Atlanta Food (The Varsity, Talkin' Tacos, Gino's NY Pizza Bar, and Country Inn & Suites Hotel)

 The Varsity:

Went to The Varsity years ago and didn't get a hot dog. The food was bad then, and everyone told me it's because I didn't get the hot dogs. I returned recently and decided to give them another chance by getting hot dogs. I ordered the Slaw Dog Combo with onion rings. The dogs didn't redeem the restaurant. They were edible, but by no means anything great that would make me want to return to The Varsity. I don't understand why people hype up The Varsity so much in a city like Atlanta that has so much to offer when it comes to food.

Talkin Tacos:

I didn't realize this was a chain based out of Florida. Never noticed them around Orlando until I tried this location in Atlanta. Had their Crispy Stack Wrap filled with birria. Basically a better version of a Taco Bell Crunch Wrap. Also had Street Corn in a Cup. Food was pretty good. They did do a decor pet peeve of mine where they had UV black lights shining directly at the tables. Those aren't meat to be actual lighting.

Gino's NY Pizza Bar:

Most pizza I've had in Atlanta has been pretty bad. Gino's NY Pizza Bar broke that trend. They had good NY style pizza sold by the slice. 

I had a slice of their white pizza and their lasagna pizza.

Country Inn & Suites Hotel Breakfast:

Above average free breakfast that was included in the price of a relatively cheap hotel.

Tabla in Oviedo, FL

I've eaten at the Tabla location near Universal, but today I tried their Oviedo location. I had their Homestyle Curry Chicken Lunch Special. Was served with rice, naan, somosa, and lemon coriander soup. It was all pretty good, with the highlight being the soup. That stuff was delicious. I enjoyed that they still did lunch specials without having a buffet.

Apparently Tabla is a much bigger chain that I thought. I knew they had the local Orlando, Winter Park, and Oviedo locations, but they had a flyer on the table about franchises. Looking at their website, Tabla has locations across the country.

Soul de Cuba Cafe in Tampa, FL

I had the Cuban Sandwich from Soul de Cuba Cafe in Tampa. Was served with a side salad. The sandwich itself was good, but I was annoyed with the QR code menus and having to pay with my phone. Especially annoying was how their specials weren't on the QR code menu. Which we didn't notice until after we had ordered.
 

Gaucha Food Truck in Orlando Florida

I tried a food truck called Gaucha while I was at the Orlando Fringe Festival. They specialized in Argentine empanadas.

 I tried a Beef & Pickle empanada and a Corn Empanada. Both were delicious. 

Ziggie's Pizza in Orlando, FL

I like Ziggie's Pizza in Ivanhoe Village. They have nice thin crust pizza with interesting toppings. On my most recent visit, I had the Ziggie's Stardust, topped with pistachio pesto, cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and onions.

San Antonio Food (Smokey Mo's and Taco Palenque)

I visited San Antonio for a couple days. My food involved fast food restaurants. Behold:

Smokey Mo's:

Ate lunch at Smokey Mo's located near UTSA. This was a Texas chain with locations mostly around San Antonio and Austin. 

I had brisket, creamed corn, and mac & cheese. Pretty good for chain barbeque. 

Taco Palenque:

I had another meal from Taco Palenque near the airport. This was a chain that had locations in Texas and Mexico. First thing I noticed was that they had a really good salsa bar. 

I had the Enchiladas Verdes. Served with rice, beans, and some veggies. Really good for fast food. I'd frequent an Taco Palenque if they had a location in Florida.

Ma-Se in Longwood, FL

Ma-Se is a Japanese restaurant that's been in Longwood for a while which I finally visited for the first time. I ordered the Nachos Don. This was a rice bowl topped with tuna, krab, masago, avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, tomato, and tempura flakes. I enjoyed dinner!

 

Manzano's Beachside Deli in New Smyrna Beach, FL

I had lunch at Manzano's Beachside Deli in New Smyrna. Manzano's has another location in downtown Deland that I tried years ago. They did a thing that annoyed me so much that I never went back (was served a very different sandwich than ordered, with the excuse that they were out of ingredients so they made substitutions). Didn't realize this was another connected Manzano's until I walked in. They redeemed themselves. 

I ordered the Italian Stallion. This sandwich was topped with Ham, Salami, Prosciutto, Pepperoni, Provolone, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Black Olives, Mayo, Oil & Vinegar. The sandwich was served exactly how described, as it should. I'd go back to this Manzano's.

Steakhouse 71 at Disney's Contemporary Resort

I had lunch at Steakhouse 71 in the Contemporary Resort at Disney.

 I started with French Onion Soup.

I had the Gourmet Grilled Cheese for my entrree. This was toasted brioche filled with gruyere, smoked gouda, pork belly, arugula, and carnalized onion jam. I picked a Caesar salad as my side.

Savannah, GA Food (Franklin's, Flying Monk Noodle Bar, and Leopold's Ice Cream)

I went on a trip to Savannah, GA. Here's where I ate:

Franklin's:

When I found out my hotel didn't serve complementary breakfast like their website promised when booking, that meant I had to go out on an adventure. That brought me to a coffee shop called Franklin's. I had the Breakfast Bowl, filled with bacon, grits, egg, potatoes, salsa, and toast. Had a latte to drink. It was good, but the food, coffee, and tip ended up being the most expensive meal on my trip.
 

Flying Monk Noodle Bar:

Dinner was at Flying Monk Noodle Bar. I had the Drunken Noodles. It was insane how quickly these were prepared and served. Pretty tasty.

Leopold's Ice Cream:

I saw the line for Leopold's Ice Cream and decided there was no way that it was worth the hype. I walked by again after dinner and the line was much more reasonable right before they closed. I had a scoop of Lemon Custard (hidden in the bottom of the cup) and a scoop of Peach, which was one of their specials. It was perfectly fine ice cream, but I'm glad I didn't wait an hour for the dessert.

Cool Beans Espresso Bar in Statesboro, GA

Had a latte from Cool Beans Espresso Bar in downtown Statesboro, GA. Good coffee, fun latte art, and nice coffee shop.

Backlot Express at Hollywood Studios

I ate at Backlot Express at Hollywood Studios. I have distinct memories of eating here as a kid, way back in the MGM Studios days of the park. I remember tuna salad sandwiches on hot dog buns. I'm sure menus have changed and that hasn't been an option for a really long time. On this visit, I had  the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl. The menu describes it as Seasoned Jasmine Rice, Teriyaki Chicken, Yuzu-pickled Edamame, Carrots, Cucumber, and Onions drizzled with House-made Lemon-Tahini-Chipotle Vinaigrette and Sesame Seeds. It was pretty good. Proportion wise, I would have preferred a little more of the toppings to go with the rice, but otherwise everything was tasty.
 

Jeff's Bagel Run in Oviedo, FL

Jeff's Bagel Run is a newish chain in the Central Florida area that's been expanding like crazy. They've been around for a while, but I just tried them for the first time at their Oviedo location. I was surprised how simple their menu was when I walked it. I was expecting a selection of bagel based sandwiches like other bagel chains in the area, but it seemed like they kept it basic with only bagels and cream cheese, with a bigger focus on drinks than the bagels.

I ordered an asiago everything bagel with chive and onion cream cheese. I decided against getting a coffee because I'm trying to cut back on my caffeine intake. Sat down and waited for my bagel. About five minutes later, I was handed a to-go bag. Since it was already bagged, I decided to go eat in my car. Got to say I was surprised and annoyed when I opened the bag to find an un-toasted bagel with a separate container of cream cheese.

Why did it take five minutes to shove this in a bag when there was nobody ordering ahead of me? Why did I select to leave a tip when I'm doing all the work putting the cream cheese on the bagel? I don't get it. It was a fine bagel, but there's other better bagel shops in the area that don't make me do the work. I probably won't return to a Jeff's because of the cream cheese thing. 
 

Sushi Inc in St. Petersburg, FL

I ate lunch at Sushi Inc located in Downtown St. Petersburg. My meal started out with a salad. 

I had the Tonkotsu ramen with pork. Ramen is normally either mediocre if not good/great, but this was the first ramen that I've experience that was bad. Broth tasted rancid, unlike any other tonkotsu broth I've had elsewhere. It had a distinct smell that was very similar to urine. Needless to say, I hardly touched the soup. Instant ramen was better than this.

 

Jaws Food Booth at Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando set up an area of the San Francisco section of the park celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws. At one of their food booths, I tried the Lobster Taiyaki. The waffle was shaped like a shark and was stuffed with lobster salad overflowing onto the plate.