Phoenicia Diner in Phoenicia, NY

The morning after skiing at Belleaire Mountain, I stopped for breakfast at Phoenicia Diner in Phoenicia, NY. This place was located in middle of nowhere upstate New York, so what the diner was like on the inside surprised me. A good way to describe it would be "hipster." Which is a good thing. 

I had the Arnold Bennett Skillet. This was scrambled eggs, locally smoked trout, parmesan cheese, chives, and creme fraiche, served in a skillet along side toast. This was one of the best breakfast dishes I've had in a long time. Good job!

 

Belleayre Mountain Food (Discovery Lodge and Waffle Cabin)

I went skiing in Upstate New York at a place called Belleayre Mountain. I ate lunch on their property. First meal was at the cafeteria in their main lodge.

I had the Maple Pho. Interesting combination, since I don't think of pho as generally being sweet. The broth had the maple flavor. Noodles, brisket, bok choy, mushrooms, jalapeno slices, and scallions filled the pho. Tasted about what I expected from a ski resort cafeteria. It was totally acceptable, but not a meal I'll be craving any time soon.

 I had a snack before leaving Belleayre at the end of the day from a place called Waffle Cabin. This is apparently a chain that has locations mostly at ski resorts. 

I had a chocolate covered waffle. 

And a hot chocolate.

Arkville Bread & Breakfast in Arkville, NY

Had breakfast at a restaurant called Arkville Bread & Breakfast while traveling through upstate New York. I was staying at a hotel in a neighboring town, and this place was recommended by the people working in the hotel. Arkville Bread & Breakfast was inside of a caboose with an extended building built around the train car.

I had a chorizo omelet, served with home fries and toast. Good breakfast.

There were some neighboring train tracks from a nearby scenic railroad, explaining the caboose theme of the restaurant.

 

NewCity Coffee Co. in Lake Mary, FL

I had an Ube Latte from NewCity Coffee Co. in downtown Lake Mary.

 

Shiro of Japan in Carle Place, NY

Goodbye Shiro of Japan in Carle Place, NY. I have happy memories of going here as a kid. Too bad they closed after being in business for over 50 years.

 

Soup

Salad

Rice, ginger, and mustard sauce

Salmon and noodles

Spris Pizza in Miami, FL

I ate at Spris Pizza in Miami. Spris was located in a food truck in The Wharf Miami. I had the Rucola & Prosciutto pie. This pizza was topped with mozzarella, tomato sauce, arugula, and proscuitto. I was impressed how generous Spris was with the toppings. With a lot of places serving proscuitto on pizza, you get a few slices but Spris loaded it on. Flavors were good. Crust was good. I enjoyed the pizza!

 Video of the pizza

Tabla in Orlando, FL

Tabla Indian Restaurant was interesting. They were located inside of a motel next to the former site of Mystery Fun House across from Universal. I've never had Indian food in a motel before. All of the open parking spots near the restaurant entrance were reserved for hotel rewards members. I chanced parking in the reserved spot and nobody checked. The inside of Tabla was well decorated, more upscale than I'd expect in a motel restaurant. Regardless, we had hesitations about what we'd be getting because of the strangeness of the motel and parking. Thankfully, the food was good!

Started with Mixed Pakora Appetizer. This was a big plate of deep fried cauliflower, potato, paneer, and onions served with dipping sauces.

Chicken Tikka Masala was served on a sizzling skillet. I've had many versions of chicken tikka masala in my life, but this is the first time I've ever seen it served on a steaming platter. I enjoyed the show.

Also tried the Butter Chicken. 

I enjoyed my meal here. The food exceeded expectations set by the sketchy location. Everything was good and portions were huge compared to most Indian restaurants in the area. It's rare that I eat in an Indian restaurant and have leftovers. This was the case at Tabla. I'd go back.
 

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.  

 

Eggholic in Queens, NY

I tried a restaurant called Eggholic in Queens, NY. This was an Indian fast food restaurant where most everything was egg based in some form, whether it be actual egg or chicken.

Started with somosas:

I tried the Lachko. This was new to me when it came to Indian food and I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. The menu described it as shredded green bell pepper cooked with cheese and running eggs. It was served with roti. I enjoyed it. The egg wasn't very identifiable, but the cheese very much was. It reminded me of eating the roti covered in a cheesy dip. 

 

Sweet & Salty Island Grindz Food Truck

I recently tried a food truck called Sweet & Salty Island Grindz who specialized in Hawaiian BBQ. I ordered their Kalbi Beef. The beef ribs were served over rice, with macaroni salad and a Hawaiian roll. Beef was flavorful in some sort of teriyaki-like sauce.

 

Cafe du Monde in Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

I had a layover in Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. While in New Orleans, regardless of if it is just an hour in the airport between flights, the tourist thing to do is stop at Cafe Du Monde. 

 I had a Cafe au Lait.

The beignets! As far as beignets go, I was reminded that Cafe du Monde's beignets are better than the beignets that I have occasionally in Florida. These were very fluffy, almost croissant like on the inside.

Pioneer's Pizza in Punta Gorda, FL

Jersey Meatball Pizza from Pioneer's Pizza in Punta Gorda, FL. This was a pie topped with meatball and ricotta.

 

Las Olas Pizza Company in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

I had dinner at Las Olas Pizza Company in Ft. Lauderdale. This was a New York style pizza shop, serving pizza by the slice with a nice selection of pies to pick from.

I had two slices. One was their Supreme Pizza, topped with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, and onions. The other was the Margarita, which was a thin, square slice topped with fresh mozzarella. Both were nice and thin, with a nice proportion of all the ingredients. I think I preferred the Margarita of the two...

Bagels & More in Hollywood, FL

I had breakfast at a restaurant called Bagels & More in Hollywood, FL. Interestingly, they were cash only. Which doesn't seem like a wise way to run a business when cash seems to be used less and less (especially during COVID), but they were filled with customers. I guess it's working for them.

I had an everything bagel with lox cream cheese. They were generous with the amount of cream cheese, which also happened to be filled with lots and lots of lox.

The Piefather in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

The Piefather was a food truck parked in The Wharf in Las Olas. I ordered a pie called The Pepperoni. Pretty self explanatory. Nice thin crust with good proportions of cheese and sauce. The pepperoni curled, as hipsters at The Wharf would expect their pepperoni to do. I enjoyed the pizza...