Bubba's Southern Cafeteria in Darien, GA

I was in the middle of a road trip heading north along I-95 when lunch time rolled around. We stopped to get gas in the town of Darien, GA and hoped there would be some food at the exit as well. The normal selection of fast food places were abundant here, but then a restaurant called Bubba's Southern Cafeteria advertising bar-b-que and award winning Brunswick stew caught my eye.

We entered the restaurant, and it really was set up cafeteria style. There was no menu. There was just a cafeteria line where you choose a meat and your sides. The three meat selections that were available were fried chicken, fried fish, or fried shrimp. There really wasn't any of the mentioned barbecue being served, but we ate there anyway. The Brunswick stew wasn't being served on the day I visited either.

I decided to try the fried fish. I was given three pieces of fish that was lightly fried. The fish still had skin, bones, and fins which would probably be a turnoff to some people. I was fine with picking around the inedible parts. I'm not sure what type of fish it was, nor did I ask, but it was pretty tasty. For my sides, I choose the collards, macaroni & cheese, and mashed potatoes. The collards were the best of the three sides that I tried. A roll and sweet tea were also included with my meal.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Bubba's Southern Cafeteria. It wasn't exactly the barbecue that I was expecting when I went into the restaurant, but I still liked it. There ended up being a whole lot of food served for the price and the people working here were super friendly.

Pie-Fection in Orlando, FL

I tried a restaurant serving pizza in MetroWest called Pie-Fection. This place is somewhat fast food where you order at a counter and wait for your food to be delivered. All the pizza toppings are located behind glass and apparently this place is supposed to work like a Subway where you tell your pizza maker exactly what you want on your pie as it's being made. When I walked in, I was handed a menu with lots of set topping combinations. Interestingly, there were lots of Brazilian inspired pizzas on the menu, but I went with what they called the Italian.

This pizza was topped with pesto-alfredo sauce, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, spinach, and parmesan. Being a fast food pizza place, I really was not expecting much but it ended up being surprisingly tasty. The crust was nice and airy with a good crunch. The pesto had a nice garlicky flavor. The cheese and other toppings had a nice proportion to the rest of the pie. The pizza was a bit overpriced for the size of the pie, but I still enjoyed it. I would return to Pie-Fection again, and maybe order like I'm at a Subway next time...

Dixieland Diner

I visited the Orange City Food Truck Bazaar. I tried a truck serving Cajun food that I had never eaten at before called Dixieland Diner.

I ordered the Shrimp & Grits. This bowl of cheese grits was topped with chopped tomatoes and several large shrimp. The shrimp had a nice spicy seasoning and the grits were cheesy. Overall, I found these to be very tasty. The first response from someone I was here with was a look of disbelief and the comment "you paid $9 for that!?" The portion did appear to be on the small side, but I guess the bowl was bigger than it looked because the meal filled me up.

I liked my shrimp & grits. I'd try Dixieland Diner again, although think I'll try something else here the next time I visit for some variety.

China Lee in Orlando, FL

I ate lunch at China Lee in the MetroWest area of Orlando. This Chinese takeout restaurant is hidden away on the back side of a strip mall located in the parking lot of a Walmart. Typical of most restaurants like this, there were only a few tables for dining in with most of their business being to-go. My meal here consisted of the Szechuan shrimp combination.

While the price was a couple of dollars more than what I've seen at other similar restaurants, the reason was quickly apparent when my food was ready. The portion size was huge, probably double of what many other Chinese restaurants serve in these combinations. The Szechuan shrimp were large, served with lots and lots of vegetables, including peppers, broccoli, squash, onions, carrots, snow peas, corn, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. This Szechuan shrimp was also much spicier than what I've had elsewhere, which is always a good thing. That little pepper symbol on the menu actually meant something. A large serving of fried rice was also included alongside the shrimp as well as an egg roll. I'd return to China Lee again...

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.

Terra Mia in Longwood, FL

I had dinner at the new Terra Mia in Longwood. This is the same Terra Mia that has a location in Lake Mary and was formerly located in a strip mall right around the corner until they moved here. This new Longwood location now serves pizza, unlike their store around the corner. Upon arriving, our meal started out with some good bread with nice crust.

I ordered the Deliziosa pizza. The pie was topped with salmon, mozzarella, capers, and onions. I've tried other seafood on pizzas in the past, but I think this may have been my first time having salmon on a pizza. I did enjoy it, although they weren't very generous with actual amount of salmon on the pie. The combination of capers and onions went well with the salmon. The crust was nice and crispy.

I enjoyed the pizza regardless of the slightly skimpy amount of salmon on the pie. I still think Terra Mia has some of the best pizzas in the area. Word of warning though: Other two people I was eating with both ordered the lasagna and weren't very happy. The tiny portion of a mess that somewhat resembled a typical lasagna was totally not worth what Terra Mia was charging for the dish...

Hash House A Go Go in Orlando, FL

Hash House A Go Go is a newish restaurant that has opened along International Drive. It is located in a building that was originally a Whistle Junction buffet, followed by a few Brazilian restaurants. Hash House A Go Go seems like the first restaurant to occupy the space that will probably be successful. They advertize themselves as having twisted farm food, which somehow translates to gigantic portions. The Hash House A Go Go chain seems to be popular with celebrities as well. The first thing you see upon entering is a giant tractor in the lobby, followed by walls covered in their celebrity endorsements. I guess if Martha Stewart likes Hash House A Go Go, then it must be good...

On my first visit to Hash House A Go Go, I tried one of their breakfasts and had the Sundried Tomato, Basil & Goat Cheese Farm Scramble. This was served with griddled mashed potatoes, biscuit, and fruit. While this breakfast wasn't as excessive as some of the other plates I witnessed being served, this was still a large breakfast. Goat cheese in scrambled eggs is always good. The mashed potatoes were tasty, sort of cooked on the outside until slightly crispy. The biscuit was a bit weird though. It didn't have the normal biscuit consistency compared to what's served elsewhere and seemed very dense. This was a perfectly good breakfast...

I ordered the Sage Fried Chicken & Bacon Waffle Tower on my second visit to the restaurant. This was a huge serving of chicken & waffles. The waffles had bacon cooked into the batter which was unique. I don't think I've ever had waffles containing bacon in the past. The tower of fried chicken was very tasty. The batter had a really nice flavor. I finished my whole breakfast here. Chicken & waffles was much larger and I made it about half way through. This chicken & waffles was much better than what I've had at places that specialize in chicken & waffles, so that's a good thing!

I enjoyed my food on both visits and I'd return to Hash House A Go Go!

Kenny & Denny's BBQ at Orlando Farmers Market

I visited the Orlando Farmers Market in Lake Eola on a recent Sunday afternoon and bought lunch from Kenny & Denny's BBQ. Their menu consisted of turkey legs, sandwiches, quesadillas, and breakfast items. I ordered the BBQ Pulled Pork Quesadilla.

The quesadilla consisted of a tortilla filled with a generous portion of pulled pork, cheese, onions, and barbecue sauce. The whole thing was grilled until everything melted together, then was sliced and served. I did enjoy the combination of smoked meat, cheese, and barbeque sauce. The quesadilla was dripping grease while I was eating, probably a sign of how unhealthy it was. Still, the quesadilla was very tasty and I'd order this again at some point.

Lime Fresh Mexican Grill in Orlando, FL

I had lunch at Lime Fresh Mexican Grill in the Dr. Phillips/Restaurant Row neighborhood of Orlando. This Mexican chain has been in the area for a couple of years now, but I had not visited any of their locations until now. Unlike the other big burrito places, Lime had a set menu instead of the assembly line style of fast-food Mexican food that is done by Chipotle/Qdoba/Moe's.

I ordered the Lime Burrito. This consisted of a tortilla filled with chicken, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce. The burrito was alright, although a bit forgettable. Nothing really stood out and for some reason the refried beans reminded me of a Taco Bell burrito. Other burritos on the menu did have black beans, but not this particular one. Nothing is wrong with refried beans, but it did have the Taco Bell connotation. The chips served on the side seemed a bit too hard and somewhat stale. Overall, the food burrito I tried at Lime Fresh Mexican Grill was alright for what it was, but I don't think I'll go rushing back to try them again anytime soon.

Captain Cook's Snack Company in Disney's Polynesian Resort

I visited with some relatives at the Polynesian Resort at Disney. While there, I decided to get a quick lunch from the hotel's main snack bar called Captain Cook's Snack Company. This quick-service restaurant mostly served sandwiches, salads, and flatbread pizzas alongside convenience store type items.

I ordered the Hawaiian Flatbread and a Dole Whip. The flatbread consisted of a rectangular pizza topped with tomato sauce, cheese, pineapple, ham, and red onions. The flatbread was good sized, slightly larger than I was expecting it to be with the corners hanging off the plate. It was tasty enough, especially since it was from a hotel snack bar. The pineapple didn't make everything else soggy on the pizza which is always a good thing on a Hawaiian pizza. My biggest complaint here was with the rectangular crust not being utilized. The corners of the flatbread were completely free of sauce, cheese, or any other toppings. Otherwise this was a good flatbread.

As for the Dole Whip, I don't quite understand those things. It's nothing more than pineapple flavored soft-serve ice cream. I've seen far too many Disney-centric food websites rave about the amazing qualities of Dole Whips. It's tasty ice cream, but nothing worth seeking out. If you do have a burning desire to seek out a Dole Whip though, at least get it inside the Magic Kingdom where you can get the Dole Whip Floats...

Big Louie's Pizzeria in Pompano Beach, FL

While in South Florida, I ordered take out from an Italian restaurant called Big Louie's Pizzeria in Pompano Beach.

I ordered a medium Margherita Pizza. This pie was topped with tomato sauce, basil, and fresh mozzarella cheese. I probably should have ordered a normal cheese pie since I really couldn't detect what the $2 upcharge was for over a plain pizza. I suppose it was the fresh mozzarella, but nothing about the pie really stood out. Not to say this was a bad pie. It was actually a pretty good pizza (especially considering that this was cooked on a conveyor belt oven - normally a sign of mediocre pizza). I don't why, I just was expecting something a little different from a normal cheese pie when I ordered the Margherita.

Balagan Mediterranean Cafe in the UCF Arena

Today we're talking about Balagan Mediterranean Cafe in the UCF Arena. This Middle Eastern/Kosher restaurant is located on the first floor of the arena right inside of the main entrance. They have a menu that features falafel, shawarma, kababs, and standard arena snack bar fare like burgers and hot dogs. Their Middle Eastern foods are very tasty and the best part is the price. For the price of a bag of cinnamon nuts up a single flight of stairs at an official arena snack bar, you can get an entire sandwich at Balagan.

I ordered the Schwarma pita. This was filled with turkey and chicken, lettuce, cabbage, onions, hummus, tahini, hot sauce, and whatever other toppings were available. I basically had them load up my schwarma with everything! Although not the most photogenic sandwich, it was still very tasty. Way better than an overpriced hot dog or nachos from the snack bars right up stairs.

The Whip Ice Cream Truck in Orlando, FL

I watched the fireworks at Lake Eola this year on July 4th. While there, I bought some ice cream from a truck called The Whip. They served ice cream where they would blend vanilla with a large selection of flavors to come up with over 40 different varieties. Shaved ice was also available, but I stuck with the ice cream.

My flavor selection for the night was the blueberry cheesecake. A cup of vanilla soft serve was filled and a container filled with the flavoring was removed from a freezer. Both were taken to a separate machine where they were blended together into a purple tinted ice cream. The flavor wasn't as strong as I've had elsewhere. I could taste a bit of berry flavor but didn't taste much cheesecake. Regardless, the ice cream was good enough and it was an interesting process to watch how they got all those flavors out of one soft serve machine.

Harry Buffalo in Orlando, FL

On the 4th of July, I ventured into Downtown Orlando and ate dinner at a restaurant called Harry Buffalo. This space was formerly occupied by a Cajun restaurant called Mojo, which I enjoyed on my first visit. The next two visits weren't nearly as good. I actually never got to try the food at Mojo on these visits. We were seated and sat for far too long without being acknowledged. Even after asking for our server, we were still ignored and ended up leaving on both of these subsequent visits. I know it's a different restaurant now, but because of the last two bad experiences at Mojo, I was hoping Harry Buffalo wouldn't have similar problems.

Inside, not much was different during the change from Mojo to Harry Buffalo. There was more of a sports bar vibe now with more TVs and some sports memorabilia hanging on the walls. The building was still impressive, remnants from when Church Street Station was a thing...

This didn't click for some reason before dining at Harry Buffalo, but they do a lot of variations of Buffalo wings. With buffalo in the name, I don't why this wasn't obvious, but it didn't click for me. With that in mind, I ordered something that incorporated Buffalo chicken and had the Buffalo Mac & Cheese Big Horn Melt. It sounded like a weird and very unhealthy combination, but it was actually very tasty. The sandwich consisted of Buffalo chicken and macaroni & cheese sandwiched between Italian bread. The spicy buffalo sauce went really well with the cheesyness of the macaroni. Fries and coleslaw were served as sides.

I liked my food at Harry Buffalo. They didn't have any of the problems that Mojo developed. They also had trivia going on which is always fun. I'd return!

Pizza Rustica in South Beach, FL (Washington Ave.)

A while ago I visited Miami and tried the Pizza Rustica on Lincoln Road in South Beach. The pizza was pretty unique with huge slices with creative topping combinations. I was recently down there once again and passed by another Pizza Rustica location on Washington Ave and decided to give them another try.

This Pizza Rustica was slightly smaller and didn't have the crowds of people gobbling down pizza like the other location had. There was only one other customer actually eating in here and then a couple more people occupying the outdoor tables with no food. Apparently you can get more than food at this Pizza Rustica as well. While I was waiting for my slice to warm up in the ovens, a man walked in and offered to sell me drugs, which I declined. I was here for pizza, not other mind alternating substances! Interesting crowd at this Pizza Rustica...

I had a slice of the Caprese Pizza. This rectangular slice was topped with tomatoes, basil, kalamata olives, and fresh mozzarella. While the toppings here could have had potential, the slice was overall disappointing. After being freshly reheated in the oven, this slice had a very soggy crust with no crispiness at all. The mozzarella was hardly melted and the other toppings didn't seem to adhere to the cheese like normally happens on pizza. They were just sitting on top and all fell off as I was eating the slice.

I wasn't a fan of the pizza at this Pizza Rustica, nor was I a fan of the somewhat sketchy looking people loitering around the outdoor seating and the drug dealers. Stick with the Pizza Rustica on Lincoln Road.