Medieval Food at the Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire in Tavares, FL

Behold the power of social media for your benefit! I visited the Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire in Tavares a few weeks ago. I wasn't planning on writing about the fair on a food blog, but I did post a picture on Instagram/Facebook of some chili I ate while there. I got a comment requesting a blog post, so here we go! You do follow this blog on Instagram and Facebook, don't you?

As for renaissance fairs go, Lady of the Lakes had somewhat disappointing food options. It seemed like the majority of the booths selling food were run by a local high school's culinary program. There were some ren fest staples such as turkey legs, but much of the foods available were what seemed like generic school cafeteria hamburgers and hot dogs. There was one booth that caught my eye offering soup in a bread bowl. I went with the chili. I'd assume from the container that the chili was served out of that it was made by Campbell's. It was very meaty, slightly spicy, and could have used a little more moisture to seep into the bread bowl.

Being that the chili wasn't all that soupy, I soon ditched the spoon and started eating the bread bowl/chili in a true medieval fashion. I'd rip off a piece of bread, scoop up some chili, and devour it with my hands. All this happened while watching knights fight to the death, so I'll forgive some mediocre chili prepared by high school students...

Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington DC

Ben's Chili Bowl is a restaurant in Washington DC that is pretty famous. As their sign says out front, it's been a Washington Landmark since 1958. When I got out of the U Street Metro Station and saw Ben's Chili Bowl across the street and recognized the name, I decided I must eat there.

They have had some pretty famous customers. Apparently Bill Cosby is a regular here. President Obama also ate here as well, and Ben's Chili Bowl definitely wants you to know this. Both are showcased on a huge mural on the side of the restaurant.

Ben's Chili Bowl was pretty crowded on the night I visited. The line went almost out the door. Seems like this place is also popular with the late night bar crowd.

Even though the restaurant is called Ben's Chili Bowl, it seemed like hot dogs called smokes were featured more on the menu than the actual chili. Lots and lots of these smokes were being grilled just behind the restaurant's front window.

I went in planning on just trying the chili. We had already had dinner earlier, but I figured why not get a snack and try a Washington landmark restaurant while I was there. When I actually got to the restaurant, I changed my mind and decided to try Bill Cosby's Favorite Original Half-Smoke. I'm not even a big fan of hot dogs, but I figured I'd find out what the fuss was about. This was a 1/4 pound, half pork/half beef smoked sausage topped with mustard, onions, and chili. Potato chips were served on the side. The most surprising thing about the whole dish was actually the chili. I have a pretty high tolerance for spicy foods, but this chili had quite the kick to it. Spicy chili is good! Besides the chili, everything else seemed pretty standard for a chili dog to me.

I don't think I'd go out of my way to return to Ben's Chili Bowl, but I can now say I've eaten Bill Cosby's favorite chili dog in a Washington landmark that has fed presidents. I don't know what it is, but classic hot dog/hamburger restaurants like this always have a nice vibe to them, but the food just doesn't do it for me. Perhaps if I liked hot dogs a bit more? Much like The Varsity in Atlanta or Nathan's in Coney Island, I can cross Ben's Chili Bowl off my list as a must-eat food experience.

Mitsitam Cafe in Washington DC

While sightseeing in Washington DC, I stopped for lunch at the cafeteria in the National Museum of the American Indian. The restaurant is called Mitsitam Cafe and is set up with different stations, each serving traditional (I hope) Native American foods from different regions of the Americas.

I ordered something that they called an Indian Taco from the booth serving foods from the Great Plains region. This consisted of a large, fluffy piece of fry bread topped with buffalo chili. Cheese was melted over the chili, and then was covered with lettuce and tomato. I really have no clue if this is something that is traditionally eaten by Native Americans in the Great Plains region, but it was pretty tasty. It couldn't actually be eaten like a taco since the chili completely covered the fry bread and silverware was used. The chili was slightly spicy with large chunks of bison floating around. The lettuce and tomato almost seemed like an afterthought how they were just thrown on top of the plate, but I ate it all and enjoyed my Indian Taco!

The Mitsitam Cafe was on the expensive side with my taco costing just over $12. Since it was inside a museum, I suppose it's equivalent to theme park prices so it really wasn't too bad for better food. Compared to the food options at the Air & Space Museum next door (McDonalds), this was definitely the better option as far as Smithsonian snack bars go!

Cheesecake Factory in Boca Raton, FL

Most people are familiar with The Cheesecake Factory. The chain is known (at least to the people I talk to) for their huge menu and scary sized portions. Even with a humongous menu, they tend to serve food that is generally tasty. My most recent experience with eating at the Cheesecake Factory in Boca Raton, FL!

The meal started with an appetizer of Fried Macaroni & Cheese. This isn't something I would necessary choose as an appetizer, but when someone else picks it and there's extra, I might as well give it a try. There's something about breaded, deep fried pasta that just doesn't seem right to me. I only have one other experience with this dish and Cheesecake Factory's was superior.

For my main course, I had the White Chicken Chili. At first glance, I was actually disappointed with dish. I ordered off the dinner menu, but yet the lunch portions that were also brought to the table appeared to be at least triple the size. As I started eating though, I realized that the portion was still huge. With all the protein from the chicken and beans in the chili, I only got through half of my meal before I ended up getting a to-go box. Putting the apparent size of the chili aside, this chili was very tasty. It had lots of chicken and beans in a creamy broth, topped with brown rice, scallions, and tomato.

I really do find it amazing how everything I can remember ordering from Cheesecake Factory always tastes good. They are definitely near the top of my list when it comes to chain restaurants.

Steak 'n Shake in Lake Mary, FL

I've been to multiple Steak 'n Shake locations and have never really been too happy with their food. I'm not a big fan of burgers, and all of the other sandwiches I've tried have been dripping with a disgusting amount of grease. The salads I've tried there haven't been much better, but Steak 'n Shake does have pretty good milkshakes though.

I recently went to lunch at the Steak 'n Shake in Lake Mary and tried something new. I ordered a bowl of their chili and was actually pleasantly surprised. The chili was really good. It had plenty of kidney beans and had a nice kick to it. I'd get it again...