Texas Roadhouse

The reviews on Urbanspoon don't lie. Texas Roadhouse is indeed a very good place to eat, and I envision myself returning here again. My friend Tommy and I decided to give Texas Roadhouse a try on a recent weekday evening. We used the call-ahead seating and were immediately seated, though I will say they were not quite packed that night and had a few open seats. Nonetheless, I can imagine that on the weekends they really pack 'em in!

We were promptly greeted and escorted to our seats. Abby, our server, asked if it was our first time. Since it was, she explained a bit about their menu, some of the options, and the emphasis they have on making things in-house. It was very helpful. She quickly took our drink order and then promptly too our order for a few appetizers. In the meantime a bread basket arrived. I could swear that Abby said they were made in-house, but perhpas she meant "baked in-house" because on our way out, we saw someone loading up baking pans with the frozen rolls. No matter, they were fresh and very good, served with a cinnamon butter. Absolutely delicious.

I love trying various appetizers in a new place, and getting each restaurant's "spin" on some of the standards. For our first appetizer we ordered the Rattlesnake Bites -- rounds of jalapeno peppers mixed with jack cheese, then battered and deep fried. They were surprisingly good. They were served with a cajun horseradish dipping sauce. Both the bites and the sauce were good, but I did see a few areas for improvement. Over time as the bites sat, a bit of grease pooled at the bottom, on the waxed paper--I'd suggest they use a napkin or the like to soak that up. Also, the cajun horseradish sauce was good, but cold and a bit "stiff" -- it would have been better if freshly portioned and more at room temperature, or at least stirred a bit. And, by the way, we were served 10 pieces, but were so entranced that we ate three before I could even take a picture!

We also had the Fried Pickles, pickle slices that were deep fried and served with a ranch type sauce. These were good as well but suffered from to much salt. When you serve something as acidic as pickles, you need to cut back on the salt just a bit. They overdid it here. Also, it had the same grease-pooling issue as the Rattlesnake Bites, something that could be fixed by something absorbent like a napkin in the bottom of the dish. But still, they were pretty good overall. 

We both had salads for one of the sides for our main dish. The salad was light and refreshing. The waitress checked to make sure we were fine with eggs, tomatoes, and croutons on our salad. We were, but it was nice that she checked first.

For my main course, I ordered the Texas Size Combo--I had the Pulled Pork with a side of ribs. All I can say is... Wow!  The pulled pork and ribs both had a nics smoky flavor. The ribs were literally fall-off-the-bone delicious. There was no fat to be seen, and when I attempted to cut them, the bone just fell out, nice and clean. They were excellent and well cooked. The pulled pork was equally great. And I had a side of baked beans--they were excellent--nice and tender yet not mushy, with a hint of smoke and BBQ, just very good. I loved this combo!

My friend Tommy had the Country Fried Chicken, a breast of chicken that was battered, hand fried, and served topped with country gravy. The chicken was very tender and the gravy was very good. For a side he had the mashed potatoes topped with the same gravy. They were also excellent. It was all very good.

As we were at the end of our meal, the manager stopped by to enquire how things were. She also gave us a smal bag of peanuts and a coupon for next time, since it was our first visit. I thought that was a very nice touch.

From good food to good service, I was impressed with Texas Roadhouse. I liked this place a lot, and I will be back, you can count on it!   

Bonefish Grill

We had a very good meal the other night at Bonefish Grill with great food and great service. The only real misstep of the meal was mine--I forgot my "good" camera and had to rely on my iPhone for a few photos. They really do not do the great food justice. Well, that will be an excuse to go back again another time!

I used the web to reserve a table for later that evening. What a nice service, and it's a good thing I did--the wait when we got there at 7 PM on a Saturday evening was about 45 minutes for walk-ins. But we were led right to our reserved table. how nice was that?

I was very happy to see a nice beer and wine selection, including a number of craft beers, a very nice touch. Of course I had to try one!

We started with appetizers. First up was the Bang Bang Shrimp, medium shrimpt that were breaded and deep fried, then tossed in a spicy, creamy sauce. And they were very good. The sauces had a nice gentle heat, but you certainly knew there was some heat there. And the shrimp were cooked just right. I could have eaten a whole plate of these babies.

Next we had the Waygu Beef + Ginger Dumplings. These were

handmade potstickers with American-style Kobe beef. They were pan-seared with crispy shallots, Thai peppers, and soy sauce. They were also quite good. I could have eaten a mound of these as well. Very good dish.

Next it was time for my salad. The salad was nice and cold, refreshing and fresh. Everything a salad should be. It included a bit of heart of palm, a nice touch.

But finally it was time for main courses. My friend Tommy had the Sea Scallops and Shrimp Dinner, served with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and Vegetable Medley. I had a scallop and a shrimp. The scallop was as soft as warm butter and literally melted in my mouth. OMG, these were cooked perfectly. The shrimp was equally well done. This was  very successful dish and the portion just right, given the apptizers we'd previously had.

For my dinner I had the Fontina Chop, a boneless pork chop that had been grilled to juicy perfection, topped with fontina cheese along with a garlic, prosciutto and mushroom marsala wine sauce. It was absoltely excellent. The pork was cooked well and tender and juicy. The fontina added a nice note and the marsala sauce was great. It was served with haricot verts and a vegetable medley, both of which were equally good.

Our server was Ryan and he did an excellent job of taking care of us. We had a great dining experience. I only wish I'd taken my "good" camera to have done justice to the great meal we had. It was excellent. I will be back!

Finesse

We ate at Finesse again recently. Having already had dinner and lunch there, each a very good experience, now it was time to try brunch to see if we could equal those previous experiences. Oh yeah, we did!

We arrived right around noon on a Sunday to find a fairly busy restaurant. I was glad to see the place pretty busy. There were two large parties of a dozen or more there, as well as quite a few smaller groups. The place seemed festive and alive.  We were promptly greeted and seated. I was happy to find that our waiter was Dimitris, the efficient and pleasant young man that waited on us for lunch a few weeks back. We quickly had our drink orders taken, a Bellini and a Mimosa--the first one is free at Sunday Brunch--can't beat that price!

We were only sitting a few minutes when some warm Banana Muffins were placed before us--what a nice treat. Oh, and not only did they look good, they were wonderful. They were moist and rich and heavy with good taste. The top of the muffin peeled right off and had a rich and caramely flavor--it was reminiscent of a gooey fudgy brownie in consistency. It was a very good muffin, no doubt.

I was hungry and so had big eyes. We started with a side of the Fried Ripe Tomatoes--three slices of ripe tomatoes had been pamesan and peppercorn breaded and deep fried, then placed on a bit of chipotle aioli. I would have liked just a bit more of the aioli, but the dish was excellent. I was surprise that the tomatoes could be so good and not be overly mushy as you'd expect from a ripe tomato.

Being hungry, I ordered another side, and this one was quite a surprise to me: Biscuit N Gravy. Now, that may sound somewhat ordinary to you, and I love my biscuits n gravy. But this was not ordinary. I thought I made the sausage gravy ever, but I see I have some serious competiton here. Actually, i must cede victory, because this sausage gravy was the best I've ever had. It was velvety and creamy and rich, and was exceptionally well-seasoned. I think I could have poured it in a glass and drank it, it was that good. Outstanding! The biscuits were good too, but the real star was the gravy.

My friend Tommy ordered the Country Fried Chicken--a boneless chicken breast that had been nicely and lightly breaded and fried, then topped with some sausage gravy (how can you go wrong with that combination). It was served with some Breakfast potatoes and some fruit. The chicken itself was extraordinarily tender and juicy. The breading was light and crispy. It was absolutely excellent. Tommy managed to finish the whole thing. 

Of note on both our plates were the breakfast potatoes--chunks of potatoes that were well cooked, yet crispy on the outside, but not greasy. I am not sure how they were prepared, but they had a great flavor. Tender and just a bit crispy, nicely seasoned, they were wonderful.

For my main selection, I chose the Country Benny. A buttered biscuit was topped with a sausage patty and a slice of tomato, then a fried egg (over easy) and finally sausage gravy--and there were two of these on the plate. It was fantastic. Wow, what a boatload of flavor. Of course, the sausage gravy was killer, but all the flavors really went well together. This was a killer breakfast item. Fortunately I was hungry and ordered a lot, so i had some of this to take home for later--I polished it off that same night. It was accompanied by the same breakfast potatoes and a bit of fruit.

During the course of our meal I noticed Chef/Owner Autumn in the dining room, assisting guest, and checking up on people She came by our table a few times to make sure we had everything we needed. Towards the end of our meal, now that we'd had the food and dined anonymously, I gave her my card and asked if I could meet Chef Alex. He came out and was extremely gracious. We had a nice little chat about the food and the restaurant and how it all came to be, and we also got to meet their little daugter, Bella--this place is truly a family affair. Through the whole course of our meal, or service (thank Dimitris and the rest) was very thorough, prompt, and attentive. But the real star was the food. This was my third time eating at Finesse and each time has been a great experience. I think that if they stay on the same course, good things are coming their way. I know I'll be back and would be happy to take guests here for a special occasion--or just for a good meal. There are a lot of good places to eat in Lake Mary, but Finesse is among the very best of them. I highly recommend them yet again!

Cafe Rouge

We ate at Cafe Rouge again the other night, and again we were not at all disappointed. We've been here a few times and recently got to know the chef a bit, so he knew who we were when we entered. We were hungry, it was Friday night, and they were ready to serve us. We had quite a nice meal.

We started out with some appetizers. First the Sam's Shrimp Jammer. These were a nice helping of bite-sized shrimp. They were fried and served in a spicy cream sauce. Now, for my money, they could have stood a bit more heat (as in spicy heat), but still they were pretty decent.

Did I mention we were very hungry? Well, to go with that, we also ordered the Hand Dipped Beer Battered Mushrooms. Now these were very, very good. They came out nice and hot and had a nice breading on them. The mushrooms themselves tasted really meaty and--well--mushroomy! They were served with a horseradish dipping sauce which only served to enhance their flavor. And they arrived at the table piping hot. A very, very good appetizer.

Tommy decided to try the soup of the day Cream of Asparagus Soup. I have not always been a big asparagus fan, but in the last few years have learned to love it. I was curious how it would taste in a soup. Well, let me tell you, it was excellent. A nice creamy soup had a very mild asparagus flavor. It was delicious and I'd order it again.

For his main course, Tommy ordered the Pasta Special-- a large portion of fettucini in a cream sauce was served with three shrimp and two scallops. Now, the shrimp and scallops were cooked perfectly--just perfect. But the protein part of the dish seemed to be just a bit skimpy, give the huge portion of fettucine. However, it all had a wonderful flavor and the presentation was very nice as well. Maybe one more each shrimp and scallop would have made the dish seem more of a value. Still, the taste was spot-on.

I ordered the Traditional English Style Beer Battered Haddock and Chips--minus the chips. Nothing against chips, but i substituted a salad for the chips--no problem. It also cam with a small serving of mushy peas, a grilled lemon half, and of course, tartar sauce. The salad was very good as were the peas. But what i really need to comment on is the fish. It was, without a doubt, the best piece of mild white fleshed fish I have ever eaten. It was a huge portion, first of all, and covered with a nice beer batter. But underneath that batter was a tender, moist, delicate, and delicious fish--so good that I ate it just as it was. It was fantastic. Best fried white fish I've ever had. The batter really protected it and kept it nice and moist. Good job.

We have very attentive service through the course of our meal and I had a chance to watch the goings-on in the restaurant. Chef-owner Sam spent a nice bit of time chatting with us. At first I thought maybe it was just us, but as the time went on I found that he spent a lot of time all over the place--in the dining room chatting with guests, in the kitchen checking on things, and interacting with the other staff. I was impressed. It's attention to detail and a great span of control that can make or break a good restaurant, and Sam certainly was in charge of what was going on, but not at all obtrusively. I was impressed. 

When I think of good places to eat in downtown Sanford, of my favorites, Cafe Rouge is right near the top of the list. For value, it does top the list, second only to the pricier Stone's Throw. They seem to be doing a nice business at Cafe Rouge. I hope they stay on their game and continue their winning ways. I know I'll be back, for sure!     

Wall Street Cantina

I suppose the draw for Wall Street Cantina is the location in downtown Orlando, in the heart of what I guess is the "party district." But I would not go here just for the food, there is much better in Orlando. Still, the atmosphere is nice. On a recent Frida evening my friend Tommy and I stopped by and sat outside in the pleasant evening air.

I had the Spicy Chicken Burrito. It was really very ordinary at best. Though billed as being filled with spicy chicken, black beans, corn, rice and spicy sour cream, it was not very spicy at all. Don't get me wrong, it was decent, but I can't really say it was Tex-Mex as billed. On top of that, the tortilla chips and the salsa was about as ordinary and plain as it gets, nothing special at all. The price was right at $7.99, but the food nothing special.

Tommy fared a bit better with the Pork Loin Veracruz sandwich. The roasted pork on a hoagie claimed to have chipotle sauce and chipotle mayonaisse, along with avocado and pepper jack cheese. But the chipotle flavor was mostly lacking. Still it was not a bad sandwich. The yellow rice served with it was pretty decent as well.

Service during our meal was surely less than attentive. The waiter really didn't know all the beers they had available and was gone for what seemed long periods, especially when we were done eating and wanting our check. Not a bad experience, but definitely not the best. I've had much better food and service elsewhere, and next time that's where I'll eat....elsewhere.  

Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon, Ham, and Leeks

Today i came up with a new recipe to take to a gathering of friends. The jury is still out on how it tatstes, but I am expecting it to be a hit. So here's what I did.

Ingredient list

• 6 slices bacon, chopped, fried crisp, and drained
• 6 oz ham, sliced thinly in to strips
• 2 leeks, halved, cleaned, and sliced thin
• 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (1/8 inch)
• 2 oz. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 oz shredded fontina cheese
• 2 oz. shredded gruyere cheese
• 2 oz. shredded romano cheese
• 3 tsp. corn starch.
• 2 oz shredded mixed white cheeses (Sargento store-bought)
• 2 oz. butter
• 1/4 tsp. marjoram
• 1/8 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the cheddar, fontina, romano, and gruyere cheeses. Add the corn starch and toss to coat. Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a large fry pan, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon fat. Add 3-4 Tbsp of bacon fat back to the pan, heat, then add the ham. Fry until slightly crisped, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the ham and drain on paper towels. Clean the pan.

Add 2 Tbsp. bacon fat and the butter to the pan, melt, then add the leeks. Add a pinch of kosher salt and the marjoram and sautee about 3-5 minutes until translucent. Set aside.

Butter a 13x9 baking dish. Layer 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom, then sprinkle with a little koser salt and 1/2 the nutmeg. Add a few grinds of black pepper. Then add 1/2 of the ham, 1/2 of the bacon, 1/2 of the leeks, and 1/2 of the cheese, evenly spread out.

Repeat the above with another 1/3 of the potatoes, season with salt, pepper and the remaining nutmeg, then top with the remaining bacon, ham, leeks, and cheese mixture.

Finally top with the last 1/3 of the potatoes. Now mix the heavy cream and chicken broth together and pour over the potatoes. Press down. Season slightly with salt and pepper, then finally top with the Sargento cheese-mixture. Cover with non-stick aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes covered at 325 degrees. Remove foil, increase temperature to 400 degrees and bake another 45 minutes until potatoes are tender (insert a sharp knife to test). Let rest 15-30 minutes. Serve.

That's all there is to it!

Dexter's

Dexter's of Lake Mary is almost always busy, and there is a reason why. Good location, decent food, and nice atmosphere. My friend Tommy and I went to Dexter's on a recent Friday night. It was actually our second choice in the area, but had less of a wait and they promised us an outdoor table on a pleasant Spring evening. It was worth the short 20-minute wait as we had a great view and good food.

We started off with an appetizer. We had the Chicken Egg Rolls. They were very good! Two large egg rolls had been stuffed with mixed asian vegetables and chicken, then deep fried, sliced diagonally, placed on a bed of dressed, mixed greens, and sprinkled with a bit of chili powder. They were served with a sweet/sour chili dipping sauce. They were indeed very good. We ate every last morsel, including the salad--it was that good.

I ordered a salad with my meal and it was a very nice salad. Mixed greens were "accessorized" with red peppers, mixed julienne of cabbage and carrot, a bit of cucumber, a cherry tomato, a bit of broccoli, a slice of summer squash, and a cherry tomato. The dressing was a house chili lime viniagrette. The whole salad was very good, nice and light and refreshing.

For my main course I had the Parmesan Shells with Chicken. It was very good. A nice and simple dish, but all the flavors had a change to blend and marry, so it tasted very good as a whole. Shells were covered with an alfredo sauce, some tender chicken chunks, peas, and was garnished with chopped green onions and som  shredded/grated parmesan cheese. It was also a huge serving. I had lots lefover to take home and enjoy another time--and I did! The chicken was tender and moist, the alfredo sauce was not overbearing, and the peas added a nice fresh touch. A very good dish.

Tommy had a burger, the Grilled Colby Cheeseburger. It was also very good. A substantial-portion Black Angus burger was grillled to medium, then covered with melted colby cheese, served on a nice roll with tomato, onions, and lettuce. The burger was very good, nice and moist and juicy. The accompanying fries were good as well.

Overall, we had a very enjoyable time here at Dexters. And sitting outside on a pleasant evening was quite a bonus, too. We'll be back!  

Hollerbach's Willow Tree Café

There is a good reason that Hollerbach's Willow Tree Café is rated so high on urbanspoon.com...well, actually two good reasons: (1) good food and (2) great atmosphere. I have been to Hollerbach's a number of times, and will keep coming back time and time again.

My friends and I ate here recently during the ever-popular Alive After Five event in downtown Sanford--it happens every month on the third Thursday of the month and is always a fun time. We were lucky to go at a good time and get a table immediately, outside where we could watch the street party going on, and later where we could hear the music inside. It was a great evening out.

I had the Chicken Cordon Bleau Schnitzel and it was pretty good. The chicken was just a bit dry, but overall I enjoyed it a lot. There was a lot of food, and I had a decent sized portion to take home and enjoy another time--which I did. I also had the spaetzel and the red cabbage to go with, both very good.

We all enjoyed our meals here as well as the fun atmosphere and mostly attentive service. It shows why they have such a high rating. Yumm!

Hamburger Mary's Bar & Grille

My friends and I had a nice meal at Hamburger Mary's Bar & Grille recently. They really do make a decent burger, the waitstaff is very efficient and pleasant, and the atmosphere speaks "fun." Yes, it is a chain, but a small chain. And no matter, they do make and server a very good burger. 

We arrived on a recent Saturday night to find a full house--seems there was a Magic game starting soon at the nearby arena. No matter, we had a table within 10 minutes and shortly thereafter the place cleared out as the fans headed to the game.

We started with a plate of the Macho Nachos--rainbow tortilla chips loaded with chili, cheese, onions, black olives, and jalapenos, and served with a bit of salsa and sour cream on the side. They were pretty standard nachos, but pretty darned good.  It was a pretty good-sized pile of nachos, but somehow the four of us managed to put a very good dent in them, along with a few beers. Yumm.

For his meal, my friend Tommy ordered the Bird of Paradise--sliced roasted turkey with tomato, avocado, and bacon, served on wheat bread. It was topped with melted cheese and the bread was dressed with an herb mayo. It was a very good sandwich and quite a substantial size. To go-with he had french fries. They were excellent, nice and hot and crisp with a great potato flavor. It was a good meal.

For my meal I had the Black Jack Burger with a side of coleslaw. The burger itself was cooked to medium rare as I requested, maybe just a bit past, but still moist and juicy. It had been dusted with blackening powder before being grilled and had that nice char-grilled flavor, very good. It was topped with melted pepper-jack cheese, crispy onion rings, and a spicy cajun mayo. Now personally, I could have used just a bit more heat, but it was a very decent sandwich, no doubt. I managed to eat it all. The coleslaw was good but fairly orinary, just good ole coleslaw.

We had a very nice time here with our friends. Gerritt, the waiter, was attentive and entertaining, as well as efficient. It was a good time and I'd come back again, in part for the good food, and in part for the fun atmosphere.  

Vivona's Pizzeria

We had a slice of pizza with our dinner at Vivona's Pizzeria the other night, but the slice that we shared was the high point. It was good. But the rest of our dinner was mediocre at best. I was disappointed overall.

We arrived late on a Saturday afternoon to find only one other table occupied, but by the time we left, there were four or five tables full. Well, the place has only been open two months, so maybe people have not found it yet. I did notice several take-out orders going out while we were there. Hopefully their pizza good, and much better than their meals.

Our waitress was, I'd say, rather new to her job. She was helpful and courteous and checked in on us a number of times, but still could have used a bit of polish, it's the little things that add up. Still, for a lower priced pizza joint, she did well. We asked about a few menu items, she had to check on one of them. Well, that's OK, they have a huge menu--and therein, i believe, lies the problem.

Our dinners came with salads, and they arrive promptly.They were average salads, but very fresh. Fresh iceberg lettuce with a few garnishments. The dressing was served in a little container. Now I got the raspberry viniagrette, but in a container that's always a hazard as the oil has usually risen to the top. I did shake it (with a bit of fear and trepidation). It was OK and the salad was tasty. Not much more to say about it.

We ordered a slice of pepperoni pizza as an appetizer--though it came out with our dinner, and two dinners. The slice of pepperoni pizza was actually quite good, nice and hot, a nice oregano flavor in the sauce, and an ample amount of sauce. I'd probably come back just to have the pizza. It was also a very good sized slice. It arrived hot and yummy. I'm sure it was a pre-made slice of cheese pizza with pepperoni added, but still, it was pretty decent pizza.

For his main course, my friend Tommy ordered the Spaghetti and Meatballs. It was a pretty good sized portion. The marinara sauce was pretty decent, nice and fresh taste. The meatballs, while they had a good taste, had an odd texture. It seemed more like a meat paste than ground meat in a ball. Like it had been ground a few too many times, or overworked by quite a bit. The taste was good, but the texture just strange.

After a few questions on the menu items for the waitress, I ordered the Chicken a la Vodka. It was a large portion and served piping hot. It was just OK though. Here's what it seemed like to me. It seemed like a bunch of individual components that were thrown together at the last moment and put together on a dish. As a matter of fact, a bit before we were served, our waitress asked me if i wanted it with broccoli and sun dried tomatoes. I said "yes" but thought to myself "don't they know how to make their dish?"  The penne was a bit lifeless as if it had been held a bit too long in water. The vodka cream sauce was a bit thin and not all that flavorful. The chicken, while nice and tender, had no flavor from the sauce (because i'm sure it first met the sauce moments before they ended up in front of me). The other compenents included sliced ham, peas, onions, and a few other things. The dish could have benefit from a bit of acid, like artichoke hearts or something. It was OK, it just did not come together as a dish.

Both of our portions were huge. We each had enough to take home and eat another meal, so that was good. But i just got the feeling that the extensive menu was too much, too big, trying to please too many people. And so I'll bet all the components are ready, and when ordered, everything is quickly put together, heated up a bit, and then served. Too bad, as it has some potential.

One last note. Our meal could have benefit from some bread. Why no bread? When you have Italian sauces like we did, they beg for some bread to sop up the sauce.

So, overall, I was a bit disappointed. I hope the pizza is much better, and our one split slice seemed to indicate that as the case.

Pint American Gastropub

Pint American Gastropub is a very new addition to the Lake Mary restaurant scene, only open a few weeks now. My first visit there left me liking it. They name refers to the wide variety of beer they serve--they have dozens of craft beers on tap, and an extensive selection in bottles as well. I had a Ukrainian beer in a bottle, Obolon, and it as quite good for a lager--way better than most mainstream American beers. I also had a Longhammer IPA on tap--always a good choice.

But we really came here for a light dinner, and we left full and not disappointed. I ordered the Fish and Chips, but substituted Macaroni and Cheese for the chips. A substantial filet of fish was breaded and fried nicely, served with a chipotle mayo. The chipotle mayo was good, but I could not really detect the chipotle part of it, it was very very mild. Accompanying my meal was a bit of Jicama slaw, marinated jicama, red and green peppers, and red onion, with a bit of cilantro. It was nice and refreshing. The macaroni and chesse was good, too, boasting several varieties of cheese, as well as bacon. How can anything with bacon in it be bad, right??

My friend Tommy had the Simple burger, It was simple but very good, cooked perfectly to a medium as he requested (too much in my book, but it was his burger) and was tender and juicy--I had a big bite! He enjoyed the burger and the mac n cheese as well. Much much better than a nearby place with "burger" in it's name that killed our last (and only) burgers there. This was so much better. It was served with cheese, and with some lettuce and tomato. Yumm!

Our waitress was Katelynn, and she was prompt and attentive, showing a good knowledge of the menu and fair knowledge of the beer selection. Twice during our time there a manager stopped by to ask if everythign was good--and it was. As we were leaving, someone was setting up to provide live music later in the evening. The area is a hotspot of night activity, so I was not surprised.

Pint may not have quite the extensive collection of beers that World of Beers nearby boasts, nor quite as many TVs, but it has food, which WOB does not. Both places, I think, will have their place in the Lake Mary/Heathrow night scene. Nice job!

Alive After Five -- Thursday April 14th

Join me at Alive After Five this coming Thursday, April 14th in Downtown Sanford from 5-8 PM.

What is it? Well, it a big street party. It's free to walk around but a $7 wrist band gets you a dinner ticket, free samples from all the local food vendors, and ridiculously cheap beer--it can't be beat.

I can usually be found hanging out at Art Affair Gallery, one of my favorite places. Some months I even do the cooking, but not this month--this month I'm all about the eating! I'll also be going up and down the street, sampling food, and visiting all the galleries. I've been attending Alive After Five for about a year and a half now, and have become a "regular." My friend Tommy is an artist in residence at Art Affair Gallery, too. You should stop in and see some of his wonderful work. C'mon down, it's a lot of fun!

  

Flippers Pizzeria

Flippers Pizzeria is a chain that recently opened a location in Lake Mary, so my friend Tommy and I recently took the opportunity to try it out, searching for some good pizza. We were not disappointed.

We arrived on an early Saturday evening to find them fairly busy. We were quickly greeted and told we could sit wherever we wanted. One comment about sitting inside--it's very noisy. They could use some sound-dampening scheme here. It was hard to hear the waitress and carrying on a conversation was a bit of a challenge at times unless you like to speak loudly. Next time I think I'd consider--or rather, prefer--to sit outside where it's quieter. I can only guess what it would have been like with a bunch of rowdy kids inside!

That said, we were quickly greeted, drinks arrived promptly, and our order was taken. We ordered a pizza and a sandwich, to split both. For the sandwich, we ordered the Turkey Pesto, turkey, smoked bacon, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes,  red onions, roasted red peppers, pesto, and mayo. The presentation, as you can see, was very nice. The sandwich was also very tasty, though getting all the ingredients to stay together was a bit of a challenge, it was a good sized sandwich. The bun that it was served on was exceptionally good, nice and fresh and tastly. It was very tasty with one exception--the red onions were very strong. They were either old, or just strong--I suspect the latter as this is not a great time of year for onions, I've found. I needed to pull them out, they were that overpowering. But otherwise, the sandwich was very tasty and a meal in itself. Fortunately, there were two of us sharing it.

We also ordered a medium (12") Windy City Pizza, boasting extra sauce, double sweet Italian sausage, provolone, and pecorino romano. It was topped with a healthy dose of mozzarella. If I had been cooking it, I'd have left it in just a bit longer, until the cheese on top just started to brown. We also had it on the traditional crust. It was very good.  There was a lot of pizza here, and with our sandwich, we ended up taking home two slices--we are looking forward to enjoying them at a later time, the pizza was just that good. I would come back here again for the pizza or for a sandwich, definitely.

I'd say there was only one misstep here. When we ordered, the waitress seemed to indicate that it came with chips (of course, maybe we didn't hear right because of the noisy atmosphere) and we settled on a bag of BBQ kettle chips. When our meal came out, we asked where the chips were. And they we had to ask again. But we eventually got them. When the bill came, we noticed a charge for the chips. We asked because we were under the impression that they were included. She said they were a separate charge but she'd see about having that removed. When she came back she informed us that she had to pay for the mistake out of her money and she left a dollar. Now, that was just a bit odd. We did, however, reduce our normal 20% tip by that dollar. I think they (or she) needed to be more clear. It's one thing to upsell, it's another to not make that clear. However, this misunderstanding is really my only complaint besides asking twice for the chips--but we would not have wanted them had it been clear that it was an addition. Oh well.

Overall, we loved it here (sans noisy atmosphere) and will be back again, I'm sure.