We decided to try the salt & pepper calamari since a lot of people had recommended it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the name, but this dish had some amazing flavors in it.  The calamari was thick and tender with a wonderful crunchy coating on it.  The pepper in it was hot red pepper, which I ended up scraping some off since it was really intense.  Loren liked the combination of scallions and cilantro that it was tossed in.  Very, very yummy.  Our entrees came out almost immediately after the calamari, so timing of the meal wasn’t great.  I guess since the line at the door never stopped, their main goal is to get you in & out as quickly as possible.

Loren ordered the Kung Po chicken.

He said it had a depth of flavor to it that just kept him eating more.  The chicken was tender and it had zucchini, celery, peppers and peanuts in it, plus a few of those really spicy peppers too.  I ordered the orange chicken.

This dish had a really tangy sweet orange sauce and perfectly cooked chicken.  It was really good.  Our waiter asked us if we wanted rice and then forgot to bring it out.  When we asked about it, he finally brought it out, but I was a bit dismayed to find out that a bowl of rice costs an extra $2.

Service was strange here.  I’m not sure if the same server came to our table more than once.  We had different people taking our order, bringing our drinks, bringing our food, our bill, etc.  While they were at the table, they seemed friendly, but otherwise they all seemed rather aloof.  I think this is a restaurant where I’d order take-out because the food was delicious, but probably not want to eat inside the restaurant again.  Total bill with a very flat Pepsi was $30.

Yummy House
2202 W Waters Ave
Tampa, FL
(813) 915-2828

The ham actually came with my breakfast combo, but I didn’t think I really wanted any meat with my breakfast so I put it on Loren’s plate.  Then I tasted it and ended up eating half of it anyway.  The ham wasn’t overly salty or sweet, it was just tasty.  The pancakes were light & fluffy, so was the biscuit.  Eggs were cooked fine and the hashbrowns were crispy on the outside & soft in the middle.  Overall, just a pretty good and inexpensive breakfast.  Total bill was $14.50.

Dixie Belles Cafe
7125 S Orange Ave
Orlando, FL
(407) 812-7012

Hot & fresh out of the oven with a garlic oil dipping sauce that will have you tasting garlic for days.  It’s so good.  We kept going back & forth about whether to get calamari or crab cakes for an appetizer and settled on the crab cakes.

I think we’d have been better off with the calamari.  Though the crab cakes were ok flavorwise, they just had no texture whatsoever.  They were mushy and definitely needed a crunch on the outside.  The two sauces served with them were spicy and spicier.  The red pepper sauce was miserably hot.

Loren got a salad and I went for the clam chowder.

The chowder lacked seasoning tonight.  A bit of salt went a long way to improving it.  Loren ordered the Chicken Fra Diavlo.

He liked it.  The sauce was spicy and the chicken was tender.  There was easily enough for two meals in the bowl, so he had some leftovers.  I went for the fettucine alfredo with mushrooms & onions.  I’ve had it here before and really enjoyed it, but tonight’s version was quite inedible.

As soon as the waitress put it on the table, I knew there was a problem.  It wasn’t creamy.  The alfredo sauce had completely separated.  It was a bowl of pasta in oil basically.  She took the bowl back to the kitchen & added some additional alfredo sauce to it, but the damage was already done.

I get that alfredo sauce separates when it’s reheated, but it should be able to stay together through the first serving.  They did take it off our bill which ended up being $27.  This was sadly an off night for one of our favorite Italian restaurants.

Johnny’s Italian Restaurant
2907 SR 590 #1
Clearwater, FL
727-797-2940

Loren went for an omelette and pancakes & I got a breakfast croissant with home fries.

Fresh & tasty all around.  The eggs here are just so light & fluffy.  Loren enjoyed his veggie omelette and the pancakes had a nice texture and consistency as well.  They even came around and gave all the moms a sample of one of their smoothies and a chocolate covered cookie.  Total bill with some juice was $20.

Consciousness Blossoms
3390 Tampa Road
Palm Harbor, FL
727-789-1931

The sandwich just made him happy.  Crispy bacon, lightly toasted bread, mayo, crunchy lettuce and tomato.  So simple, yet so tasty.  Plus he really likes their black bean soup too.  I went for a Country Scramble.

This was one heavy dish.  Eggs, potatoes, cheese, sausage gravy, biscuit and it also came with bacon that I got on the side.  There was way too much of it for me to finish.  It was good, but one note texture-wise.  Total bill with a drink was $21.

Nana’s Restaurant
857 E Klosterman Rd
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-944-5788

Two pieces of pie & a side of mac & cheese that was awesome, creamy and yummy ended up being the most well spent $13 to date.

Yoder’s Restaurant
3434 Bahia Vista St
Sarasota, FL
(941) 955-7771

We’re both somewhat amazed that you can get chicken & pork this thin and yet have it come out so tender and tasty.  Loren finished his, but I had lots of leftovers.  Our dinners both came with salads and for sides I got some spaetzl with mine & Loren got some warm potato salad.

Last time, I got the spaetzl with cheese and it was kind of greasy.  This time I got it without the cheese and liked it better. We have to remember to order salads without the onions from now on though.  These have got to be the strongest onions on the planet.  Total bill with a drink was $33.

Lagerhaus Brewery & Grill
3438 East Lake Road
Palm Harbor, FL
813-343-2449

Loren ordered the Monterey Chicken burger.  You know you have a new waitress when she asks you how you want that cooked.

The piece of chicken on the sandwich was very thick.  I wasn’t sure how he was going to eat it.  He said it was ok.  I ordered the chicken crepes and made it a meal with some corn chowder and a chocolate mousse for dessert.

The corn chowder was rich and creamy, but the temperature was lukewarm at best.  It makes it really hard to enjoy something when it’s not heated properly.

The crepes were ok and the salad had a nice balsamic vinegarette on it.  It was just all very generic.  The chocolate mousse was tasty with the added sweetness of strawberry on top.

Total bill with a drink was $30.  There was nothing about the experience that would make me want to come back.  It was just average at best.

Mimi’s Cafe
3130 Daniels Rd
Winter Garden, FL
407-656-5075

This was another one of those restaurants where you can’t hear yourself think.  It was really crowded and we had about a 15 minute wait for a table.  We started off with some fried stuffed potatoes.

They were interesting.  They looked like they had a crunchy exterior, but it was actually pretty soft.  The filling was flavorful, but the overall texture didn’t really do it for me.  Loren ordered the masitas.

He said they were ok. Honestly no better than what he gets at Cuban Breezes for half the price.  He didn’t like the rice and beans that came with it.   I tried the shredded chicken breast.

I liked the flavor of the chicken.  It had a lime flavor to it and the onions were flavorful too.  The rice was very soft, but I kinda like it that way.  My only complaint is that the dish felt like it needed some tortillas or Cuban bread to go with it.  Total bill with a drink was $47.  Overpriced for what it was, but what we expected in Downtown Disney.

Bongos Cuban Cafe
1498 E Buena Vista Dr
Orlando, FL
(407) 828-0999

It was a rather thin soup, but packed a bunch of flavor.  It had a deep, rich spicy flavor that consumes all your taste buds.  The Mixed Grill platter didn’t disappoint either.

Besides the salad and rice, the dish had Chicken Adana Kebab, Lamb Shish Kebab, Doner Kabab, Chicken and Lamb Kofte.  It was all very, very tasty.  Seasoned perfectly and all the meats were tender.  I really enjoyed the texture and flavor of the Kofte.  Loren preferred the kebabs.  We were quite stuffed by the end of the meal.  Service was very friendly as well.  Definitely a place we’ll return to the next time we’re in Lakeland.  Total bill with a drink was $28.

Bosphorous Turkish Kitchen
127 S. Kentucky Ave
Lakeland, FL
863-937-9686