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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Skyline Diner in New Hyde Park, NY

There's not much of a skyline near Skyline Diner in New Hyde Park on Long Island, but lets not get hung up on restaurant names. While up in New York, I had a late night dinner/early breakfast at this diner. Two scrambled eggs, hash browns, and toast for $4 wasn't a bad deal at an overpriced diner...




Skyline Diner on Urbanspoon

Monday, June 27, 2011

Pho Mac in Staten Island, NY

Staten Island, NY. It's a place that everyone seems to drive through without ever leaving the highway while either coming or going to other parts of New York and New Jersey. Still, I figured being one of the five boroughs of New York City, chances are there was some good stuff hidden on the island. That's why on my last trip up to New York, I made a point to actually stop in Staten Island for the first time ever and found some good Vietnamese food at a restaurant called Pho Mac...
I ordered the Pho Thit Heo Nuong, or #17 on the menu. This bowl of pho was described as combination rice noodles beef soup with grilled pork. The thinly sliced pork came served on the side which was a bit different, but once added into the bowl of soup, all the flavors came together into a very tasty dinner!

Pho Mac on Urbanspoon

Friday, June 24, 2011

Mobile Deli Food Truck in Orlando, FL



Mobile Deli is one of Orlando's newest food trucks and also has one of the most generic names. Who would think that a truck called Mobile Deli serves Korean-fusion food? I tried them while at the Oviedo Food Truck Bazaar and I'm glad I did. My first taste of Korean tacos in Orlando was delicious...
Mobile Deli Menu
I had two tacos, filled with chicken bulgogi and pork bulgogi, both on corn tortillas. These two overstuffed tacos were plenty to eat, containing the meat, onions, tomato, cilantro, and lime. The pork bulgogi was okay, although I thought the meat was kind of dry. The chicken was definitely the standout of the two meats. It was much spicier than the pork (good thing) and it was perfectly cooked. The flavors all mixed very nicely, so nicely that I was even thinking about getting another chicken taco. I will definitely be tracking down Mobile Deli on another day...
Mobile Deli Tacos

Mobile Deli Food Truck on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Russian & International Food Market in Boca Raton, FL

I found a place called Russian & International Food Market in the shopping center at the intersection of Glades and Lyons Road on my last trip to Boca Raton. The store was filled with all sorts of interesting Eastern European foods, but what really drew me in was their case of pierogi. For $2.50, I had a huge potato pierogi. Unlike other pierogi I've had elsewhere, this Russian version of the food was more akin to a knish rather than a dumpling.
This huge pierogi had a flaky crust wrapped around a mound of mashed potato. It was quite different from other pierogi that I've had in the past, but was still very tasty...
I also bought this Poppy Seed Danish. Pretty good, although nothing compared to the freshly baked poppy seed rolls I've had in the past...



Russian & International Food Market on Urbanspoon

Monday, June 20, 2011

Green House Chinese in Orlando, FL

I had a late dinner at Green House Chinese on Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando. Because most people seem to eat dinner way too early in Orlando, I was expecting the restaurant to be closing or completely empty at 9:30 pm. It was probably a good sign when Green House was packed with customers.

I ordered the Kung Po Shrimp combination. Wonton soup and an egg roll were served as appetizers.
The Kung Po Shrimp shared the plate with a large mound of fried rice. The large shrimp were drenched in a spicy sauce, along with carrots, peppers, and other assorted vegetables, then topped with peanuts.
My meal was pretty tasty and was a whole lot of food. The prices were good too, equivalent to most Chinese take-out places. I don't think I'd make a special trip to the other side of town for Green House's food, but if I was in the area, I just might stop in again for another try...

Green House Chinese on Urbanspoon

Friday, June 17, 2011

Frank's Ristorante in Pompano Beach, FL

I was in Pompano Beach and wanted to get a quick slice of pizza for lunch. Frank's Ristorante was close to where I parked so I gave them a try. Frank's had several different traditional pies to choose from, but for some strange reason I decided to try a slice of their taco pizza. It wasn't my best pizza decision, with my end conclusion being that American cheese and lettuce definitely don't go on a slice of pizza. I won't be ordering taco pizza again any time soon...


Frank's Ristorante on Urbanspoon

Monday, June 13, 2011

Oviedo Food Truck Bazaar


Food truck events have begun to spread out of Orlando. Last night was the first time food trucks have congregated in Seminole County. The Oviedo Food Truck Bazaar happened in the Oviedo Marketplace Mall parking lot and consisted of fifteen trucks. Food pictures of what was eaten will come soon, but enjoy this Food Truck Bazaar video until then...

Friday, June 10, 2011

Sunset Ice Truck from Merritt Island, FL

While at the Orlando Food Truck Bazaar #2, I bought dessert from a truck called Sunset Ice from Merritt Island.
I tried a cup of ice with half mango and half lemon. The mango ice was very different in a good way. Rather than being overly sweet like most Italian ices, this mango was more tart than sweet and actually tasted a whole lot like the fruit it was supposed to taste like.
Lemon is a standard flavor for me when it comes to Italian ice. I almost always taste some lemon whenever I try ice. This was good lemon ice. Had a good mix of sweet and tart, but the mango was definitely my favorite of the two flavors...


Sunset Ice (Mobile Cart) on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Gino's Pizza & Brew in Orlando, FL

Gino's Pizza & Brew has a few locations within blocks of one another in Downtown Orlando (or had- I know a couple of the other Gino's have since closed). The biggest and original Gino's is located on Orange Avenue near Church Street. Gino's is open 24 hours so pizza for breakfast is always an option here. The employees here are very creepy most of the time and it always seems like there's something shady going on in the restaurant. They are overpriced too, but they're cheaper than the other nearby pizzerias in downtown. All that being said, Gino's does have some very tasty pizza (and free garlic knots). They are one of my favorite places to go for pizza by the slice since they always have a good selection of different pies.
On one visit to Gino's, I shared an 18" cheese pizza. The pizza was good, although I personally felt it could have been cooked a little longer for a crispier crust.
On another visit, I had the Tomato Bianca pizza. This sauceless pie was topped with sliced tomatoes and sprinkled with basil. Unlike the cheese pie on my previous visit, the crust was cooked to perfection this time around.
Update: While downtown on May 19, 2013, I noticed that Gino's has gone out of business. I think this was the last one in Orlando. This place has been in Orlando for as long as I can remember, but I guess their high prices and creepy employees finally caught up with them. According to the sign out front, a new restaurant called Gitto's is opening up in this location.


Gino's Pizza & Brew on Urbanspoon

Monday, June 6, 2011

Pinkberry in Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips)

Pinkberry opened their first Orlando store in the Dr. Phillips section of town last year. Some Pinkberry T-shirts were even given away here on this very blog because of the opening. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to Pinkberry's grand opening last August. Almost a year later, I still hadn't tried Pinkberry's frozen yogurt.

That all changed recently when I checked my email and saw that Pinkberry was debuting a new flavor by giving out free tastings. I figured this was a good excuse to finally give Pinkberry a try, and here is the result of my excursion- Salted Caramel Frozen Yogurt:
The caramel yogurt was topped with salt, molten caramel, and crepe flakes. I'm normally not a big fan of caramel, but the salty and sweet mixed together into a very nice flavor combination. Now I need to visit Pinkberry again to try more yogurt flavors!

Pinkberry on Urbanspoon

Friday, June 3, 2011

Zorbas Eatery in Longwood, FL

I ate dinner at a new Greek restaurant called Zorbas Eatery in Longwood. Zorbas went into a former Quiznos and didn't do much to change the setup of the restaurant. They still have the fast food feel where you order at a counter, only now the food has vastly improved over the former occupant of the space.
Zorbas Eatery
I tried the chicken gyro. The pita sandwich was filled with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, and plenty of delicious tzatziki.
Zorbas Chicken Gyro
This vegetarian platter was also ordered at my table, consisting of a spinach pie, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, and pita.
Zorbas Eatery Vegetarian Platter
For dessert, I shared this slice of kadaifi and baklava. Greek desserts are wonderful, these being no exception...
Zorbas Desserts
I had nothing bad to say about my meal. I'll be back to Zorbas Eatery...


Zorba's Eatery on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Star Tours Ice Cream Buffet at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Science fiction, theme parks, and ice cream. How can it be a bad thing? Somehow I managed to be checking Twitter at just the right time and was able to get myself free tickets to the Star Tours 3D Meetup that happened the night before the new ride officially opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios (or MGM as everyone still calls the park).
Everyone was greeted by a whole bunch of Storm Troopers and other Stars Wars characters, but as a food blogger, I noticed the all you could eat ice cream buffet...
Vanilla or chocolate ice cream was dished out by Disney cast members...
Next, everyone brought their bowls of ice cream over to the topping bars and went crazy. It was like one of the self-serve frozen yogurt places, only nobody had to worry about paying by weight!
I ended up with an ice cream sundae topped with sprinkles, peanut butter chips, brownies, cherries, and lots of whipped cream.
Disney also had drink bars set up with coffee, tea, and fruit punch.
Of course, after eating way too much ice cream, the next logical thing to do is to go ride a simulator ride multiple times. Star Tours 3D is a very fun ride...