What's for Lunch Winter Park / Orlando Florida

"Viet Garden"

2011-09-05T16:51:00.001-04:00

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Pacos

2011-07-06T13:41:00.000-04:00

I had a nice leisurely lunch at Pacos. A nice place to go for a Tex-Mex meal. The Green Chili Enchilada was excellent as usual, the chicken taco juicy and good.

1801 W Fairbanks Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.629.0149

mobile deli

2011-06-03T16:49:00.002-04:00

Located today at the old Winn Dixie on 1792 and Horatio.

This was there first day at this location. The line formed fast as they started serving. I had three tacos. One chicken on lettuce, one chicken on corn tortilla, and one beef on lettuce wrap.

All three were excellent. We also tried their cucumber salad which was also excellent. It was cucumbers, cilantro, and onions marinated in a rice wine vinegar and olive oil.

There twitter account is @ilovemobiledeli listen up for there locations and times.

@WhatsForLunchWP, 5/25/11 1:32 PM

2011-05-25T13:37:00.001-04:00

WhatsForLunchWP (@WhatsForLunchWP)
5/25/11 1:32 PM
Chipotle on #Yelp: The line is still to the door at 1:30!! http://bit.ly/mkDA6V

Dan

@WhatsForLunchWP, 5/8/11 1:09 PM

2011-05-08T13:13:00.001-04:00

WhatsForLunchWP (@WhatsForLunchWP)
5/8/11 1:09 PM
Taj on #Yelp: A little hard to find give them a call. Worth the trip if in Macon or passing through at lunch time. http://bit.ly/mOvN9y

Dan

@WhatsForLunchWP, 5/7/11 1:23 PM

2011-05-07T13:26:00.001-04:00

WhatsForLunchWP (@WhatsForLunchWP)
5/7/11 1:23 PM
I checked in at Las Palmas (1331 W Walnut Ave) on #Yelp http://bit.ly/kOx0t3

Dan

@WhatsForLunchWP, 5/6/11 12:11 PM

2011-05-06T16:01:00.002-04:00

WhatsForLunchWP (@WhatsForLunchWP)
5/6/11 12:11 PM
Viet Garden for lunch today Iced Coffee and #44 Lemon chicken bun.

Dan

@WhatsForLunchWP, 5/5/11 12:16 PM

2011-05-05T16:30:00.000-04:00

WhatsForLunchWP (@WhatsForLunchWP)
5/5/11 12:16 PM
New item at Paco's fajita with Brisket from 4 Rivers. Come give it a try! http://t.co/jyy0nnr

Dan

@WhatsForLunchWP, 5/5/11 7:32 AM

2011-05-05T16:20:00.000-04:00

WhatsForLunchWP (@WhatsForLunchWP)
5/5/11 7:32 AM
CINCO DE MAYO today. Pacos now has fajitas with 4 rivers signature brisket.DJ and always a good time.come on down and see us...call ahead

Dan

Numero Uno Cuban Restaurant

2011-03-08T23:49:00.001-05:00

2499 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32806-4545
(866) 495-7187

We wanted to encourage a friend after his recent surgery so a few of us invited him out for dinner. I made a few suggestions on where to eat but he said Taco Bell is where he goes for ethnic food. He lives in the Conway area so I recommended this little Cuban place I went to for lunch a few weeks ago that was not far away. I remember the servers were kind, the lunch portions were pretty good and the arroz con pollo was very tasty. Tonight (Tue), we started off with the mofongo appetizer perked up with a nice rich broth. I couldn't tell you what was in the broth but it tasted like it came straight from a pan of wonderfully seasoned and slow roasted pork. He asked me to recommend something so I pointed him to the media noche and maduros (sold separately for dinner). The media noche was about 8" long. and he said he enjoyed the sweet cuban bread. My other friend had the Masitas de Cerdo with congri and plantains. I thought the onions could have been grilled more and the pork chunks looked dry. He said some of them were, but overall he enjoyed the meal. I chose the arroz con pollo again. I saw the dinner was $5 more than the lunch so I was expecting something more significant. I was surprised to see that the portions appeared to be smaller than the lunch.

Maybe the dinner plate was bigger. I don't know. Regardless, the meal was just as tasty and I did leave full. Overall the food tastes good, the quaint setting was clean, the quantities were adequate and big props to Nellie our waitress. She was pleasant, prompt and kept our glasses full. Ultimately though, for the money, I highly recommend Numero Uno for lunch.

San Jose's Original Mexican Restaurant

2010-11-04T20:39:00.000-04:00

280 South State Road 434
Suite 1053
Altamonte Springs, FL

This restaurant is not open yet but I saw the sign tonight on the way home. It's located in the old Hooters spot in Altamonte Springs below Planet Fitness.

Can't wait for it to open I hoping it call fill the void left by the closing of Las Charro earlier this year.

I'll let you know when it opens.

Adia's Latin Food

2010-07-28T23:23:00.008-04:00

1325 Sligh Blvd Orlando, Fl. 32806
407-540-0777

I saw a TV show recently about two guys searching rural barns and warehouses for rare collectibles and mis-valued antiques. I get that same sense of a treasure hunt when I take a turn off the main road and see a corner shop dressed with little more than the promise of a good meal. Adia’s, located behind the Arnie and Winnie Palmer hospitals next to the Amtrak station, is that type of place. As I drove by all I saw were the words LATIN FOOD in big yellow letters on the little storefront window. I was hooked and I wanted to know more.
I petitioned my coworkers to go with me for lunch but my only taker would be my Cuban friend, Senior Rubio. Due to its proximity to Amtrak, Orlando Regional and the Palmers, all parking is coin operated. Lacking coin, we circled Adia’s hoping to discover another kind of treasure - an unregulated parking space. Three laps and a little luck found us a spot in the back. The sign only said we would be towed. It did not say WHO could park there. I assumed it was for patrons just like us, so we chanced it.

We walked in to find a woman working the small kitchen behind the counter. She was attentive as she took our order and promptly returned with our drinks: water for me and a Kola Champaign soda for my friend. Lunch specials included baked chicken, stewed chicken or roast pork with white rice and red or black beans and maduros. My subject matter expert chose the pork with red beans and I opted for stewed chicken, red beans and a relleno de papa. No waiting here and the portions were good. The red beans were soft and full of flavor. The roast pork was tender but it lacked any of that crispy seasoned edge. The fried beef and potato ball held the hot sauce nicely and the sweet plantains were fun but the prize here turned out to be the stewed chicken.
Presented in a large glass goblet, this typically unremarkable dish brought some personality to the table. I spooned out the chicken, potatoes, carrots, olives and corn and balanced it all over the rice. Adding some broth I paused before parsing through the wonderful flavors and mixed textures. Notably, I enjoyed the satisfaction of that meal the rest of the afternoon.

Dine – A good lunch for a great price under $6
Drink – You have to try the Good O Kola Champagne soda.
Drive – The parking out back is not for patrons like us. Bring coin!
Diana – All business with a smile before you go.

Four Rivers Smokehouse - DT

2009-11-06T00:22:00.004-05:00

Four Rivers Smokehouse
2103 W. Fairbanks Ave.
407.474.8377

John Rivers has blessed our community for the past five years catering fund raisers for various charities. Now his Texas smoked family recipe has developed into a full time concept located on the corner of Fairbanks and Formosa just one block east of I-4. I watched for weeks as the small brake shop was transformed and it soon became clear we were in for some new barbecue. Just walking into The Four Rivers Smokehouse is a treat. The smell alone was enough to get me hooked. I had the misfortune of walking in a few days before they officially opened and was kindly turned away. But I made up for it by going back three times this week. In a word, WOW!

I actually heard other patrons say it as they tried the signature slow smoked brisket, Texas sausage or the generous pile of pulled pork. I found that Mr. Rivers (not to be confused with long time Orlando entrepreneur Chef Johnny Rivers) cares about the details and if you’ve read my reviews before you’d know that I find big joy in small things. Like the side dishes. You don’t just get corn, you get roasted corn. Another side is called cornbread salad, but they forget to mention the bacon pieces and tangy red bell pepper. The mac and cheese, well it’s just mac and cheese but it’s really good mac and cheese. And the baked beans are everything I imagined baked beans should be. Meaty and sweet with a hearty spice, this is how baked beans should taste.
I just couldn’t pass on anything to make room for desert but the carrot cake and banana pudding are calling my name. I look forward to my next opportunity to try the smoked chicken salad, cheese grits, bacon wrapped cheesy jalapenos or St. Louis style ribs. I would like the line (there is always a line) to go a little faster however, you can always call it in ahead of time or you could just take in the smokehouse aroma while you wait. I really enjoy the outside seating during the fall. I may be getting it to go when the summer heat returns. Now that I’m a regular, I would dare say that thanks to John and his family recipes, I would not be surprised if Winter Park becomes “known” for its barbecue.

Stackers – Sandwich and two sides less than $10
Staff – Genuine and kind.
Seating – Outside with some of Winter Park’s finest.
Smell – Consider it an appetizer.

Romano's Macaroni Grill

2009-07-18T17:23:00.002-04:00

Romano's Macaroni Grill
884 W State Road 436
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
(407) 682-2577
7/18/2009

Had an OK meal today. Mared by bad service. There were a group of 7 of us. We had the pull the tables together our selves. We also had to get our silverware from an empty table nearby. Our meals did not come out together. Some as much as 5 minutes late. They even brought another dish out that they thought we had ordered after everyone was almost finished. Someone said oh I guess that is my bow-tie pasta.

Our waiter just disappeared for long stretches of time. The restaurant was not busy. We arrived at 1:20 PM. Several dishes were dropped in he kitchen maybe that's why our service was so slow. Someone had pizza it was disgusting the dough was not done and it had too much sauce.

I have said this to myself before but this time I mean it I will not be returning!

A sad day at Paco's

2009-04-13T13:35:00.005-04:00

It was a somber meal at Paco’s today. The notice on the door read the Marj had lost her battle with cancer on 4/11/2009. I have many fond memories of Marj and Paco’s. In fact, I choose to go to Paco’s today to celebrate my 20 years at Florida Hospital. I thought that I should go some place for lunch that held many memories for Florida Hospital and the many friends that I’ve gone to lunch with over the years.

I can remember the lunches with Fred G my first director at Florida Hospital. Then there were the meals with Dave R and Bill Z where we argued the merits or doing something this way or that way. There have been periods where I have not gone to Paco’s as often as I’d like, mainly because of the parking here at the hospital. But I always return for the friendly atmosphere and good food. At Paco’s you are always made to feel at home.

I can remember one meal I had at Paco’s where my order had been somehow misplaced Marj came over and said “I’m so sorry but we can’t find your order” I gladly gave it to to her. While I was eating my meal Marj came back over and told me this was on the house, “you can just leave when you are finished”.

While I was just a customer Marj made me feel at home, on most days she came over and said hi and chatted for awhile. She will truly be missed.

The Taco Maker - dj

2009-03-25T18:00:00.004-04:00

The Taco Maker
2212 Aloma Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32792
"Finally Here Fresh Made Food!!!"
www.tacomaker.com

A friend suggested that we go to Taco Time on Aloma Ave, in the old KFC building.

It was a Taco Bell wantabe that has not quite made it yet. I had the Special number 1 - two tacos beef or chicken, soft drink, and of all things fries. I substituted chips and salsa. The menu item number 1 was about $5.00.

I had the chicken tacos they weren't bad, but nothing special. Another person in our party did not want their second beef taco so I had it. It tasted more like a taco but still was not special.

We were for some reason expecting a more authentic Mexican meal.

La Luna

2009-03-05T16:55:00.000-05:00

La Luna
151 Center Lane
Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730
(406) 995-3280

La Luna's Moto "Experience Gourmet World Cuisine in a casual & Relaxing Enviroment" is a fitting one. The menu choices range from Mexican to Thai to Japanese to Italian.

I choose the "Enchiladas filled with shredded chicken topped with jack cheese and baked to a bubbly perfection." This came with a side of beans and rice.

The meal started with Eric the owener/chief coming out and taking our order. At the door were photo books he had made of the surrounding area. Including photos of the fish he has caught and released. Some several times as proven by the photos.

Chips and homemade salsa were provided while we waited for our dishes. The salsa was nice.

Our dishes arrived shortly. They were presented nicely. The beans were cooked just right as was the rice. The three enchiladas looked wonderful. I had chosen the mole sauce. Which was a deep brown with a nutty taste. Very good.

I have visited La Luna several times over the last 7 years while visiting Big Sky it is always the culinary highlight of any visit

Ted's Montana Grill

2009-03-02T17:08:00.003-05:00

Ted's Montana Grill
105 W Main St
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406) 587-6000

I had the pecan encrusted trout, with onion rings and cole slaw. The trout was a large portion but was very greasy I thought, while the onion rings were fried perfectly not a drop of greasy. The cole slaw was passable.

For our appetizer we had the tomato soup. It was excellent!

The setting was very nice it was in the tallest building in town. The old Baxter Hotel sign on the roof had been painted out. The restaurant was on the ground floor and very attractive. The lobby of the old hotel was grand indeed.

While I did not like my fish I enjoyed the service and the setting. Next time I'm in town I try the cedar plank cooked salmon

2009 Foodie Awards

2009-02-02T17:00:00.001-05:00

2009 Foodie Awards

Il Paradiso Cafe - dj

2008-11-18T21:20:00.007-05:00

520 West State Road 436
Suite 1112
Altamonte Springs, Fl 32714
Phone - 407.262.9000
Fax - 407.331.9001

“Where Naples Meets New York in Florida”

http://www.paradisocafe.com/index.html

I discovered Il Paradiso Café while driving east on 436 in Altamonte Springs one day last week. I was at the stop light at Montgomery and 436 and looked over in the Ashby Square Mall shopping area and noticed what seemed like a new Italian Restaurant in the location where an Italian deli use to be. I said to my self that I would have to stop in. The following week we made a visit.

When we arrived at the restaurant we looked over the menu posted at the door. It seemed like an inviting place. When we walked in we were warmly greeted by the hostess. She showed us to our seats. The waitress soon arrived. Then we were greeted by Sal the chief, he told us all about his special for the night. Sal was born Salvatore Cristiano in Naples, Italy. He seemed very proud of his restaurant as well he should we would soon find out.

I opted for the Manicotti which arrived with bread and a salad with the house dressing. My wife did not see exactly what she wanted on the menu so we called Sal over and he was glad to make any thing she wanted. She had vegetarian pasta that included sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli in an olive oil sauce on penne pasta.

We heard singing in the kitchen as our dishes were being prepared. It reminded us of a trip to Venice where we also heard singing in the kitchen.

The salad arrived and the balsamic vinaigrette (Paradisco vinaigrette) dressing was to die for. As we were finishing up our salad I noticed Sal peering over at us from the kitchen to see if we were ready for our main course.

Our Pasta dishes arrive shortly. Mine was very good. I always have manicotti my first trip to a new Italian restaurant because I have found if they can make the cheese filling firm but moist they can make any other Italian dish. This was perfect. My wife’s pasta dish was also very good with just enough garlic and sweet sun dried tomatoes.

I have not yet decided what I’ll have on my next visit but I took the take out menu so I could study it in depth.

After our meal Sal came over to make sure everything was to our satisfaction. It was! This is definitely my new favorite Italian restaurant.

Rating ****
Service: ****
Value: ****

Paxia Alta Cocina Mexicana - dj

2008-09-11T18:00:00.001-04:00

2611 Edgewater Drive
College Park, FL 32804
407.420.1155
http://paxiarestaurant.com/
“Modern world meets traditional Mexican cuisine”

Paxia is a new Mexican restaurant in College Park it opened around June 1, 2008. They took over the old Moe’s location on Edgewater drive. I read about it in the Orlando Weekly yesterday and stopped by for lunch today.

The restaurant looked very modern with vivid colors on the walls and cloth table cloths – covered with butcher paper. The menus were uncluttered with just a few items. Items that you would expect at a Mexican restaurant, there were 6 priced at $7.00 to $7.50.

Were greeted with a smile and chips and salsa were not far behind. The chips were nice and the salsa was also good.

From the menu I chose the Chicken Enchilada at $7. Others at the table chose Flautas $7.25, Soft Tacos $7.50, and Burritos $7.50. The wait was a little longer than I would have expected considering the number of people in the restaurant.

When our plates arrived they looked quite nice. All of the dishes we ordered came with bean and rice. The rice was rather unremarkable, nowhere near as good as say El Portros . The beans needed salt and there was none on the table. My enchiladas were good but again nothing special.

The tacos the one of our dining partners had were soggy he said he would not be returning. The flautas were not very filling was the comment I heard.

This a place that I wanted to be good. Maybe I'll stop back by in a few months to see if it has improved.

Rating: **
Service **

What others are saying:
Orlando Weekly
Chowhound.com

Taco Fresco

2008-08-28T18:00:00.002-04:00

713 US Highway 41
Schererville, IN 46375
(219) 865-5300
http://www.tacofresco.com/

I was on my way to Chicago and came across Taco Fresco in Schererville. It is located in a strip mall along Highway 41. It looked the place had not been open long. It had a fresh clean look about the store. They advertise themselves as an authentic, healthy alternative to fast food.

I had the Chicken Taco $1.95 and the Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna Taco $2.75 both were good. The salsa bar had a very good selection of salsas both hot and mild.

I only found out later that this was a chain out of Chicago. This would be a place that I could eat at often if they had stores in Florida.

Free Wi-Fi is also available.
Rating: ***
Service: ****
Monday-Saturday:11am - 9pm
Sunday:11am - 7pm

India Garden - dj

2008-08-17T10:15:00.002-04:00

247 E. Ontario Street
2nd Floor
Chicago, Il 60611
312.280.4910
“Culinary Nirvana”

To enter India Garden you go up some stairs that look like you are going to an insurance company not Culinary Nirvana, but when you arrive you find a very nicely decorated space over looking E. Ontario Street. There are floating rose pedals in brass bowls and Indian cloth hanging from the walls.

We visited on the weekend at lunch time the buffet was being served for $11.95. When we arrived at the table we were happily greeted with a sizzling dish of fried onions and tandoor chicken. The buffet line was filled with treats from mixed vegetables to daal to a mushroom and chicken dish. Everything was cooked to perfection.

If I lived in Chicago this would surely be a favorite place to visit.

Rating: ****
Service: impeccable

The Greek Corner Restaurant - dj

2008-07-22T18:00:00.001-04:00

1600 N. Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32804
407.228.0303
www.thegreekcorner.net
“_Authentic Greek Cuisine at it’s Best_”

The Greek Corner is tucked away on the corner of North Orange Ave ath the corner of Ivanhoe Blvd. It is right across Ivanhoe from Gargi’s Italian restaurant. As we walked up they had misters on the porch to keep the heat down on a warm summer day in Central Florida. We were seated immediately to a table for 6. The restaurant was nicely decorated with the expected Greek items, a map of Greece, a manikin dressed in a Greek Foustanella a skirt or kilt, and kitschy Greek sayings on the wall.

We had downloaded the menu from their web site yesterday so we knew what we wanted to order. I had the Chicken Souvlaki one of their Classic Greek Sandwiches. It was a boneless breast of chicken grilled over an open flame , served with onions, tomatoes, & tzaktziki sauce (Yogurt cucumber sauce). The classic sandwiches come with either a Greek salad or rice pilaf, I chose the salad.

Our food arrived surprisingly fast. The chicken was very good as well as the tzaktziki sauce. The salad was also very good it had a nice dressing and was topped with feta cheese.

This is a nice place for lunch.

Rating: ***
Price: ***
Hour Monday-Saturday 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Free WiFi avaliable

The Alamo – DT

2008-06-23T19:31:00.003-04:00

55 Medway Rd Milford, MA 01757

Just a short plane ride from Winter Park, FL, I found myself cruising the beautiful little hovel of Milford, MA for a late, after flight dinner. You know me. Nothing mainstreet like Applebee’s or Uno’s will do. So I drove out 190 for a few miles to see if anything looked enticing. The Alamo caught my attention just a few blocks from the hotel. This old converted home advertised a Mexican menu and the parking lot was full, which seemed impressive since it was late on a Sunday night. The friendliness of the staff represented the best of New England and shortly after being seated, I realized the source of the attraction. Karaoke upstairs in the “bah”. I usually find karaoke upsetting due to some past restaurant experiences, but the frequent cheering and laughter actually made the place fun while I ate too many tortillas and salsa. Apparently the owners are the parents of ‘Dewie’ from “Malcolm in the Middle”. I love that show. Dewie is Malcolm’s younger brother. The one who gets all the best lines.
I immediately search for, and find, fish tacos on the menu. I am going through your standard fish taco phase. Whenever I mention to someone that I like fish tacos, they all make the same face but hey, New England is legendary for their seafood. This should be good. Three tacos to a plate served with beans and rice for less than $8. I asked about tartar sauce, and my waitress explained that they are served with a Jalepeno Ranch dressing. After two flight delays and an hour’s drive outside of Boston, I was not in the mood to be discerning. I don’t remember the first taco but half way through the second, I started to slow down and examine this treat. “It’s not bad”, I thought. Cut pieces of fried fish and your basic lettuce and cheddar with a thin line of ranch at the bottom. But something seemed strangely familiar. Upon closer examination, I realized this was not New England’s finest seafood, it was more like Milford’s best fish sticks. I may have come in with pretty high expectations and I have children so I am not too good to eat fish sticks. Heck, I once made cashew chicken at home with left over chicken McNuggets. My point is, while this particular fish taco does not rank at the top of my list, the service was awesome and for an out-of-towner eating dinner alone, I left full and I enjoyed the experience. Next time I’ll get the fajitas. No one makes a face when I mention those.

Quantity: Plenty
Price: 3 tacos and a drink under $11.
Service: As kind as they come.

Atlanta Bread - dj

2008-06-22T14:23:00.003-04:00

Atlanta Bread
Hartsfield Jackson Airport - Concourse C
Atlanta, GA
407.766.8345

With the lack of food available on airline flights these days the food at airports is becoming more and more important. On a recent visit to the Atlanta airport this is what we found.

In Concourse C we were greeted with these choices:

Atlanta Bread
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
Charley's Steakery
Last Call South
Miller Lite Victory Lane
Paschals Resturant/La Carrousel Bar
Popeye's Chicken
Samuel Adams
Seattle's Best Coffee
The Grove Natural Snacks
Vending Machines (Snacks)
Wendy's

We picked Atlanta Bread Company because it seemed like a healthier choose. I had a turkey sandwich. The sandwich itself was not bad, only missing Miracle Whip and sweet relish and of course the tomato's (salmonella). But when I unwrapped the sandwich it looked like someone had been sitting on it.

Rating: **
Service:**
Value: Airport food

Casa Serrano El Palacio - DJ

2008-06-20T14:00:00.003-04:00

Casa Serrano El Palacio Mexican Restaurant and Cantina
401 E. Andy Devine Ave.
Kingman, AZ 86401
"Authentic and Unique Mexican Cuisine and Cocktails"

This restaurant is located on Route 66 in the historic old downtown area of Kingman Arizona. From the outside we were not sure if they were open but once we opened the door the place was full. Most of the clientele seemed to be locals.

I orderd "Mini Tacos and one enchilada with red sauce. Your choice of meat. $4.35" I had mine with chicken.

It was quite good. Just like the description the tacos were mini about 3 to 4 inches in diameter filled with chicken. The red sauce on the enchilada was also very good.

Outside while we were there the railway lines were busy. At least 4 long freight trains passed 2 in each direction.

You Tube video of passing train in Kingman AZ

Rating: ***
Service: ***
Price: $4.35 for Lunch item.

Mad Greek in the Desert - DJ

2008-06-16T15:42:00.012-04:00

Mad Greek
72112 Baker Blvd
Baker, CA 92309

The world’s largest thermometer across the street was reading 109. I didn't even blame the flies for coming inside this oasis in the desert. There are signs for miles along I-15 for Mad Greeks in Baker California between Las Vegas and Las Angeles, so we had to stop to see what it was all about. I had also seen a feature on the Food Network: Guy's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Episode DV0101.

The first thing I spotted was the big barrel of picked cucumbers, onions, carrots, cabbage, and other goodies. I scooped out a few and they were just as I expected, vinegary still with that crunch of freshly made pickles.

We stepped up to the counter to place our order there were 5 us we ordered a fairly wide selection of items.

Chicken Gyro
Gyro
Vegburger x 2
Turkey Breast grilled sandwich
Greek Salad

They were all good and before long everything was gone except for the salad which was much larger than we expected. The Chicken Gyro was very moist and tender and the accompanying yellow rice was perfect.

Rating: ***
Service:***
Value: Excellent

What others are saying:

Road trip America
whatwereeating.com
On the Food Network: Guy's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Episode DV0101

Sad News - dj

2008-04-07T09:14:00.003-04:00

The Baja Burrito Kitchen in Jamestown Plaza in Altamonte Springs has closed. It will be missed. I believe that the East Colonial store is still open.

Marie Callendar's-dj

2008-03-05T10:47:00.001-05:00

Marie Callendar's-dj
1600 N. 1000 West
Layton, UT 84041
801.825.3668
Www.mcpies.com

After leaving Antelope Island State Park we were starved. We were
tring to decide if Marie Callrndar's would be like going to Denny's.
We stopped in anyway. The restaurant was clean and nicely decorated.

I ordered the turkey pot pie. It came out looking very good. It was
pipping hot, infact it never cooled off enough to eat. I was
disappointed with the small amount vegetables that were included in
the pie. The creamy sauce was very good, it tasted like celery soup. I
though 11.79 was a bit high for what I got.

Later in the day I got a really bad case of indegestion not sure what
was in there but I was feeling it all night long.

Rating: @@
Service: @@@
Price: $12.00

Taste of Saigon -dj

2008-03-04T10:26:00.002-05:00

580 Main Street
Park City, Utah
435.647.0688

I was still hurting from my meal at Marie Callendars earlier in the day, I just wanted a bite. So we ordered just two orders of Imperial Rolls - Goi Cuon Chay ( summer rolls ). They arrived in good time. The rolls were loosly wrapped, and the peanut sauce was thinner than most Vietnamese restaurants I have been to.

Rating: @@@
Service: @@
Price: $5.99/ order

Chai Thai - DT

2008-03-01T11:10:00.007-05:00

ChaiThai
3334 Curry Ford Road, Orlando, Fl map
407.898.1181

Sa-wat dee. There’s new Thai in town. Chai Thai located on Curry Ford Road just a few blocks east of Bumby. The décor is clean and comfortable and the prices very reasonable. For this visit I met two friends of mine for a quick bite while their kids attended karate next door.

I see fresh summer rolls on the menu therefore I must have them. I love the fresh julienned carrots, and lettuce with a generous proportion of shrimp rolled in a rice paper wrap and served chilled. While smaller than other summer rolls I’ve tried, you get three to an order accompanied by a house sauce, sweet with a soy base and topped with chopped nuts. I asked the owner Toy what was in the sauce. She just smiled and said her husband Chai makes it special. While quite good, she allowed me to sample the peanut sauce as well.

My friend ordered the Tom Kha Gai, a gusty Thai tradition of white meat chicken and straw mushrooms in a seasoned broth of coconut milk and lime juice. He had the same soup at another restaurant recently and describes this bowl as better than most. The broth was spicy and smooth with a complementary blend of herbs.

My other friend ordered the Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango. A seasonal desert decorated with a touch of black sesame for contrast, the sweat creamy custard provides an effective bridge between the cold rice and the tangy, ripe mango. Most tasty with an elegant presentation.

Did I mention the awesome karate dojo next door?

Other reviews:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chai-thai-cuisine-orlando

Service: òp òon (friendly)
Quantity: appropriate
Price: All dishes under $5 each.

Boston Market - dj

2008-02-21T22:00:00.003-05:00

840 N. Orlando Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
407-644-0020
www.bostonmarket.com

Our trek today for lunch started with Lombard’s Seafood. We sometimes stop in and get a fresh fish sandwich. Today as we approached the counter we heard the lady manning it that they only had 2 pieces of lettuce and one piece of bread left. We decided to go someplace else. The Black Bean Deli had people standing out the doorway so we drive on past. As we were heading farther north on 17-92 I suggested Boston Market.

The Boston Market in Winter Park is kind of in an odd location at the corner of Lee Road and 17-92. The parking lot also leaves much to be desired. The restaurant itself was very clean and bright and the staff was helpful.

I ordered the 5oz Turkey with two gourmet sides, mashed potatoes and green beans this comes along with a side of cornbread. The meal was delivered in good time. The turkey was moist and full of flavor. The sides were also very good. The cornbread was more like a muffin; it seemed to have flour in it as well as cornmeal.

Rating: ***
Service: ***
Price: Meal and Drink $9.89
Menu

Tony & Bruno’s – dj

2008-02-14T22:46:00.003-05:00

4200 Conroy Road
Orlando, FL 32839
407.345.8555

For a quiet anti-valentines dinner we went to the Millennium Mall. The place was eerily empty except for the Apple store which was packed. We stopped in at Brio the wait was 70 to 80 minutes, we were willing to wait maybe ten minutes. So we walked up to the food court and ate at Tony and Bruno’s, a subsidiary of Sbarro’s. No waiting! We had Spaghetti with Marinara sauce and a slice of Cheese Pizza.

The spaghetti was good, but I did not think that the sauce had much taste. It seemed thick to look at but it just disappeared on the plate, it also did not have much taste. The bread stick was loaded with butter that was not quite melted. The piece of cheese pizza that we shared was standard mall fair.

We ended our anti-date by stopping by IKEA and picking us some of their delicious “Cappuccino Flavored Thins” cookies. They are the best.

Rating: **
Service: ***
Price: for Two $12.54

K Restaurant Wine Bar - dj

2008-02-06T19:02:00.000-05:00

2401 Edgewate Drive
Orlando, FL 32804
407.872.2332
www.krestauranrwinebar.com

K’s is located in a corner location near Edgewater and just north of Smith Street in downtown College Park. It is a cozy little restaurant with a wine bar along one side. Art work decorates the black walls. The menu changes each day to integrate only the freshest ingredients.

I had the fish sandwich of the day (12.00) which was blackened Mahi-Mahi . It comes with potato salad, house salad, or chips. I choose the potato salad, it was in a creamy chipotle sauce I think. It was a different type of potato salad and was good. The potatoes seemed to have been baked with the skins left on rather than boiled (possible leftovers from the night before). I liked them. The fish was cooked to perfection and the rye bread was fresh.

K’s is a nice place for a business lunch.

Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price $12.00

What others are saying:

Orlando Weekly
AOL City Guide

Carlucci’s - dj

2008-02-01T19:09:00.006-05:00

501 North Orlando Ave. Suite 145
Winter Park, FL 32789
“A full Service Authentic Pizza and & Trattoria”

The office went to Carlucci’s for a birthday party at lunch. There were 10 of us. We had no problem getting a table at 11:30 AM. The restaurant is decorated with photos and memorabilia of baseball greats from New York. The wait staff was pleasant and efficient.

We started with two appetizers Garlic Knots and Pizza Fries. The garlic knots were as expected warm knots of bread coated with lots of garlic and parmesan cheese. The Pizza fries were a surprise to me, although I don’t know what I expected, fries covered with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. The dish was then warmed in the pizza oven until the cheese had melted. It was then sprinkled with parmesan cheese, quite good actually.

The pizza’s arrived in good time. We had a cheese and a Carlucci’s Meat Lovers pizza. The pizza was very good. The crust was crispy on the bottom and the cheese melted perfectly. I can see why this restaurant was voted for a foodie award this year by Scott Joseph . With the decline of Alfonzo’s last year I have been looking for good pizza and I think that I have found my new favorite.

Rating: ****
Service: ****
Price: 18” Cheese Pizza $13.00

Baja Burrito Kitchen - dj

2008-01-31T18:11:00.000-05:00

2716 E. Colonial Dr.
Colonial Plaza
Orlando, FL
407.895.6112
“Totally Fresh Cal-Mex”

Baja Burrito Kitchen is the place to go in Orlando if you are in need of a Fish Taco! There is no other place that is even close. I’ve been a fan since they open the first restaurant in the early 90’s in Jamestown Place in Altamonte Springs on 434.

We use to sit in the dining room and talk to the owner I can’t remember his name. He had great plans at the time to open another restaurant on Fairbanks Ave in Winter Park just east of 17-92, but those plans fell through. In the intervening years several other locations have opened and closed, but the original store on 434 in Jamestown Place is still there.

The restaurant today was packed at 12:15 when we arrived. After we went through line several tables had opened up. We filled up on their fresh salsas. I always enjoy the Habanero it is fresh and has a distinct citrus flavor, although I always eat too much. The Salsa Verde, Fire-Roasted Chipotle, and Inferno sauce are also good.

Our meals were delivered in about 5 minutes. They were fresh and oh so good.

Rating: ****
Service: ***
Price: 2 Fish tacos and a soft drink $8.52

bd's Mongolian Barbeque - CLOSED

2008-01-28T20:38:00.002-05:00

300 S. State Road 434
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
www.gomongo.com

I didn’t feel like cooking tonight so we decided go to a new restaurant around the corner. bd’s is in the old Tony’s Roma next to Sports Authority. The restaurant opened about a month ago, while construction was being done on 434 right out front.

We walked in the front door to be greeted with a “Welcome to db’s!” this is shades for Moe’s or Captain D’s a practice that I hate.

We were seated in a nicely remodeled booth. The waiter arrived shortly to explain the menu. Basically go to the bar pick out the meats and vegetable that you want. Then go to the next station and choose one or a combination of sauces that are available they range from fajita, buffalo, to teriyaki sauce. There are 18 to choose from. After you have created your recipe you go to the Mongolian grill and have it cooked up.

While the dish I created was good, I could have easily created it for all three of us for maybe $5.00. Next time I want to spend $50.00 for a stirfry I think I’ll order King Kooker's Cajun Portable Propane Outdoor WOK. Then I can have a really good stir fry right at home.

When our waiter arrived with the check he also presented us with an electronic survey form, and asks if we would be returning. I think not. I’ll just cook a stir fry at home next time.

Rating: **
Service: ***
Price for 3 with tip $48.00

Jade Bistro - DT

2008-01-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Jade Bistro is a stylish setting staffed by decades of experience serving select Asian favorites. We joined a group of ten co-workers for lunch in the College Park dining corridor just north of Princeton on Edgewater Drive. We walked in and were greeted immediately by an older gentleman who I assumed was the owner. The wait staff, while just as friendly and prompt served us with a diligence and efficiency usually reserved for the big city restaurants. Our group ordered Chinese staples such as Singapore Noodle and Mongolian Chicken. One member of our party even ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken. We asked if he could get the crayons and coloring sheet with that but after tasting the food you will realize this is no trifle effort. I chose the General Tso Chicken and fried rice with a house salad. A fine white ginger dressing over a simple chilled salad preceded the entrée. Other options included Miso or egg drop soup or a spring roll. The better parts of the chicken were fried in a firm batter but not overdone then glazed sweet and spicy with a significant garlic influence. Usually treated as unimportant, even the fried rice stood on its own merit. Before you leave, you must try the Tempura Cheesecake lightly striped with chocolate. I am looking forward to my next visit where I plan to indulge in the Japanese maki rolls. On my way out, I introduced myself to the older gentleman who indeed is the owner. His name is Joseph Duen. You will know him by his smile and his background includes 20+ years at the famous Four Seasons in Rockefeller Center New York. Somehow Mr. Duen has made the decision to give us all the class and elegance he is known for in our quaint little part of Orlando and at a amazingly affordable price.

Service - Impeccable
Quantity – Just right
Price – Lunch and water $7.50

Beto's Mexican Restaurant- DT

2008-01-16T16:59:00.000-05:00

My friend JoAnna says Beto’s is muy bien. JoAnna is a gringa from the Southwest and one of the most discerning people I know, so we went. Located just east of the corner of 436 and 17-92 in Casselberry, I found that while it is not much to look at from the outside, Beto’s is equally unremarkable on the inside. I did however find it to be clean and spacious and simple. All signs that the food should be affordable. I had a difficult time at the counter deciding what to try. I love Chimichanga, but wanted to try something new. The main menu board had plates priced around $7 give or take. They had 3 or 4 lunch specials, including a drink, for around $6.50. I ordered the Pollo Asado plate. Marinated chicken and peppers served with rice, refried beans, sour cream, fresh lettuce, onions, and tomato mixed with cilantro and a large flour tortilla on the side. I guess I could have wrapped it all in the warm, soft tortilla but I chose to mix all of the flavors and use the tortilla as a flat bread. In the middle of the restaurant was a small salsa station. Along with your choice of red or green, they offered seasoned carrots with peppers. JoAnna really likes the carrots and peppers and said it was a mistake for me to pass on them. She reminded me that Beto’s is open 24 hours and recommends the machaca (breakfast burrito). Apparently it is something you pick up for breakfast on the way to work and finish for lunch. I’m now very curious. This is exactly the type of place we created this blog to showcase. If you are looking for flavor in a local food experience without the hype and circumstance, Beto’s will not disappoint.

Facility – Heritage rich flavor in a fast food setting.
Service – Broken English with a smile!
Quantity – I thought it was just right which may be a lot for most.
Price - $6.50 including drink.

Beto’s Mexican Food - dj

2008-01-08T18:11:00.000-05:00

103 E. State Road 436
Fern Park, FL 32730
407.834.0882

Lunch time where to go? DT suggested Thai, I had it last night, Chinese we both had that yesterday for lunch. DT says how about Beto’s in Fern Park, while a little drive for us it was worth the drive.

Beto’s is located in an out building in the parking lot of Bed Bath & Beyond shopping center. According to the Orlando Weekly it has been a roast-chicken stand, a bagel place and a Chinese takeout. The decor is early fast food, I guess. Plain and simple, but clean.

The menu board is quite extensive it includes about 20 numbered plates, and then all of these ingredients are available al-cart. I could not decide between the Enchiladas Verdes and the Fish taco special. I ordered the #2 Enchiladas Verdes with two chicken enchiladas, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, and sour cream $5.39. I also ordered a side of Fish Taco $1.99. When the food came it was way too much. The tortilla shells of the enchiladas tasted as though they were homemade I did not ask them to find out. The chicken was tender, the Verde sauce was excellent not to tart from the tomatillos. The Fish Taco was also very good. It had shredded cabbage and a sweet / sour cream based sauce. The fish was fried to perfection. There was also a small salsa bar that had about 6 things on it.

This is the kind of Mexican restaurant I could eat at every day. I just wish they had glass plates instead of Styrofoam, and it was a little closer.

Rating: ****
Service:***
Price: Special + side $7.90
Open 24 Hours

What others are saying:

This years Foodies for Best Mexican Critic’s choice when to Beto's “I went .. with Beto's, which doesn't even offer table service. But for authenticity — and bargain prices — it's my choice this year.” Said Scott Joseph.
Orlando Weekly
Metromix.com

Note 1/13/2008: On a revisit with my family I found that the dishes are not always prepared the same way. We had the Fish Taco. It was missing the cabbage, and the sauce that made it so good on the last visit. Also the fish was over cooked. I will have to change my from 4 stars to 3.

Revisited Restaurants - dj

2008-01-07T18:08:00.000-05:00

Winnies Oriental Garden: We went with a big birthday crowd again, the service was good for a group of 10 people. I was going to get something different from last time but ended up with the same dish Chicken & Cashews. I had the same impression as last time as well BLAND. Even with the addition of salt it still did not have much taste.

Rating: **
Service : ***

Siam Garden The restaurant looks the same as last year. The menus have been updated with photos of the food. They look quite nice. I had the Stir Fried Ginger with Chicken again. It was just as good as I remembered.

Rating: ****
Service ***

Kohinoor - dj

2007-12-29T15:38:00.001-05:00

249 State Road 436 West #1093
Ethan Allen Plaza
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
407.788.6004
“Fine Indian Cuisine”
www.kohinoorindianrestaurant.com

Kohinoor has been a staple for Indian food in the Altamonte Springs area for at least the last 15 years, probable more. The food is always good here. I remember when this place opened it was decorated with the chairs and tables from the closed Darbar Indian restaurant down off of Sand Lake Road near I-Drive. They now have new tables and chairs and the dining room looks quiet nice.

We usually come here on the weekend to have the buffet ($8.00). It is always good. Today they had the usual fare; Butter Chicken, Curry Chicken, Channa Masala – chick peas cooked with onions, potatoes, and a variety of spices. There was also yellow dal fry and many other things to choose from. It was all excellent. The salad area had riata, onions, onion chutney, and the hottest little green peppers. We topped our meal off with a sweet lassie a yogurt drink.

The Gulab Jamun for dessert is always fabulous. It is a pastry ball that is made from fat free milk and fried and then is soaking in a honey rose water syrup. It is so good I always have to go back for another.

The dinning experience is always a good one here.

Rating: ****
Service: ***
Price: fare

Udipi Café - dj

2007-12-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

1275 S. Highway 17-92
Longwood, FL 32750
407.696.7775
“Authentic South Indian Vegetarian Cuisine”

The Udipi Café is the latest reincarnation in the old Clay Oven on 17-92 in Longwood. The building looks tired. I would have thought that the new owners would have spruced the place up a bit, but sadly they have not. The ceiling has a myriad of things hanging from it; a fancy chandler that looks out of place, ceiling fans and more chandlers. We were the only Caucasians in the restaurant and it was full at 2PM on a Sunday afternoon, usually a good sign. We observed one of the customers coughing over the buffet without the slightest concern for turning away from the food or covering her mouth.

Since we were here and a buffet was available we had the lunch buffet $9.95. The food from the buffet was good, but I felt there was not enough selection. The basmati rice was dry and crunchy. Our waiter brought around a dosai that was also very good. It was stuffed with the usual curried potatoes.

For desert I had the Gajar Halwa. It was the best thing that I had at this restaurant. It is made of grated carrots and milk that is cooked down till it forms a dry mixture.

Next time I visit I’ll chose from the menu and get just the items that I want.

Rating: **
Service: ***
Price Weekend Buffet: $9.95

What others are saying:
Scott Joseph
Orlando Weekly

Cubans on the Run – dj

2007-12-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

481 N state Road 434 Suite 101
Altamonte Springs, FL
407.682.6700
Monday – Saturday 10:00am – 9:00PM

Cubans on the Run is a humble little Cuban restaurant near the corner of 434 and 436 in Altamonte Springs. You walk up to the counter and place your order. There are about 10 little tables with plastic chairs. The counter person was very cheerful and happy. She took my order and I had a seat by the window. About half of the customer that came in placed there orders to go. Next to the order station there was a hot station that had various hot meals that included roast pork, beef stew, and Ropa Vieja (shredded beef).

My order was called from the counter in about 7 minutes. I had the Turkey breast sandwich “Turkey, Swiss Cheese & Mayo grilled to perfection!!” I would have to agree with this description it was cooked perfectly. The bread was crisp on the outside and warm in the inside. The side of Black Bean Soup was also very good. Their black bean soup had a scoop of rice on the bottom, then a scoop of beans, and another scoop of bean juice. It was topped with chopped onions.

Rating: ***
Service: ***
Price: 7” Sandwich 4.50, Black Bean Soup 1.69.

Angel’s Bananas Foster Cheese Cake

2007-12-21T12:15:00.000-05:00

Just before we all headed out for the Christmas break DT pulled out the Bananas Foster Cheese Cake that Angel had made. It was very good. It had a chocolate cookie crust and chocolate syrup drizzled on top. The cheese cake itself was creamy banana. Some of the comments were “One of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth” and “I could tell it was good just as the spoon neared my mouth”. It was the perfect Christmas gift.

Wilfredos Restaurant - dj

2007-12-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

1421 N. Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32804

It was a special occasion night; I wanted a little place with lots of atmosphere. Wilfredos was the natural choice, a little Italian restaurant with good food and waiters in tuxes. I called for a reservation the night before. The window seat that I wanted had already been booked with a large party, so we got the other window. It was almost like being there by ourselves, tucked away from the rest of the patrons.

There was a long list of specials, maybe 5 choices. We ended up choosing from the menu; an eggplant parmesan and chicken picatta. The house salad was topped with purple lettuce for a different look and the house dressing was just right. Our dishes arrived in good time and looked fabulous. The eggplant was topped this mozzarella cheese and a meaty tomato sauce. The chicken picatta was served with a lemony butter sauce topped with capers and a side of fresh mixed vegetables. This was also excellent.

We finished off the meal with a perfect tiramisu with two spoons.

In summary, if you are in need of a special occasion dining spot you can’t go wrong with Wifredos. This restaurant occupies the location that use to be Gargi’s. They moved across the street next to Lake Ivanhoe, Gargi’s may have a better view of the lake, but the food at Wilfredos beats the view across the street any day. After the meal you can stroll along the Lake Ivanhoe for a view of the City Beautiful.

Rating: ****
Service: ****
Price: entrée 16.00-24.00, tiramisu 5.95.

Pho Hoa Noodle House - dj

2007-12-18T17:55:00.000-05:00

649 N Primrose Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
407.895.6098

Pho Hoa is a franchise restaurant, out of Sacramento California, that does not taste like a chain. It is located on Primrose next door to Il Pescatore Italian restaurant. The dining room is your standard fare, disco ball included.

The menu has 112 items listed. This includes a section that explains the how and why of Pho. There are soups for beginners all the way up to the Adventurer’s Choice. As you go up the scale the ingredients become more exotic.

I choose my standard Vietnamese dish a Bun, rice vermicelli with grilled chicken. I also ordered a vegetarian summer roll. The summer roll was very good packed with ingreadients; the peanut sauce that comes with it was not quite as good as some other places I have eaten. The noodle dish had lots of julienned carrots and cucumbers. The chicken was boneless but did not seem to be breast meat. It had been chopped but I had to pull the pieces apart. The flavor was good but the presentation was lacking.

Rating: **
Service: **
Price: $11.00

Punjab Indian Restaurant - dj

2007-12-16T21:22:00.001-05:00

7451 International Drive
Orlando, Florida 32819
407.352.7887
punjabindianrestaurant.com/

We have not visited the Punjab Restaurant in a while, but we were in the Disney area and decided to make a return visit on the way home. The Punjab has always been one of our favorite Indian Restaurants. It turns out that our visit coincides with the eve of their 20th anniversary. The restaurant opened in 1988 at this location. There use to be a good landmark, to find the restaurant on I Drive it was behind the Dunkin Donut shop. Now it is behind the Everything for 1.99, not such a good landmark on I Drive.

The restaurant has changed little over the last 20 years, including the food. But they might just have the best Indian food this side of Brick Lane in London. We started our meal with Vegetable Samosas – crispy fried patties stuffed with spiced potatoes and peas. They were delicious; they were not a bit greasy, even though they were deep fried. Many years ago we ask the owner at what temperature they cooked them to get them that way. He just said “not to hot and not too cold just right”. We had Mango Lassi’s to drink. They were so thick that you could not drink them through the straws provided. They were to die for. For the main course we had our usual at the Punjab. Mater Panir – Homemade Cheese cubes cooked with fresh Peas in curry sauce and Aloo Gobi – Cauliflower and Peas cooked with Herbs and Spices. The food was fabulous it is amazing that it could be so consistent over all these years.

We had a conversation with the owner’s wife about our 17 year old children. There was a couple over in the corner that we would swear had been coming to this restaurant for the last 20 years as well. They also appeared to have a 17 year old son.

This restaurant might be a bit hard to find, but it is well worth looking for this diamond in the rough.

Rating: *****
Service: *****
Price Entrée: 12.95
Lassi: $3.50
Vegetable Somosa (2): $3.00

IKEA Orlando – dj

2007-12-15T23:33:00.000-05:00

4092 Eastgate drive
Olrando, FL 32839
407.355.3155
http://www.Ikea.com/

The IKEA restaurant is located on the second floor half way through your voyage through IKEA. As you enter the store be sure and pick up a map, you will need it to find the short cuts so that you can go directly to the restaurant. If it’s your first visit you might want the full experience of following he arrows on the floor and going through the entire store.

We were visiting on a Saturday night when we heard the restaurant was closing in 30 minutes at 8:30 PM so we decided to go over and have a bite before we went home. The menu consists of 6 special things. Tonight it was Swedish meat balls, Apple Salmon, Chicken Marsala among other things.

I had the Apple Salmon. The plate was first covered with vegetables; Carrots, Yellow Carrots, and Snow Peas. The salmon was nice and flakey the sauce did not have much taste. The vegetables had that spongy feel of frozen vegetables. They were not bad but were not quite warm enough. I also had a Pomegranate sparkling drink which was very nice.

The restaurant really a café had a very European feel. The lighting was from IKEA of course. The glasses were Anchor Hocking made in the USA. I ask in the cookware section if they sold these glasses they did not.

This was a welcome break from the rigors of shopping in IKEA, and quite cheap.

Rating: **
Service: Self-serve
Price: Entrée 5.99, Drink 1.59 Total $8.12

Los Charros - dj

2007-12-11T20:04:00.002-05:00

946 W. State Road 436
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
407.682.5156

This is my favorite Mexican Restaurant in the Orlando area. I go here at least 3 times per month. It is located in a building that has had several failed restaurants; Miami Subs, and some sort of ice cream shop most recently. Los Charros has been in the building for the last 2 or 3 years. It is painted bright orange and yellow on the outside and located across 436 from Kohl’s. The inside is nicely decorated with paintings of a Charros a Mexican cowboy on a horse. There is a fountain on the center of the dining room that creates a nice white noise. Of course there is also the ever present Mexican music playing over the speaker system.

I usually find a dish in a restaurant that I like and stick with it. But at Los Charros every dish I have had is good. The chicken flautas verdes are crisp and not greasy perfectly fried. The enchilada verde is excellent, the dish is hot and tangy from the tomatillo/chili sauce and topped with lettuce cheese and sour cream. The soft chicken tacos made with shredded chicken and thick meaty corn tortillas are heavenly. There are 7 or so vegetarian item to choose from including a potato burrito that is quite good.

For lunch there are 14 specials from $5.50 to $6.50.

Tonight I had the House Enchilada Special. Three chicken enchiladas topped with a white cheese sauce with rice and a small salad with sour cream on top. The Mexican rice is always good at Los Charros. The enchiladas were packed with shredded chicken topped with a creamy white cheese sauce. This is a favorite of one member of my family. I’m still not sure which item is my favorite. I’ll go back again next week to try and figure that out.

Rating: ****
Service: ****
Price: $8.50

Tony's Po-Boy Restaurant - SN

2007-11-27T13:56:00.000-05:00

434 E Judge Perez Dr.
St Bernard Parish, La.
504.271.5211.

In the ghost town that is St Bernard Parish after hurricane Katrina there is at least one bright spot Tony's Po-Boy restaurant. The person that made this visit said the just looking at the pictures here makes his mouth water. The first photo is a Oyster Po-Boy that was very spicy and good. The second was a roast beef Po-Boy that was also excellent.

Rating: ***
Service ***

Tubby's Tank House - dj

2007-11-24T20:00:00.000-05:00

115 E. River Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912.233.0770
www.tubbystankhouse.com

On our way back for Gatlinburg for Thanksgiving we passed through Savannah, so I thought no time like the present to try our luck with a downtown Savannah restaurant. So we exited I-95 and shot into Savannah. We came down MLK Blvd till we got to St. Julian Street it was a pedestrian street with lots of lights and restaurants. We walked down the street and nothing seemed quite right. Three blocks north was River Street so we went over there. It happened to be the Savannah Boat Parade which was very nice. We walked down River Street and checked out the available restaurants. Tubby’s seemed like a promising place.

We went up the stairs to be greeted by the hostess with a look of surprise when we ask for a table for 4. One was available right away so not sure what the face was about except that maybe she had to go and clean the table.

I had the Grouper Finger Dinner with Hush Puppies, baked potato and salad. The House Salad Dressing was a creamy cucumber; it was very good possible the best think I had here. The salads took a while to come out, especially since the waitress said “I’ll be right back with your salads”. Our meals came out not much later. My Grouper did not have much taste. It was not greasy, but it also was not hot and was soggy. The baked potato was slightly overcooked, a little gray inside. The Hush Puppies were very strange they were slightly sweet and were made of yeast dough instead of cornmeal. It was almost like they that made yeast rolls and deep fried them.

Of the 4 items we had only one in our party said that there dish was good. They had the Fresh Grouper Sandwich, which was blackened.

On my next trip to Savannah I’ll be sure and miss Tubby’s Tank House. For a place “famous for their Grouper Fingers and their signature seafood” I’d say they missed the mark.

Rating: *
Service: **
Price for 4 $60.00 with tip

What others are saying:
Yahoo! Travel

Sabor A Mexico - dj

2007-11-12T22:12:00.000-05:00

891 S Orange Blossom Trail
Apopka, FL
407.880.1060

Located in a strip mall near the corner of 441 and 436 in Apopka the Sabor A Mexico (Restaurant Mexicana) was not exactly a hopping place at 6PM on a Monday night. There were only three of the 30 tables occupied. One of these had 3 paying customers the other had three relatives of the managers and the third had the three children of the managers. There were three TV’s two were on but turned to different stations one to the typical Spanish station the other one in the back turned to Sponge Bob. It really didn’t matter because the sound emanating from the juke box drowned out both TV’s. Above the tiny bar the disco ball was spinning.

We were told we could sit anywhere. We decided to sit close to the front of the cavernous restaurant. Half of the dining room had the chairs turned upside down on the tables. I'm not sure if they ever have enough customers to fill the dining room.

The menu seemed quite large until it was pointed out to me that there was a column in English and a column in Spanish. The fare was what you would expect from a Mexican Restaurant. I choose the enchilada plate with 3 chicken enchiladas. There was a choice of 5 types of sauces; chili, cheese, ranchero, tomatillo, and I forgot the 5th one. I choose the tomatillo sauce.

The food seemed to take a long time to come especially considering the crowd in the dining room. The plates were very hot as you would expect with a dish cooked on the plate. The tomatillo sauce was a bit over powered by the amount on lime juice on the sauce, but it was still good. The chicken in the enchilada was shredded and in a chili sauce. The corn tortilla was very good possibly home made. The rice seemed a bit greasy. The beans were passable. The meal was OK but the experience of dining in this restaurant left much to be desired.

Rating: **
Service: **
Price: $7.00

Amigos Restaurant & Cantina - dj

2007-11-07T19:20:00.000-05:00

494 N Semoran Blvd
Winter Park, FL 32792
407.657.8111
www.amigostex-mex.com

I eat at the Altamonte Springs location on the first week Amigos was open in the Orlando area in 1988. The old Mr. Gatti’s Pizza on Westmonte Drive was the first location. That first week not much had changed except for the makeshift sign out front. It didn’t take long for the Texas license plates to start going up. Nell was there to greet you on every visit and make sure you felt at home. I still have her cook book from 1995 with illustrations by Jake Vest. The name was "If Ya Ain't a Little Fat, Ya Momma Didn't Love Ya!" it is a little corny but it has some good recipes. The competition was fierce for Mexican food on that corner in Altamonte Springs. There were 3 other big Mexican chain restaurants within a stones through (Casa Gallardo, El Torito, and Taco Bell) only Amigos is left.

Over the years my love for Amigos has come and gone. They expanded out to as many as seven restaurants I would guess. There are now 5 listed on their web site of which I think only 3 are currently open. Maybe this is a more manageable number as the food on this visit to the Winter Park outlet seemed to be better than on my last visit to the East Colonial store that is now closed. On that last visit to East Colonial the food was just bad. Today is was not bad.

I have fond memories of the Altamonte Springs store. This was the first restaurant my son went to when he was 2 weeks old. He is a senior in high school now. Where has all the time gone? Marisole “our waitress” use to treat us special when our little family came in. We always sat at the same table around the corner from the cash register. We finished our meal with Texas Pralines purchased at the cash register for a dollar (sadly no longer available). They can be ordered from www.lammes.com . I happen to have one at my desk back at work and this was the perfect finish to my meal.

Today I had the Texas Special from the lunch menu. It was an adequate serving not the giant plate they may have had in the past few years. It consisted of one cheese enchilada and one chicken taco, with rice and beans topped with a sprinkling of cheese. This was not a heavy lunch in fact it was just right. The food was very good today. I hope this signals a turnaround for Amigos. I will definitely give them another visit.

Rating: ***
Service: ***

El Portro Mexican Restaurant #27 – dj

2007-10-22T18:52:00.001-04:00

501 N Orlando Drive – 217
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.975.9132
http://elpotrocatering.com/

EL Portro was one of the early true Mexican Restaurants in the Orlando area. They have occupied this space in the K-Mart Plaza for over 8 years. There are four El Portro’s restaurants in the Orlando area. Their web site shows that they have restaurants as far away as Brunswick and Valdosta Georgia.

At lunch time there is a fantastic buffet for $7.50, which will leave you wanting a siesta all afternoon. They also have a full menu and a 14 item lunch menu with 6 items under $5.00. The lunch menu is available 11 am to 4 pm Monday thru Saturday.

My mission today was to eat for less than five dollars and not feel stuffed. I had the Speedy Gonzales – 1 taco, 1 enchilada, and rice. The rice here is some of the best Mexican rice I’ve ever had. The cheese enchilada was excellent the sauce has a slightly sweet taste. The chicken in the taco was moist and tender. I think I achieved my mission of getting a good Mexican meal for under five dollars.

On my next trip I think I’ll get the Tacos de Pollo it’s listed under the most Mexican in character section of the menu. “Chicken tacos seasoned to perfection, served on soft corn tortillas, with cilantro, onions, & salsa verde $5.45 for 3”. It sounds really good to me.

Here is a picture from another visit that included the buffet. Chicken Enchilada and taco. Beans and rice and fried potato slices. This was the first trip to the buffet.

Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price Lunch special/water $4.79

The Woodlands - dj

2007-10-21T15:35:00.000-04:00

6040 S. Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32809
404.854.3330
http://www.woodlandsusa.com/

The Woodlands is a south Indian restaurant that caters to the vegetarian Hindu tradition. One of the main areas of the menu is dedicated to Dosai’s. These a giant crepe like pancakes probably 24 inches round, they are filled with a potatoes or other savory items and then loosely rolled up like a burrito.

We arrived on a Sunday morning at 11:20, the place was deserted but by 11:30 when the restaurant was set to open people started to arrive. We have been here on a special occasion day like Mother’s Day and there be a two hour wait. There were 4 of us here today so we split 3 dishes and 2 orders of Somosa’s.

Today we had:
Vegetable Samosa - Crispy Flaky Crust Stuffed with Potatoes & Peas.
Mutter Paneer - Peas and Cheese Cooked with Tomatoes, Onion and Indian Spices.
Vegetable Korma- Garden Fresh Vegetables Cooked in Spices and Coconut Milk.
Paper Masala Dosai - Thin Crispy Rice Crepe Filled with Potatoes & Onions.

The Samosa’s are always good, but one of ours was cool inside on this visit. Everything else was perfect. The Paneer a type of homemade cheese in the Mutter Paneer is always good. The Sweet Lassi was sweet yet sour and smooth. The side dish of Raita a cooling yougart salad is always nice to cool down for the flame form the curry.

We always have a nice meal at The Woodlands.
Closed on Monday
Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price: $42.00 for four

What others have said:
Orlando Weekly in 2003

Shake Pit

2007-10-13T23:30:00.000-04:00

3801 Manatee Avenue west
Bradenton, Florida 34205
941.748.4016

On a cool fall night there is no better place to go in Bradenton than the Shake Pit for a really good old fashioned ice cream. The sign says it’s been around since 1959 and the quality of the service and the ice cream will take you back to the good old days. I had a vanilla malt that was so thick it could not be sucked up the thick straw provided, it was necessary to use a spoon to eat.

I arrived with a bus load of 30 high school students so we maxed out the line as soon as we arrived. The staff was calm and efficient and it did not take long at all to get the orders placed and delivered to the pickup window. There was a small area inside for dinner seating, about 8 stools that were all full when we arrived at 9:45PM. Debbie was working orders in the Kitchen and came out to say hello to us. Outside there is a covered area with nice about 10 picnic tables to enjoy your treats.

Even as we left there was still a brisk business at the order window and half of the tables outside were full.

Rating: ***
Service: ****

What Others are saying:
www.Bradenton.com
www.floridasecrets.com

The Shake Pit was even featured in a Marvin Cartoon on September 3, 2004 See below:

Bubbalou’s Bodacious Bar-B-Que - dj

2007-10-11T19:43:00.000-04:00

1470 Lee road
Winter Park, Fl 32759
407.628.1212
www.theoriginalbubbalous.com

It was a beautiful day out in Central Florida so we went to Bubbalou’s and sat outside. Bobbalou’s has been around since 1986 and the Lee Road store is the original. They have won the Orlando Sentinel’s readers poll for the best BBQ 14 year consecutively. They have also been awarded the best dine in BBQ in America by the Food Network. I recently read an article in the Orlando Sentinel about Clarence Wheeler and how he has been working in their oak pit for more than 20 years. So the BBQ must be good!

As we arrived to the packed parking lot the smell and sight of smoke coming from the restaurant greeted us. The line inside and starting to form outside is what greets you on a typical weekday lunch. The dish that I usually get is the Smoked Turkey BBQ Basket. I get it on a regular bun rather than the garlic toast and I substitute coleslaw for the baked beans. I need the creamy slaw to cool down the killer hot sauce that I spread over the fries and sandwich. The smoked turkey with its salty smoked flavor was great as usual. They have 3 versions of their BBQ sauce; mild, hot, and killer. I usually use a mixture of hot and killer. They had a the addition of a mustard sauce today, I did not try it.

We sat outside on one of the picnic tables overlooking Lee Road, and enjoyed the cooler weather. I would agree with the awards that Bubbalou’s has obtained, when I want BBQ it’s at Bubbalou’s.

Rating: ****
Service: ***
Price Meal/Tea $8.72

Brio – dj

2007-10-10T22:43:00.000-04:00

Winter Park Village
Winter Park, FL
407.622.5611
Motto: “To eat well is to live well”

Brio is an Italian chain restaurant that has pretty good food. The atmosphere is that of an open kitchen, that is so popular with many trendy restaurants. The dining room is loud with the chatter of the other diners, but you can still carry on a conversation with your table mates. The lunch menu has a large selection of Italian dishes. I have tried several on other visits. The Pasta Brio is a good classic penne pasta dish, the Pasta Fr Diavolo is also good it is just a little spicy, and the Bistecca Insalata is one of my favorite salads. It is a wedge of iceberg lettuce with a tangy blue cheese dressing.

Today I tried the “Chicken ‘Under the Brick’ Our classic with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables”. It was very good but the first bite had an overpowering taste of garlic. The chicken was moist and tender it was topped with mushroom gravy that was perfect. The small portion of mashed potatoes was also perfect. The roasted vegetables were good; I think that was where all the garlic was located. They consisted of baby zucchini, parsnips, a red carrot, butternut squash, red peppers, and shallots.

I had a taste of some one else’s Romano crusted tomato form their order of wood grilled salmon. This was very good. The tomato had been coated in Romano cheese and then deep fried, I would think. It was crispy on the outside and the tomato was warn and soft on the inside.

For chain Italian restaurant Biro’s does a good job. It is a little pricey for the average lunch but for a special occasion it would be a good choice.

Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price Meal/Soda : $12.95

Thai Place – DJ

2007-10-08T19:28:00.000-04:00

501 North Orlando Avenue
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.644.8449
“Step into our world of exotic Thai Cuisine”

The Thai Place has been under new ownership for about 5 months now. We went right after the change over and were disappointed but recently I heard that they had a new menu and has redecorated the dining room, so I thought we should try it again.

We arrived at 12:30 and were able to be seated right away even with a party of 6 now necessarily a good sign. The redecoration of the dining room was nice. The walls had been repainted a dark brown there were new table tops and new lighting. The room was now quiet attractive. It looked as though there were a few things still left to be done.

The new menu had several new item including a “Salmon Lover” item that could be fixed three ways; with Hot & Sweet Chili Sauce, Fresh Hot Basil, or Curry Sauce. The person that ordered this dish said it was very good. The lunch dishes were all $6.95 except that the Salmon which was $7.95. The Dinner menu items were mostly $9.95.

So that I could get a true comparison of the old Thai Place to the new Thai Place I ordered my old standby Ginger (Pad Khing). The meal started with the usual salad with peanut sauce. The salad was good; the lettuce was just a bit watery. The peanut sauce was about the same maybe it had a bit more peanut flavor. The Ginger stir fry was also good but it was a bit dry there was not very much of that delicious sauce that I cannot duplicate at home. Over all the meal was a good one. The overall experience of having Boon there was missing; he was always so friendly and made each visit a special one.

Rating: ***
Service: **
Price: Lunch/Salad $7.45

black bean deli - DT

2007-10-08T14:16:00.000-04:00

Caution – This review is full of hyperbole and I mean every word. black bean deli at 325 South Orlando Avenue has been around for a long time. Andres, the owner, talks to me like an old friend and tells me this is their 25th year. I remember my first visit to black bean about 12 years ago. I sat at one of their 3 or 4 stools at the window with my Cuban platter and Havana cola and it was awesome. Every time I go it’s awesome and everyone I know says black bean is awesome. I like to bring it back to the office so when the other geeks smell the hot roast pork and start prairie dogging, I just say “black bean” and they all just nod like I had made a wise decision and slowly sit back down. One thing you will not find here is a complex lunch decision. The menu offers a perfectly adequate choice of Cuban favorites like: papas rellenas and pan con lechon. Today I grabbed the Cuban platter again. Cuban sandwich served with black beans, yellow rice, simple salad and maduros. The beauty of the Cuban sandwich is its simplicity. Sweet ham, roast pork, swiss and pickle pressed hot on a six inch stretch of Cuban roll. The only thing missing from my black beans and yellow rice is that touch of Tabasco (I carry my own) and fresh minced onion (I forgot to ask for some). I do not look for much from a salad. It’s just a reason to taste their splendid house dressing. This vinagarette offers that little extra facet of avocado to an otherwise ordinary part of the meal. It’s that same feeling you get when you pick up that old shirt and find a buck in the pocket. The final course in this “dream lunch in a bag” is the maduros. Nothing tops off a meal like deep fried sweet plantains. That’s it. This blog is meant to showcase the culinary charms of Winter Park and the black bean deli is indeed charming. Next time, I’m getting the medianoche!

Service: Friendly
Quantity: I’m full
Cuban platter: $6 plus the one I found in my shirt.

Mitchell's Fish Market

2007-10-03T20:58:00.000-04:00

One Levee Way
Newport On The Levy
Newport, KY 41071
859.291.7454

Under 3 after 4 was a great way to sample Mitchell's great seafood. I had the Old Bay Peel and Eat Shrimp which was as the name said Old Bay seasoned peel and eat shrimp. I got 14 large shrimp for the 2.95 very surprising. I also had the Kung Pao Fried Calamari which was also very good and the portion was surprising for the price.

Please join us for our "Under 3, After 4" happy hour, available in our bar after 4:00 p.m.
Enjoy delicious small plates, all priced at $2.95:

Codwich Slider with Cheddar Cheese
Vegetable Fries with Chipotle Ketchup
California Blackened Fish Taco
Pan Roasted Wild Blue Mussels
Kung Pao Fried Calamari
Hoisin Glazed Chicken Wings
Buffalo Shrimp and Blue Cheese Slaw
Old Bay Peel & Eat Shrimp

Jefferson Hall @ Newport on the Levee -RB

2007-10-03T20:24:00.000-04:00

1 Levee Way
Newport, Ky 41071
859.491.6200

I had a Quesadilla sitting on the deck overlooking the Ohio river from the Ketucky side. The Quesadilla was veggy styl stuffed about 3/4" thick, very filling. Doing some research I found that many places at Newport on the Levee have half priced or greatly reduced price menus for happy hour. This was my first stop.

http://www.jeffersonhall.com/

Rating: ***

Service: ***

Price with discount: >$3.00

Luigino’s at Heathrow - dj

2007-09-30T22:46:00.000-04:00

120 International Parkway
Heathrow, FL
407.333.2847
www.luiginosatheathrow.com

We went to Luigino’s with a group of 25 people for a friend’s birthday party. The staff was very efficient in seating us in our own room and getting our orders taken. They told us that there were 3 large groups at the restaurant that night and since we were the first if we got our orders in we would be the first to be served. They made it clear that they were now trying to rush us and that the room was ours for the night.

The room had warm lighting and was nicely appointed. There were many in the group that were vegetarians, but there were not many options on the menu that were vegetarian. I think that in the end everyone was satisfied. Several people got the Buffalo Mozzarella salad, which looked good. I had the “Chicken Marsala - Breast of chicken sautéed in a Marsala wine sauce with shiitake mushrooms, shallots and demi-glace, served over fettucci”. The dish was good the chicken was moist and tender. The noodles were homemade and perfectly cooked. The sauce was rich and slightly sweet. The accompanying house salad with creamy Italian dressing was also nice.

A fellow diner had the “Eggplant Rollatini - Fried eggplant rolled with a ricotta cheese blend, topped with pomodoro sauce and melted mozzarella cheese, served over angel hair pasta”. Her comment was that it was not really to her liking and that the salad was the best thing she had besides the dessert.

For dessert we had the chocolate lava cake topped with vanilla ice cream. This would be worth the trip. The dark chocolate inside was warm and luxurious. The ice cream and whipped cream were the perfect finish for the chocolate.

The service was excellent especially with such a large group. The pricing was a bit high I thought, but if you are in the mood for a quite Italian meal in an intimate romantic setting or a special occasion this would be a nice choice.

Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price Entrée / Desert: $34.00

Seito Japanese Restaurant - DJ

2007-09-27T22:38:00.000-04:00

510 N. Orlando Avenue, #104
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.644.7234
www.seitosushi.com

We went to Seito Japanese Restaurant today for lunch. It is located in the Winter Park Village next to the theater. The menu has quite a few sushi options. I choose the Salmon Teriyaki Lunch Box “Grilled fresh salmon served with teriyaki sauce served with salad, rice, beef dumplings, and half a California roll.” I also ordered an Asparagus Roll.

The restaurant was very busy during the lunch hour we were there. I think that every table was full. The restaurant is nicely decorated with Japanese touches, like rice paper lamps and overheard lighting.

My meal started with Miso soup, which had a stronger salter flavor then most Miso that I have had. It was still good though. My box lunch had 5 separate containers. There was a carrot ginger salad, sticky rice, 3 dumplings, a California roll, and the salmon which was on a bed of stir fried vegetables. Everything was good. My side dish of asparagus roll was also very good.

Rating: ***
Service: ***
Price Box lunch/sushi roll: $12.50

Other Reviews:

Orlando Weekly

Grain Chain at FH - DJ

2007-09-25T18:02:00.000-04:00

Scofield Drive
Orlando, FL

There was a new menu item at the Grain Chain today it was “Fresh Salmon with Scalloped Potatoes and Mixed Veggies”. We had been saving this day to try this new item. It was actually quite good; the salmon was not over cooked and was seasoned nicely. The scalloped potatoes were steaming hot even after we got back to our desks. The vegetables were frozen carrots, peas, lima beans, and green beans.

I think for the money this was a very good meal. I hope they have it again.

Rating: ***
Service: ***
Price with discount: $4.92

Hatsuhana Japanese Restaurant - DJ

2007-09-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

Hatsuhana Japanese Restaurant
3340 E. Semoran Blvd
Apopka, FL 32703
407.865.6100

Hatsuhana is the place to go for a quiet Japanese meal with friends. The atmosphere is very inviting, although sometimes it can be very cold in the dining room. The dining room is tastefully decorated with Japanese touches; rice paper screens, silk paintings, etc. The place is filled with regulars they all seem to know the staff and sushi cooks. There is a brisk trade in takeout orders as well.

My favorite dish here is the Teriyaki Salmon and that is what I had today. The meal starts with a warm Miso soup and a carrot ginger salad. The Miso is very good with its chunks of tofu and squares of nori. The carrot ginger salad has a slight kick to it thanks to the ginger. We supplemented our meal with one roll of avocado sushi, which was excellent.
The main course consisted of the Salmon Teriyaki, a mound of sticky rice, and potatoes. The potatoes had been fried then coated with a sweet sauce. The salmon was excellent but slightly dry today; usually it is cooked to perfection.

The dining experience at Hatsuhana’s is always a good one. This is my neighborhood Japanese restaurant.

Rating: ****
Service: ****
Price - Salmon/sushi: $20.00

Steak in the City - DJ

2007-09-17T00:19:00.000-04:00

1012 West State Road 436
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
407-788-steak (7832)
www.Steakinthecity.com

If you are in the mood to gorge yourself at an Argentine steak house this is the place. There are 3 menu choices: Option A Mediterranean Salad Bar, Argentinean Grill, and drink $13.99, Option B adds 2 drinks and dessert $20.99, Option C is salad bar only $9.99. They have a tired pricing structure with prices about two dollars higher on the weekends and two dollars more at dinner on week nights.

The salad bar had an array of items to choose from. These included such things a Russian potato salad, cheese, Couscous salad, tuna salad, carrot salad, and about 15 other items. The items that I sampled were all good.

We were there with a party of about 30 people. So we got special treatment. Usually you have to go up to a window and order you food. They brought us platters of food out. There were two chimichurri sauces to accompany the meat, both were excelent. The first platter was twice baked potatoes; this was probably the best thing I had here. They had been stuffed with sour cream and topped with cheddar cheese that had been melted under a grill. Next out came some thinly sliced beef that I thought was a bit tuff. Next came some overcooked chicken that was very dry. Sweetbreads arrived that I passed on. Next were ribs. I cannot remember all the things that were brought to the table. Most people that I talked to thought the meat was either tuff or overcooked. I tried ordering a few things from the window, the salmon was almost unidentifiable. The flavor of the meat was overpowered by the marinade that it had been cooked in.

This is a place best left to a special occasion; they had no problem accommodating our group of 30 even giving us a special price. I heard at least two other parties singing happy birthday. I would not recommend it for a casual lunch on a busy weekday.

Rating: **
Service: ***
Price: $13.99

What others are saying:
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/dining/review.asp?rid=12965

Powerhouse Café - DJ

2007-09-14T18:11:00.000-04:00

111 E Lyman Avenue
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.645.3616

We were on our way to the Lotus Café in Winter Park in fact we could smell the curry before we could see the door. When we arrived the door was locked. I hope not for good.

So we walk back up Park Avenue to the Powerhouse. It was hopping when we arrived at noon, we got the last table. In a few minutes there were 10 people standing around the door. The restaurant decorated in 70’s green and yellow was bright, with the full front side facing the street being windows. One wall was full of pictures of their customers.

The menu consists of salads, wraps, and pita sandwiches. I chose a falafel pita. It was a good choice. The wait was a little long but it was a busy lunch time crowd. When the pita arrived it smelled and tasted good. The tahini sauce was very good; it did not have the overpowering taste of lemon that I have had other places. The only thing missing was a fork to scrape up the things that fell out of the pita.

The overall experience was a good one.

Rating: ***
Service: **
Price pita sandwich/water: $6.50

Café Annie’s - DJ

2007-09-12T19:03:00.000-04:00

131 N Orange Ave Suite 102
Orlando, FL
407.420.4041

I was at Downtown Mini visiting my car which was not quite ready to be picked up from the service department. So I went next door to Café Annie’s for lunch. Café Annie’s was formally in the store front that is now occupied by Downtown Mini. They had to move back in 2002 when Mini came to town.

When you walk in the door you know this will be a good meal. The smells coming from the cafeteria style line entice you to the back of the restaurant to place your order. I arrived at an off moment and there was no line, but as I finished there were 15 people in line.

Today I choose a platter which comes with a meat and two sides. I had the chicken kabob, with a side of buttery corn, and garlic smashed potatoes. The chicken pieces were grilled to perfection; they had been smothered in a garlic/oil sauce. The corn which was of the frozen variety was sweet and buttery. The Smashed potatoes had large pieces of potato still intact, but they were still smooth. The potatoes had lots of black pepper and just a hint of garlic.

You can always count on Annie’s for a good Greek meal.

Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price Platter/drink: $9.48

Spice Café - DJ

2007-09-11T11:27:00.001-04:00

7536 Dr. Phillips Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32819
407.264.0205
http://spicecafes.com

Spice Café located in the Dr. Phillips area prides itself as offering “Innovative North and South Indian Cuisine”. This little Indian restaurant is located in an out building of the Dr Phillips Marketplace just a stone’s throw from the old Darbar Indian Restaurant. It offers both indoor and outdoor seating.

The restaurant is nicely decorated with a modern color scheme. The seating area has about 20 tables inside and 5 wrought iron tables outside. There is a display case at the back of the restaurant where the daily specials are awaiting your selection. There were about 10 items to choose from. The meat dishes included Tandoori chicken, Lamb Shahi Korma, and Chicken Tikka Masala. The vegetable dishes included a Dal Special, vegetable curry, mushroom curry, and spinach curry. There was Basmati rice to go with each platter. There is also a full menu that can be ordered as well. The menu has the traditional Dosas from South India and all the other appetizers, breads and drinks that you would expect to find at an Indian restaurant.

I chose to get the lunch platter which consists of 2 side dishes, rice and Nan for $6.95. They also offer a larger platter that adds a Dal to the mix. My dishes were Tandoori chicken and Curried mixed vegetables. The Tandoori Chicken had the delicious smoky flavor that only a tandoori oven can provide. The mixed vegetable curry was of average flavor. The Nan was warm and buttery. One person in our party had the mushroom curry and Chicken Tikka Masala Lunch Platter Special which looked good. The other person had the Butter Chicken ordered from the regular menu. This was served in a tandoori red cream and butter sauce.

If you are in the Dr. Phillips area and are hungry for Indian this is a place that should definitely be considered.

Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price lunch special: $6.95
Other Reviews:
WESH
Orlando Weekly
My City Eats

Spice Cafe - DT

2007-09-10T15:03:00.002-04:00

7536 Dr Phillips Blvd.
This could be the beginning of a curry phase for me. I told DJ that other than my wife’s curry dressing and the curry chicken wings at the church potluck this weekend, I had never been to an Indian restaurant. Several people within earshot piped up simultaneously “Spice Café”. I guess it must be good. It’s difficult to keep my expectations in check when it comes recommended by the crowd. I have nothing to compare this to so I truly did not know what I was about to experience.
Located across from the Albertson’s on Sand Lake and Dr. Phillips (I know, it’s not Winter Park), you will find this store in an upscale shopping strip. For lunch you can order from the menu or choose from several dishes already prepared at the counter. I had no idea what to get so I pointed to the chicken in a tomato cream sauce and hot mushrooms and onions in a dark broth. I determined later that I must have ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala. Lunch is served with basmati rice and toasted pita bread or “nan”. I was able to sample the Butter Chicken, another tomato and cream basd chicken dish as good as the Masala. I sat eating my meal thinking how will I describe this. I just have no idea how it was prepared. I can’t even compare this to another Indian restaurant. So I just let go and enjoyed. The mild tomato cream sauce is a busy mixture of spices and flavors that I couldn’t even begin to inventory. The mushrooms and onions were cooked in a broth of garlic and curry and… other stuff… resulting in a rich, medium spicy complement to the chicken and rice. So for not knowing what to order, I threw the dart at the Spice Café menu and I was not disappointed.

Service: friendly
Portions: plenty
Atmosphere: clean, comfortable
Chicken Masala, vegetable, rice, nan, water: $7.40

Potluck - DT

2007-09-10T13:50:00.001-04:00

Potluck. Love it or hate it, I’m usually not disappointed. You could say I’m just easy to please or I have friends with eclectic culinary skills. Either way, we had a potluck lunch at church on Sunday and I discovered something remarkable and simple that I wanted to share. While helping clean up after the meal, there was left over fried chicken sitting next to what was a crock pot full of Curry Chicken. After considering how much I had already eaten, I decided I had room for one more so I poured some of the remaining curry stock over a chicken wing. OMGoodness! The curry stock is simple:
½ cup of butter
1 cup of honey
2 tsp salt
2 Tsp yello curry
Just simmer this in a small saucepan then pour over a pot of fried chicken wings, cover and shake. I plan to tweak this recipe a little so please let me know if you try this at home. I’d love to hear how you improve on this.

JB Wings & Things - DJ

2007-09-09T16:20:00.000-04:00

16 St Johns Avenue
Palatka, FL 32177
386.325.0044

After the streets are rolled up in downtown Palatka there is still a good place to go for Fish and Fries. JB’s located next door to the DQ had a brisk business for 9:30 PM on a Saturday night. The specialty seems to be wings and ribs (the BBQ ribs are only available on the weekends). But I wanted to try the fried fish. They had whiting and catfish. I chose the whiting.

While our order was being prepared we chatted with the owner. He had recently taken over the management of the restaurant. The item that most people were ordering seemed to be the wings. The owner proudly told us that they had 12 flavors of wings. The flavors were: fried, mild, medium, garlic, lemon pepper, teriyaki, BBQ, Hot BBQ, sweet and sour, honey BBQ, honey mustard, and hot. The latter flavors we were told was very hot. If you need to cater a party you can get 100 wings for $58.00. Most if not all the business that night was takeout. If you don’t want to wait in the little dining room call your order in before you come.

Our order arrived piping hot. There was a bed of fries with two pieces of fish on top. The fish was coated with a light corn meal breading. Although slightly greasy it was delicious. The batter had a slight lemony taste. I shared the dish with 4 friends and it was gone in no time. We had mixed feeling on the fries some would have liked the fries to have been more crispy other enjoyed them slightly soft as they were.

So if you find yourself in the middle of the Ocala forest there is a good meal waiting for you in Palatka.

Rating: ***
Service: ***
Cost diner/soda: $7.00

Fish and Chips Restaurant - DJ

2007-09-06T21:39:00.000-04:00

1146 West SR 436
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
407.862.2262

What a welcome surprise this little restaurant is. It may not be anything to look at from the outside, located in a strip mall in Forest City, but once inside it is warm and friendly. The staff is very efficient and helpful. There are 6 4-top tables and 5 seats at the bar. While I was there the bar was occupied by a takeout customer. The flat panel TV above the bar was on the Food Network.

The menu consists of fish dishes as well as burgers and crab cakes. This being my first visit I had to try the fish and chips. I choose the Grouper. It came on a green ceramic plate with steak fries and a side of coleslaw. The fish was fried in a light batter. The grouper was firm yet tender with a delicious taste and not greasy. The coleslaw was excellent. It was sweet and creamy, yet not drowning in sauce.

Midway through my meal the owner Chef Ray came out to make sure everything was to my liking. I assured him that it was.

One my next visit I think I’ll have the salmon “Grilled perfectly with our own blend of spices. Tender and full of flavor” (as described in the menu) sounds good.

Rating: ****
Service: ****
Cost Meal/Soda: $11.45

Closed on Monday

Orlando Sentinel review

Pannullo’s Italian Restaurant

2007-09-05T18:36:00.000-04:00

216 South Park Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.629.7270
www.pannullos.com

Pannullo’s Italian Restaurant occupies a space on Park Avenue next to Bank of America and across from Central Park. The restaurant has occupied this space since 1993. A nice history of the building is provided on their web site. There is nice outdoor seating available for the cool days ahead. This space is also dog friendly in case you need to go somewhere with your pooch.

Today I had the lunch special “lightly breaded chicken breast sautéed in a wine sauce, on top of penne pasta” this also came with a salad bar. The salad bar was low on lettuce but was good beside this problem. The special was good the chicken tender and the pasta ala denté. The dish I had was sized correctly for lunch. I did not feel stuffed when I was finished. The atmosphere at Pannullo’s is nice the lights slightly dim. There was a TV over the bar with the Food Network on.

I was there for a business lunch so was unable to take a photo, this was a perfect place to conduct business luncheon.

Rating: ***
Service :***

Alberto's Italian Restaurant - SJ

2007-09-01T23:32:00.000-04:00

3907 Wekiva Springs Rd
Longwood, FL 32779
407.774.7878

After taking a look at the outside menu and deciding that this would have to do, I stepped into the cold, dark ghost town named Alberto’s. With faded murals of Italian towns on the walls the atmosphere couldn't have been more lifeless. After standing at the front door a few minutes, a single living person emerged from the back rooms. He told me that it was not “his turn” to seat customers. Not telling me I could sit where ever I wanted he made some kind of noise which I figured meant he wanted to know what we wanted to drink. We decided that we weren’t going to wait for him to tell us we could sit down because that might be a longer than our legs wanted to stand up. We weighed out options and chose a booth. I almost fell through the seat one spring poking my rear end and the other one nonexistent. We decided to move to a table next to the window.

Our waters arrived and the waitress took our orders. A few minuets later she arrived with three small rolls coated in a pasty looking garlic sauce. The bowl towered over the three small rolls buried within it. Not that long afterwards we heard shouting in the back of the store and then our pizza emerged from the rear. Now that we were staring at the pizza on our table we could eat. The cheese was watered down and tasteless, the bottom of the crust was wet, but hunger did not stop us from finishing it in a matter of minutes.

Rating: *
Service: *
Cost Pizza/Water for 2: $8.95

Bikkuri Sushi - DJ

2007-08-30T18:58:00.000-04:00

1915 E. Colonial Dr.
Orlando 32803
407.894.4494
www.bikkurisushi.com

Today the question of lunch came up around 11:25, “where shall we go?” DT suggested Bikkuri Sushi so off we went in the mini. Bikkuri which means to be surprised, to be amazed, or to be frightened, occupies a small store front on East Colonial. The restaurant has about 5 tables. The chairs are amazing heavy they must be made out of cast iron. The restroom had a frightening looking add on bidet attached to the toilet.

The menu items are displayed in large picture format on the wall beside the counter where you place your order. I choose the Golden Chicken Curry and a Garlic Sushi Roll.

The curry was served in a bowl with a scoop of white rice in the center. The curry was golden brown in color it had broccoli, carrots, and chicken pieces. The carrots where crisp, the broccoli was slightly over cooked, the chicken was just right. The curry sauce was mild and did not over power the taste of the other ingredients.

The garlic sushi roll had crunchy bits of fried garlic that were surprisingly strong in flavor. The flavor was so strong that I basically could not taste anything else. I thought that the rice was mushier than most sushi rice that I have had, and I did not have the taste of vinegar that most sushi has.

Rating: **
Service: ***
Price- Curry/Sushi roll: $9.25

What others are saying:
Orlando Weekly
City Beat

Bikkuri - DT

2007-08-30T14:42:00.001-04:00

“I’m telling you the sushi is cheap.” My friends all laugh, “Are you sure you want to eat raw, discounted fish?” Hmm. I personally have never been ill from eating sushi so I still have sushibravado (the opposite of sushihumility). My Japanese friend taught me a new Japanese word the other day, sakoi - (loosely translated) Bring it! Put your pectorals away, the food here is quite good. I have been here once before and they serve other dishes as well. My friends can attest to the Teriyaki Beef with Vegetables and the Golden Curry with Chicken. Both are served in a bowl with rice and carrots and broccoli. They report overall taste and quantity were very positive. Today I had the lunch special, your choice of two maki rolls. The choices are mundane: California, Philly, Spicy Tuna, Eel or Vegetable. I chose the Cali and Philly while my friend opted the Eel and Spicy Tuna. We chose to eat half then swap so we were each able to sample four different rolls. Each roll is eight pieces so sixteen pieces was plenty for lunch. The ingredients were fresh, the fish was cold and not mushy and the seaweed was the seaweediest. DJ ordered a Garlic roll. Cucumber, cream cheese and crispy fried garlic. We think they should call it the Garlic Bomb. Tasty, but I do not recommend you eat this one all by itself and don’t let it be the last thing you eat before you leave. If you do, they serve Bubble Milk Tea for desert. I think I’ve made up enough words for the day. Lastly, don’t plan on having the office party here. They have a significant focus on take-out so seating is limited. Actual seating occupancy is around fourteen.
Bikkuri is located at 1915 E. Colonial Drive, about 3 blocks west of Bumby.

Quantity: good
Service: good
Atmosphere: take-out
Lunch special/water: $6.50

Sorrento’s - Jocelyne's - IL Pescatore by DJ

2007-08-29T19:59:00.000-04:00

651 N Primrose Dr.
Orlando, FL 32803
407-896-6763

IL Pescatore is a place that I have rediscovered in the last few months. We use to go to Sorrento’s once a week for the manicotti lunch special, our visits trailed off as the restaurant changed hands and became Jocelyne’s in 1995. The lunch specials ceased and so did our weekly visits. The restaurant became IL Pescatore in 2000. I suggested that we revisit about 6 months ago and I glade we did.

Last night I got my standard dish at Sorrento’s/ IL Pescatore the manicotti and a salad with the house dressing. The house salad comes to the table accompanied with fresh baked garlic bread. The house Italian dressing – oil and vinegar with crushed spices is excellent. This is the restaurant I hold as the standard for manicotti. I preferred it when the 2 manicotti’s came out in au gratin dishes straight from the oven, but they are just as good presented on a plate. The tomato sauce is tangy and the cheese has a crusty surface. Top it off with crushed red peppers and this is all you need for a great meal.

Another member in my party had the Baked Ziti which is a huge bowl full of ziti topped with sauce and cheese then baked, how can you go wrong. I looked back over at the plate in a few minutes and it was gone. It must have been good. Other members had Fettuccini Alfraido, Ravioli, Eggplant Parmesan, and Eggplant Rollatini. All seemed pleased.

It was my birthday so I was also presented with a small cannoli which left me wanting more. The evening with friends in an Italian family restaurant was most enjoyable.

Rating: ****
Service: ***
Cost Entrée/Water: $11.50

Other Reviews:
Orlando Weekly
Orlando Sentinel

PR’s Mexican Restaurant - DJ

2007-08-28T18:06:00.000-04:00

499 W. Fairbanks Ave.
Winter Park, Florida
407.645.2225

We went to PR’s today because I thought they could handle a big crowd (14) for lunch. We got everybody at the table, but two they set at the bar right next to our table. PR’s has been a Winter Park tradition for at least 25 years. It is the place to go for lunch on Fridays if you are in the mood for fajitas. The restaurant looks just the same as I remember it when I moved to Florida in 1982. It just has more graffiti and the bike made from copper tubing is missing from the wall there are TV’s in its place. The building still rattles when trains go by on the track a few feet from the corner of the building.

The food at PR’s has been pretty consistent since those early days. PR’s is Tex-Mex with lots of cheddar cheese. Today I had one of the combination lunch specials. I choose one Enchiladas, one taco and rice. I had chicken on both the enchilada and the hard taco. The chicken was all white meat which had been shredded. The enchilada was topped with a savory ranchero sauce and then capped with cheddar cheese that was melted under the salamander. A bed of lettuce was placed under the taco which kept it from becoming soggy with the juicy from the enchilada. The other end of the plate had rice which was topped with a red sauce as well. The presentation was nice. The meal was very good.

Vegetarians can eat well here too, as the list of filling include spinach, mushrooms, veggies, and guacamole.

The thing you have to remember at PR’s is don’t fill up on the chips and endless soda before your meal arrives. I’ve learned over the years to sit at the bar because your meal will arrive sooner and you aren’t as tempted to eat the whole bowl of chips.

Rating: ***
Service ***
Price: Combo/Soda $8.50

Caffé Positano - DJ

2007-08-26T08:17:00.000-04:00

3030 E. Semoran Blvd.
Apopka, FL 32703
407.774.8080

I went with a group of friends to Caffé Positano over the weekend. It is located in a shopping plaza across Hwy 436 from Hunt Club Blvd. in Apopka. I have eaten at Caffé Postitano many times over the last fifteen years or so. I enjoyed most of the meals, some more that others. Today was a good day.

I chose the Manicotti. The meal began with a salad, with the house dressing on the side. The house dressing has always reminded me of “swill from Lake Eire” a reference from an old SNL episode with Bill Murray. The dressing has a thick consistence and has unknown items suspended in the mixture. Even with that said I like it. The manicotti was perfect today, the cheese inside was cooked but still firm to the fork. The sauce was excellent. The waiter topped the dish off with parmesan cheese which was pre-shredded; it added a nice nutty taste.

Our waiter Mike was funny as usual and quite entertaining. After I placed my order and the waiter had gone, I suddenly remember my last visit to Caffé Potitano. I had ordered manicotti on that occasion as well and it had been very bad. The ricotta cheese inside had been very bitter almost to the point of not being eatable. Someone else that day had the same thing but they thought theirs had been good. I should have sent mine back that day.

Today my experience was good at Caffé Postiano, leaving me with an “I want to go back there feeling”.

Rating: **
Service: *****
Price Meal/Water $9.25

AzTex Mexican Restaurant - DJ

2007-08-20T18:43:00.000-04:00

745 Bennett Rd.
Orlando, FL 32803
407.893.4990

I spotted an ad in the Orlando Weekly for the Aztex Restaurant while waiting for a table at the Thai House last weekend. A new place for us to try next week!

I could not remember where a restaurant could be located on Bennett Road, except for the possible location of a old strip club. Turns out it was called Club Quest. The transformation has not quite been completed. The outside has been repainted, but the inside still looks like a former bar.

The wait staff was friendly and efficient, the chips and salsa flowed from the bar. There were two kinds of salsa: red and salsa verdé. Both were good but the red sauce had a bit of a bitter taste at first.

I ordered the Enchilada Dinner – Chicken and Cheese. The plate came with rice, pinto beans and pico de giao. The rice and beans were both ok. The enchiladas were topped with cheddar cheese. The chunks of chicken inside were large and had a good flavor. The portion was way too large for lunch. I could not finish it. I guess I should have tried the Tacos or something a bit smaller.

The overall experience was a good one. Although I don’t think it will top Paco’s on my list.

Rating: **
Service:****
Price- Dinner/water: $8.49

Aztex Mexican Restaurant - DT

2007-08-20T14:28:00.002-04:00

Aztex Mexican Restaurant at 745 Bennett Road just north of Colonial is “Mexican food with heritage and pride”. The best part about being an amateur food critic has to be trying a new restaurant and liking it. I try to have no expectations before a visit to minimize any bias. The neat thing about Aztex…the décor actually lowers your expectations. I’d call it “Post naval station watering hole goes mexican”. While we waited for our meal, the chips and salsa kept coming. While I prefer my salsa chunky, they offered a tasty red pureé. After trying the red, our waitress offered us something a little more spicy. The green. You have to watch this stuff pour out of the pitcher to again, achieve the proper expectation for minimal bias. Don’t get me wrong. For lunch, this place rocks. The service was great. They treated us like we were the only ones there. OK maybe we were close to the only ones there but hey it’s Monday and they were very nice to us. I ordered the Chicken Chimi. This fried burrito contained chicken, refried beans and cheese, topped with the red sauce, more cheese and served with sour cream and chopped lettuce, tomato and onion. I always eat everything, except today. I thought it tasted great but the portion was big enough for me to take some home. In summary, the taste, portions, cook time service and value are all good. As far as the atmosphere, if you have been looking for that perfect combination of Freddie Fender, poker night and cervesa, I give Aztex a big thumbs up!

Service: Rocks
Fresh ingredients: Yes
Atmosphere: Plenty
Chips and a Chimi big enough for two: $8.49

Mykonos - DJ

2007-08-18T22:11:00.000-04:00

2401 W State Road 434
Longwood, FL 32779
407.788.9095
www.mykonoscfl.com

My most recent visit to Mykonos was with a group of 8. There was a busy weekend lunch time crowd in the restaurant, but there was a table right up front for us. The service at Mykonos is always good, with a little European attitude which is always fun.

Today four of us shared a large Greek salad with potato salad and a side of grilled chicken. We also had a side of lima beans. This was plenty large enough for 4 people for lunch. The Greek salad at Mykonos is the best I’ve ever had. The salad has a large chunk of fete cheese on top, Kalamata olives, bell peppers, onion slices. The dressing is also just right. The potato salad underneath is also the best, it is creamy and delicious. The side of grilled chicken although small at $4.00 was cooked to perfection. The side of green lima beans had a lemony flavor that most of the side vegetables here have. The meal starts with delicious warm sourdough bread with an olive oil and feta dipping sauce. It is hard to keep from eating the entire loaf. We also get a side of pita bread.

Two other diners with our group had Gyro sandwiches which also looked good. One person had the Sea Bass special which was a large portion of fish covered with a tomato sauce that had onion, garlic and raisins, among other thinks. I had a taste and it was quite good.

The restaurant is decorated with blue accents and fishing accoutrement. There is an open kitchen that seems busy all the time. The restaurant has a friendly homey atmosphere. We spent about 2 hours enjoying our meal and talking afterwards. The Orlando Weekly called it “Worthy of gods” and I would agree.

Rating: ****
Service: *****
Price salad for four/water: $21:00

Thai House - DJ

2007-08-17T21:52:00.000-04:00

2117 E. Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida 32803
407.898.0820

I have not been to the Thai House in many years, maybe as long as 5 years. We started going to the Thai Place out of convenience, and we liked Boone. Now that has moved to The Villages we are in desperate need of a good Thai meal. We went back to the Thai House on a Friday evening. Arriving around 7 PM. The restaurant was full. We had a short wait of ten minutes.

The building was as I remembered. It was nicely decorated with touches of Thai decor. The wait staff all had on Thai dress that was quite attractive. The prices on the menu had just gone up about a dollar an item, but this is as expected these days.

I ordered #34 Phad Khing – Ginger, mushrooms, onions, carrot, and celery stir fried with chicken. This was served with white Jasmine rice. It was delicious. The sauce was slightly sweet and smooth. The vegetables were sliced in long pieces and the chicken was thinly sliced but was not dried out. This was just as good as Boone’s. I remember now that when we first started going to Boones I still preferred Thai House, but Boones it was closer.

I’ll go back again next week for lunch and bring my camera for a photo. The luncheon menu has entrees for $6.50.

The readers of the Orlando Weekly voted the Thai House best Thai restaurant in Orlando 2007.

Service: ****
Rating: ****
Price Entree/water: $8.95

Cindy’s Tropical Café - DJ

2007-08-15T17:47:00.000-04:00

“a taste that satisfies”
601 Virginia Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
407.898.6878
7:30am - 4pm M-F
11:30am – 3:30pm Saturday

Cindy’s is a favorite place for Cuban food among our group. I get the turkey sandwich platter. It comes with a side of beans and rice. I usually get a Jupina (pineapple) drink. It was good as I would expect.

Cindy’s is located in a converted 50’s style house/store. It is located at the corner of Virginia and Baltimore in Orlando. They have not done much decorating but for a good Cuban meal this is the place to go. There is a TV in the back usually on ESPN and left over newspapers to read while you wait for your sandwich. The staff is friendly and service is prompt.

The meal is always enjoyable at Cindy’s.
Rating: ****
Service:***
Price Sandwich platter/Soda: $8.75

Seito Japanese Restaurant - DT

2007-08-15T14:34:00.001-04:00

Seito is located in beautiful Winter Park Village on the south side of the cinema. They also have a new location in Baldwin Park. Today I ordered the Chicken and Vegetable Tempura Bento. I like the bento lunches because you get a decent variety and quantity at a great price. The bento box was delivered promptly with Meso soup, a typical ginger salad, white rice, three beef dumplings, six pieces of California Roll and of course Tempura. The Meso soup was unimpressive. I actually didn’t finish it, and I finish everything. The simple ginger salad was fresh with plenty of dressing. The dumplings were pan seared and the filling, which is usually a paté, had a familiar beef texture. The Cali Roll was served cold and firm and complemented the Wasabi nicely.

Not satisfied with the sushi roll teaser, I ordered the Ichiban. A specialty roll that contained more ingredients than I can remember. Rice and Seaweed (obviously) rolled with cucumber and salmon then generously topped with avocado, tempura crunch, and crossed with a sweet beige sauce. This roll was impressive and the ingredients were fresh and in good proportions. If you enjoy a sweet sushi roll, I highly recommend the Ichiban. I don’t particularly enjoy sushi rolls that sweet but I did finish it.

Service: Excellent

Quantity: Excellent

Bento and Water $8

Ichiban Sushi Roll $11
http://www.seitosushi.com/

Winnie’s Oriental Garden - DJ

2007-08-09T17:44:00.000-04:00

1346 Orange Avenue
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.629.2111
http://www.winniesmenu.com

The slogan at Winnie’s is “The finest in Chinese cuisine”. The atmosphere is very nice one of the nicest Chinese restaurants I’ve been to lately. There were fresh cut flowers at each table and fried Chinese noodles to eat when we arrived. The Soup Nazi attitude of the owner Winnie kind of grows on you after a while. We were a big group that arrived at 12:15PM they had no trouble seating us on this particular day. They pushed 4 tables together. When Winnie discovered that we had a birthday boy with us she cheerfully delivered a red Chinese envelop with a crisp five dollar bill enclosed.

The dish I had was Chicken & Cashews $7.00 at lunch. It looked very attractive when it arrived, but was rather bland, I thought. Even with the addition of soy sauce and a little pepper chili, I still thought it was rather bland. The chicken had a strange texture and taste.

The black table cloths had been washed or dried with the white napkins and had white balls of lint all over them. Even with these problems the experience was a nice one. The check arrived with a Hershey's kiss, and fortune cookies were available on a tray on the way out.

I still long for the days when this was El Niagara a restaurant known for authentic Mexican food, back in the early 80's.

Strangely enough if you do a google search on "El Niagara Winter Park" it still come up with a listing for the El Niagara restaurant.

Rating: **
Service: ***
Price meal/water/tip: $9.00

Dave’s BBQ @ FH – DJ

2007-08-08T18:13:00.000-04:00

BBQ served under the trees by the helicopter pad. It was a hot day, but we were early 11:30, so there was no line. BBQ chicken straight off the grill accompanied with coleslaw or potato salad and backed beans. We went back to the office to eat.

The beans were typical FH baked beans, they were tangy and sweet. The coleslaw was a bit on the wet side but good. The chicken was excellent it was falling off the bone done but still moist. We just wish they would have these outdoor cookouts more often.

Dexter’s - DJ

2007-08-01T23:30:00.000-04:00

558 W. New England
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.629.1150
www.dexwine.com

What was I thinking ordering a faux Mexican Dish from an American restaurant? I had the Chicken Tortilla Pie which is described as below:

Crisp flour tortillas stacked and layered with sautéed chicken breast, tomatoes, jalapenos, melted provolone, baked and topped with sour cream, chopped scallions and sun dried tomatoes.

I am still feeling the result of this meal 12 hours later. I guess you could say I got my moneys worth. The dish came out looking quite impressive. Everybody around the table said what is that! The dish at first tasted good, and then I noticed that the flour tortillas had been fried and were very greasy. The sun dried tomatoes at first were unidentifiable; they were cold straight from the refrigerator. I’m also not sure provolone was the right choice for the cheese on this dish. Before I was half way done the dish was quite unappealing.

The sweet potato chips that we had as an appetizer were also greasy. This is something I’ve noticed since Dexter’s moved from there Fairbanks location. The sweet potato chips were always good there but since they moved to the New England address (several years a ago) they have always been greasy. Could this be because the owner was always in the kitchen at the Fairbanks location?

Rating: *
Service: Excellent 3
Quantity: Way too much!

Black Bean Deli - JS

2007-07-31T20:26:00.000-04:00

325 S Orlando Ave
Winter Park, FL
32789-3608
Phone: (407) 628-0294

I had lunch at Black Bean Deli today. For the first time the line was not out the door so we only had to wait 15 minutes vs. 25 (a little exaggerated) but the food is definitely worth the wait. I had the chicken platter. It comes with black beans, yellow rice, plantains and salad. The chicken was very moist and fell off the bone, not over cooked. The black beans tasted like they were just cooked, instead of mushy after sitting in the pot for hours on warm. Even the salad was fresh and not wilted. Lastly, for the price and the amount of food, you can’t beat it. It’s definitely a “must do lunch there” type of restaurant…

Pho 88 – DJ

2007-07-31T18:13:00.000-04:00

730 North Mills Avenue
Orlando, FL 32803
407.897.3488
www.pho88orlando.com

Pho 88 is located in the heart of Viet Town of Orlando. It is an unassuming restaurant with a rather plan looking dining room. While we were there the all of the other patrons were Vietnamese. The menu is huge there are 212 numbered items, including the Durian Shake # 205.

I had # 107 Grilled Chicken on Rice Vermicelli (Bun Ga Nuong) $6.25. This is the standard dish I get in a Viet restaurant. It was prepared in the way I expected, julienned carrots, dakon, and cucumber. There was also sliced lettuce and bean sprouts. The dish was topped with a sprinkling of cilantro and scallions. The grilled chicken was a little fatty and not as smoky as I like.

The over all experience was a nice one. Viet Garden is still my favorite Vietnamese restaurant.

Rating: ***
Service: Excellent 4
Quantity: Just right
Price: Meal/Water $6.25

PHO 88 - RB

2007-07-31T13:53:00.001-04:00

I had Grilled Pork over Rice with a Meat Patty. Pork was a bit fatty but very good. I can't tell exactly what the Meat Patty is made of and I don't think I really want to know but it was good.

Service: Good (3 out of 5)
Quantity: Plenty
Meal/Water: Under $7.00

Grain Chain at FH - DJ

2007-07-27T12:55:00.001-04:00

Scofield Drive
Orlando, FL

I had lunch at my desk today, Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken from the Grain Chain. I had them add the vegetables from the daily special rice pilaf, broccoli and carrots. The chicken was moist and actually quite good. The vegetables were of the frozen variety, the carrots spongy but sweet.

Grouper & Chips – DJ

2007-07-26T17:50:00.000-04:00

4932 New Broad Street
Orlando, Florida 32814
407.647.FISH
www.grouperandchips.com

I had the Grouper sandwich basket ($10.95), which included a Grouper sandwich, fries, and coleslaw. I choose to have my fish blackened which might have been a mistake. Most restaurants do not know the meaning of blackened fish. See note below. The fish was good but it was a little on the bland side. The fries were average. I did see boxes of Idaho potatoes on my trip to the restroom. So I know that the chips were freshly made. They were just not crispy on the outside and steaming on the inside. The coleslaw might have been the best thing on my plate.

The restaurant which is in Baldwin Park was completely full by the time we left at 12:45. There was outside seating that would be nice on a cool evening. The restaurant is nicely decorated. There are posters of 1950’s stars on the walls, James Dean, Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe. The owner/manager was in the process of hanging a framed article by the Chowhound while we were there. In the Chowhound's article he mentions that he was recently in London. I too have been in London recently and had Fish and Chips at a place close to Gloucester Station. It was what I expected of English fish and chips greasy and steaming hot with lots of vinegar. Next time at Grouper and Chips I’ll try the 2 piece Grouper basket so that I can have the English experience that the Chowhound liked so much. Overall the meal was good just not as good as I had anticipated.

Rating: **
Service: ***
Quantity: Just right
Price: Meal/Water $11.75

Note on how to cook Cajun blackened fish:
Preheat grill with heavy cast-iron skillet or griddle in the grill. Get it good and hot. Dip each fillet into butter and sprinkle Cajun blackening spices on both sides. Place in skillet. Cook about 2 minutes or until the bottom is almost black but not burned. Flip over. Pour about a teaspoon of butter on the cooked side and continue cooking about 2 minutes or until fillet is finished. Serve immediately.

Pho 88 - DT

2007-07-26T13:41:00.001-04:00

730 North Mills Ave

Once again we visit the Mills/Colonial section of Orlando sometimes referred to as "Little Saigon". While Pho88 is a Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in noodle soups, their menu is diverse and extensive (over 200 items). The dining area is large with a high ceiling and modest decoration. It could have previously been a small grocery. For a Thursday, the place was quite busy with mostly Asian patrons. I was anxious to try the cold Spring Rolls with shrimp and pork. You get two large rolls per order served with peanut sauce. I prefer the peanut sauce to be nuttier. The ingredients were fresh and the rice paper wrap was soft at the edges indicating that it had been prepared very recently if not to order. For lunch I chose the Grilled Pork on rice. It comes with a sweet fish broth and lettuce, tomato and cucumber. I like to pour the broth into the rice and the remaining peanut sauce over the simple salad. The pork was prepared in a tasty sweet seasoning and served with a generous pinch of chopped scallion. I would like to have had a leaner cut of pork. Today, I found it to be a bit fatty. The server was efficient and the management friendly. I look forward to trying something new next time.

Quantity: Plenty
Service: Good
Spring Rolls/Grilled Pork: around $9.00

http://www.pho88orlando.com/

Athena Chicken - MO

2007-07-18T18:12:00.000-04:00

487 S. Orlando Ave
Mailtland Fl 32751
407-539-0669

I had the Cypriana chicken with the sides of roasted potatoes and green beans. Chicken was great as always. The potatoes are the best around and I have been trying to duplicate at home. They have a hint of apple. Grean beans are nothing fancy. Walked in at 5 minutes to noon and went right to the counter, ordered and paid. We grabbed our forks and napkins out of the dispensers and put or drinks on the table. As soon as we sat in the chairs our order was ready. Fresh and hot as always.

By 12:20 the line was out the door and people were waiting a little longer for their food.

Cypriana chicken is 3.99 and the meal with 2 sides is slightly higher.

Viet Garden - DJ

2007-07-17T18:20:00.001-04:00

1237 E. Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
407.896.4154

It was a sad day today as we were leaving Viet Garden today. We ask were Charlie was and were told that he had "retired". We have not seen him in about 3 weeks. We'll keep you posted on any changes.