Hudson's on the River in Stuart, FL

Had lunch in downtown Stuart, FL at a waterfront restaurant called Hudson's on the River.

I ordered the Tropical Roll. This sushi roll consisted of coconut shrimp, avocado, mango, kiwi, pineapple salsa, and pear teriyaki. I enjoyed the roll. In regards to taste, I had no complaints. Only complaint was all aesthetic. The choice to put the brown colored teriyaki sauce on top of the bright colored fruit sort of made it look like the fruit was turning brown. It wasn't, but the presentation on this roll could have been better.  

 

Boston Bagel Cafe in Oakland Park, FL

I ate a sesame bagel with salmon cream cheese from a restaurant called Boston Bagel Cafe in Oakland Park, FL.

 

Stillwaters Tavern in St. Petersburg, FL

I ate in a restaurant called Stillwaters Tavern in downtown St. Pete. There were a few different menu items that sounded good to me, so I asked the server what he would recommend out of them. His said that the Pan Fried Ramen was the most unique to the restaurant out of my choices, so that's what I ordered. The menu described it as: Chinese sausage, market veg, toasted peanuts, marinated soft boiled egg, bean sprouts, and Thai basil.

I enjoyed the ramen. The portion was huge. There was a good amount of sauce and other ingredients mixed in with the noodles, and everything was flavorful!
 

Pizza 1905 in Lake Mary, FL

I ordered takeout from Pizza 1905 in Lake Mary. When I went in to pick up my pizza, it was promising. They had pizza by the slice on the counter that looked to be super thin NY style pies. I ordered a 16" Margherita pizza.

Pizza was mostly good. The sauce was very flavorful and the fresh mozzarella was melted nicely into the pie. The crust was unfortunately the pizza's downfall. Unlike the pie's available in the front of the restaurant, the crust wasn't exactly thin. It also seemed doughy and undercooked, like they rushed taking it out of the oven.

I want to give Pizza 1905 another try. There seemed to be potential for really good pizza, but for whatever reason, the undercooked, doughy crust on my pie was holding the pizza back from reaching that potential.

Catfish Johnny's Restaurant in Lake Panasoffkee, FL

I was driving to Dade City from Orlando a while back and wanted dinner on the way. Restaurants were thin on the route I was taking, but the internet told me there were restaurants in the town of Lake Panasoffkee. I had never heard of the tiny little town, but the highest rated restaurant was called Catfish Johnny's. Headed that way and lost cell signal, meaning that my meal was phone free.

I ordered the Catfish Fingers Dinner. This consisted of a huge mountain of deep fried, boneless catfish. The crispy batter was nice and flavorful and the fish was tender. Corn fritters, cheese grits, and fried okra were served as sides.

With the slim pickings of restaurants that I had in the area, I think I chose well!

The Mason Jar in New Smyrna Beach, FL

Smoothies are a food which I am pretty opinionated about. To me, smoothies are something that I can make myself for much cheaper and usually better than what I can purchase out. That's why I was skeptical when someone took me along to get a smoothie bowl from The Mason Jar in New Smyrna Beach.

I ordered a smoothie bowl called Sunrise Pitaya. The whole concept of a smoothie bowl was a new concept for me. I know they've been a thing, but never anything I payed attention to. I'm assuming there was pitaya/dragon fruit in the smoothie itself, along with other ingredients which were tasty. It was topped with strawberries, bananas, and coconut. The whole bowl did taste really good and was a good portion. Still was a bit pricey though, costing more than a meal at some restaurants...

Creative Arts Cafe in Lake Helen, FL

I had breakfast at a restaurant in Lake Helen called Creative Arts Cafe. The building was apparently some kind of youth art/theater school at some point, but was converted into a restaurant when that wasn't successful.

I had the Ultimate Greek Breakfast. It was scrambled eggs with ham, feta, tomatoes, and peppers. It was pretty tasty, although the cubes of feta on top of the eggs were half melted and had a very non-feta look to them. Hashed browns were served on as a side. They looked well seasoned but needed salt.

My food at Creative Arts Cafe was good enough. Not the best breakfast I've ever had, nor was it the worst. 

Buttonwood Cafe in Flamingo, FL

While visiting South Florida, I ventured deep within Everglades National Park and found myself in the former town of Flamingo. Flamingo is the furthest south that you can travel in the park by road. Flamingo was an actual town at one point which was occupied in the late 19th and early 20th century. Eventually Flamingo became a ghost town and was incorporated into the national park. The ruins of the former ghost town are apparently still present, but today Flamingo consists of a visitors center, marina, campsite, and an abundance of alligators and crocodiles.

Behind the bright pink Flamingo Visitor Center, there is a screened in area that houses a restaurant called the Buttonwood Cafe. The location provides a very nice view of Florida Bay.

The restaurant itself was essentially a food truck with table service. There was a trailer attached to the screen enclosure where all of the cooking was done. Servers took orders and delivered food. Apparently there was a more permanent restaurant here in the past which was destroyed by hurricanes and was never fully rebuilt.

I ordered the grouper sandwich. This consisted of a fried filet of fish on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tartar sauce included alongside the sandwich. I assembled all of the sandwich components together and this ended up being a tasty sandwich. The large piece of grouper was freshly breaded and fried. The breading had a very nice peppery flavor. The bun was a step above a standard hamburger roll. Coleslaw and fries were served on the side.

I enjoyed my meal at Buttonwood Cafe. It was my first experience dining in one of Florida's National Parks. It was also the furthest south I've ever eaten in peninsular Florida. I'd gladly return to the Everglades to eat here again!

Croissant Gourmet in Winter Park, FL

SunRail has officially started service in Orlando as of this week. In order to try out the new train, I decided to ride to Winter Park to get some lunch. You can read all about my experience riding SunRail on a new blog that I started called FloridaTrainAdventures.com. After I got off the train, I walked over to a French restaurant called Croissant Gourmet.

Croissant Gourmet is a French bakery, serving all sorts of delicious looking croissants, pastries, crepes, and sandwiches.

I ordered a sandwich called the Croque Monsieur topped with an egg. I've heard this sandwich also described as a croque madame if egg is involved, but according to the menu this was a croque monsieur. The sandwich consisted of two slices of bread, ham, melted cheese, and a fried egg over the top. Once the yolk was broken, the runny egg was absorbed into the bread giving the sandwich an extra burst of flavor. A salad was served on the side.

I shared a cinnamon raisin roll for dessert. It had a nice, flaky, almost croissant-like texture that I enjoyed. The roll was topped with powdered sugar and was tasty.

I enjoyed my meal at Croissant Gourmet. The food was good, and although it wasn't the cheapest restaurant around, it was more affordable than a couple other similar French bakeries that I've visited. After my meal, I returned to the train station and rode home...

Burger 21 in Orlando, FL

I had dinner one night at a restaurant called Burger 21 near Millenia Mall in Orlando. This is a chain with a few locations in the Orlando area. I started out the meal by sharing an order of Half & Half Fries. This was a basket of half regular fries and half sweet potato fries. The fries by themselves were okay. Nothing exceptional, but the fun part was dipping them in all of the sauces that were available at their sauce bar. My favorites were the Chipotle Mayo, Cajun Mayo, and totally unexpectedly, the Toasted Marshmallow.

I saw they had seafood burgers on the menu and that caught my attention. Seafood burgers seem to be a bit more unusual than then normal alternatives to beef burgers (turkey, veggie, etc). I decided to try the Spicy Thai Shrimp Burger. This is how the menu described the burger: Lightly-fried shrimp burger, lettuce, tomato, Sriracha aïoli, hot chili slaw, pure Sriracha, toasted sesame bun. The way the menu described the burger made it sound good, but the reality was very bland. The shrimp burger patty itself was deep fried on the outside. The interior of the patty appeared almost completely homogeneous and I had trouble telling what was shrimp and what was breading/filler. All that sriracha and hot chili slaw that topped the burger seemed to lack the normal spiciness of sriracha. The entire sandwich was very indistinct and flavorless. The sauce bar came to the rescue to add some taste to the burger...

The person I ate here with ordered a plain cheeseburger and wasn't all too happy either. He ordered it medium-well, but it was served very pink. Apparently this was a theme because I noticed a couple more people sending their food undercooked food back.

Overall, Burger 21 seemed to have potential but they didn't do a very good job to meet that potential. Fries and a sauce bar shouldn't be better than your burgers if burger is in your name. This area has other places around that serve much better burgers/sandwiches. I don't think I'll be rushing back to Burger 21...

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...

Ollo Fresh in Palm Beach Gardens, FL

On a drive home from south Florida, I stopped into the Palm Beach Gardens Mall located just off I-95 to stretch my legs for a few minutes. While there, I ventured into the food court and got lunch from a Middle Eastern restaurant called Ollo Fresh. I ordered a gyro sandwich. They offered a choice of lamb or chicken gyro inside the sandwich and I choose the lamb. The pita was topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and lots of tzatziki. The lamb had nice flavor, as did the tzatziki. Overall, this was very typical of what mall food court Middle Eastern restaurants serve, but I was happy with my gyro regardless.

On the Border in Royal Palm Beach, FL

I was taking the scenic route home from a visit to South Florida and was searching for some Mexican food for lunch. We were in the Wellington/West Palm Beach/Royal Palm Beach area along 441 and wanted to find food before we continued along our route and ventured into the sugar farms. The first two Mexican restaurants that we attempted to try were either no longer in business or closed, so we settled on going to a Mexican chain called On the Border. I had been to an On the Border a very long time ago and didn't remember much. This visit started with chips and salsa.

I ordered the three item lunch special where there was a big list of foods and I picked what I wanted. I went with a chicken enchilada, guacamole tostada, and chicken empanada. This lunch ended up being far more food than I was expecting. The lunch was served on a huge plate with black beans and rice, enchilada, two empanadas, and a queso dipping sauce. The tostada was served on a separate plate. The food was tasty enough for a Mexican chain with the same parent company as Chili's but the portion size here was a bit of overkill. Half of the food served would have still been a whole lot of food. With this being lunch, I wonder how much larger the dinner portions are at On the Border?

Lester's Diner in Coconut Creek, FL

I had a late breakfast one morning while staying in Boca at a restaurant called Lester's Diner in Coconut Creek. Apparently there are a few Lester's Diners in south Florida although this was the first one I ever came across. The building was unique looking with a somewhat dated looking but cool sign. Looked like it was built in the 1960s or 70s if I had to guess.

I ordered the spinach and feta omelet, served with a side of hashed browns and toast. The omelet was tasty with plenty of cheese. The hashed browns and toast were both forgettable. The omelet was a bit expensive for a diner breakfast, about equivalent to the overpriced omelets at a place like IHOP. The big difference here though was that this omelet was way better than what most of the chains serve. I'd return to Lester's Diner.

Florida Cracker Cafe in St. Augustine, FL

I recently spent an afternoon in St. Augustine and had lunch at a restaurant along St. George Street called Florida Cracker Cafe.

I ordered the Shrimp Po Boy. The sandwich came with two sides, and I picked collard greens and cheesy grits. The sandwich was good, with surprisingly large fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato, onion, and remoulade sauce. My general experience with shrimp po boys normally involves tiny shrimp, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since they are hidden away on a sandwich. The shrimp on this sandwich were quite large, almost taking up the width of the roll if angled correctly. I liked the sandwich, but the sides were disappointing. The cheesy grits were very plain tasting with very little cheesiness. The collards weren't much better, being so salty that I took a few bites and gave up.

Florida Cracker Cafe had okay food. I liked my sandwich but the side items could definitely use some improvement. I did try their homemade potato chips which were another option for a side, and they were very tasty. Perhaps chips would be a better choice than grits or collards as a side if I return.

Mister Softee Ice Cream Truck

Mister Softee is an ice cream truck franchise that seems to be very prevalent in the New York/New Jersey area. These trucks are found all over the place, whether it be in a city park, street corner, or doing the traditional ice cream truck thing by driving around residential neighborhoods. Unlike many of the ice cream trucks that are found down south, Mister Softee serves soft serve ice cream rather than only pre-packaged stuff. On my various visits up north, somehow I always find myself making a purchase from a Mister Softee truck. There's really nothing exceptional about the ice cream, but I enjoy the novelty of ice cream trucks. Here's a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate from a Mister Softee that I waved down on Long Island.

Mister Softee trucks make it to the middle of the East River too. I found this truck parked on Governor's Island. I noticed the Mister Softee trucks parked in New York City parks have much higher prices than the trucks that drive around outside the city.

Mister Softee recently appeared in Orlando for a while. This Mister Softee truck was often found at the local food truck events and was occasionally spotted driving around neighborhoods. I'm not entirely sure if this truck is still around, but it has been a while since I've seen the Orlando Mister Softee Truck.

One thing that bothered me about the Orlando Mister Softee was that the people running it said it was impossible to dip a cone in both sauce (chocolate or cherry) and nuts. The Mister Softee trucks up north all do it, so I don't see while it would be impossible in Florida. Here's a cherry dipped vanilla cone from the Orlando truck when they were at Lake Lily in Maitland.

This discussion of ice cream trucks has become much longer than I originally intended when I started writing this post, but I enjoy ice cream trucks. I apparently enjoy writing about them too...

Gatorville Pool Bar & Restaurant at Wyndham Orlando Resort

I was invited to try the new Gatorville Pool Bar & Restaurant at Wyndham Orlando Resort. The Wyndham Orlando is a sprawling hotel at the intersection of International Drive and Sand Lake Road. They are currently under renovations and will eventually be connected to the new I-Drive Live complex that is being built on the site once occupied by the Mercado mall. I was quickly escorted to the pool when I arrived at the Wyndham. The Gatorville Pool Bar overlooks two of the swimming pools at the hotel and I was greeted with appetizers.These included shrimp and veggie spring rolls as well as skewers of beef and chicken satay. The appetizers were good, but much better food was on the way.

A tray of sushi and summer rolls were soon served to the table. The dinner was described as having Floribbean style foods, but so far everything had an Asian theme. I was good with that and always enjoy some sushi. I tried the summer rolls, California rolls, spicy tuna rolls, and soft-shell crab (spider rolls?).

Salads followed the sushi. First up was a spinach and goat cheese salad with rye bread croutons.

Next was a pasta salad topped with salmon. It seemed the food was fitting more and more into that Floribbean description.

Once the appetizers and salads were finished, the main courses were served. There were these Lollipop Lamb Chops cooked in garlic, rosemary, sugar and vinegar. The meat was nice and tender!

Then there was this plate of Crispy Fried Snapper and Prawns. The snapper was one of my favorite foods of the night and the size of the prawns was amazing! I would have mistaken them for spiny lobster if the menu didn't say otherwise!

Various sides were served as well. The jalapeno cornbread was very moist and tasty.  

 

I enjoyed the pot stickers. But then again, it's rare that I find a dumpling that I don't like.

Tostones were also served. I honestly can't say I've had enough of these mashed and fried plantains to be a good judge of them, but I liked these.

Bananas Foster was served for dessert. It was cooked at this station where the chef flambeed the bananas.

The bananas were then served over crepes filled with vanilla ice cream. Ice cream crepes are awesome...

And with that, my meal at the Gatorville Pool Bar was complete. I enjoyed both the food and the dining experience in general. I've gone to other local hotels in the past for dinner, but the Wyndham was completely off my radar for some reason. Now that I know about it, I just might have to stop in again for another meal some day!