Category Archives: American (Traditional)

General Public House

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4 Stars

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BLT Dip
Odd Bird
Smoked Ham and Sausage Benedict

This is a nice local public house serving elevated pub food. We went for Sunday and ordered off the regular and brunch menus.

The BLT dip was primarily creamed spinach, topped with some diced tomato and bacon crumbles, and served with excellent seasoned crostinis. Not a very large serving, but a nice starter.

My wife enjoyed the Odd Bird, a tender chicken breast sandwich with a fairly spicy buffalo sauce.

I had the Smoked Ham and Sausage Benedict, which was exactly as you’d expect from the name. Perfectly cooked poached eggs, and a good Hollandaise sauce, but I didn’t care for the flavor of what the English muffins had been grilled in or spread with. The accompanying home fries were delicious.

Service was superb.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/general-public-house-winter-springs-2

Market

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Tuna
Fried chicken
Potato soup
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Interior

***** (5 stars)

Charming service and ambiance are the highlights of this space right in the center of St. Helena. The brunch menu also offers lunch dishes such as fried chicken, and smaller plates such as tuna two ways. Both were good. But the highlights were the two soups, on creamay and one a curry broth base, both of which were superb.

The other highlight was the basket of complimentary muffins. These alone make it worth visiting at brunch!

Market
1347 Main St
Saint Helena, CA
94574
(707) 963-3799
https://www.yelp.com/biz/market-saint-helena-3

American Social

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Exterior
Bar
Interior

*** (3 stars)

This is a nice remodel of the Bar Louie space, and it’s sure more popular! The vibe is excellent, and the servers are really good. Food is just okay, and at tourist area prices.

We went for brunch, but the menu had many non-breakfast items, which was nice. The Nashville hot chicken was good, with a nice crispy crust (that could have been spicier). It was served as sliders on biscuits, but couldn’t possibly have been eaten that way.

Buffalo chicken wings were large, but otherwise not noteworthy.

The Crispy Potatoes in sourcream onion dip were a disaster, with many ladlefuls too much of the white glop burying the otherwise nicely roasted potatoes.

There’s an extensive cocktail list, and some interesting beers on tap, too.

American Social
7335 W Sand Lake RdSte 101
Orlando, FL
32819
(407) 454-9992
https://www.yelp.com/biz/american-social-orlando

Ford’s Garage- Orlando

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Exterior
Pickles
Interior

**** (4 stars)

This nicely themed restaurant is near the Lake Buena Vista outlet stores. It offers both indoor and outdoor seating. The menu emphasizes burgers, with some other sports bar type food.

I tried the house specialty burger, and it was excellent. The included potato wedges are just okay, so I upgraded to onion rings. The rings were better, but not as good as the fried pickle appetizer, which is battered rather than breaded.

There’s a nice selection of beers including a lot of dark beers, which are my favorites.

Ford’s Garage- Orlando
8201 Vineland AveSte 1801
Orlando, FL
32821
(407) 602-3673
https://www.yelp.com/biz/fords-garage-orlando-orlando

Linda’s Winter Park Diner

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Farmer’s Omelet
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Exterior
Interior

**** (4 stars)

This is an authentic diner in the time-honored tradition of roadside eateries. While it may not have the nostalgic decor of a movie-set diner, the menu has all the right items, and the staff is friendly and welcoming, which keeps the regulars coming back.

Breakfast offerings are diverse, with a special focus on omelets. I had the farmer’s omelet, which combined veggies and ham, and a very creamy cheese. It was delicious. Hash browns were crispy, as requested, and the coffee was regularly refilled.

A great place for an old-fashioned dining experience.

Linda’s Winter Park Diner
1700 W Fairbanks Ave
Winter Park, FL
32789
(407) 775-2288
https://www.yelp.com/biz/lindas-winter-park-diner-winter-park

TooJay’s

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Nova Lox
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Interior
Interior

**** (4 stars)

There aren’t many genuine delis in Orlando, for whatever reason, so it’s nice to have this Toojay’s as an option. I’ve never been a fan of the other location, but they seem a lot friendlier here.

You’ll find all the deli standards here. My favorite is the hot pastrami on toasted rye. The pastrami is particularly lean and flavorful. I also like their cole slaw and dill pickles.

The Nova Lox, served on very crispy latkes, was a good appetizer.

Service was friendly and efficient.

TooJay’s
10185 W Colonial DriveShoppes of Ocoee
Ocoee, FL
34761
(407) 798-2000
https://www.yelp.com/biz/toojays-ocoee

Craig Miller’s Field House Best Sports Bar & Restaurant

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Mango habanero wings
Pepperoni and basil pizza
Exterior
Interior

**** (4 stars)

This fairly large sports bar in Dellagio offers decent food and lots of screens. The last time I went here there was a very noisy basketball game. I’m pleased to say the place has been rearranged and is much more conducive to an enjoyable meal now.

The nachos were served on half round tostada shells, but were otherwise fine, more about beans than cheese.

Chicken wings are sold by the pound. The wings are large, and nicely flash fried. The mango habanero sauce I had was more sweet than spicy, but some tabasco fixed it up.

The pepperoni and fresh basil pizza was very good, with a rich, slightly spicy tomato sauce.

Service was attentive.

Craig Miller’s Field House Best Sports Bar & Restaurant
7958 Via Dellagio WaySte 100
Orlando, FL
32819
(407) 248-3474
https://www.yelp.com/biz/craig-millers-field-house-best-sports-bar-and-restaurant-orlando-2

The Waterfront

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Tuna Poke Bowl
Waterfront Platter
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Interior
Exterior
Exterior

***** (5 stars)

This has got to be one of the best outdoor dining places in Orlando. The restaurant is barely visible from the road, and looks like a dive, but once inside you realize it opens out into a couple of great patios that really are on the water.

While the menu may look like a sports bar’s offering, the food is much better than the average sports bar. The smoked fish dip was balanced and complex, yet served with simple saltines. The Waterfront Platter was a generous mix of batter and fried shrimp, fish, chicken, hushpuppies and fries. All were done with a light touch, so they weren’t oily at all.

The tuna poke was a beautiful and delightful portion of chopped tuna and fresh veggies.

On a day with a nice breeze blowing in across the lake I can’t imagine a better place to be in Orlando.

The Waterfront
4201 S Orange Ave
Orlando, FL
32806
(407) 866-0468
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-waterfront-orlando-3

Cold Spring Tavern

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Exterior
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***** (5 stars)

I’ve driven past here dozens of times but today was the first time I ever turned off the main road and wound my way down to the Cold Spring Tavern. What an amazing place! It’s an old stagecoach stop, and retains all of the charm (and rickety wood construction) of its historic past.

Outside, a stream cascades down the rocks at the bottom of the canyon, and the building is surrounded by lush growth.

The restaurant is divided up into intimate rooms, with great mood lighting, and views of the woods.

Lunch offerings include salads and sandwiches and burgers. Both the chiliburger and venison steak sandwich were excellent, as were the accompanying fries and salad. Apparently the quiche is amazing, with a wonderful pastry crust, but the person before me got the last order!

Service is friendly, and the staff are definitely having a good time working there.

Cold Spring Tavern
5995 Stagecoach Rd
Santa Barbara, CA
93105
(805) 967-0066
https://www.yelp.com/biz/cold-spring-tavern-santa-barbara

Brother’s Restaurant At the Red Barn

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Fried oysters
Tuna tartare
Exterior
Interior

***** (5 stars)

This place offers perfectly grilled steaks and other meat and seafood dishes in a vibrant environment.

in addition to the inside dining area, there is a large outdoor area in back, plus a very lively bar.

The wine list is one of the best in the area, featuring local wines with good pedigrees at reasonable prices.

Service was friendly and professional.

Brother’s Restaurant At the Red Barn
3539 Sagunto St
Santa Ynez, CA
93460
(805) 688-4142
https://www.yelp.com/biz/brothers-restaurant-at-the-red-barn-santa-ynez