Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza

I stopped at this Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza location (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) on my drive home to central Florida from a business trip to the Fort Lauderdale area, and I had a very nice lunch here--the pizza is very good. I drove up exactly at opening time, 11 AM, but no worries, though I was their first customer of the day, they were open and ready for me. As I was on the road, I did not hesitate, but ordered a pizza with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes. In due time it arrived and it was all I'd hope it would be. The onions were caramelized, which was a nice touch. The pizza was, as they claim, cooked well done, but very good and flavorful. All the ingredients appeared fresh and the taste was outstanding. Of course, the crisp crust was indeed nice and crisp. I really like this style of pizza and I know another visit to an Anthony's is in my future. Yumm! Oh, and by the way, did i mention that the service was top notch? Well, it was!

Thai Thai

Wow, I had a really good lunch at Thai Thai recently, what a pleasant surprise. I was in town on business and Thai Thai was nearby, so I thought I'd give it a try--it was a fortunate choice. I had the Pud Thai and it was very good. Very fresh red cabbage, carrots, and lettuce garnished a freshly made Pad Thai, brimming with flavors including peanuts, bean sprouts, chicken, scallions, and a host of other flavors. It was not overly spicy but rather had a very nice mild flavor. I loved this dish a lot and would certainly return to Thai Thai again and again if I lived in the neighborhood.   

Pei Wei Asian Diner

I had dinner at Pei Wei Asian Diner recently. It was OK, but just OK. I started with the Hot N Sour soup. It had a strange "burned" flavor to it, not that appetizing. I would not order it here again. For my main course I had the Carmel Chicken. It was OK, not too bad. The chicken was cooked and fairly tender. The pineapple was a nice touch. The garnish made it look really good, and the sauce it was in was rather tasty. It was served with white rice and in general was a fairly good value and a filling meal. I'll probably come back again, but would not order the Hot N Sour soup again, I've had much better elsewhere.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro

I learned a good lesson on my recent visit to P.F. Chang's China Bistro--ask what the price of the special is if you're going to order it. I was in town for business and decided to give this place a try for dinner. All the dinners seemed reasonably prices and within my expense account, in the $15-$20 range. I was ready to order, but the server mentioned the specials, one of which was a Seafood Trio, Sea Bass, Scallops, and Shrimp. I was sold--but I should have asked the price--and he should have told me, because it was WAY, WAY OUT OF LINE with the regular menu prices. The price? $29.99! Outrageous. And it was not all that good.  

It was a large portion of Sea Bass, but it was not cooked through. The outside was tasty enough, but the inside was not cooked and was tough. The scallops and shrimp were breaded and fried and were less than ordinary--I've had better at a cheap bar along the Intracoastal for a lot less. So overall, I was totally unimpressed. I've never been a big fan of P.F. Chang's but decided to give them a second chance. Bad choice. Never again!

Grand Lux Cafe

Talk about horrible service... I was literally the "invisible man" on my attempt to eat dinner at Grand Lux Cafe recently. I had high hopes for the place as the menu looked good. But it was not to be.

Upon entering, I was promptly greeted by the hosted and led to a seat with the (false) promise that "someone would be right with me." I was dining alone, in town on business, and seated at a narrow table separated by a small space from the table of four next to me. Embarrasingly close, I'd say. During the next 10-15 minutes, the waiter visited that table twice, the table next to it at least once. Server upon server passed me by. I'd long put down the menu, longing for even just a glass of water. Finally, in desperation, after well after 10 minutes (that I timed) had passed, I picked up my iPhone and called the front desk. My simple question: "how long do you expect someone to wait in your restaurant for their server to visit them?" In all fairness, they tried to be apologetic and help, but by this time I was out of patience.

To add great insult to injury, as I was about to leave, the waiter (who'd visited the next table at least twice in the last 10-15 minutes) finally came up to me. Guess what he said? "I'll be right with you".... as he turned and walked away. I did the same. I will never return to this restaurant nor visit this chain again. Is it any good? Well, they lost any chance they ever had to make a good first impression.

Harry's of St. Augustine

We had a very nice dinner at Harry's of St. Augustine on a recent Sunday evening. We'd eaten here before and enjoyed it, and this second visit confirmed the verdict: very good food in a very nice atmosphere! There were, however, one or two missteps in the service, but the good food made up for that.

Harry's is always busy, and we arrived to a 30-45 minute wait to sit inside--or immediate sitting outside on the gorgeous patio during a beautiful spring evening--that was a no brainer!  We quickly were seated and provided menus.

We started out with an order of the Fried Green Tomatoes. Tommy pronounced them to be the best fried green tomatoes he's ever eaten (he must have forgotten about the ones I've made him....). In reality, they were very good. A nice and crispy cormeal crust covered the tomatoes which were nice and solid, slightly acid, and very good. The aioli and feta cheese that garnished them only added to the great layers of flavors. Indeed, these were among the best fried green tomatoes that I've ever had.

After this we ordered dinner. Tommy ordered soup which, unfortunately, never arrived. When dinner came, no soup had appeared. But his dinner did arrive and it was very good:  Chicken and pasta. The pasta was nicely cooked, just al dente. The chicken was exceedingly tender and the sauce nice and creamy. However, he did have to ask for some parmesan--it really should have been offered with the dinner. However, the waiter did not bring the dinner, a runner did. But when asked for some Parmesan, the waiter said sure, but then proceeded to start to take an order at a nearby table--there was no real sense of urgency on his part. His attitude seemed a bit cavalier, almost like he was doing us a favor by serving us, that was a bit offputting. But we did get the parmesan and, in all honesty, the food was really good.

I had the Taste of New Orleans for my main course and it as a large plate with large portions and large flavor. First, there was jambalaya, nice with a bit of spice. Then there was Shrimp Etouffe--very good. Finally, there was gumbo. Boy oh boy, all of these were very good. A bit of spice, a bit of heat, but they were all they should be with shrimp, seafood, andoullie, spice, and rice. A real taste of New Orleans and I enjoyed it a lot.

The somewhat "off" service notwithstanding, we enjoyed our meal and time at Harrys. The food is really good and we'd both go back here in a heartbeat. I'm sure we'll return--soon!

Athena Restaurant

We stopped for breakfast at Athena Restaurant when we were visiting St. Augustine recently, and had a very pleasant breakfast. We were promptly greeted, seated, and given menus.

I had a ham and cheddar omelet, and it was excellent. Lots of cheddar, nice and sharp, with a large amount of cheese. And it was cooked perfectly. The breakfast fried potatoes that accompanied it were very good with a lot of nice caramelized onions in them. And the whole wheat toast was nice and hearty. It was a good way to start the day.

My friend Tommy had a very nice breakfast, too, with eggs cooked to a perfect over-easy, bacon and sausage, and the breakfast fried potatoes. He also had a pancake which was huge but equally good. We both agreed that the food was good, the portions decent and the price fair. On top of that was had very good, friendly service. This breakfast was a hit on all accounts!

Beaches on Vilano

We visited St. Augustine recently and decided to drive just north of the city along the ocean. There we came upon the small beach town of Vilano, and we had dinner there at Beaches on Vilano. It was pretty decent food for a beach town.

Beaches on Vilano is actually located by the marina and pier, right on the Intracoastal Waterway with a great view of the high-rise bridge that brings A1A from the mainland to the sandbar. It's very typical in decor for such a place, kind of laid back. But our service was certainly not laid back and the food was actually quite decent.

My friend Tommy ordered a chicken sandwich and it was delicious. A generous portion of white meat was nicely grilled and blackened, topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, and some provolone. Nothing too spectacular, but definitely good eats. The fries that accompanied it were very good, seasoned fries. They were quite tasty. The coleslaw was pretty ordinary, but overall, this meal hit the spot.

I started with a salad. It was good and somewhat on the fancy side for a beach town supper club type of place. Mixed greens were topped with tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, green peppers, and diced red onions. The balsamic viniagrette was served on the side. It was a good salad.

For my main dish, i had one of my favorites, Shrimp N Grits. It was very good. The grits were very creamy and tasty and a bit cheesy. The shrimp was well cooked, maybe a half minute too long, but not rubbery. Fresh diced tomatoes topped the dish. It was very good and I ate every last drop. Overall, a very nice lunch here, I was impressed. Nice place, nice atmosphere, great service, and good food. And the beer was cold! 

Gaufres & Goods

Interesting name, great food! We were wandering historic St. Augustine recently and stumbled upon Gaufres & Goods, proclaiming that they serve Greek and Polish food. Since I'm of Polish ancestory and have visited there several times, we just had to eat here. We were not disappointed! It was great!

I started off with the barszcz--beet soup. I've had many, many varieties, and this one was top notch. A clear beet broth had tons of flavor. It also had some diced beets and, best of all, was served with uszki (literally "little ears)--miniature pierogi stuffed mushrooms. The soup was hot and tasty and had a nice hint of acid. The uszki were the perfect compliment and added balance. This was great.

For my main course I ordered the Taste of Poland. I am of polish heritage and know Polish food. I've even eaten Polish food in Poland. And this place serves Polish food. The Taste of Poland included four pierogi, fried with a bit of onion, each one better than the previous one. I had three different "flavors," the meat, potatoes and cheese, and sauerkraut and mushrooms. They were all excellent. My favorite, if i had to name one, would be the meat, simply because they are the hardest to make and flavor properly, but these were. Suspecting that they were hand made in house, I asked our waitress. Indeed, they make their own. It shows. My dinner also came with the "national dish" of Poland--bigos--often called "hunter stew." It was awesome. Cabbage and sauerkraut form the backbone of the dish, onions and mushrooms and a bit of tomato provide flavoring, and kielbasa and other meats provide the protein. In Poland, everyone has their own favorite (and highly guarded) recipe for bigos. This one was right up there. I loved the way it was served, almost like a salad on a whole grain bun--itself very delicious. This added a definite European and Polish note to the meal. 

My friend Tommy opted for soup and salad for his lunch. The soup was Beef Barley and I had a taste--it was delicious wiht a nice meaty broth and rich barley, seasoned with carrots and onions--wonderful.

His salad was a greek style salad and that makes perfect sense, since Gaufres & Goods bills itself as a Greek and Polish restaurant. The salad was very good too, with olives and feta cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers--nice and light and refreshing.

I am always excited to find a restaurant that serves Polish food. With Gaufres & Goods, I found one that serves excellent Polish food. I sure wish I lived closer to St. Augustine, I'd be a regular. Give it a try, I highly recommend it!

Fork in the Road Food Truck

I went back to the Sanford Food Truck Bazaar in search of dessert, and came away with an excellent BBQ Pulled Spring Roll from the Fork in the Road Food Truck. We'd eaten earlier and took a break, but then decided to go back for dessert. I found somethign better, and this was it. This was very, very good. It was slow smoked and pulled Kurobuta (Berhshire) pork shoulder with a chipotle BBQ sauce and pickled red onions, rolled in a spring roll wrapper, deep fried, and served with a smoked blue cheese sauce. It came out fresh and hot and each bite was wonderful. I could taste the pork, first and foremost. The pickled onions added not only flavor, but texture. The crisp wrapper was just that, crisp. And finally the smoked blue cheese sauce gave the spiciness of the chipotle a very nice offset. It was a great dessert!

Gastro-Truck

I wanted to find some really outstanding Macaroni N Cheese at the Sanford Food Truck Bazaar the other night, and so I tried the offering from the Gastro-Truck. It was ooey and gooey as a good mac 'n cheese should be, rich and creamy with a nice cheese flavor. It was good, but it was not the gourmet "great" that I was looking for. For down-home comfort food, this was good. The macaroni itself was a bit overcooked, I'd have preferred a bit more bite to it. The cheese sauce was creamy and rich. But the texture was pretty much all the same throughout the dis. It could have stood to have some texture contrast--maybe a bit more "burned" or caramelizes, maybe a few bread crumb, possible some onion or bacon or...well, just something. So, while I found it good and comforting (and we ate the whole full-sized portion), I did not think it to be "gourmet." Good, yes. Great, not this time.

Melissa's Chicken & Waffles

We were at the Sanford Food Truck Bazaar and my friend Tommy had the the Chicken and Waffles from Melissa's Chicken & Waffles Food Truck. While the waffle itself was a bit wimpy, the chicken itself was outstanding, a bit of heat, very fresh and nicely deep fried. The sausage gravy and the waffle and syrup complimented the crisp heat (literal and spice) of the chicken and it made for a very nice meal. Super Yummy! Tommy says he'd eat this again. The few bites I had confirmed that it was indeed delish!

SwedeDISH Food Truck

The first thing I had to eat at the Sanford Food Truck Bazaar the other night was the Slider from the SwedeDISH Food Truck, and I loved it! It was described as an all-beef patty, Swedish style! The burger was tender and juicy with a slight hint of beet and topped with some capers. It was expertly cooked and not at all dry, but very juicy. It was accompanied by a bit of fresh red and green cabbage salad. The salad itself was great and I could have eaten a whole bowl of it--I detected some balsamic but it was not overpowering, just wonderful and delicious. There were other things on their menu that looked very good, and I'm sure I'll try some of those on a future visit. Nice job! 

Panda Express

We had a fairly nice fast-food, pseudo-Chinese dinner at Panda Express on a recent Saturday Evening. It is what it is, decent food for a fair price. Certainly not authentic Chinese, certainly not gourmet, but decent. I've learned that the best time to visit is when they are busy--that is, if you want fresh food and a good selection. Late at night or during off times, the food sits for too long. But if you get there at a busy time you can have OK food. I had the Chicken and Beans and they were indeed fresh, and the Orange Chicken, which is good comfort food, a bit too sweet and bland, but comfort food nonetheless. The lo mein (noodles) I had were a bit undercooked, but a bit of soy and some mustard (not very hot) fixed that. All in all, an OK meal for inexpensive fast food.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

I've been dying to try Five Guys Burgers and Fries and finally got my chance recently. I liked it! But first a word of warning: a regular order of fries will easily fill two people, if not three. Order a large fries at your own risk!

I ordered the Cheeseburger "all the way." Well, as you can see in the picture, it was quite a lot to handle--almost too much to handle. First off, there were two delicious patties of beef and two slices of cheese. The patties were rather thin, proabably 1/8 to 1/10 pound apiece, and so cooked well done, but they were still plenty juicy and not overcooked--with a nice beefly flavor. "All the way" means it was topped with lettuce, tomato, mayo, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, pickles,ketchup, and mustard--quite a lot to handle--and it was! It may look a bit rumpled in the picture, but that's because I ordered "to go" and walked about a half mile with it before I could partake. But it was yumm-yumm delicious. I think next time I'd order a single patty with cheese and just a few select toppings, this one was a bit much to eat, but oh, so satisfying.

The fries deserve great mention too. These fries are better than McDonald's by a long way. Maybe close to the best fries I've ever had. And the portions are huge. They were nicely fried, thick, skin-on, and lightly salted. Cooked to perfection and not at all greasy.

I thoroughly enjoyed my food from Five Guys, and will for sure to be back the next time I have a hankerin' for a good, plain ole hamburger. I sure hope we get one of these in Lake Mary soon--we could sure use a good burger place here!

Lake Mary's Food Truck Crave

OK, i just found out about this event. But on the last Sunday of the month, there is a Food Truck event in Lake Mary, the Lake Mary Food Truck Crave! It runs from 1-4 PM at Central Park, by the Lake Mary City Hall. Now that I know about this event, you know that I'll be there for the next one, on Sunday, February 26th. Won't you join me?

Bistro Babe's Cafe

There were so many great sounding menu items at the various food trucks at the Sanford Food Truck Bazaar, organized by The Daily City, that it was hard to decide what to eat, and what to eat next. But when we saw the Jamaican Me Jerk Shrimp at the Bistro Babes Cafe Food Truck, we could not resist--and it was a good choice! And so we ordered and rather quickly received our two skewers, each with three jumbo shrimp. They were very good. The shrimp had been marinated in a bit of a jerk sauce, and were served with a bit of Island-style salsa, pineapple, papaya, onion, and who-knows-what-else. All i know for sure is that it was pretty darned good and a lot of fun--and easy to eat, a must when you gotta eat standing up!  Nice job by the Babes!

5 Gastronomy Food Truck

We had a great time at the first Sanford Food Truck Bazaar, organized by The Daily City, last week in downtown Sanford. One of the things we tried was the 5-cheese Mac N Cheese from the 5 Gastronomy Food Truck.  It was OK, but just OK, not my favorite thing that I ate. There was no macaroni in it, but instead they used a curly egg noodle, like something you'd find served under some cheap beef stroganoff, or in a soup. Though the sauce was tasty, it was a bit thin and did not stick to the noodles well. I'll certainly give 5gastronomy another chance, as there were other enticing things on their menu, but for a Mac N Cheese, I'd probably go elsewhere next time. Still, because it had some good flavor but only lacked a bit in execution, I'll give them a provisional "thumbs up" vote on Urbanspoon. But as always, I reserve the right to change my mind and challenge you to try their food for yourself and tell me what you think about it.    

Café Rouge Express Food Truck

We attended the first at The Daily City Food Truck Bazaar at Sanford last week, and came away impressed--and full! One of the delights we had was the Chicken Tikka Masala Flatbread from the Café Rouge Express Food Truck. All I can say is, wow! I'd had a Chicken Tikka Masala at Cafe Rouge, the restaurant, in the past, and it was awesome, so I had to try their flatbread at their new food truck--I was not disappointed. They were kind enough to divide the huge portion into two for my friend Tommy and I--and the portions were huge, though maybe because I know the chef? But at any rate, this was first class. I was told in the past that they make their own garam masala, and it shows. Anyhow, the food was fantastic, awesome. I'll be back, I'm sure. And if I discover Chicken Tikka on the restaurant menu again, you know where'll I'll be headed!

Twisted Cuban Food Truck

I had a quick bite at the Twisted Cuban Food Truck at The Daily City Food Truck Bazaar at Sanford last week, and came away very impressed. My friend Tommy and I attended and tried a number of dishes at the Food Truchk Bazaar, and one of our top favorites was the Pork Taco at Twisted Cuban. It was awesome. There was a huge amount of tender pork in a soft flour tortilla. It was topped with a delicious and crunchy cabbage slaw and a dressing that had a bit of a tang. My only complaint--or rather suggestion--would be to have a bit less pork and a bit more of the slaw--but both were outstanding. I'll have these again one day, I am sure of it. And, by the way, the picture cannot do justice to these. They were truly outstanding, flavorful, just a hint of spice, tender meat, juicy, and ridiculous!

Polonia Polish Restaurant

One of my favorite places to eat good Polish food--for lunch or dinner, is Polonia Polish Restaurant in Longwood. And, since my parents were in town to visit, we went there on a recent weekday for lunch. We were not disappointed and had a wonderful lunch.

For my lunch I ordered the Polish platter so I'd have a nice sampling of Polish food, and I shareda  good 1/4 of it with my Mom. This was a sampling of four traditional Polish foods, all equally wonderful. The sausage was a "white sausage (bialy kielbasa), a sausage that is not smoked. It was fantastic, spicy, fully of flavor, and quite meaty, not overly fatty. The bigos, hunter's stew, was tangy and tender, with bits of meat and mushrooms, truly a delight. The golabek--a cabbage roll--was served with the requested tomato sauge. Ground meat and rice were wrapped in a cabbage leave, then slowly cooked until very tender. The cabbage leave and the tang of the tomato sauce combined to make this dance in the mouth! Yumm. And finally, there were the pieorgi. I've never had a pierogi I didn't love (unless it came from the mega-market's frozen foods section), and these were great as well. I had the potato and cheese, lightly pan fried, served with some caramelized onions. They were wonderful, nice and creamy.

I started out my meal with Zurek, a flavorful Polish sour rye soup--also known variously as Easter Soup or White Barszcz--though there are no beets in it. Zurek is make from a sour rye, so it's a tangy soup, It's served with kielbasa and some boiled egg, and also may contain potatoes and carrots. The zurek I had a Polonia was wonderful, about the best I've ever had, both here and in Poland.

For their starters, both my folks had the special soup of the day, Navy bean with ham. It was excellent. For his lunch, Dad had a special sandwich, roast beef with mushrooms, onions, and provolone cheese. It was wonderful. Both Mom and Dad had some, and both liked it a lot. As a matter of fact, it was a large sandwich and Dad brought some back to eat at a later time--which he did, and said it was just as good as the first time.

I've eaten at Polonia a number of times and will continue to return, time and again. On our way out, Rob, the owner, tried to entice us with some fresh made paczki, a Polish yeast-dough donut, traditionally made just before lent. They looked awesome and so I snapped a picture. But, having just eaten and mindful of the calories, we declined. Now I'm having second thoughts.... Lent is still a week or so away, I could swing on by there one day....