Category Archives: Diners

The Monroe

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This place definitely has a hip atmosphere. It looks like it could get boisterous, but we were there for a late lunch and it was great.

The concise menu has lots of interesting selections, and we enjoyed everything we tried. We started with the hummus, which was served with fresh-baked pitas. The hummus was topped with an assortment of herbs and seasonings, which made it fun to experiment with different combinations.

I had the three-piece fried chicken, and it was terrific. The crunchy, complex batter kept the tender, moist chicken steaming hot throughout our meal. The accompanying macaroni salad and cucumber chunk salad were both excellent.

My companion had the steak frites, a classic preparation with perfectly seared steak and a huge pile of nicely crisped truffle fries.

There are some interesting wines by the glass. I finished with the very intriguing root beer latte.

Service was cheerful and attentive.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-monroe-orlando

13 Coins Restaurant

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This is a very interesting restaurant. We had lunch here during an overnight stay at the next-door hotel before catching an early flight at SEATAC.

If you sit at the counter, it’s basically dinner and a show–if you find watching people cook, as I do. It’s almost like watching choreography as you see a half dozen chefs handling the lunch rush.

The seating is interesting, too. Think of those padded swivel armchairs at casino slot machines. There’s also a row of booths, each separated by padded walls, but trust me, the counter is much more interesting.

The food is essentially everything you’ve ever gotten in a diner, plus more. We started with the fried artichoke hearts, which were generous and excellent.

The Mexican Scramble was also a large serving. It was a bit dense and needed some Tabasco to liven it up despite the inclusion of jalapenos, but it was pretty good.

The coating on the blackened chicken was also very good.

Service was friendly, and overall the experience was quite entertaining.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/13-coins-restaurant-seatac

Nona Blue Modern Tavern

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Interior
Interior
House made salsa
House made salsa
Chicken tenders
Chicken tenders
Smoked salmon dip
Smoked salmon dip
Smoked Salmon Dip
Smoked Salmon Dip
Prime Rib
Prime Rib
Steak Frites
Steak Frites
Exterior
Exterior
Interior
Interior

***** (5 stars)

It had been seven years since I'd been to Nona Blue–long enough that I'd forgotten I was ever there. In all fairness, we live far away, but it is convenient to Orlando International, so a great place to go after picking someone up.

In my earlier review we went for lunch, and I characterized it as a sports bar, but this time it was dinner, and the vibe was quite different. True, there are TV's around the central bar, but the lighting is romantically dim, and the noise level is reasonable, so it has more of an intimate club atmosphere, which we really liked.

We must be creatures of habit, because we ordered the same smoked salmon dip as last time, and enjoyed it just as much–again, the warning that there is a fair amount of egg white in it, which I liked, but my wife not so much.

The Caesar salad is one of the most authentic in town, with plenty of garlic and anchovy flavor in the dressing, which isn't too heavy.

She had the steak frites, and it had a great smoky flavor. Not that if you want it authentic you need to substitute steak fries for traditional ones.

I had the prime rib, which was a hefty serving accompanied by a delicious horseradish sauce and a Matterhorn of mashed potatoes.

There's a nice wine and cocktail list.

Service by Claire was very professional and friendly.

Nona Blue Modern Tavern
9685 Lake Nona Village Pl
Orlando, FL 32827

https://www.yelp.com/biz/nona-blue-modern-tavern-orlando

Betty’s Place – CLOSED

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Fried chicken
Fried chicken
Exterior
Exterior
Chicken fingers
Chicken fingers
Interior
Interior

***** (5 stars)

Contrary to what yelp says, this place has reopened. The menu is now hand written, but it is the same, excellent diner, type food with the same friendly service. When we visited, it was cash only due to the phone line being disconnected.

We enjoyed both the fried chicken and the chicken fingers. It's nice that they have servings sized for seniors as well as children. I hadn't seen that before.

It was actually full after church on Sunday, so it's definitely in business!

Betty’s Place – CLOSED
4766 State Hwy Pp
Holt, MO 64048

https://www.yelp.com/biz/bettys-place-holt

Race Car Diner

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Interior
Interior
Exterior
Exterior

***** (5 stars)

This is a small traditional roadside diner with a classic assortment of dishes, including excellent hamburger, fries, and onion rings. Be sure to ask for their excellent onion ring dipping sauce!

The tuna melt is also really goos, as is their cole slaw.

Friendly down home service.

Race Car Diner
25641 Monroe St
Astatula, FL 34705

https://www.yelp.com/biz/race-car-diner-astatula

The Restaurant At Meadowood

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Interior
Foyer

**** (4 stars)

It’s a bit difficult to rate a restaurant based upon a special meal, and we dined on the final night of The Restaurant’s Twelve Days of Christmas 2019 event. On the other hand, the final night is when The Restaurant’s own chef, Christopher Kostow, is in charge, so one assumes the food is representative of the normal quality.

Unfortunately, that seemed to be all over the map. There were indeed some of the stunning courses you’d expect from a three-star Michelin, such as the trout roe, the oxheart carrot, and the sunchoke trifle. But there were also some notable misses, including the unappealing quail, tough pork collar, and many others.

The service made up for a lot of that. It included the kind of synchronized moves that Michelin raters seem to fawn over, but also was very gracious and welcoming, and apologetic for the long wait for our table (no doubt the result of it being the third seating of a completely new menu).

The setting is also sublime: a not-overdone graceful simplicity, and a remarkably good illusion of snowflakes falling outside, to complement the festive mood.

What to make of it? Hard to say without a repeat visit, but at $1000 for two (with wine) I’m not in a hurry to do so.

The Restaurant At Meadowood
900 Meadowood Ln
St. Helena, CA
94574
(707) 967-1205
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-restaurant-at-meadowood-st-helena