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Upon the recommendation of some friends, we recently tried La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant in Longwood. It was a good recommendation, I cannot remember when I last had such good Mexican food in the central Florida area. This place is one to bookmark and return to, again and again!
We arrived about 7 on a very rainy Friday evening. There were not a lot of people, there but it is a big place and they had steady traffic, given the rainy evening. We were promptly greeted and seated, and our waitress promptly appeared with some chips and salsa (and the chips were nice and warm, nice!). We were wisely served with a small carafe of salsa and two small bowl. I say wisely because that allowed me to kick mine up a notch with some Tabasco while my friend Tommy was able to enjoy his more mellow, mild preference for salsa.
We began with an appetizer, the Shrimp Empanadas. They were very good. Three large empanadas were stuffed with a very decent portion of shrimp along with some crab and, I'm sure, other goodies, then deep fried. Now, I will say, they were fried just a bit too much and would have been even better if they'd been removed a bit quicker. But, outside of the slightly overcooked outer edges, the empanadas themselves were excellent. They had a great shrimp flavor with just a hint of crab. The guacamole served with them was also excellent, tasting primarily of avocado, a bit of onion, and cilantro. I'm guessing there was a bit of lime juice and maybe some garlic, too, but they did not overpower the nice "guac" flavor. These were a hit!
For his entree, my friend Tommy had the Chimichangas. Two large chimis were stuffed with a very flavorful beef filling and fried perfectly, topped with some melted cheese and served with rice and beans, as well as a few other dressings. I had a bite, and this was very, very good. Tommy agreed. The beef filling was flavorful, the chimi cooked just right, and the rest o f the go-withs just added to a nice meal. Yumm.
I ordered the La Fiesta Grande, a combo where you can pick three items from a list. I chose chicken for a burrito and an enchilada, as well as a pork tamale. All I can say is, "wow." This was really good. Not fancy, not gourmet, but excellent Mexican food for a very decent price. The portion was large and I enjoyed every bit--and no, I did not eat it all in one sitting! The rice and beans that went with it were pretty standard fare, but good. The rest of the dish was covered in a very tasty red sauce. The hint of vinegar/acid in it was wonderful. It was a great compliment to the rest of the items. The burrito was stuffed with tender, moist, shredded chicken. The enchilada had some larger chunk of chicken. Both had a nice chicken flavor to them and were tasty. The pork tamale boasted than nice corn flavor a tamale should have--it was well done and the pork was tender and juicy.
We both enjoyed our meal here thoroughly, food, service, ambiance, and price. We both agree, we'll be back here--we have not found a lot of good Mexican food in central Florida (outside of two great places in Daytona Beach--a bit of a drive for us). We'll be back, for sure, and I suggest you give this place a try and tell me what you think!
My friend Tommy and I attended the 4th Taste of Sanford recently. We had gone to the first one in 2009, so this was our second year. Of course it's all about "taste" and so I'll talk about the food, first and foremost, before I come to some aspects of the event that I had a few questions and doubts about. So on to the food.
The best bite I had that was from a Sanford Restaurant was from a newcomer, the new kid on the block, Breezeway Restaurant and Bar in historic downtown Sanford. They had some firecracker shrimp that were awesome. Over the course of several months, we watched as the space formerly occupied by Two Blondes and a Shrimp was transformed into the Breezeway. We have eaten there three times now and enjoyed each meal. I've even blogged about Breezeway. So i was not surprised to find that their Firecracker Shrimp were good---very good. I know now what my appetizer will be the next time I go there. Only one complaint, Steve: how about a web site? Time to enter this century and get your presence known on the web. But this was the best Sanford bite I had.
However, there was a bite that was even better, but it was not a Sanford Restaurant. Still the best thing I had for the evening was from Shula's 347 Grill located in the Westin Hotel in Lake Mary. They had two bites that were great, but the crab cake was truly exceptional--it was almost all crab. I loved it. Their second bite was tender beef (probably short ribs is my guess) served over mashed potatoes. Again, quite a good bite. Based on this, I have to say that without a doubt, the best of Taste of Sanford was the food from Shula's 347 Grill. Based on that experience, I know I will be going there for dinner some time soon and then writing about it here in my blog. And, they did a great job of promoting themselves. Nice job! I'll be seeing you soon!
There were a number of other bites that I found good, and I'd say most places there brought their "A" game to the table (pun intended). Chef Michael, owner of Corner Cafe Home of Gourmet 2 Go had a great vegetable soup that was rich and velvety with tasty chunks of veggies in it. I have eaten at Corner Cafe a number of times and have never been disappointed. Buck's Restaurant and Catering had a nice smoked fish dip. I have eaten at the restaurant and was not a big fan, but I can say that when I've had some of their food at an event like this or at the monthly Alive After Five, it has always been very good. I think maybe their catering is much better than their restaurant, at least that's been my experience. Then again, you should try the restaurant and make up your own mind! Among the other good "Sanford" bites was Father's Table and the Ale House. There were some good drinks, too, with Tim's wine (yummy Cabernet) and cold beer from Wayne Densch, and even great desserts, like the bite from Empress Sissi (I think that's who had that good cheesecake). Lots of good eats and we sure got stuffed.
There were also a number of other non-Sanford places in attendance and, to some extent, that confused me. I mean, it's called "Taste of Sanford" and yet i was tasting food from as far away as Deland and from the Universal Studios area. What's with that? I really think that a "Taste of Sanford" should be that. I did hear a few words from some of our friends at other places in Sanford, members of the Chamber who did not attend Taste of Sanford. Their take on it seemed to be that the Chamber wanted top dollar from local businesses, and was more interested in promoting out of the area and getting merchants who'd pay bigger bucks, rather than local folk.
The setting for Taste of Sanford was nice, at the Civic Center. The inside was crowded early on, but thinned out a bit later. The evening was very nice and so sitting outside was also a pleasure with the big grassy area right behind, and a few vendors set up in that area. There were no long lines or large waits like there are at other "taste of" events, and that's a good thing. It's nice to be able to walk around, see what there is, talk to merchants and vendors, and get what you want promptly, I like that a lot.
Three years ago, Taste of Sanford cost me $35 for a couple ($20 individual), this year it was a flat $25 per person. So the price has gone up a bit. Given the fact that there were so few real local Sanford restaurants in attendance, I was a bit disappointed. I'd have liked to have sampled something from some other very local places like Marco Dino's, Angel's Soulfood, Cafe Rouge, Hollerbach's Willow Tree, and Riverwalk Pizza, just to name a few. I'm a big fan of local places rather than chains, yet there were a few chains there. Not that they have bad food, but I prefer the fresh ideas that local "mom and pop" places produce. So, for me, it was an OK experience, but just a bit of a disappointment. I mean, the food from Shula's in Lake Mary was outstanding, there was good stuff from the Debary Country Club and from De La Vega in Deland. Four Rivers from Longwood was good (but why is the "pulled" chicken then chopped so fine?) and Mr. Ted's from way down in Orlando on Kirkman had good stuff as well. But for my money, shouldn't the Sanford Chamber of Commerce strive more to promote Sanford and even at least, Seminole County Businesses? But I guess that's a matter for the members of the Chamber to take up.
Overall, this was a nice and fun event, it was a good "Taste of" Sanford and central Florida. Will I go back next year? Probably, probably. But I'd like to see a few more local Sanford places there too!
We decided to try Papa Tony's Italian Restaurant for dinner recently, and it was a good choice, the food and service were very good. Upon arrival we were promptly greeted and seated by the hostess whom, I assume, was "Mrs. Papa Tony." I noticed that she was busy taking care of lots of things during the course of our visit, but first and foremost greeting customers. I also noticed Papa Tony himself in the dining room on one occasion, greeting a few tables with people he seemed to know, though we did not meet him.
Anyway, Papa Tony has quite a menu, so it took us some time to decide. But eventually Tommy and I decided and ordered. Both of us chose dinners, and each came with the Antipasto Bar and breadsticks. The Antipasto Bar was very nice. Besides the normal lettuce and dressings, there were some nice things like pasta salad with beans, artichoke hearts, etc.; olives; carrots (quite yummy); and a lot of other typical fare. Everything was very fresh and very tasty, as were the warm breadsticks. A nice start to our meal.
For his main dish, Tommy chose the Chicken Parmagiana served over spaghetti. It was very good, a nice and tender, juicy chicken breast was breaded and cooked, then topped with cheese. Finally, it was placed on the bed of spaghetti and doused in the house marinara. The marinara, I'm sure, is home made--it was very good, nice and fresh tasting, not too salty, with a hearty tomato flavor. The whole dish was very good and there was more than enough for one person to eat. You guessed it: doggy bag!
For my main course, I chose something I'd never seen on a menu before, Chicken Scaparelli. This was tender slices of chicken that were sauteed with sliced spicy sausage and pepperoncinis (with a few mushrooms) in a white wine sauce. It was very good. The pepperoncinis lent just a bit of spiciness to the sauce, and the spicy sausage was also a good complement to the velvety white wine sauce and the mild chicken flavor. I liked this dish a lot. It was also served with pasta (I had capellini or angel hair) on the side with the house marinara sauce. Yumm. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish, the flavors were surprising both with the bit of spice and the smoothness of the sauce. A very nice dish. (My only suggestion--and it's a minor point--would be to wipe the plate before serving next time.)
Our service thorughout our meal was very attentive and friendly. The server knew the menu well and was able to answer all our questions as well as make suggestions--and our beverages were kept full, too. All in all, we had a very nice experience here. With so many Italian restaurants around, it is nice to find one that really pays attention to detail. I'd come back again, for sure!
