Whitewood Modern Mediterranean Grill in Orlando, FL

After watching the circus at the Amway Center, I decided to wander around downtown Orlando and find some food. I ended up at a middle eastern restaurant on Orange Ave called Whitewood Modern Mediterranean Grill. I attempted to try this restaurant on two occasions in the past, but each time they were closed. Whitewood must have very spontaneous hours. Their website lists them as open during the times I've attempted to eat there in the past, yet they are listed as closed on Sundays. I ate at Whitewood on a Sunday.

I had the Kafta Kabob Platter. This consisted of two pieces of kafta, which were essentially middle eastern meatballs made from very nicely seasoned ground steak. These were served over rice with a very tasty white sauce. The platter came with two sides, and I chose the stuffed grape leaves and mixed vegetables. Grape leaves were good, with a nice dill flavor. Pita chips garnished the center of the plate and were very useful in collecting all that delicious white sauce that was on the plate. I enjoyed my food, as did everyone else who dined with me. What we didn't enjoy were the other patrons of the restaurant. I find the people who spend all Sunday long drinking on Wall Street, then end up in a restaurant later in the night to be very obnoxious. Sober people don't want to hear you very loudly yell "I'm going to fuck you up" over and over and over throughout the entire course of the meal. I know this had nothing to do with Whitewood, but it was annoying. I noticed a second Whitewood location recently opened in Lake Mary. Perhaps there's less annoying drunk people in Heathrow the next time I want middle eastern food at Whitewood...

Del Taco in Orlando, FL (International Drive)

Del Taco is a fast food Mexican chain that has a few locations in the Orlando area. They recently added ground turkey as a meat option to their menu. To announce the turkey, I received a box of feathers in the mail with a gift card to go try the new meat at Del Taco. I used the gift card to try the turkey at the Del Taco on International Drive in Orlando. I ordered a Turkey Taco, a Turkey Crunchtada Tostada, and a Vanilla Milkshake.

Turkey soft taco:

Turkey Crunchtada Tostada- I preferred this to the taco.

Vanilla Milkshake:

Deland Fish House in Deland, FL

I ventured out to Deland for dinner on a recent evening and found myself at a restaurant called the Deland Fish House. This seafood restaurant was located on International Speedway Blvd, not far from Downtown Deland and Stetson University.

They had a combo dinner where you got to pick a type of fish and shellfish that sounded good to me. I chose the blackened mahi mahi for my fish and a crab cake for the shellfish. The dinner came with two sides and I chose the fried okra and cheese grits. Hush puppies were also included. The blackened mahi mahi was very tasty. The seasoning was nice and spicy. The crab cake was also tasty. There was a lot of crab in this very large crab cake, which is always a good thing. The fried okra was average and the cheese grits were very plain tasting. The seafood was definitely better than the side items, as it should be at a seafood restaurant. Overall, I liked this place. The food was good for the most part. The prices were a little less than I was expecting and the portions were huge. I'd return!

Krazy Greek Kitchen in Lake Mary, FL

I was in Downtown Lake Mary and was going to give the relatively new Flipper's Pizza a try since it had been years since I had been to any of their locations. Once I parked, I noticed that Delano on the Park was no longer in business and a new restaurant called Krazy Greek Kitchen was there in it's place. I always enjoy good Greek food, so I decided to forgo pizza for the afternoon and ventured into Krazy Greek Kitchen...

I ordered the Gyro Pita. The sandwich was filled with plenty of thinly sliced meat, lettuce, onions, tomatos, and lots of tzatziki. The meat was very flavorful and the sandwich was kept nice and moist from the tzatziki.

 

Another food item that I was considering, but decided to get my gyro pita instead when someone else at the table ordered it was the Gyro Flatbread.  This pizza-like creation was something I haven't seen elsewhere. It consisted of a pita piled high with a layer of gyro meat, then a layer of peppers, onions, tomatoes, and then melted cheese. All this was served over a Greek salad. I tried a slice of the flatbread and it was delicious! Next time I come back to Krazy Greek Kitchen, I know what I'm ordering.

Lake Mary has a couple other Greek restaurants, but I think Krazy Greek Kitchen has the potential to be my favorite. I need to return to see if they hold up well!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Pie Car

I may be a food blogger, but I also have a big interest in the circus. I choose to fill my spare time with teaching myself circus arts. It started out with juggling, then moved on to unicycle, then stilt walking, then balloon art, and so on and so on. You can find circus props hidden throughout the background of several posts on this blog. Much of the travel food blogging that was written about has been done based around trips to circus festivals and conventions. Because of my rather obscure interests, you can bet I was excited when I received an invitation to visit the circus train for a tasting experience on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Pie Car!

The Pie Car is the official name for where food is prepared and consumed on the circus train.

Once aboard, we got to see the kitchen where all the food is prepared. That's Matt Loory, the Pie Car Manager for Ringling's Blue Unit.

We had a seat in the dining area of the Pie Car and were told all sorts of fascinating facts about eating on a circus train. For example, did you know:

• The Pie Car on the train and the Pie Car Jr. (food truck), which serves meals at the arenas, prepares a combined total of 1,000-1,500 meals each week.
• On selected days, the Pie Car offers special dishes featuring favorite performer recipes representing the cuisines of their native countries.  Approximately 30 countries are represented on the Blue Unit. The Pie Car Manager strives to create dishes that cater to everyone’s tastes.
• Central Florida native Matt Loory is the Pie Car Manager for the Blue Unit. At age 23, he is one of the youngest PCM’s in Ringling Bros. history.
• How did the Pie Car get its name? There are three versions behind it:
• The old chow houses used to serve primarily meat pies due to their heartiness and low cost.
•  Old dining cars on trains used to just serve coffee and pie.
• The name comes from the car's original designation: the "Privileged Individuals and Employee" car... P-I-E Privileged Individuals were those who had paid the show for some sort of concession rights. For example, someone was granted the "popcorn privilege," or the "cotton candy privilege.”

Soon enough, it was time eat. Since the public can't dine on the Pie Car without running away to join the circus, these pictures will be the closest you'll get to sampling circus food. Circus employees are definitely served much better food than what's sold at the concession stands at the circus! The first dish that was sampled was called Huevos Loco-Motion. Eggs, chorizo, peppers, onions, pico di gallo, and cheese all over a tortilla.

Popcorn Shrimp with Chipotle Mayo came next. I really liked the batter on the shrimp. Apparently it is a secret recipe that does include corn starch, brown sugar, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay seasoning.

Asian Meatloaf with Wasibi Mashed Potatoes & Chicken Caprese Roulade came next. Wasibi Mashed Potatoes were a very tasty combination that I had never tasted before!

For dessert, we had pineapple upside down cake and yogurt topped with orange slices.

After dessert, my meal on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Pie Car came to an end. I can now say I've eaten on a circus train! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Legends will be playing at the Amway Center in Orlando January 9-12, 2014. Be sure to go watch. I'm definitely going to see the show!

Viet Garden in Orlando, FL

Viet Garden was my gateway restaurant into Vietnamese food. Years ago, when I was unacquainted with this type of food, I remember trying Viet Garden for the first time and thoroughly enjoying it. I knew nothing about Vietnamese food at the time, but I knew I liked the sounds of all the noodles and soups that I found on the menu. I soon found myself trying more and more of the surrounding Vietnamese restaurants in the Orlando area. It had been a while since I'd had Vietnamese food, so I decided to return to Viet Garden for another visit.

On this particular visit to Viet Garden, I had the Cho Lon Combo Egg Noodle Soup. This consisted of shrimp, crab claws, roast pork, wontons, egg noodles, and some greens in a broth. The standard side dish of of bean sprouts, basil, jalapeno, and lime accompanied the huge bowl of soup. I did enjoy my soup, although the shrimp and crab claws were a bit elusive. I think I found two of each in the entire bowl. The broth had nice flavor with just the right amount of saltiness. Overall, this was a pretty tasty soup.

This wasn't my first visit to Viet Garden, and it most likely wasn't my last. I'm sure I'll be visiting again one day when I'm craving some Vietnamese food...

Run & Run Chinese Restaurant in Lake Buena Vista, FL

I had lunch at a Chinese take out restaurant called Run & Run in a shopping center off Palm Parkway in Lake Buena Vista. Run & Run was located in a strip mall that definitely catered to tourists filled with gift shops and overpriced restaurants. Because of this, I was a little apprehensive to see the prices here, but the really weren't bad. Run & Run was equivalent to most other Chinese take outs not located on the edge of Walt Disney World.

I ordered the Kung Pao Shrimp lunch special. This consisted of the main dish, fried rice, and a canned soda. The shrimp were good sized in a sauce that was spicier than what many other Chinese restaurants serve in an equivalent dish. This was mixed with mushrooms, green peppers, carrots, baby corn, and peanuts. The shrimp was a little mushroom heavy for my liking, but was otherwise tasty. The fried rice was a bit plain, being basically rice mixed with scrambled egg. Not much else was going on in there. Overall, Run & Run was a pretty standard Chinese take out. Not the best I've had, but not the worst either. I might stop back here at some point if I'm looking for Chinese food near Disney in the future...

Miwa Hibachi & Sushi Express in Ocoee, FL

I recently had dinner at a fast food Japanese restaurant in Ocoee called Miwa Hibachi & Sushi Express. I ordered the shrimp teriyaki meal, served with fried rice and vegetables. They gave several good sized shrimp, and then asked if I wanted some extra teriyaki chicken from the last person's meal that they cooked. I took Miwa up on their offer and sampled their chicken as well. The meats were tasty, although typical for what is served in hibachi style restaurants like this. The vegetables mostly consisted of cabbage and broccoli. The rice was good as well.

Miwa's portion size was huge. I couldn't finish all the food. It was definitely a good value for the price. I don't get out to Ocoee all too often, but I'd return here again sometime in the future...

Salem's Gyros in Lakeland, FL

I had food from a restaurant from Salem's Gyros & Subs in Lakeland. This fast food restaurant looked like it was a former Miami Subs at some point. Gyros and subs were a big part of the menu, but gizzards and livers seemed to be another big seller here. There were three occupied table in the restaurant while I was inside and all three appeared to be eating fried gizzards. I decided to skip the offal (that I know of) and ordered a gyro combo.

 

The combo came with a gyro pita, fries, and a drink. It was somewhat pricey for fast food at almost $10. I declined the offer to add gizzards for an additional $2. The fries were definitely fresh. Very hot and nice and crispy.

 

The gyro consisted of sliced lamb, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki, all wrapped in a pita. There was a whole lot of meat in the sandwich. It had nice flavor and the tzatziki kept the pita nice and moist.

Salem's made a good gyro. It was still a little overpriced, but I'll forgive them. I probably won't return any time in the near future, mostly since I don't live in Lakeland, but I might if I lived closer...

Boteco in Orlando, FL

Boteco is a Brazilian restaurant along International Drive, located right across the street from Festival Bay. Their menu wasn't strictly Brazilian food, with many items that seemed more appropriate for an Italian restaurant. This was also the first Brazilian restaurant I've visited with a sushi bar. 

I ordered the Breaded Fish with Shrimp Sauce. The menu described this as fried breaded fish topped with shrimp tomato sauce and peas served with mashed potatoes and the vegetable of the day. When I got my food, the shrimp sauce was served separate from the fish in it's own bowl. It was more like a shrimp soup, with lots of shrimp floating with peas in a tomato based broth. I started by pouring some of this over the fish, but then ended up eating them separately. The huge piece of fish was nice and moist in a tasty breading. Mashed potatoes were good, and the vegetable of the day turned out to be slices of grilled zucchini and yellow squash. Everything I tried at Boteco was tasty and I'd return...

Boston Lobster Feast in Orlando, FL

I visited Boston Lobster Feast on International Drive for a birthday. This restaurant is a seafood buffet that is definitely targeted towards tourists. They are way overpriced for buffet food, but that doesn't seem to stop the tourists from pouring in.

Boston Lobster Feast has three buffet tables set up inside the restaurant. The largest serves most of the hot seafood. Another is housed with much of the chilled food, and the third is filled with desserts.

My first trip to the buffet tables resulted in a plate filled with three different types of salmon. This included grilled salmon, smoked salmon, and cured salmon (lox). I also picked up corn on the cob and a biscuit.

Lobster bisque wasn't self-serve on the buffet, but I said yes when our server offered to bring some to the table. I didn't detect much lobster in here, but the creamy soup was tasty enough.

I tired some crab next. I sampled a whole blue crab and some snow crab legs. Somehow I know these crabs weren't as fresh as the crabs from the Maine Avenue Fish Market that I visited in DC earlier this year.

My next plate consisted of some seafood, but more filler items from the buffet. For the seafood, I had a tasty little crawfish, some fried shrimp, and a stuffed crab alongside rice and caesar salad. The crawfish was my favorite thing on this plate. Most everything on this plate was mediocre buffet food.

I was going to be done with the gorging after the last plate of food, but I then started thinking that I should probably get lobster from a place called Boston Lobster Feast. The problem is, I'm not the biggest lobster fan out there. It's an okay food, but I just don't understand the hype surrounding the crustaceans. I'd take crab over lobster any day. I got one of the lobsters here and it did not change my opinion. 

Boston Lobster Feast is mostly mediocre food on a very expensive buffet. I suppose if you want to pig out on as many lobsters as you please, then perhaps this place would be for you. The crab was good, but lots of local Chinese buffets also have crab at a quarter of the price. As for the rest of the seafood and other items, most of it was forgettable. Boston Lobster Feast is okay for what it is, but go in expecting typical buffet food and don't set your hopes too high...

Habibi in Orlando, FL

I visited a Lebanese restaurant in Orlando near the airport called Habibi. The counter service restaurant was nicely decorated and the food was made quickly.

I ordered a chicken shawarma sandwich. This sandwich was filled with lots of grilled chicken, hummus, pickled turnips, and some greens. I also had a side of stuffed grape leaves. I was very excited to see that Habibi had the pickled turnips. These are one of my favorite types of pickled vegetables and I got extra on the side as well as in the sandwich.

I liked my shawarma. It was tasty. There was enough sauce in the pita so it wasn't dry like these type sandwiches sometimes are. I will probably return to Habibi at some point (or one of their other locations) next time I'm craving some pickled turnips...

Leonardo's Pizza in Gainesville, FL

I was in Gainesville and had lunch at Leonardo's Pizza. Located within walking distance of UF, this restaurant was filled with mostly college students. I vaguely remember stopping here years ago on a previous visit to Gainesville but don't remember much about the food. It meant this time around, Leonardo's Pizza was new to me all over again!

Leonardo's had a very nice selection of pizza by the slice. There were several varieties that sounded good to me, but I decided to stick to two. The slices weren't exactly cheap, ranging from $2.95 to $4.50, so I didn't want to overdo it with my meal.

I ordered a slice of the Greek Pizza and the Spinach Tomato Pizza. The Greek was topped with spinach, feta, onions, olives, and pepperochinis. They were generous with the toppings on this pie. There were few spots where the mozzarella cheese underneath could be seen. The spinach tomato slice wasn't as exotic and was topped with exactly what it's name describes. Slices of tomato with spinach on a pizza. Out of the two slices, the Greek was definitely the winner.

I liked Leonardo's. While the pizza wasn't the all time best that I've ever had, the selection of pies to choose from definitely made this place a winner in my book. I'd go back again!