October 26, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact / Interview Requests:Brian Feldman, (407) 792-9421, projects@brianfeldman.com, @BrianFeldman

Who: Brian Feldman Projects (The Feldman Dynamic, Cracker Barrel® Old Country Chanukah, Brian Feldman Eats Everything Off The Menu At Loving Hut)
What: 24 Hour Vegan McDonald’s®
When: Sunday November 1, 2009: 12am-11:59pm (24 hours)
Where: McDonald’s® Restaurant #38966875 Sand Lake Rd Orlando FL 32819(Sand Lake Rd & International Dr)http://bit.ly/McDmap [Google Maps]
Cost: Free to observe

Always seeking new ways to top Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell as the worst project he’s ever done, Brian Feldman, “Everybody’s favorite monotony monk”, returns to International Drive for the first time since May’s ill-fated Miniature project.

For World Vegan Day (November 1), and as self-imposed penance for missing this year’s Central Florida Veg Fest (it’s not like he was doing anything), Brian channels Morgan Spurlock by remaining inside of the least likely place for a vegan to be – McDonald’s® for, yes, 24 hours.
What will Brian, as a vegan, be able eat? The answer, of course, is anything he wants. Being vegan is a choice, and one that Brian has gladly made. So… dollar salads. And water.

Brian’s chosen McDonald’s® location (one of 31,000+ worldwide) alternately bills itself as “The World’s Largest Entertainment McDonald’s® & Playplace” and “The Most Unique McDonald’s® in the World”. It’s certainly the craziest in Orlando, with “gourmet” meal items (ice cream, cakes, pizza, pasta, wraps and paninis), a wishing well, video games (including miniature bowling), McDonald’s® character murals, side-by-side miniature busts of George Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr., George W. Bush, Rudy Giuliani, Abraham Lincoln and a “hula shark”, CNN, Elvises and Monroes, a second floor caged gift shop with the Statue of Liberty, cutouts of Bill Cosby, Clint Eastwood and Tom Cruise, and, according to MANNETRON, one of only four Mac Tonight animatronics in the world (it’s broken).

This independent project is not sanctioned, endorsed or sponsored by McDonald’s Corporation, Oerther Foods, Inc. or The Vegan Society.

Links:http://brianfeldman.com/ (Brian Feldman)http://mcflorida.com/3896 (McDonald’s® Restaurant #3896http://twitter.com/BrianFeldman (@BrianFeldman on Twitter)http://twitter.com/McDonalds (@McDonalds on Twitter)http://bit.ly/24VMcDfb (24 Hour Vegan McDonald’s® Facebook Event)http://bit.ly/24VMcDrls (24 Hour Vegan McDonald’s® Google Docs)http://bit.ly/24VMcDpdf (24 Hour Vegan McDonald’s® PDF Release)

When referencing on Twitter, please use hashtags: #vegan #McDonalds
Public Transportation / Biking and Walking / Vehicle Parking:LYNX: From Downtown Orlando, take Link 8 to the bus stop across from Panda Express on International Dr. Walk south along International Dr. Turn right on Sand Lake Rd. McDonald’s® will be on your right. From Orlando International Airport, take Link 42; same bus stop. You could also try Link 304 or Link 305, but are on your own. I-Ride (International Drive Resort Area Trolley service): Exit at I-Ride 15. /

Biking and walking are both good for you and pleasant modes of transportation on a Sunday, and anytime! That stated, depending on where you’re traveling from, this could result in an extremely long travel time. Use good judgement! (There are no dedicated bike racks at the event site.) / Vehicle parking lot is available outside restaurant.

Brian Feldman Projects is Central Florida’s premiere experimental time-based art. Dinners on stage with real life families, leaping off ladders for 24 hours, group tours in Google translated Swedish through IKEA, observin’ why people be lovin’ it® – this is what we do.
# # #

First Watch – UCF Area – Orlando

First Watch is one of the few restaurants out there that bucks the maxim about chains/franchises sucking in all matters of food deliciousness. The chain opened up its doors to the UCF area on University Blvd next to Ruby Tuesdays a few months ago and I was happy to visit on one sunny weekend afternoon.

Was I in for a surprise…

There, in front of me at the door was a line 40-minutes long, full of young couples, old couples, families, moms and dads and sons and daughters (most likely patrons of the nearby university) all waiting for some breakfast/brunch action here at First Watch. There is a saying that there is wisdom in crowds…and for the most part, they’re usually right.

The hostess at the front confirmed my worst fears: the line was indeed at least 40 minutes long this late morning and I and my partner would have to wait. As I stood there trying to keep from boring myself to death, I happened to come upon a young man with a t-shirt with words that caught my eyes: “UCF College of Medicine: Charter Class”. As a proud alumni of UCF, I promptly waved toward him and congratulated him on being part of the historic first class of 70 or so medical students and especially congratulated him on the free ride for the whole thing. He was waiting with his partner as well and so we chatted away the time, remarking how fast UCF had grown these past few years and all the crazy-cool things going on with the new medical city planned at Lake Nona. Shortly thereafter his table was called and away he went to enjoy his meal and I, resigned, back to my place in line.

Then, his partner Natalia, suddenly returned to the front and asked us if we would like to join them for brunch this morning. Thankful, grateful for their kindness we accepted and skipped on over to join them at their booth.

For their meals they order a “bacado” omelette, yogurt and fruit crepe, and a pancake filled with chocolate chips, all looking quite delicious.

Bacado omelette at First Watch – UCF Area

Fruit crepe at First Watch – UCF Area

For our meals, my partner orders the sweet, fluffy belgian waffle with egg and sausage.

I order the Acapulco Express Omellette made with chorizo sausage, avocado, green chilies and onions, smothered with melted cheeses and topped with sour cream and served with a side of homemade salsa, first watch potatoes and English muffin. Simple yet delicious.

Acapulco Express omelet at First Watch – UCF Area

Choo choo im on the Acapulco express!

Overall the meal at First Watch was pretty good. I particularly enjoyed how the food wasn’t oily or overly greasy like some of the other “breakfast” joints out there, all very fresh and very light tasting.

TJ’s Seafood Shack – Oviedo

I stumbled upon this local joint one afternoon driving by on Red Bug Lake Dr / Mitchell Hammock in Oviedo. Tucked in a plaza next to LA Fitness, TJ’s Seafood Shack is a small place that could definitely be a great spot for locals to come and relax. The decor is reminiscent of a beachside shack, furbished with quirky sayings and different antique signs emphasizing relaxation, a welcome reprise from the busy life of Central Floridians.

The Bucket-Lights are a nice touch lol

The menu is mostly seafood items and everything here is under $10.00 with their most expensive item being the crabcakes at $9.95.

TJ’s Seafood Shack actually won the award for Best Taste for Taste of Oviedo 2009 and it’s not hard to see why. I order the Shrimp Po Boy, a sandwich made with breaded fried shrimp in a loaf. The bread was light and soft, chewy to the bite and the shrimp was pretty good. I liked how they have home made Roumalade sauce and also the option to have fresh fruit rather than fries.

The Shrimp Po Boy!!

The Strawberries!

The sauces!!!

Overall it was pretty enjoyable! I’d definitely come back to see their other offerings.

TJ’s Seafood Shack

(407) 365-3365

http://www.tjsseafoodshack.com/

Please visit,

http://tiny.cc/orlandosentinelbestbests

and Write in “Tasty Chomps” for Best Local Blog! Thank you!!!

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice – UCF Area

Jeremiah’s sits in an old dusty strip plaza on the corner of University and Alafaya right outside of UCF, awaiting your sweet tooth’s desires. There are actually three of these establishments in the Central Florida area: the original one founded in 1996 in Winter Park along Aloma Ave near Goldenrod, one near 17/92 and Horatio and this one here in the UCF Area.

Several years ago Jeremiah’s expanded to this area, teeming with college students and hipsters alike, all giddy for some soft serve ice cream, italian ice, or a combination of both in the form of gelati. It’s a simple idea enough but as we know, its the simple things that are hard to do well.

Menu at Jeremiah’s Italian Ice

Jeremiah’s definitely does Italian Ice well. My particular favorite is the gelati style where you can get layers of soft serve vanilla or chocolate ice cream on top of layers of your choice of italian ice. On this occassion I choose the Black Raspberry and it was savory sweet, delectable to the taste with the slight tartness of raspberry, sweet creamy texture of the ice cream, and slushy coolness of the italian ice all coming together as one in my mouth. A delicious dessert for any meal.

Other popular flavors include the Scoop Froggy Frog, Jeremiah’s signature mint chocolate chip flavor, as well as pina colada, mango, strawbanana and much more. Prices here are reasonable with a generous small cup of gelati going for around $2.60. It’s a classic place to go and brings back memories of the college days every time.

The Black Raspberry Gelati with Vanilla soft serve ice cream
at Jeremiah’s Italian Ice

The Mango and Pina Colada Gelati
at Jeremiah’s Italian Ice

Tasty Chomps Rating!!!!
4.5 out of 5 Tasty Chomps!!

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice

(407) 277-7769

UCF Area
12271 University Blvd
Orlando, FL 32817
www.jeremiahsice.com

Check out the facebook fan page and fan Tasty Chomps!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tasty-Chomps/139670726036?ref=ts

I discovered the existence of the quaint and thoroughly delicious Paris Bistro first from ScottJosephOrlando.com, where Scott Joseph reported that the French restaurant has a 3 course lunch meal for $10.95 in Winter Park along Aloma Avenue. It was also noted that the Paris Bistro will soon be moving to the Park Avenue district in Winter Park and so I thought I would seize the opportunity and visit it one time before it closed its doors for its move.

The Paris Bistro has since closed since this review, as of the end of September, and will reopen later this week (scroll down below for new address).

The Paris Bistro sat on the corner of an unassuming strip mall along Aloma Ave near the intersection of Goldenrod. If you blink, you might have missed it. I’m pretty sure I did the past few times driving by. The Paris Bistro is small inside, perhaps even cramped, and this may be the reason for their decision to move to a possibly larger venue down the street. The decor is humble with maroon tablecloths, charming booths, and elegant table settings, overall having a very intimate feeling like a small French cafe in Paris. The waiter who attends to our table this afternoon is attentive and caring genuinely about our visit.

On this afternoon, I am joined by a few friends to savor in the tastes of Paris Bistro. We begin by ordering a round of Escargots de Bourgogne (not on the 3 course lunch menu). The escargot is served in a special plate with each of the snails removed from their shells and cooked in a garlic, butter sauce and herbs. The escargot were quite delicious, soft and plump, resembling most like the texture and taste of a crustacean.

Escargot on the fork ready to be consumed

chomp chomp on the escargot

For my order, I have le coq au vin, chicken leg pieces cooked in a wine. It actually had a lot of similarities in flavors with the beef bourguignon that I made a few weeks ago. Rich and tender, the chicken has a deep taste from the hours spent baking. The potato gratin side was also quite tasty and crisp from the oven.

Le Coq Au Vin with potato gratin side

Le Coq Au Vin – tender, and rich chicken cooked in wine

My companions also enjoyed the crepe du jour as well as the Paris Bistro burger, made with ground sirloin, lettuce, tomato, dijon mustard, brie and topped with a gratuituously delightful egg, and also a special salmon burger. Scrumptious.

Mr Paris Bistro Burger topped with an Egg

Salmon burger

For dessert, I ordered the profiterolles (Home-made Cream Puff With Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce), sweet and soft, tender on my tongue.

profiterolles

The restaurant will open this week at its new location according to the Orlando Sentinel . The restaurant will open at 216 Park Ave. in the former Ann Taylor space.

Tasty Chomps Rating
4.5 out of 5 TASTY CHOMPS
(C’est si bon)

I’ve been checking out this new blog for a few weeks now and wanted to share it with you all. Its based on a really cool concept of bringing blogging and Orlando tourism together:

Broadway performer Kyle Post and Harlem childcare worker Stacey Doornbos from New York City are spending 67 days experiencing everything Orlando has to offer and sharing each amazing experience through social media along the way.

As Orlando’s Smile Ambassadors, Kyle and Stacey will visit more than 100
Orlando attractions including everything from roller coaster riding to hang
gliding, swimming with dolphins, spa-ing, golfing, gator wrestling, museum
exploring, theatre-going, dining and more.In August, Post and Doornbos beat out
hundreds of applicants from more than a dozen countries for the coveted Smile
Ambassador positions created by the world’s premier vacation destination. Post
and Doornbos are childhood friends who grew up together in Holland, Michigan and
share a passion for theme parks, having taken 30 amusement park trips together
to enjoy more than 618 rides. They took a “friendship honeymoon” to Orlando at
the end of college to celebrate their friendship, not knowing where their lives
would take them. Kyle then moved to New York City and five weeks later was cast
in the Broadway production of RENT. Stacey traveled the world, touring seven
countries in three months before also ultimately ending up in New York City to
work with underprivileged children in East Harlem.

Post and Doornbos live in a two-bedroom condo in Downtown Orlando,
compliments of The Paramount on Lake Eola, with furnishings provided by CORT.
Both of these relationships have been facilitated through the Downtown
Development Board as part of their partnership on this program with the Orlando CVB. For their 67 day assignment, the pair will also be provided cell phones, digital video and still cameras, a Dollar Rent A Car and $25,000 U.S. to cover living expenses back home.

Kyle and Stacey have already begun blogging, tweeting and updating Facebook with photos, video, and exciting anecdotes from their journey.

Followers of the @67Days Twitter account, Visit Orlando Facebook fan
page, and 67 Days of Smiles blog will have the opportunity to win a variety of prizes including gift certificates to Orlando restaurants and attraction tickets.

Follow along at http://67daysofsmiles.com/ as Kyle and Stacey take on the top
social media job in the world!

Also check out this new game they have on their website!
http://orlandoinfo.com/findmysmile/

After a heavy, hearty meaty meal, the perfect place to go in Atlanta would be for some shaved iced dessert at Suno!

Suno located on the outskirts of Atlanta in Duluth, sits in a strip plaza in front of the super H-Mart, the gigantic Korean market. There are many Koreans here who call Atlanta their home nowadays, and having left the snowy winter landscapes of their homeland, they have brought with them to America the advent of the shaved ice dessert!

Cuisines throughout Asia have made use of icy desserts: China and Taiwan have a variant with mung beans and red beans and fruits, Vietnamese have various che which is similar and at times served with crushed ice, Filipinos have halo halo, and Koreans have papingsu.

The shaved ice at Suno is much different from any other shaved ice I have ever had before. The difference is that most other shaved ice tastes just like what it sounds, crushed shavings of water ice, but the shaved ice at Suno has a delightfully creamy texture and taste to it. An excellent invention.

Inside the store, you order first at the counter. Behind the counter is this amazing ice shaving machine where they take their special blocks of ice and shave them. Its a ice cream barber shop of sorts I suppose. After your order, the shaved ice is placed down the assembly line of fresh chilled strawberries, or mangos, kiwis, oreos, chocolates, marshmallows, syrups, etc per your order and voila’ the creation is complete. The end result is a huge tub of icy goodness that is sweet and healthy at the same time * this is due to the low calorie count of the shaved ice lol.

absolutely delicious.

Sadly there are no shaved ice places here in Orlando, but maybe one day they will open up like the frozen yogurt places that are starting to sprout up EVERYWHERE .

On the assembly line for consumption at Suno shaved ice desserts in Atlanta

The multitudes of delicious fruit toppings at Suno shaved ice desserts in Atlanta

a Chocolate marshmallow and strawberry delight at Suno shaved ice desserts in Atlanta

Delicious chilled strawberries at Suno shaved ice desserts in Atlanta

Fruit toppings on the Suno shaved ice dessert in Atlanta

devour and consume, its what i do.

Tasty chomps rating!!!!
4.5 out of 5 Tasty Chomps!!!!

This past week, I attended an all you can eat Italian dinner at the Delta Delta Delta house at UCF. The grand house stands tall on Greek Row, elegant and gracious. All of the proceeds went to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as well as Bella Rose. The tour of Italy included baked ziti, bowtie pasta, meatballs, a vegetarian entree, salad, and cookies.

One of their sister’s families is experiencing a hardship due to their family member Bella Rose. Bella is 2 1/2 years old and has been diagnosed with cancer (high risk stage IV neuroblastoma) that has spread to her abdomen, vertebrae, bone marrow and right leg. Bella will need six treatments after the chemo, that are still in the experimental phase so insurance does not pay for them. This special antibody specifically helps children with neuroblastoma completely rid their body of the cancer and help fight it off. EACH ONE of the treatments will cost $18,000.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the premier center in the United States for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other childhood catastrophic diseases. St. Jude treats approximately 6,000 patients a day and does not deny treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.

It was a great event for a great cause with some great food and it was fun catching up with some friends new and old.

yummy…:D

Cho Won Buffet in Atlanta

What could be better than korean marinaded barbeque meats? Well I’ll tell you: endless all you can eat korean marinaded barbeque meats. And a sushi bar. and a everything else that you could want from a Korean place bar. All you can eat Korean BBQ? I am so there! !!!

Located in sunny Atlanta, in the northeastern section where a rather large Korean town exists, Cho Won Korean Buffet awaits.

Inside, the restaurant is clean and homey, like a small house with wood finishing all over. Although it is not the best in terms of taste or quality, it is a great value and for $14.06 including tax during lunch for all you can eat. As in most buffets, the sushi is not the greatest and not the largest portions but I am happy regardless. The pork and beef galbi sizzles on the grill as the Korean waitress lady comes by to help snip our meats and move it around to cook thoroughly.

The service was great and overall it was a enjoyable BBQ!

the Meat bar awaits your grilling at Cho Won

The Food Bar at Cho Won

Korean meats on the grill

Phil and Huy enjoy their meats

Krystle (check out her blog) models the sushi

Sushi by Theresa

Sizzle Sizzle

Snip Snip

Hello all! I finally got around to starting this thing:

add me on facebook! fan page! tastychomps! rawrrrr!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tasty-Chomps/139670726036

Ocean Prime – Sand Turkey District – Dr Phillips Area – Orlando

As mentioned previously on this blog, September is Magical Dining Month here in Orlando. As part of their promotion, a dollar from each meal served goes to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. There are many great deals to be had and one of them is here at Ocean Prime.

Situated on the corner of Sand Lake Road and Turkey Lake Road in the brand new plaza Rialto, Ocean Prime sits like a ocean pearl on the area known as “Restaurant Row” Specializing in seafood, indeed having won the Orlando Sentinel’s Foodie Award for Best Seafood 2009, Ocean Prime has a lot to live up to. The place is definitely swankified, shades of blue glow through out the glamorous restaurant. The decor is beautiful to the point of decadence, as if from a scene in the Great Gatsby. Live music plays in the bar lounge area, on this evening a guitarist singer, on other evenings live piano and more.

We are seated at our table and are greeted by our charming waitress, who throughout the meal is attentive and friendly.

But decor can never make up for great food, and in this case, our meals were just good. Not bad but not great either. The three course meal is $30.00 prix fix from the Magical Dining Menu.

We start with a delicious sourdough bread straight from the oven, still steaming.

I begin with the crab cake served atop a yellow corn cream. The crab cake was good, filled with crab meat, though I have had better crab cake else where with more flavor. The yellow corn cream was a nice subtle touch to the cake.

For one of the sides, I order the truffle mac and cheese (not on the magical dining menu). The truffle mushrooms on top of the mac and cheese gave it a strong powerful flavor, pretty good though it may not be to everyone’s tastes.

For entree, I order the 7 oz Filet Mignon, a deal with the $30.00 since this alone is usually $31.00 on the regular menu. The filet mignon was excellently cooked, medium rare and tender.

My partner however did not enjoy her entree as much, as the pecan crusted mountain trout was overwhelmed by the pecan taste and brown butter sauce accompaniment. It was a bit disappointing since Ocean Prime is supposedly known for its seafood. Maybe other items are better?

For dessert I chose the creme brulee, a huge bowl of creamy egg custardy goodness, probably 3 times the amount usually served for creme brulee. My partner orders the chocolate peanut butter pie, which was actually pretty good. We were also served two glasses of champagne as we were celebrating an anniversary on this evening and they usually give complimentary desserts for special occasions 😉

Overall, Ocean Prime provides a very pleasant, classy sophisticated atmosphere perfect for impressing a date or what not but in terms of the food, it is just good. Minus points for value.

Tasty Chomps Rating!!!
4 out of 5 Tasty Chomps!!!!

Just got back from dinner and Zombietoberfest at Audubon Park! (separately of course)

I know human brains may not be considered tasty chomps to many, but to our less nobler friend, the zombie, it is indeed considered a delicacy. I did not indulge, however, but did get to observe the evening’s festivities. It was my first time in the Audubon Park district, and it was heartwarming to see so many people on the streets in this dusty old Orlando neighborhood. With little stalls set up around the block, zombies and zombie hunters roamed the block, chatting and altogether pretty amicable as a band played in the distance.

People out and about chattering the night away

Zombie hunters!

Zombie trinket sellers, will they be at the next farmer’s market?

catching up with some undead friends

till death do us part?

Whats for dinner?

I am so going

Friday, September 25 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., the Audubon Park Garden District will host a combination beer festival/zombie costume walk.

Not interested in being a zombie? Then join us in our beer garden, sample German beers, and possibly be served by undead German beer maids.

Not a beer fan? That’s OK, too. Feel free to dress up like a zombie, join other zombies and take over Corrine Drive and Winter Park Road, the heart of the district.

There will be prizes for scariest zombie, cutest zombie and best zombie character. Plus, there will be really great brains — er, beer.

Oktoberfest Beer Garden Tickets: $10
Zombie Costume Contest: $5
Zombies Who Want to Hang Out With Fellow Zombies: Free

Order tickets online at apgardens.com
For more information please contact
Kat Quast at 407-590-8776 or at kat@apgardens.com.

New Orleans Cajun Seafood – Pine Hills – Orlando

Located in sunny Pine Hills, a community also known affectionately as “Crime Hills”, New Orleans Cajun Seafood stands in a small shack on West Colonial Drive between Kirkman Road and Pine Hills road. A huge American flag sign flys up above the establishment and the exterior is decorated with fishing nets and various sea memorabilia, giving it hints of a harbor scene.

Inside, you order at the counter. Written on sheets of blue and white paper in what appears to be blue marker are the daily specials and menu for New Orleans Cajun Seafood. From Shrimp po boys to king crab legs to boiled crawfish and more, New Orleans Cajun Seafood pretty much does it all. The decor is minimal, like a rustic school cafeteria, however they did have a pretty cool instructional guide on how to eat crawfish.

How to Eat Crawfish Guide
1. Find the Biggest Crawfish
2. Break it in Half
3. Suck the Head
4. Peel back the Shell
5. Pinch the Tail
6. Bite the Meat
7. Savor the Spices
8. Sip a Cold Beer

The establishment is actually owned by a Vietnamese family who immigrated here from the New Orleans area. Even half way around the world, Vietnamese families who immigrated as boat refugees to the American Southeast over 30 years ago after the fall of Saigon, found their way to survival by fishing and shrimping along the gulf coast, especially along the bayou of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama where still today there are sizeable Vietnamese populations. There were even bouts with the KKK back in the 1980s when they first arrived when they were attacked and intimidated, but luckily they were defeated in the courts . It also helped that the Vietnamese fishermen were trained in warfare and usage of AK-47s as a result of the decades of war in Vietnam.

Anywho back to New Orleans Cajun Seafood, I was here to meet up with some old friends, fellow blogger ( HelloOrganics.blogspot.com ) as well as Justin, An, and Johnny. They arrived first and were already chomping down on their crawfish, boiled and served steaming hot with their cajun spices and the garlic butter sauce. Justin and Uyen had ordered the King crab legs so it took a little while longer than the other items to come out.

I ordered some of the crawfish as well as some of the jumbo shrimp. The crawfish was fresh and juicy with each spicy bite, however I would caution from getting the garlic butter sauce as there was a lot of garlic in it if you don’t like garlic too much. It was a bit overpowering but still enjoyable.

The jumbo shrimp were the size of my head, literally jumbo sized. They were good and similarly fresh and delicious, but I think it may have resulted in unwanted bowel movements later in the evening, c’est la vie. It’s bound to happen with me and seafood.

Overall, I enjoyed New Orleans Cajun Seafood and wouldn’t mind coming here with some buds and beer and enjoying some crawfish cooked on the premises for $4.99 a lb.

Tasty Chomps Rating!!!
3 out of 5 Tasty Chomps!!!

Lee’s Bakery – uNAVSA conference – Atlanta

The uNAVSA conference in Atlanta this past summer was one of the best conferences that I have been to in a while. Well organized, well thought out, and all in all well received. The speakers were inspiring, from the young man who’s life changed forever when his father died when he was 11, forcing him to grow up to eventually become a successful entrepreneur, to the program director at CNN whose grandmother, unbeknown-st to her at the time, was one of the first women to start a newspaper back in Vietnam years ago, and paid dearly for it when the Communists took over. The Vietnamese air force pilot who had to start his life all over again in America, from nothing to now owning the largest Vietnamese media based company in the US and whose daughter makes over $700,000 as a doctor. Follow your passions, pursue your dreams they all tell us.

The organizations throughout the US came together to also join in fundraising for one community based non-profit each year and had to decide between three organizations vying for the spot. The Hue Foundation and the Sunflower Mission were both great contenders and had admirable missions in bettering the society in Vietnam, focusing on school children and the poor. The winner this year however was the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation, which aims to bring together the histories of a people who have no voice even today, who is forgotten in the American history books and steadily losing their stories every day.

This emotional video is more about the VAHF and its goals for your viewing:

http://www.viddler.com/player/4fa54929/

Well, as it is being a Vietnamese students conference, of course there will be Vietnamese food right? And what better lunch item than the Vietnamese submarine sandwich the Banh Mi? From Lee’s Bakery down the street on Buford Highway, these little bad boys were delivered in each lunch time for our meals. They were great, though a bit too much mayo sauce for my tastes, as it can over power the tastes of everything else. But overall they were pretty good.

Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches from Lee’s Bakery

Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches from Lee’s Bakery

Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches from Lee’s Bakery

Eat mi! (mi is vietnamese for noodles, sometimes)

Late night Karaoke-ing in Atlanta, actually a tragic place

Late night Karaoke-ing in Atlanta, grilled squid, not so good

Late night Karaoke-ing in Atlanta, actually a tragic place


Some of the handsome men at uNAVSA

University of South Florida Vietnamese Student Association <3 Tasty Chomps
University of South Florida Vietnamese Student Association <3 Tasty Chomps


University of Central Florida Vietnamese American Student Association <3>

Banquet!!

how lovely

chocolate cake to end the meal

bon apetit

Pho Dai Loi 2 – Buford Highway – Atlanta – Vietnamese

Hello Vietnamese squatters in front of Vietnamese restaurant Pho Dai Loi 2

Pho Dai Loi 2 is located on Buford Highway in northwestern Atlanta where a large, predominantly Vietnamese community has sprung up alongside Mexican and Korean communities interspersed with each other. Remarkably, there is even a 24 hour Korean restaurant in the area. The Vietnamese area along Buford Highway is, according to estimates, about 10 times larger than the Vietnamese area in Orlando along Colonial Drive and Mills Avenue.

With so many cultural influences in abundance, coupled with a sizeable ethnic population, the food here at Pho Dai Loi 2 is destined to be some very authentic Vietnamese tasty chomps. Indeed it is. The owners of Pho Dai Loi must have been doing something right at their first location to open up a 2nd shop here on Buford Highway.

Inside, the restaurant is brimming with patrons, predominantly Vietnamese families out on the weekend as well as a few escapees from the conference nearby, trying to sneak away from the banh mi sandwiches and seeking a bite elsewhere outside of the hotel walls. The decor is minimal and you feel like you just stepped into a restaurant half way across the world in Vietnam, as you listen to plates and utensils clattering, people chattering on about their past week, slurps of the noodle soup. One thing is for sure, no matter where you go in the world, Vietnamese people love being loud for no reason.

The service is very fast here and like most Vietnamese places, quite abrupt but friendly at the same time. We begin with some spring rolls, (sometimes called summer rolls) but I just go by the Vietnamese name, goi cuon, cause that name never changes. Rice vermicelli noodles, shrimp, and herbs wrapped in a clear rice paper. A delicious start.

Goi cuon, or spring roll at Pho Dai Loi 2

We also have the Vietnamese egg rolls, called cha gio, crispy and fried and filled with pork filling mixed with carrots and black eared mushrooms. Just like mom would make at home.

Cha gio, the Vietnamese egg roll at Pho Dai Loi 2

We are here at Pho Dai Loi so we must order some of their namesake: the Pho Dac biet, I order the smaller bowl knowing that if I ordered the super large bowl I may just explode. The pho comes steaming hot, the broth is delicious and aromatic and the noodles are cooked just right. The meat toppings are pretty good too, so all in all this is a great bowl of Pho similar to those that may be found in the best of the Vietnamese establishments in Orlando.

Additionally one of our brothers order the com dac biet, rice with egg casserole, pork chops, tomato and lettuce topped with fish sauce dip.

Pho Dai Loi is for seriously good and all for a seriously cheap price.

Tasty Chomps rating!!!
4 out of 5 tasty chomps!!!!

Waffle House – Atlanta – Breakfast

“Waffle House” seemed to be the buzz word the weekend of the uNAVSA conference in Atlanta. Here as Vietnamese American students assembled from across the nation to the cultural capital of the Dirty South, everyone was mentioning how they “gotta try Waffle House”, blah blah blah.

Waffle House, a place my friend Emery once described as your “typical greasy spoon” joint, and added along an advisory “don’t go there, man”. I should have taken his advice. I’ve had Waffle House before and was not very impressed from my previous encounters with the uniformly hole-in-the-wall establishment, though noting that they do have some good cheap hash brown dishes. But other than that, not much would make me want to go back there into that yellow topped hole to the netherworld of late night eats.

But something intrigued me about it here in Atlanta, maybe since this city was the birthplace for the whole Waffle House franchise and I felt the need to pay my respects on my visit here to the home of the Waffle House. Maybe I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Maybe I just wanted to sober up after a late night out at the club and Waffle House was the only thing open near the hotel.

Whatever the case may have been, there we were inside the Waffle House, sitting on the cramped counter looking over our laminated menus. On this late night all around us, all sorts of drunken walks of life stumbled clumsily around us, stammering their orders with their drunken slurs. The place felt slightly dirty, greasy smoke from the griddles perfuming the air, confusing your senses and making it feel even more surreal than it already is in this ugly, ugly place.

Inside the wondrous caverns of the Waffle House

Minh isn’t feeling too well at this point in the night

The waitress who came to us was brisk but kindly. We gave her our orders and soon enough they arrived.

I ordered a hash brown with cheese as well as strawberry waffles. Both were okay but indeed the grease was overwhelming for my tastes, causing me to not enjoy them as much as I could have. But we were hungry.

Hash browns at Waffle House

Bacon strips nom nom nom

Waffle with strawberry goo

Waffle a la Waffle House

My brother Phil from the University of Florida chowing down

Regretful chomp.

I think it made me feel a little sick and maybe made me feel more drunk afterwards than before coming in to the place. C’est la vie, this is what you risk when you gamble away your night at the Waffle House.

Tasty Chomps Rating!!
2 out of 5 regretful chomps

La Granja – Pollos y Carnes a la Brasa – Chicken and Meat rotisserie – Orlando

La Granja a La Brasa

La Granja, Spanish for the Farm or the Grange, serves tasty Peruvian fare from its location on the southwest corner of Semoran Blvd (SR 436) and Aloma Avenue (SR 426)in Winter Park, Florida. Founded in 1993 on the Caribbean island of Aruba, it is actual a international franchise specializing in Peruvian style rotisserie chicken, with additional locations throughout Latino-centric communities in South Florida.

A Wall of Locations for La Granja throughout Florida and the Caribbean

La Granja is a place that may appear very sketchy on the outside/inside, but rest assured the food here is great. The place is a bit intimidating, a bit dirty, a bit run down of a hole in a wall, but its busy with people coming in and out for orders of their Peruvian style chicken.

Order at the front at La Granja

People in line for food at La Granja

Magical sauces at La Granja

Decoding the sauces by colors at La Granja

Inside, there are rows upon rows of chicken rotating on rotisseries in La Granja, roasting to a succulent perfection. I love looking at them spinning in the fire, with the metal squeaking as it turns around and around. The chicken at La Granja here in Orlando is juicy and flavorful, and also at a pretty good/cheap price. There is a great lunch combination of 1/4 chicken, yellow rice and a side for $4.25. In addition to fries, they have yuca, fried banana, and salad among other options. Basically, to quote my friend Mike, “it is what Pollo Tropical tries to be, but more authentic”. Not to diss Pollo Tropical’s chicken as it is pretty good, but La Granja’s chicken just has that extra kick of flavor not found in the more mainstream fast food establishments.

Chicken on the metal box rotisserie, spinning

Twirl, over the open flame, you wonderful chicken

They also have a sizeable seafood selection from grilled and fried fish to a seafood soup, a hearty tomato based soup filled with calamari, shrimp, and mussels.

The 1/4 chicken meal with rice and fried bananas at La Granja

The 1/4 chicken meal for $4.25

Tasty Chomps rating!!!
4 out of 5 Tasty Chomps!!!!

Vortex – Atlanta – Burgers

I heard about Vortex Bar and Grill from one of my brother Vince from the University of Florida. He had been working in Atlanta for some time and recommended it to me as having one of the best burgers in Atlanta, and naturally, I was curious to see how delicious these burgers were.

We traveled down the winding, hilly roads of Atlanta to just outside of Emory University at the “Five Points.” The atmosphere in the area is very off-beat and that is no different for Vortex. Outside of Vortex, a huge skull gapes at you at the doorway with his mouth open, his eyes crazed and wild with a hypnotizing spiral, beckoning you to enter with caution for what lays within. This is different, I thought.

Vortex’ entrance: the wild crazy eyed stare of the skull entices you inward…

Vortex: Best Burgers in Atlanta?

The scene above at the Vortex

We sit down and are ready to order. After a long day of driving from Orlando, the food would be a welcomed respite.

For starters, we order the “bad ass buffalo wings” ($7.95), dipped in original buffalo sauce and definitely delicious, as is hoped. Also, we ordered the “vortex tater-tots fondue” ($4.95), not really a fondue but more of a hot gooey cheese dip on the side. I haven’t seen tater-tots like this since grade school, triggering complex simultaneous mixed emotions of childhood happiness and angst. They taste great of course and hit just the spot.

Deliciously bad ass buffalo wings

The tatertots fondue – bon apetit

Vortex’ tatertots fondue

Vince’ girlfriend Lisa enjoys a tater!

Vince enjoys a stray fry!

Vortex is known for their burgers as stated previously, and not just for having good burgers, but also for their quirky, creative and altogether decadent types of burgers served here. Burgers such as the Spanish Fly burger ($7.95), With a spicy serving of ground chorizo topping, green chilis and pepperjack cheese, and the Elvis burger ($7.95), slathered with a King-sized helping of smooth peanut butter, bacon and fried bananas.

My brother Phil and I share a Coronary Bypass Burger ($8.25), which kind of scared us at first with its name, as we are not fond of a visit to the emergency room any time soon. The burger is made sirloin patty topped with a fried egg, three slices of American cheese, four slices of bacon, and a big fat side of mayo. My arteries clog just from typing about this unspeakable combination, this curse to good health. We stayed away from the Double Coronary Bypass Burger, which is topped with two fried eggs, four slices of American cheese, and 5 slices of bacon, with two grilled cheese sandwiches replacing the buns. @_@

Our hugee burger was delicious indeed, ignoring the fact it may have taken a few years off of my lifespan…

The Vortex Coronary Bypass burger awaits

The Vortex Coronary Bypass burger

The Vortex Coronary Bypass burger

The Vortex Coronary Bypass burger

The Vortex Coronary Bypass burger dissected

Farewell Vortex, see you in my nightmares…

Tasty Chomps Rating!!!!
4.5 out of 5 Tasty chomps!!!!

Bojangles – Famous Chicken and Biscuits

One of the tastiest – yet probably one of the unhealthiest – culinary inventions out there must be the fried chicken. I love fried chicken, succulent juicy inside yet crispy and spiced on the outside. Some of my favorites include the 20 piece fried spicy chicken wing special at Publix for around $8.00 as well as the fried chicken from Popeye’s. To my great delight, the creators of Bojangles Famous Chicken and Biscuits decided to expand the crispy empire to Central Florida this past year.

Located right across from the Wal-mart on Colonial Drive near the intersection at Alafaya Trail, Bojangles sits in a relatively high traffic volume area, perfect for some grab and go while you’re heading out on the congested state road. Luckily for Central Florida residents, Colonial Dr will be finished by the summer of next year hopefully alleviating its status as one of the top 10 deadliest roads in the US.

This is probably one of the reasons why it took so long for me to get to Bojangles, I just had no need to head down that way towards Wal-Mart or Colonial since its all so FUBAR.

The interior of Bojangles is much like every other fast food joint in the nation, bright lights and small stalls. You order in the front and they often have their items out for display right there.

Overall, I would have to say Bojangles is pretty good but not as good as my favorite reigning champion Popeyes. It is fresh and succulent, reminiscent of a cross between Popeyes and Maryland Fried Chicken. The key lies in the breading I believe. Bojangles breading is pretty standard, better than KFC but not as flavorful and fun to eat as Popeye’s crispy spiced goodness. I also enjoy Popeye’s biscuits better as they are fluffy and buttery while Bojangle’s biscuits are pretty average good buscuits, nothing wrong with that. For my meal I also get their fries and cajun rice which are both pretty good, accompanied by a delicious sweet tea.

On a second visit, after a long morning of picking up trash for the nearby adopt a road, my friends and I were able to get some breakfast here at Bojangles. I had the Bo rounds, which were similar to hash browns, but circular disc shaped, and also the cajun chicken biscuit which was actually quite delicious. The chicken is much different than that from Chic Fil A, which pretty much started the whole chicken biscuit breakfast craze. Bojangle’s chicken biscuit is juicy and the slab of chicken that they give is huge, practically half a breast slabbed between two biscuits. Divine.

My favorite fried chicken rankings are as follows:
1. Popeyes
2. Bojangles
3. Maryland Fried Chicken
4. Kentucky Fried Chicken

I’m pretty glad that Bojangles has arrived here in Orlando !

Tasty Chomps Rating
4 out of 5 TASTY CHOMPS!!!!

Bojangle’s Chicken! and Biscuits!

Jigga, Jigga….call that chick Bojangles!

Dirty Cajun Rice! at Bojangles on Colonial Dr

Bojangles Fries

Bojangle’s Sweet tea

Yummy chicken

Bojangles Bo Rounds for breakfast!

Bojangles Cajun Chicken Biscuit