singers, etc. More dinner and wine from Carrefour. The next day, I found out where the shuttle picked up and took it back to the airport to Terminal 2. From Terminal 2 onibus area, I found the hourly hotel shuttle to the airport Comfort Hotel (Expedia 8.6 for $71). Nothing there. Right under the flight paths. Took the shuttle back in the morning. I took LATAM to Manaus for $567. It would have been around half that if I had pulled the trigger even just a few days before. But, I didn't want to be all in if I had Visa trouble. The gods love to fuck with me when I do that. LATAM was a pain in the ass too. So unlike Chile. I think the website was different for Brazil too. At the end of the online check in they said that they wouldn't give me a boarding pass until they saw my Visa. That was a sleepless night! It ended up being unnecessary. The agents just gave me the boarding pass when I told them the story and when I tried the kiosk on return, it never asked for a Visa. Manaus is where the Rio Negro (et al) converge into the Amazon. A cab from the airport into the center was $70R. I think I misheard the quote. He probably said $60R. That was the price going back. Oh well, nice gratuity. Internet said it was $40R. I stayed at the lovely, new Hotel Casa do Bispo (Expedia 8.8) for $52. It was next to the nicest plaza where the Teatro Amazonas (old rubber money) is. Great roof deck. I walked through town to the port and river and mercado. Not much to appreciate. Grabbed terrible wine and food at DB Market and consumed it on the deck and listened to the music from the plaza. I was going to take a river cruise the next day. But, it was too hot and too expensive. I just got to the airport early and had Estraganoff Carne with rice and fries and beans at The Cheff. The pilot was a doll and flew over the Amazon. I took amazing pics and vids from my window. Made me doubly glad I eschewed the river tour. Got some pics of the rainforest too. One day was enough for Manaus. I did that because an extra day would have cost way more in airfare. A three day boat tour to Belem or up river may be worthwhile. In Sao Paolo, I stayed near the airport again that night. Sleep Inn (Expedia 8.2) for $65. They had a shuttle too. Next to Comfort Hotel. I wanted to see who was better. Still unsure. Shuttle back to the airport in the morning. Off to Foz (Mouth) do Iguacu on Gol for $166. I booked this with my Sao Paolo ticket. This is why I was here. WATERFALLS! It lived up to the hype. Like every waterfall in North America in one. It spans Argentina and Paraguay too. $100R park fee. Cash or credit card. Machine kiosks and booths with people (for the cash). They said they took dollars too. They have a bus that takes you 13km to them. A walk of a mile or so. I spent three hours there. You could pay more to take a boat on the river. I think it was $60 US. I have never taken as many videos and pictures of any single thing in my life. A guy's online web site said it was going to be ungodly crowded. This time of year it wasn't. I even went around 11am. That's probably the worst (busiest) time. Even though it was their Fall, the water levels were just off their peaks. Saw Coati (racoons) and some bird of prey I have seen in zoos. Many people took tours. I think they got ripped off. It didn't do the town. It was 17km away. There seems to be a lake up there too. I stayed at the Hotel Colonial Iguacu (Expedia 7.6) for two nights at $92. It turned out to be 1km from airport and 1km from park entrance. Perfect location. Good job by me. They had a free shuttle. But, he didn't show. I had to find a guy with a mobile to call them. I also tried the #120 Bus (every half hour) outside the hotel for $5R before I realized how close the park was to the hotel. I walked home. The jerks at the hotel suggested I pay $30R for a taxi. The bus also goes downtown for the same $5R. You can stay downtown and get to the park cheaply and I guess from the airport to there to. I came back to the hotel and went swimming and laid out. Once again, I wasted most of the next day doing nothing. It was rainy anyway. Just went to the airport. Met some guys from Denver who did the park right. Boat 2X and Argentina side too. Flew back to Sao Paolo and stayed at the Sleep Inn again for $66. I wasted twelve hours in the airport the next day waiting for the flight out. My penultimate anxiety attack came via the check in guy who asked for my yellow fever vaccine documents to get into Colombia (the stupid transfer location). Luckily, a few months ago I fished out some ancient document I got when I went to Africa that listed my shots. I had been seeing too many article about countries becoming vaccine happy. I started packing this just in case. It's probably total expired bs, but, it confused the guy enough that he gave me my boarding pass. I think I checked online a while ago and those shots last forever. I'm still unsure if I needed it because I came from Brazil and not the US. I never have been asked before and I have been to Colombia three times. I was worried all day that they would double check the document. They did start calling people to submit some documents before boarding. I thought I was going to pass out. The final anxiety inducer. I escaped though somehow. The gods are only so sadistic. The trip was one anxiety attack after another. But, I knocked Iguacu Falls and the Amazon of my list. I think some areas southwest of downtown Sao Paolo might be nice. I doubt I'll go back again (I avoid Visa countries) to find out. FYI - I had already been to Rio. It was a pain communicating in Portuguese. Just different enough from Spanish to be confusing. I brought a phrase book I bought for the Rio trip. The women weren't as avocado shaped as in Chile. Lots of cushion though. Not alot of people seemed to smoke. And no weed stench either. Not many fishing lures in the nose. Nary an American about. Mostly Euros (if not Latin). Chinese, Japanese too. One in ten spoke some English. Weather was like Orlando. I never needed my umbrella, sweater or poncho. I had Esfiha Carne (psuedo meat pie) at Il Forno Pronto at the airport and some tortas (meat or veg filled layered pastry cut into squares) and a white sweet potato at the breakfast buffet at Hotel Colonial. Otherwise, not much Brazilian fare. 

Oviedo Oyster House, Oviedo

I grabbed an oyster po boy with fries to go from this new (one month) restaurant on Alafaya Trail yesterday late in the afternoon. It's in the old Bonfire's location near Red Bug Lake. The sign is small and you can drive right past it. The po boy was ok. It seemed like three oysters cut up into thirds. The belly bites seemed fresh. Somehow the coating got sticky within just a few minutes in the closed container. I don't know if they were once crispy. The oysters seemed fresh. They said they were. The usual poor quality bun and veg. No sauce. I bit lame/puny for $18. The fries were half crisp and half not. Not many of those either. I chose steak fries. They had a few choices. The menu is more red neck fish camp than high end seafood bar. They only had Gulf oysters from Texas. They served them mostly cooked. The fish selection was equally low end. That one trash fish that sounds Greek. Mahi. Etc. Things that are probably bought frozen. They might have had some shrimp. Burgers. Apps. Probably some sandwiches. It was a long, one page menu. It was empty. One cook and one bartender. Seems like more of a joint than a food destination. I'm not sure if much had been done to the interior. It's basic. Not sure if connected, open bar area was there before. Parking was adequate. The OOH won't provide you with many of oohs.

*I also tried more dumplings from Kung Fu and ribs from Briskets while I was in the area. Still good.

240 Rose Cafe, Winter Park

I tried this breakfast/lunch restaurant on Pennsylvania Ave near the old Coop on Friday at lunch. I believe I went here in May 2016 when it was the Canopy Cafe. Similar offerings. Maybe a bit fancier. Seemed to be female Latin run. I had a Cobb Salad for $18 because I was full fro dinner and getting on a plane. It was average. The wrong base. Frisse and arugula are not the right leafy veg. Too bitter and wispy. They also gave way to little dressing. Egg, bacon, tomato, blue cheese, avocado and chicken were fine. Raw onion is also something unwelcome in a Cobb. The menu is pricey. I think the cheapest thing was $13. They had typical breakfast fare and chic pastries (from elsewhere). Burgers, sammies and salads for lunch.  Most in high teens+. The place is cute. Pink fake corsage wall inside. Only four tables there. Four more outside. And maybe eight in an open patio. Some parking. Service was fine. A little slow. I stopped here after I saw Omo was only dinner on certain nights and didn't want to face anymore traffic. I thought it had changed hands and I should verify. The waitress thought they had taken over two or three years ago. Your girlfriend will like it.

Grub Crawl - Casselberry: Big Taco and Super 8 Chinese

I tried these spots on Thursday at dinner. They are next to each other in the shopping area on 436 and Howell Branch Rd. The one with a Metro Diner.

Big Taco - I tried the most expensive dish at $15. A pick two options. I chose a ground beef hard taco and a pork burrito. It came with beans and rice. The taco was the size of a Tijuana Flats taco. More meat. Slightly different shell. I had it loaded. Tomato, lettuce, onion, jalapeno, sour cream, cheese and black olives. It was fine. The beef was a bit more chunky than supermarket ground beef. I had the burrito the same way. It had less sour cream. The pork was marinated with some herbs that I couldn't place. Epasote? It was good. Big. Flour tortilla. Ungrilled. I chose refried beans. A bit bland. Topped with a little cheese. A cups worth. The rice was mushy. Odd flavor. Also a cups worth. They also sell quesadillas, queso crunch, chimichangas, enchiladas, bowls, street tacos, salads, nachos, chili bowls, spinach and artichoke dip, Mexican pizza and churros. Between $10 and $14. Some come with chips and salsa. Order at the counter. Around thirty seats. Modern. Three large murals of things with bandanas. I remember Bob Marley and Tony Soprano. Open since November. Not bad overall.

Super 8 Chinese - I used to live nearby and I think this place was here back when. A take out place. Looks worn. I got a small egg drop and wonton soup mix for $3 and a small Chinese vegetable soup for $2.45 because they had a $5 min. The veg was good. Clean broth. Not salty. Fresh veg. The mix was the same until the dumplings. They tasted off, so, I tossed them (3). Not much meat. Thick wrapping. Both smalls were a decent size. A pint? They had the usual menu plus egg foo yung and lo mein and mei fun. $12 and under.  $40 roast duck and the large sushi selection were a surprise. Sushi was around $2.50 a piece. I wonder if they can pull it off. $7.50 lunch. No seats. Run down. It doesn't seem like they can produce quality. Is it possible? You aren't seeking it, so, it isn't important. Open 7 days. 

*There is a bagel place here too. Across the street is a new place called Ave Maria.

Purchasing A New Vehicle Tutorial

I'm not sure if any of this will be of any use to anyone, but, here is my report. After many years of procrastinating, I finally pulled the trigger last month because my radiator is leaking again and they wanted $1.2K to repair it (was $700 last time). Among other issues. 

I bought a 2024 Toyota RAV 4 LE Hybrid from Seminole Toyota for $36,000. I think I paid about $1 to $2K more than they would have accepted. This was based on faulty MSRP advice that I received from a friend. I couldn't research it at the time. In his defense, it can be a little unclear on the internet. He told me that model went for $34k versus the actual $31,475. The dealer listed it as $31,725. FYI - some on the internet list the MSRP with the destination fee. That (and $449 all weather floor mats) brought it to $33,524 at the dealer. I think I paid $2,346 in taxes (they played backwards with the invoice and it is not listed). So, I was in line. There were other fees (some bs) on the sheet they showed me. I think that initial offer was around $38K. I was going to counteroffer $35k (all in including taxes). I don't know why I wrote down $36K. PTSD? I got no sleep the night before. I think I assumed that since every dealer I had spoken with over the last few years seemed like they held all the cards and I could take it or leave it, they weren't even going to budge from their initial offer. They took it in seconds. Let's go back before we go forward.

I started out thinking about a BMW 4 Series when they came out. Every dealer was listing them for more than the $40k+ they were to sell for and adding in tons of features. I called bs on that. I even declined over time to inquire on base models like the 2 Series as their prices increased beyond reasonableness in addition to the option scam. Mercedes were dicks about showing pricing (only QR Codes) and never had stock. Jaguar and Alfa (SUVs) had incalcitrant sales people. Cadillac changed their designs just as I was going to purchase one. Electric was never an option.

I next ruled out most Kias, Mazdas, Hyundais, Nissans, etc because they aren't real values any longer and all look the same (add in Lexus, Acura, et al). I kind of settled on a dull Honda Civic because it looked different. It was around $18k+ in 2018. Then 21K in 2021. Then Covid hit and inventory dried up. Then the price became 25K+ and the dealer was playing real games (ie $1k garish window tinting) with options and the price rose to near $30K before taxes, etc. I gave up on them.

I tried to like some Subaru's. Had a "connection" who didn't really seem to be giving me a discount. Couldn't. Flirted briefly with a VW Jetta. Almost bought one for $23k in September. Considered a Camaro, Santa Cruz, Ranger, Stinger and some cheap shit.

I finally settled my wish list on a Ford Mustang or Bronco or Mazda CX5. I spent a few final days shopping around and getting info and quotes. Sun State Ford on 50 quoted me $35K (all in) on a Bronco and $39K on a Mustang. My friend (Meineke owner) told me Ford engines were shit and Bronco had water pump issues. Don Mealey's Sport Mazda on 17-92 quoted me $35K for a CX 5 and $32K on a CX 30. I think I could have negotiated those prices lower. My friend didn't like Mazda's either. Even though they aren't part of Ford anymore. Plus they tried to add a $1k Zurich Shield fee. I chose the Toyota in the end because of the economic and ecologic draw of the hybrid engine (perceived extra value at that price point). Even though I'm not a eco-warrior. Plus the reliability. Plus it was an SUV size. Toyota was the last place (on a lark) I visited and ended up being a shock to me. All I saw driving to the dealers that final morning were RAV 4s. A sign? Plus the Mazda guy took the day off. Toyota also delivered the car for free. Mazda said they would too.

I signed these forms: Vehicle Buyer Order, Application for Certification of Motor Vehicle Title and Odometer Disclosure Statement. They believed I was good for it and took my personal check. They cleaned and gassed it up. There was some bs about loading their app and registering the vehicle for service before I left. I didn't. It was a thing. I even was allowed to drive off without insurance. I'm not sure if that is legal. It was easier doing it from home. I just asked for the same coverage I had before. It didn't end up being much more. I still haven't received my permanent plates yet. I hope that won't become an issue. You will probably go through more steps if you finance.

Some things I learned during the process: 

1. Dealer stock is minimal everywhere. It goes fast. We have too many new comers to get us on the right side of the supply and demand curve. 

2. Web sites are bullshit. They never have what they say they have at that price. Pointless! You can't even buy one off the site. Just let's you make an offer. Basically, a contact info generator for them. 

3. They try and add kinds of bs charges like dealer fee, destination fee, special paint warranty/fee (this is the new undercoating scam), filing fees, etc. 

4. I never saw the same sales person twice in a row. They have layers of these people too. A manager always makes the decision. Commissions may be a thing of the past.

5. They didn't seem to be so much happier to get a lease they could sell off to the banks as before. Better (or neutral) for cash buyers, I guess.

6.  It really helps to walk in with written price quoted from other dealers or competitors. Talk about how much more affordable/sensible those same class cars would be to the sales person. Add that they said they would be willing (the truth) to go even lower. They still seem to be moved by that kind of negotiating. Some say they don't negotiate. sounds good. Probably not in our interest.

7. Treat each company differently. If Honda is being stubborn maybe Toyota is still amenable to negotiation. 

8. Check the options and things like tires. Some have different suppliers on the same models in stock. Know the difference in quality. I saw Michelin, Firestone and Toyo tires.

9. Currency conversion/dollar strength didn't seem to alter pricing on foreign cars.

10. Every company has similar models to every other one. Find the best value in the class. 

11. Keep on top of recalls/defects. A reason I avoided some models.

12. Your f'ing bank will probably put a fraud hold on your check.

13. Lowest price models in a line weren't that much of a bargain on average. Less for the money. And ugly.

14. They still want your trade ins.

15. They probe you for info to see if you are rich/uninformed/desperate/a mark.

16. Not all cars have spare tires anymore. Why the Mustang lost out.

17. The cards were stacked against us for the last few years (supply chain, inflation, etc). Maybe that is easing.

18. Pick up truck buyers are the biggest morons on the planet. What a rip off.

19. You can get free delivery.

20. You may be able to arrange insurance later.

Grub Crawl - Casselberry and Altamonte Springs: Johnny's Diner, Fiesta Azul Tequila House and Chic-N-Gyro (Closed) *Chile Travel Notes

I ate at these spots on Thursday. The first is on 436 near Rachel's where a Chinese place (3 6 8?) was most recently. The second is where an Outback Steakhouse was for years on 434 near Lake Brantley HS. The last is on 436 west of I-4 and before 434 near a large Japanese resto and K Pot(?).

Johnny's Diner - They moved from their location (torn down) at 436 and University a few months ago. Same menu. I grabbed the two eggs, 4 sausage, hash browns and toast special for $8.50. It was fine. The highest priced item is $13.50. They do lunch and dinners too. Very good pricing. Almost pre-Bidenomics. IE $5 burger. Daily specials. Dinners = chicken breast, ham, ground round steak, meatloaf, country fried steak, breaded pork, liver and onions, breaded veal, turkey, strips, fish and chips, etc. This place is bigger. A square floor plan. Dull decor. Many waitresses. Closes at 3pm. *I reviewed them previously on 12/6/2010.

Fiesta Azul Tequila House - I think the sign out front just says Tequila House. Opened just recently (one week). Vida seems more popular. But, this is better. I had the choripollo for $17. Pounded breast cutlet (plate sized) topped with ground chorizo and a cheese sauce. Side of rice and refried beans. Chicken was fresh and cooked to temp. Chorizo and cheese were tasty. Rice was moist (not sticky). Beans were topped with cheese and fresh. No nasty flavors. I asked for a side of sour cream because I wanted a fajita experience as well. It was a large scoop and cost $1.25. They also tossed in some nice chips and a chipotle salsa. The menu is large and well priced. Some interesting items. Ceviche for example. And the basics too. Everyone will have something to love. I saw a cool tower of snow crab claws and some other components. Lots of tequila too. And the good kind. Cheap lunch specials near $10. They have three locations in Florida. The did a nice rehab of the space. Gray, blue, black and wood tones. Bar area (with mini booths) on the left. Tvs. Main room on the right. Booths and tables. Seats about eighty? Many servers. I was ready to write - JAMMR and move on. They impressed me. a nice addition. You don't have to drive hundreds of miles for it, but, if you live near here you should be hitting it. 

Chic-N-Gyro - A Mediterranean kitchen. It's a small place. Mostly platters and sandwiches of rotisseried meats (lamb, chicken, beef). Fried chicken, burgers, tenders, salads, kabobs, tilapia and falafel too. The guy is a Christian from Egypt. I mention that if you avoid places like this because you think they mess with our food. I tried the chicken shwarma for $9 because the rotisserie looked like he loaded it with actual chicken thighs like you are supposed to. Plus they had a nice crust already. I like my shaved meats to be burnt on the outside like I like burning my marshmellows in a camp fire. I didn't eat it until the next night. I was astounded. I still don't want to overpromise about this tiny little, grubby looking outpost in the middle of nowhere, but, I can't keep myself from proclaiming that this was one of the better shwarmas that I can remember. Very cumin-y. Alot of roasted onions and tomatoes. I didn't see what he put in it for sauces/spreads. I think hummus and maybe tahini. No hot or white sauces. It was very savory. The pita was ok too. The chicken wasn't dry. And this was after it was in the fridge and nuked a day later. I really only went here because I was in the area and running out of places. I'm so glad I did. The guy was nice too. Open for seven years. I will make it a point to come back and try more. And if they don't disappoint, it will be on the Favs. No Tuesday. Open from 12 to 8pm. 7pm on Sn. Caters too.

Travel Notes - Chile: I bought a ticket to Santiago (at good times) via UA/AA for $578. No delays. I went straight through on the first day via LATAM to Puenta Arenas for $121. That is the farthest south you can fly (Patagonia). I used the Santander ATM at the airport. If you try it, be aware that you have to press this button at the left side bottom if you have a foreign ATM card. It then changes to English. If you don't, it stays in Spanish plus it rejects your request for money. I stayed at the Hotel Diego de Almagro (Expedia 8.0) for three nights at $96 per. It was a little noisy (cars). On the coast. Taxi from airport was $13. They had paddles with the prices. Many cabs. The exchange rate was 966 pesos to a dollar. So, I will just covert as if it was 1000 and list in dollars. It was the beginning of the slow season, so, the tours were not going or you had to rent the whole van. I did not want to do that. Not much anyway. Some penguin jaunts, etc. I gave up. The cool looking fjord type stuff must be seen by cruise ship or in their national parks (requires foreplanning). Or while flying over it. The town was way bigger and developed than I expected. They had a Walmart. 180,000 people! And many of the people had better cars than us. It looked like the Irish Coast or Canada. Green. Hilly. They had a few promontories to look down from. A nice coastal walk. Not Insta-crazy, but, it was cool to be at that latitude (below Australia). I only ate from the supermarket (Unimarc). Prices were lower than here than US. Wine was around $5. No wifi/cable tv issues. The taxi back to the airport (modern enough with four gates) cost $15. I flew back to Santiago and stayed the night near the airport at the Courtyard by Marriott for $86. It was a pain to get the free shuttle. I later learned that the bus companies stop here on their way and even a flat rate/max ticket was less than two bucks. The taxi assholes wanted $20 for the 3km trip. I flew the next day north to the Atacama desert in Calama (near Bolivia) via LATAM at $147. It would have been $67 had I booked it when I booked the Puenta Arenas ticket. I don't like risking that much sunk cost. It makes the gods want to jinx your trip. I did this three days in advance and chose the most expensive times to fly. It could have cost around $80. No issues with this airline. A two page check in process online. Ticket downloaded easily. Plus they had kiosks that printed out tickets too. No bs about carry on size either. No delays. Snacks. You are supposed to go on to a town called San Pedro de Atatcama (90 minutes). I didn't. I didn't want to get stuck there or not be able to see the sites they did have because of not having a car or some bs. I probably should have. I was maybe going to take the bus there and back. I didn't. Not much in Calama. Kind of like Vegas without the casinos or nice areas. It's the driest place on Earth. Mining territory. Also 180,000 people here. also had Walmarts, etc. They had a river (El Loa). World's largest mine. I stayed at the Geotel Calama (Expedia VIP 8.8) for two nights at $83 per. It turned out to be like a condo for miners. The moon was full, so, not a ton of good star gazing. Still it was cool to see the driest place on Earth. Taxi to hotel cost $10 (should be $8). $8 on return. I had been warned about Santiago taxi scams (pretending each credit card didn't work while charging each time and taking the scenic route and taking you to the scary areas), so, I was just happy not be hassled. It seemed like the people were more honest in the hinterlands though. Couldn't speak English by in large. I ate at the markets here too. Their Walmart was called Lider. Also had a Jumbo chain. I took the Turbus from Santiago airport to the city (rt for $4) on the last night. I should have taken the other company (Sur?). It stops farther inside the city. My bus stopped at the bus station (Alameda) near the train station. The beginning of the city. I thought the internet said it went farther. I had to take the metro ($2) to my hotel. I stayed about halfway in. At the Santa Lucia metro stop. I cheaped out and tried the Hotel Sommelier Loft (Expedia 9.2) for $39 (most hotel prices were very low). It was ok. I hadn't really seen this area last time. It is near this highest hill with a cathedral and great views. This time I only had a few hours. I saw the Cerro Santa Lucia park nearby and the library and oldest building (San Francisco church) and the arts museum. I walked north to an obelisk and then back south (Palacio de la Moneda, Estacio Central and a few universities) all the way to the bus station. It was safe enough. No problems at customs at either end. Only sunny weather. I only needed my sweater and long pants in Patagonia. Could have left the jacket at home. I think we flew over the mine where those miners were trapped. Easter Island next time!

Grub Crawl - Downtown and OIA Area: Jack & Honey's (Closed), Birria 1983 and Vicky Bakery

I tried the first two spots at lunch one week ago. The first is in Thornton Park in the old 808 location. The second is across from Cucina near the tracks on Church St. I tried the third on Tuesday. It is in a strip mall on 436 near the airport with a Wal-Mart.

Jack & Honey's - I had the chicken thigh and waffles with frisse salad for $17 or $18 (they either charged a 10% fee or increased the cost and added a lower fee). It was ok. I was expecting a full thigh. Not four tender looking pieces. Crust and temp was ok. The waffles were ok too. Covered with hot honey and way too much butter. Frisse was an undressed, dry afterthought that could be deleted. It took a while to arrive. The menu has a brunch section. Same menu for lunch and dinner. Two salads. Apps (fried pb & j at $7 was the most interesting). $20 burger. $15 Club. Etc. Comfort food. Layout is the same. Changed colors to blue and yellow with honeycomb design. Some wall info about namesakes. The grandparents of one of the owners. The Hammered Lamb guy is involved. And an 808 person. Two servers. Four or five tables seated. Open since October. You don't have to make a beeline.

Birria 1983 - Took way too long. I settled on a $10 mulita (quasi queasadilla/taco) because a burrito was $20 and I still think I saw $10 burritos on their website. It was fine. Came with the broth. I'm sick of birria places already. The place looks great. White, turquoise and pink. Two murals. Kahlo and a street scene. Two alcove rooms/nooks. Central bar. Baskets and ladders for decor. One server. Couldn't ask her much. She was busy with two to go orders and two other customers. The vessel the chips and salsa were served in was cool. They had a food truck before this. Three people cooking. They can't handle more than two tables if this is there employee roster. Menu had a small, typical assortment. Open for a month. I'd need a price drop and decreased wait time to do a sit down. A shame. It has potential.

Vicky Bakery - A Miami chain. And it didn't suck. Very good as a matter of fact. Cuban. I grabbed a chicken empanada, beef empanada and a beef pastelito for the plane. Good. $3.45 & $1.95. They had many baked goods, drinks and some meals. Seats about sixty. White. Clean. New. Busy. Original opened in 1972. This location just recently.  Recommended. Probable Fav.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Windermere and Colonial: Windermere Brewing Company, Inti Cuisine and Koko Kakigori *FL Travel Notes

I tried these spots on Saturday at lunch. The first is on 5th Ave in Windermere. The second is in the old PUG location near John Young on 50. The last is aside Kaya on Thornton off 50.

Windermere Brewing Company - A cute little white house with an out side area out back. Open for two years. Good beer.

Inti Cuisine - A Peruvian restaurant. Open for a week. They did nothing to the interior. Food was good and properly priced. I had the saltado de carne y pollo for $17. Nicely cooked beef and chicken. A lot of meat. No gristle. Flavorful gravy. The rice was a bit hard. Either old or undercooked. Some grilled tomatoes and onions. French fries too. A little tough. Fryer was probably too cool.  They have a large assortment. Apps, soups, chaufas, device, pastas, seafood and grilled items. Most things are under $20. This is their only location. Better than their more expensive competition. The name had some association with a god.

Koko Kakigori - Kakigori is shaved ice with condensed milk. I forget what koko referred to. I had a $15 ube with coconut cream and red beans and mango and corn flakes and some green fruit. It was large. You will be surprised that I won't call it a rip off. For a one time thrill. Especially when places are charging $4 for a small ice cream. It did take forever (half hour) to get it. And only one person ahead of me. They have four options and some tea and soy milk. It's in a hut. You eat at picnic tables out front. Even though it's a Japanese treat, they are Vietnamese. Their call out. Not mine. Open for a month or so. I'm unsure of the days or hours. Had a few customers. Two employees.

Travel Notes - Florida: This entry is really about two days in Daytona/Port Orange. I rented a room on Sunday at the Hyatt Place on A1A off Dunlawton for $104. I had good beer at Dunes Brewing under the bridge on Dunlawton. White building. Some parking. I had alligator ribs and fish collars (they said a type of grouper) at Millie's across from the hotel. On 3D. Pricy. On Monday I grabbed a pelua (beef and cheese) arepa at Arepita Beach on Beach Ave by International Speedway. Near the newspaper building before the bridges. Also on 3D. Good flavor. I also tried Ormond Brewing, but, it was not open. Daytona was empty.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Titusville, Cocoa Village and Rockledge: Shiloh's, BeachFly, Dirty Oar, BB Rads Coastal BBQ and Playalinda

I tried these spots at lunch and dinner on Friday. The first is on US1 a mile south of the north bridge. The second is in Rockledge off US1 (three blocks) after a right onto Barton Blvd. The third is just north off US1 on 420 (towards the coast) before the bridge. The fourth is back in Titusville on US1 just north of the first. The last is just a bit north on US1 (S Washington) in the middle of town.

Shiloh's - Right on the river. Right across from the launch pad. You can park here ($20) and see the rockets take off. No reservations allowed. Just your normal, overpriced tourist fare. I had a $18 shrimp blt. Good blt. Shrimp were Winn Dixie frozen, small, shrimp bag bad. Fries were ok. Oil was probably too cool. Outsides were chewy. The place is all dark wood. Deck, inside, upper level, bar. Average service. Not to full. A dime a dozen. Rocket watching is probably the only justification. They also charge a 3.5% transaction fee. Pass.

BeachFly Brewing Company - Not much here. A white building. A parking lot. A small outside area. Beer was ok and cheap.

Dirty Oar Beer Company - Patio. Inside. Parking lot. Beer was good and a tad more expensive. More types.

BB Rads Coastal BBQ - Looks straight up franchised. But, they said not. Open for nine months. Still seemed to have its training wheels on. I had the three slider and side meal At $13. It was one of the cheaper options. I chose sausage, brisket and turkey. All mushy. The last two tasted like they had been injected with brine. Average rolls. I chose mac and cheese. Ok. Everything was too expensive. They wanted $28 for a pound of brisket and wouldn't sell less than a pound. Order at a counter. Modern. Orange accents. Pretty busy. Pass.

Playalinda Brewing Company - I have already reviewed there more southern location. This is the original. It is cuter. Waited here for the rocket launch. Nice vibe. Good beer. Many choices.

*I went behind Playalinda and saw the rocket launch. My first time so close. It wasn't that grand. Still good though. Delayed about two times for two hours. I also used my US Parks Annual Pass to go to the beach next to the Space Center after lunch. Water was still cold. It's a nice perk for we locals to get a "private membership" to those beaches and the ones in New Smyrna when we buy that pass. It almost makes sense to buy one just for that reason.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Winter Garden and West Colonial: Poki Burri, Peach Cobbler Factory, Fire and Knife, Home State Brewing Co and Hao Wei Fang

I tried these spots on Thursday at lunch. The first is in a brand new strip mall after 429 and Miller's Ale House on West Colonial. The next two are in a strip mall off Tilden. You go past the first place and make a left on Daniels (at 4 Rivers) and drive a few miles. The fourth is also off 429 in an area called Hamlin. I took a road from the second stop through a community called Independence to a right on New Independence Pkwy and up a few hundred yards on the left. The last is in Chinatown in the old Shanghai Lane location

Poki Burri - A chain from Georgia. They also say they sell Lifting Noodles. I had a $15 tuna poke bowl. You get some pretty good tuna and two vegetables (avocado and edamame) and a topping (seaweed salad). Lots of edamame. Haas avocado. Good seaweed. The sauces were lame. No sesame oil or soy sauce ones. I tried ginger miso. Rice was fine. It was fine, but, I'll always be thinking that for $12 I could be eating AYCE at Koy Wan. They sell some premade bowls (tuna, spicy tuna salmon, crab) and also ramen and apps. They had a donut sushi for $7. It just turned out to be a ring of rice topped with spicy tuna or crab. They didn't seem to have enough employees. It was semi-busy. Order at a counter. White/black/gray. Fake hedges. Four types of table and chair areas. Modern. Sodas were $2. They had free water. Not a destination spot. Open for a month.

The Peach Cobbler Factory - I don't remember if they were a chain from Kentucky or I made that up in my head somehow. They sell cobbler (with vanilla ice cream), cookies, brownies, banana pudding, pudd-n shakes, cinnamon rolls Belgian waffles and churro stix. I had peach cobbler for $8. It sucked. Tasted ike the $1 fruit pies you get at Walmart, etc. Many other flavors. Ice cream was ok. Spartan decor. Order at a counter. Some seats. Two others there. Open for a month. Pass.

Fire and Knife Pizzeria - I just popped in because it was next door and I doubt if I'll ever drive back here again. It was better than it's neighbor. They said this was a Slidders. Open for three months. I grabbed Sunday Sampler for $11 because most things were overpriced and the pizza oven was metal. I received two good (they said homemade) meatballs and some good sausage. Nice tomato sauce. Unadulterated. Topped with ricotta. Some bread too. They had a two slice and soda special for $10. Remember when that was $5 They said the pizza was NY style. A small was $4. A large was $17. They had two pastas and two other mains from $16-$19. Seven sandwiches from $14-$16. Six apps from $8-$13. Few if no seats. Already looks forty years worn. Let me put it this way - they had Belgioso cheese in the cooler. 

Home State Brewing Co - I've been ignoring a page from a magazine (Edible?) with all the local breweries. I remembered this was close by. It was fine. Inside there are different color woods. Gray areas. A smallish selection of beer. Good. Large outside area. Some snooty coffee too via some shared space. Open for two years.

Hao Wei Fang - No sign in English out front. I think the zombie inside said it meant Tasty something. Google can't translate it. It was like pulling teeth. I just had the Yongzhou fried rice because it was the only thing that seemed to have a regional aspect. I turned out to be the usual fried crap. Tiny shrimp. Packaged frozen peas and carrots. Two times too expensive at $13. The menu is split into four sections of fourteen items from $14-$26. There were a few more expensive fish soups ($32) and meals. Some odd things were duck heads ($4), duck neck, duck wings, pig ears, tripe and lung ribs. I'm unsure if it is a mish mosh of Chinese regions or just Yongzhou (appears to be a city in Hunan). Empty. Bad renovation. Not a good trade for the old Shanghai Lane.

*I noticed that on 50 we have lost PUG and Kang's Kitchen.

Vida Cocina, Altamonte Springs

I tried this Mexican spot on Tuesday at lunch. It is just off I-4 on 436 in a strip mall on the NE corner. I had the lunch special chicken fajitas for $15. It came with beans and rice. Tomatoes and onions and lettuce and sour cream and a tiny amount of non-Haas guac. Three tortillas. There was alot of chicken. Ok flavor. The rest of components were acceptable. I guess the price was in line to low. They have a larger version. Most of the menu is familiar. They try and move it upscale a scoche. However, things like birria and tamales are becoming commonplace. Tacos are $19 and lower. Apps are $11-$20. You have to order one to get chips and salsa. I think the mains top out at mid-twenties. The place is kind of tropical looking. White. Modern. The left side had five booths at the back wall and four on the side wall. In the middle were two rows of four fours and one row of four twos. The right side had more tables in front of an L shaped bar that takes up two of the walls. They have a patio outside of that. Seats on that side of the bar and some tables beyond it. It was open air. They have a neon sign in Spanish that translates to something like "Without love there is no (you have no) life". It was pretty full. On the other two nocturnal occasions I tried before this, it was beyond full. I don't think it deserves the notoriety. But, I don't think many popular places do either. The crowd isn't the most Continental. Drinks are big part of the experience. People were even boozing on a weekday lunch. Service was fine. Dressed up in black. It's like Senor Tequila's or Rocco's Tacos. Feels like a chain. Isn't. Yet. I believe it opened a month ago. I kind of wish it was just the fast casual place I expected it to be. Then I could have just ordered take out and been through with it.