11 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
10 Temmuz 2012 Salı
9 Temmuz 2012 Pazartesi
Umberto's of Long Island in Boca Raton, FL
To contact us Click HERE
I had lunch one afternoon at Umberto's of Long Island in Boca Raton. I am assuming that this restaurant is connected with the nearby Umberto's in Deerfield Beach, although I wonder how much connection there is to the actual Umberto's restaurants in Long Island. We had asked our waitress which Umberto's in Long Island the restaurant was connected to and she seemed very confused and didn't know. Uniformed waitress or a restaurant in Florida trying to get New York snowbirds to come to their restaurant because of the name? Not sure, but I would hope they really are connected if they have awards from Long Island Press hanging in their windows.
I had the lunch special of two slices and a drink. To keep it interesting, I had a slice of grandma pizza and a slice of plain cheese. Both were okay, definitely much better than the messy slices from the Deerfield Umberto's. The grandma slice was my favorite of the two. Although the slices were okay, they did have a somewhat burnt taste. I think Umberto's needed to desperately clean their ovens.
Overall, the pizza here wasn't bad. It would have been better without the sooty, dirty oven taste, but otherwise this Umberto's served some pretty decent pizza. Besides, anywhere that serves grandma pizza can't be bad!
I had lunch one afternoon at Umberto's of Long Island in Boca Raton. I am assuming that this restaurant is connected with the nearby Umberto's in Deerfield Beach, although I wonder how much connection there is to the actual Umberto's restaurants in Long Island. We had asked our waitress which Umberto's in Long Island the restaurant was connected to and she seemed very confused and didn't know. Uniformed waitress or a restaurant in Florida trying to get New York snowbirds to come to their restaurant because of the name? Not sure, but I would hope they really are connected if they have awards from Long Island Press hanging in their windows.I had the lunch special of two slices and a drink. To keep it interesting, I had a slice of grandma pizza and a slice of plain cheese. Both were okay, definitely much better than the messy slices from the Deerfield Umberto's. The grandma slice was my favorite of the two. Although the slices were okay, they did have a somewhat burnt taste. I think Umberto's needed to desperately clean their ovens.Overall, the pizza here wasn't bad. It would have been better without the sooty, dirty oven taste, but otherwise this Umberto's served some pretty decent pizza. Besides, anywhere that serves grandma pizza can't be bad!
Seashore Sweets' in Disney's Boardwalk Hotel
To contact us Click HERE
Yesterday was National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. I couldn't find how or why June 12 was assigned to peanut butter cookies, or why it is only national rather than international, but the holiday is a good reason to eat a cookie. I happened to be at Disney's Boardwalk Hotel and decided to find a peanut butter cookie to celebrate.
We tried the Boardwalk Bakery first. They had a nice cookie selection, but peanut butter was nowhere to be found. Not that easily defeated, we moved a few stores down to Seashore Sweets'. On the top shelf of their pastry case, they had a giant Mickey Mouse shaped peanut butter cookie. It was horribly expensive for a cookie at $5.49, but this was in a Disney hotel and it was a cookie holiday, so the cookie was purchased.
The cookie was huge, but it was also a bit disappointing. It was horribly dry in the part not covered in chocolate. The person who I shared it with described the cookie as being similar to eating a dog biscuit. Not sure how many dog biscuits she has eaten to know this, but I was expecting better from a Disney bakery. Our local supermarket chain has better peanut butter cookies.
Regardless of this cookie being really dry, it still served served the purpose of celebrating National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. I highly doubt I'd get one of these cookies again, but I hope the rest of the baked goods from Seashore Sweets' are better...
We tried the Boardwalk Bakery first. They had a nice cookie selection, but peanut butter was nowhere to be found. Not that easily defeated, we moved a few stores down to Seashore Sweets'. On the top shelf of their pastry case, they had a giant Mickey Mouse shaped peanut butter cookie. It was horribly expensive for a cookie at $5.49, but this was in a Disney hotel and it was a cookie holiday, so the cookie was purchased.The cookie was huge, but it was also a bit disappointing. It was horribly dry in the part not covered in chocolate. The person who I shared it with described the cookie as being similar to eating a dog biscuit. Not sure how many dog biscuits she has eaten to know this, but I was expecting better from a Disney bakery. Our local supermarket chain has better peanut butter cookies.Regardless of this cookie being really dry, it still served served the purpose of celebrating National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. I highly doubt I'd get one of these cookies again, but I hope the rest of the baked goods from Seashore Sweets' are better...
Viet-House in Altamonte Springs, FL
To contact us Click HERE
Orlando has a really nice selection of Vietnamese restaurants in the Mills 50 District. That's good since Vietnamese food is generally really tasty. Once outside Mills 50, Vietnamese food gets a bit harder to find. I can only think of a couple Vietnamese restaurants in Seminole county, so I was happy when I saw that a new restaurant had opened in Altamonte Springs called Viet-House.
The tiny restaurant is located in a building behind a gas station at the intersection of 436 and 427. You order at the window and eat at some nearby picnic tables. There isn't an inside here. Viet-House seems to specialize in banh mi but also offer soups and appetizers. I found out the hard way on my first visit that they close at 4:30. When I returned on another day to give them a try, I had their combination banh mi.
The sandwich consisted of various types of sliced pork products (I'm going to hide my ignorance of Vietnamese meats by leaving it at that), pate, pickled vegetables, lettuce, tomato, and cilantro on a French baguette. The banh mi was good and was very filling for under $5.
I also shared these summer rolls, filled with shrimp, pork, noodles, bean sprouts, cucumber, and basil. They were somewhat messy to eat, but tasty.
Eating Vietnamese food in a gas station parking lot is definitely a different experience than eating in one of the nicer Vietnamese restaurants in Orlando, but the food was good regardless. A banh mi sandwich does seem like a perfect type of street food, so perhaps this is actually an ideal location for the food!
The tiny restaurant is located in a building behind a gas station at the intersection of 436 and 427. You order at the window and eat at some nearby picnic tables. There isn't an inside here. Viet-House seems to specialize in banh mi but also offer soups and appetizers. I found out the hard way on my first visit that they close at 4:30. When I returned on another day to give them a try, I had their combination banh mi.The sandwich consisted of various types of sliced pork products (I'm going to hide my ignorance of Vietnamese meats by leaving it at that), pate, pickled vegetables, lettuce, tomato, and cilantro on a French baguette. The banh mi was good and was very filling for under $5.I also shared these summer rolls, filled with shrimp, pork, noodles, bean sprouts, cucumber, and basil. They were somewhat messy to eat, but tasty.Eating Vietnamese food in a gas station parking lot is definitely a different experience than eating in one of the nicer Vietnamese restaurants in Orlando, but the food was good regardless. A banh mi sandwich does seem like a perfect type of street food, so perhaps this is actually an ideal location for the food!
Bite in Longwood, FL
To contact us Click HERE
Tomorrow is July 4. Seems like Independence Day in the United States has become one of the biggest hot dog days of the year (mostly due to the Nathan's contest). Because of the holiday, I suppose a blog post about hot dogs is in order. One of my recent excursions into the world of hot dogs was at Bite in Longwood. Bite is connected to Jeremiah's Italian Ices and does mostly hot dogs and burgers.
I tried their Chicago dog. The dog was topped with tomato, onion, relish, peppers, celery salt, and mustard on a poppy seed bun. Normally dressing a hot dog up vastly improves a plain hot dog, but the toppings didn't do much for me in this case. The amount of toppings seemed skimpy to me and they ended up making the bun really soggy. Some pretty good fries were served on the side.
The Southern slaw dog, topped with cole slaw, jalapenos, and fried onions was also ordered at our table. I personally didn't taste this one, but heard good things about it.
The hot dogs at Bite were okay, but not anything extraordinary. They seemed a bit small for the price and the menu here really didn't do much for me. It really couldn't compete with the menu at Mustard's Last Stand in Melbourne. I did notice a review of Bite on Yelp mentioned hot dogs that were no longer on the menu that sounded a bit more interesting than what they serve now. I'm not sure if I'd go out of my way to return here.
I tried their Chicago dog. The dog was topped with tomato, onion, relish, peppers, celery salt, and mustard on a poppy seed bun. Normally dressing a hot dog up vastly improves a plain hot dog, but the toppings didn't do much for me in this case. The amount of toppings seemed skimpy to me and they ended up making the bun really soggy. Some pretty good fries were served on the side.The Southern slaw dog, topped with cole slaw, jalapenos, and fried onions was also ordered at our table. I personally didn't taste this one, but heard good things about it. The hot dogs at Bite were okay, but not anything extraordinary. They seemed a bit small for the price and the menu here really didn't do much for me. It really couldn't compete with the menu at Mustard's Last Stand in Melbourne. I did notice a review of Bite on Yelp mentioned hot dogs that were no longer on the menu that sounded a bit more interesting than what they serve now. I'm not sure if I'd go out of my way to return here.
Smokin Pig in Pooler, GA
To contact us Click HERE
Time for some travel blogging! I drove up to Maryland at the beginning of June. One of my favorite ways to keep the drive interesting is seeking out little restaurants hidden away off I-95. All along the interstate south of DC, it seems like there's a whole lot of barbecue to be had.
One of the barbecue stops on this trip was at the Smokin Pig in Pooler, GA. After following a billboard led me to a closed restaurant, I decided instead to put my phone to use. I did a search on Yelp and saw that the Smokin Pig was nearby. I also learned that I should avoid their cole slaw from Chris of Eat Local Orlando who had written the most recent review of the place. Aren't smartphones wonderful?
I had the Pork Plate. The pulled pork came with garlic bread and two sides. I choose macaroni & cheese and Brunswick stew. The pork was served sauceless, but there were several barbecue sauces to choose from on the table. I liked their vinegar sauce, but their mustard based bbq sauce was even better. I've never seen mustard based sauce outside of Georgia and that's too bad since I really like it. The macaroni was average. The Brunswick stew was good, although it did remind me somewhat of vegetable soup.
My co-pilot for the trip had a chicken sandwich. Looked like thick slices of chicken on a hamburger bun. She picked the cole slaw as her side. There was no complaints.
I liked my food from the Smokin Pig. I'd stop here again if I lived in this part of Georgia, but I don't. That means I'll probably never return, but who knows, there are a few other BBQ places that I've made multiple visits to on my drives up I-95 (See Dixie Bones).
One of the barbecue stops on this trip was at the Smokin Pig in Pooler, GA. After following a billboard led me to a closed restaurant, I decided instead to put my phone to use. I did a search on Yelp and saw that the Smokin Pig was nearby. I also learned that I should avoid their cole slaw from Chris of Eat Local Orlando who had written the most recent review of the place. Aren't smartphones wonderful?I had the Pork Plate. The pulled pork came with garlic bread and two sides. I choose macaroni & cheese and Brunswick stew. The pork was served sauceless, but there were several barbecue sauces to choose from on the table. I liked their vinegar sauce, but their mustard based bbq sauce was even better. I've never seen mustard based sauce outside of Georgia and that's too bad since I really like it. The macaroni was average. The Brunswick stew was good, although it did remind me somewhat of vegetable soup.My co-pilot for the trip had a chicken sandwich. Looked like thick slices of chicken on a hamburger bun. She picked the cole slaw as her side. There was no complaints. I liked my food from the Smokin Pig. I'd stop here again if I lived in this part of Georgia, but I don't. That means I'll probably never return, but who knows, there are a few other BBQ places that I've made multiple visits to on my drives up I-95 (See Dixie Bones).
8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar
Another week...
To contact us Click HERE
...where did the week go and what did I do? I know I was busy but what did I do? Let's see, Margie and I went to Clearwater Beach and even though the water was cold it was such a beautiful day. I went into the water anyway.
Now, for those of my TN friends, yes, I have to rub it in and maybe you too can be here next year. I often hear from people who don't post on my blog but send me emails and this one I'll share. It's from my gf, Linda and TN hubby, Roger who are my neighbors in Deer Run RV Resort in Crossville.
"Hey Girl,
Roger and I have now caught up reading your blog and we have a few suggestions. First of all, it would be greatly appreciated if you would stop posting pics with people in shorts while basking in the sunshine (its just rude). We find this very offensive since we are stuck in TN where we haven't seen much sun and we've forgotten how it feels to be warm. Secondly, please stop posting pics of you and all your friends having fun. For goodness sakes, its winter time and everyone should be closed up inside their homes like hermits since that's what are days consist of. And finally, please post something where you look bored, cold and lonely so we know you are missing us as much as we are you!!
Take care,
Linda & Roger"
Last year I wanted to go to Ikea and see what it was all about so I headed out to find out. OMG, I love that store. It's huge and there are so many unique things in there. I'm sure glad that I don't have a house, otherwise I'd be in trouble. The only thing I bought were some marked down LED battery operated lights for $1.00. I got them for my bicycle and gave Margie a couple of sets for her golf cart. Can't wait to decorate my golf cart in TN when & if I get one. The little lights do a great job on my bicycle, I put them around the basket that Sedona rides in.
I went to the Noodle lunch at the Orlando Ale House. The Noodlers are peeps from Citrus Ridge and at 3:00 ea day go to the pool and noodle around. Here are a few of the group.
I got ready to take my shower tonight and the water was cold, cold, cold. I looked at the switch for the hot water heater and it was flipped to the on position. I went ahead and took a shower. Burr. Then I went outside to do a little checking on my hot water heater. I opened up the door and I couldn't figure anything out so I can back in and flipped the switch and went back out and flames were shooting out of the the tube and I promptly ran back in and turned off the hot water heater. I told FL hubby about it and he will come over in the morning to see what might be wrong. Of course it might be that I'll go back to the service people if Roger and Mel can't figure it out. It was very scary.
Margie, Roger and I had a wonderful steak dinner, cooked by Roger to perfection. Now I'm stuffed and ready for bed.
Later...
Now, for those of my TN friends, yes, I have to rub it in and maybe you too can be here next year. I often hear from people who don't post on my blog but send me emails and this one I'll share. It's from my gf, Linda and TN hubby, Roger who are my neighbors in Deer Run RV Resort in Crossville."Hey Girl,
Roger and I have now caught up reading your blog and we have a few suggestions. First of all, it would be greatly appreciated if you would stop posting pics with people in shorts while basking in the sunshine (its just rude). We find this very offensive since we are stuck in TN where we haven't seen much sun and we've forgotten how it feels to be warm. Secondly, please stop posting pics of you and all your friends having fun. For goodness sakes, its winter time and everyone should be closed up inside their homes like hermits since that's what are days consist of. And finally, please post something where you look bored, cold and lonely so we know you are missing us as much as we are you!!
Take care,
Linda & Roger"
Last year I wanted to go to Ikea and see what it was all about so I headed out to find out. OMG, I love that store. It's huge and there are so many unique things in there. I'm sure glad that I don't have a house, otherwise I'd be in trouble. The only thing I bought were some marked down LED battery operated lights for $1.00. I got them for my bicycle and gave Margie a couple of sets for her golf cart. Can't wait to decorate my golf cart in TN when & if I get one. The little lights do a great job on my bicycle, I put them around the basket that Sedona rides in.
I went to the Noodle lunch at the Orlando Ale House. The Noodlers are peeps from Citrus Ridge and at 3:00 ea day go to the pool and noodle around. Here are a few of the group.
 |
| No he didn't get his discount. |
I got ready to take my shower tonight and the water was cold, cold, cold. I looked at the switch for the hot water heater and it was flipped to the on position. I went ahead and took a shower. Burr. Then I went outside to do a little checking on my hot water heater. I opened up the door and I couldn't figure anything out so I can back in and flipped the switch and went back out and flames were shooting out of the the tube and I promptly ran back in and turned off the hot water heater. I told FL hubby about it and he will come over in the morning to see what might be wrong. Of course it might be that I'll go back to the service people if Roger and Mel can't figure it out. It was very scary.Margie, Roger and I had a wonderful steak dinner, cooked by Roger to perfection. Now I'm stuffed and ready for bed.
Later...
Blizzard Beach, Super Bowl, and Roy's Visit
To contact us Click HERE
One of the ladies in Citrus Ridge, Lagonda, invited me to go to Blizzard Beach with she and Bernice. It was a beautiful day and I was up to it, especially since it was free. It was a fun time. Got a bathing suit top on sale and then a discount so it was a perfect day. The weather, company and beach was such a good time.
Margie and Roger threw a Super Bowl party! Go Giants! There were about 18 people from the park at the party and it was a blast. Lots of good food. Watching the game on a 55" TV was awesome. I love Margie's new park model. It suits them just fine.
Fruit is coming in all over the place and a favorite that will only be around for a short time is the Honey Bell orange. It is seedless, juicy and delicious!
One of the projects I've done while at Citrus Ridge is glass etching. I did a wine glass that says "it's 5 o'clock somewhere" and on the base of the glass is tiny flip flops. Margie also did the glass etching and her wine glass said "Happy Hour" and on the other side is large flip flops. We did a great job and can't wait to do more. Stay tuned for a lantern we are going to complete this week.
One of the things that I have had trouble with in the Whim is the mattress. It was thin. I put a topper on before I left TN but it was not enough. I had an extra topper and I put it on but it wasn't thick enough either. I found a mattress on Walmart's website and decided to take a chance on it. It's memory foam and is 8" thick. As the bear in Goldilocks said, "it's just right." I really like it and I sleep well on it and Sedona seems to like it too except she has farther to jump from the dinette to the bed.
My nephew, Roy, came for a visit this week and we have been busy. He didn't come to stay with me, he came with his cousin, Mike. They were here for a heavy equipment auction. I went over the first day and drove around with them to check out the equipment Mike wanted to bid on. It was an interesting place to visit and to find out how it all works.
In the evening we went to Boston Lobster Feast which we will never go to, it was not good and I would never recommend it. It's over on Hwy 192 in Kissimmee, FL. Then we hit Old Town and did a little karaoke, well, Roy and Brian did the singing and Mike and I were there for support.
Once again, Lagonda, gives me a call on Thursday morning and wants to know if I want to go to Hollywood Studios. I told her that Roy was with me and she said to bring him along. So off we go to Animal Kingdom first and then Hollywood Studios. No pictures here as they were taken with Roy's iPhone and I don't have the pix yet. We had our pix made with some of the characters, rode some of the rides and saw some of the shows. It was a terrific day.
Later...
 |
| One of the slides at Blizzard Beach, nope didn't do it. |
 |
| Bernice, Lagonda, Carolyn |
 |
| Bernice, Lagonda, Carolyn |
 |
| Bernice's slide |
 |
| Lagonda and Bernice in the wave pool. |
 |
| Our nest! |
 |
| A few of the watchers. |
 |
| Just a little of the food! |
 |
| Wouldn't be a super bowl w/out wings. |
 |
| The boys out in Roger's "man cave." |
 |
| Denise with Buddy and Anne. |
Fruit is coming in all over the place and a favorite that will only be around for a short time is the Honey Bell orange. It is seedless, juicy and delicious! One of the projects I've done while at Citrus Ridge is glass etching. I did a wine glass that says "it's 5 o'clock somewhere" and on the base of the glass is tiny flip flops. Margie also did the glass etching and her wine glass said "Happy Hour" and on the other side is large flip flops. We did a great job and can't wait to do more. Stay tuned for a lantern we are going to complete this week.
 |
| Prepping the glass |
 |
| Stencil is applied. |
 |
| Acid is applied and now wait, 30 minutes. |
 |
| Margie's getting her prep done. |
 |
| Cutting out the details. |
 |
| Margie's back, Flip Flops. |
 |
| Front of Margie's, happy hour. |
 | |
| Picture is a little fuzzy but you can tell the thickness. |
In the evening we went to Boston Lobster Feast which we will never go to, it was not good and I would never recommend it. It's over on Hwy 192 in Kissimmee, FL. Then we hit Old Town and did a little karaoke, well, Roy and Brian did the singing and Mike and I were there for support.
 |
| Roy is in his element on the stage. |
Later...
Kaydol:
Kayıtlar (Atom)