Café Paisano Italian Grill & Pizzeria

I had the pleasure of dining at Café Paisano Italian Grill & Pizzeria on a rather rainy and stormy Friday evening. Yes, we got wet trying to get back to our car during a downpour, but it was all worth it--the food was very good!

Lisa, our waitress, took very good care of us. After we ordered, our Garlic Knots arrived. They were good, more like fresh yeast rolls with just a hint of garlic and oil, but definitely fresh-baked, light and airy. They stood on their own and didn't need anything like butter, they were delicious with a hint of sweetness, hint of garlic, and hint of oil. Yumm.

For an appetizer we ordered the Stuffed Mushrooms. They were delicious. A dish of mushroom caps had been stuffed with a very flavorful crabmeat stuffing, then topped with cheese and alfredo sauce and baked. They were quite hot when they came out, but oh, so delicious. The crab stuffing was the predominant flavor here, not lost at all in the mushroom and afredo/cheesy flavors. So this was a very good dish.

Our salads arrived in short order (the timing of the food was fantastic). They were quite ordinary, but good. Just a nice little "start" before the main course.

For his main course, my friend Tommy ordered the Friday night special, the Haddock Fish Fry. This was very good. The haddock could not have been cooked better. A large, 12 oz portion of haddock had been breaded and fried. The breading was crispy but not greasy, the fish underneath was tender, moist, and flavorful. It was very very good. The french fries that accompanied the meal were also very good. The only real disappointment was the coleslaw--it was not that good. Now, it's really hard to make a coleslaw I don't like, but this was missing something. I think it needed a touch more acid, it was just a bit on the bland and flavorless side. But given the great taste of the haddock and the good french fries, I'll overlook this little miss-step. Overall a very good dinner.

My main course was the second Friday night special, Broiled Haddock and Shrimp. A 6 oz filet of haddock was nicely boiled and served along with three quite large shrimp, cooked just right. It was all served on a bed of linguine and topped with a lobster cream and mushroom sauce. It was also all very good! The haddock was broiled just right, the shrimp had a nice flavor and texture. The rich sauce added a lot of flavor to the dish and had mushrooms and roasted red peppers in it. It was good to look at and good to eat as well. I enjoyed this a lot.

When we finished eating, we were quite full. Usually we don't have dessert, but it was still pouring rain out, so we opted to split a single cannoli. It was good, though a bit sweet--or it may just be that I'm not used to desserts and sweets. Still, it was a good cannoli, the shell was nice and crisp, the filling creamy and sweet, with chocolate chips. It was also fun to eat, cracking the shell, getting the crisp shell with the creamy filling. Yumm. 

It was still pouring when we were all done, and we decided to dash to the car and take of in the downpour. But we left very full and very fulfilled. We had a very good meal here and I'd go back again, for sure. Next time I want to try their pizza, it looked good.

Fresh on the Fly -- again!

I had lunch at Fresh on the Fly yesterday with some friends from work and we all agreed that it was good. I see that on Urbanspoon.com today, it's rated the #75 restaurant in Orlando, no mean feat!

I had the Mahi Mahi BLT sandwich and it was wonderful. A bit messy to eat, perhaps, but finger-licking good, believe me. I had a bite of just the mahi-mahi and found that it was cooked to absolute perfection! It was tender, moist, and flavorful, and grilled blackened as requested. It was served with bacon, a fried green tomato, and greens and dressed with a Florida citrus and chipotle aioli. All I can say is "awesome." It was an excellent choice and well worth it. I'm sure I'll be back, this is an excellent lunch and dinner spot. But if you're going there for lunch, arrive early, it fills up fast, a testament to the fine food!

The Cheesecake Factory

I wanted a good sandwich recently, and found it at The Cheesecake Factory in Winter Park. And a few other good things as well! We stopped in on Memorial Day. After a short wait, we were shown to our table. The menu is huge so it took us a while to decide.

We started with an appetizer, the Chicken Croquettes, and it turned out to be an excellent choice. Tender chicken and fontina cheese were breaded and deep fried nice and crisp. They were outstanding, the cheese added a nice flavor and gooeyness to the tender chicken, while the crispy breading gave it a nice cruch. These were very good, I'm going to have to try to duplicate them myself!

For his sandwich, my friend Tommy had the Old Fashioned Burger with cheddar cheese. It was excellent. About a half pound of hamburger was charbroiled and cooked perfectly to the requested medium rare. It ws topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and mayonnaise, and served on a toasted and fresh bun. For a side he had the french fries which were also very good. This was just a good burger, plain and simple--and oh, so good!

I chose to have the Wild Mushroom Burger. Again about a half pound of hamburger was expertly cooked to the requested medium rare. And again it was served on a nicely toastes, fresh bun. But my burger was topped with lots of sauteed mushrooms of various varieties and onions and mayo. Along with that was melted fontina and swiss cheese. It was excellent. Well cooked and full of flavor, it was one of the better burgers I've had, and best in quite some time. My side was a side salad which was also very good with nice fresh lettuce and well dressed. Yumm.

We enjoyed our lunch here very much. There was a lot of food and neither of us could quite eat the last few bites--but we sure tried. It was wonderful. 

Cress Restaurant

I have wanted to go to Cress Restaurant in Deland for a long time. It was great and I wish I had not waited so long to visit! I will go back soon, I hope.

I used their web page to make a reservation on Friday afternoon for that evening. Within about an hour they called and offered a time a half hour later than requested, which was fine with me--as a matter of fact, it turned out to be a much better time for me!

Cress is located just a few doors off the main street in Deland, which is a very picturesque old Florida main street. We arrived just a few minutes late and were promptly seated at a nice table right by the window. We were quickly provided menus and a drink order places. I was glad to see an assortments on "craft" beers and had one of my favorites, Red Hook's Longhammer IPA. My friend Tommy was not sure which of two wines he wanted and our waitress, Stephanie, suggested a sample of each, which she quickly provided. That was very nice.

We were quickly presented with an amuse-bouche, a bite of what I believe was a chutney of some sort with mango. I forgot what Stephanie said it was. It was OK though nothing too out of the ordinary. We also were served a few pieces of bread, perhaps a foccacia--the bread was very good, full of flavor. It was a nice start and prelude to the meal.

For appetizers, we settled on two items that really sounded good. The first was the Margaret's Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. It was a very delicious crab cake, light and flavorful and was sitting on some remoulade, also quite tasty. It was accompanied by a bit of buttercup lettuce that was dressed with some balsamic, and that was outstanding. The port of the crabcake seemed a bit small (perhaps it was the plating that made it look that way, too), but the flavors were definitely quite good. The second appetizer was the Ashley Farms Chicken Tikka Grilled Flat Bread. It was very, very good and a nice portion. The tomato based sauce had a ton of flavor in it. This would make a nice meal, I think too. The chicken was tender and flavorful, but the star really was the sauce. The whole dish as a nice tikka-like flavor. This dish was outstanding.

For his main course, Tommy had the Glazed Breast of Ashley Farms Chicken. A tender chicken breast was glazed and grilled, then served on a bed of seasonal vegetables and grits, accompanied by a pineapple pico de gallo, and surrounded by a pineapple habanero reduction. Tommy was concerned about the heat of the habanero reduction, but Stephanie assured him it was actually not too hot and was served so that you could take what you wanted. Well, Stephanie was right. First, the chicken was delicious, as were all the accompaniments. But I thought the pineapple habenero reduction to be truly outstanding. It had a nice sweet taste on the front, and then a bit of heat in the back of the mouth--not too much, just right, and nicely balanced. The whole dish was actually very good. 

For my main course I chose a favorite, the Creole Shrimp N' Grits. It was a good choice as it was excellent! About a half dozen large domestic shrimp were perfectly cooked, servcie wtih a creole sauce with Andouille sausage and roasted vegetables all on a bed of grits. It was just divine. The shrimp were so good and had such a nice flavor from the creole, they were perfect. The vegetables with andouille were wonderful and the grits were able to soak up there somewhat spicy and very full bodied flavor. Sometimes when I've had shrimp n' grits, the sauce is more of an afterthought, but here it was a well thought out and well executed dish. Every element served to accentuate the others. I really though the dish most excellent. 

Cress is not an inexpensive restaurant, but you get what you pay for. And we got our money's worth here with an excellent meal and great, attentive service. At one point the co-owner and wife of the Chef stopped by to check on us as well, that was nice. It's a nice atmosphere, not a huge place, and has outdoor seating. They had live music as well which was a nice touch. We enjoyed our meal a lot and I'd recommend Cress to anyone in search of a fine dining experience. It was grand!

Bojangles

I had never eaten at a Bojangles before, or even heard of them, until one opened up not too far from me in Sanford. So on a recent Sunday afternoon, my friend and I decided to check them out.

I ordered a two piece dinner combo, two pieces of chicken breast served with dirty rice and macaroni and cheese. The chicken was very good with a nice and crisp coating, reminiscent of a KFC. The chicken itself was tender and moist, very good. I especially loved the dirty rice--this was very good and quite unique. As a matter of fact, i could see myself ordering just some dirty rice next time, it was that good. And the mac and cheese was good but somewhat typical. The dinner was serve with a fresh biscuit which was very light and airy.

My friend Tommy ordered a Cajun Chicken biscuit sandwich and the mashed potatoes with gravy. Now I did not get the "cajun" part of the cajun chicken because it was not all that spicy. But it was tender and tasty and a good sandwich, no doubt. The mashed potatoes were pretty standard, but still good.  


Overall we enjoyed our meal here. Definitely fast food but with the low prices to go with that. I'd eat here again for a quick meal.

Logan's Roadhouse

We stopped in at Logan's Roadhouse in Sanford for dinner recently and had a fairly decent experience there. I had not been there in some time, and it was fairly busy, but we were seated right away.

After a bit of deliberation, we decided to start with the Bayou Shrimp, popcorn shrimp that were breaded and deep fried and coated with cajun dust. The menu said they were served with a creamy chipotle sauce, but ours came with the usual shrimp sauce. However, our waitress quickly remedied that, and it was worth asking for. The shrimp were cooked just right and with the chipotle sauce, this was a very good appetizer. They were served on a bed of fries which was different, but good.

I had a salad with my meal, and it was a good salad. Chopped greens were served with tomato, carrot, bacon bits, and some cheese. The dressing was on the side, which I like. It was a good salad, pretty ordinary, but still good and hit the spot.

For my entrée I had the Shrimp Trio, and it was very good. First there was a skewer of shrimp that had been grilled, they were done just right. Then there were some breaded and deep fried shrimp, 10 of them if memory serves me correctly. They were also done perfectly. And finally some more popcorn shrimp. The skewer of shrimp was on a bed of rice pilaf and I had macaroni and cheese as a side. For a shrimp lover's dinner (and I am one), this was a nice meal. Everything was done well and I managed to devour it all!

My friend Tommy had the Logan with a salad and a baked potato. The Logan is a nice sirloin steak. It was cooked just to medium rare and was very good, nice and juicy and flavorful. The baked potato was fine as well.


Overall, our meal here was pretty good and not bad for the price. I'd come back again another time. Oh, and the free peanuts are a nice touch, especially since you can throw the shells on the floor. Yumm!

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.