Yellow dog eats' version of Chicken and waffles. 
I'm a huge fan of chicken and waffles when it's done right. So when my favorite place says they got it I jumped at the chance to try it. Unfortunately they failed miserably! It was such a disappointment that I couldn't finish it. That says a lot for me since I hate wasting food and I love eating. You know the saying to remember the north east south west. Never Eat Soggy Waffles! That is exactly what I had, soggy undercooked waffles, with overly breaded chicken (not tasty) and overcooked bacon. Then they put a white gravy on top that took away flavor and caused soggy waffles. If you want to try good chicken and waffles, try banana's diner. Usually they do well but I've had it on good and bad days. Or fly to Harlem where the best chicken ad waffles are! Sorry YDE. Truly disappointed.

Aji sushi

First time here. The lighting was very dim, decor nice, food - not so much. I got seaweed salad which was typical but a larger portion than usual. Edamame as seen here which did not look appetizing and was cold. And the rock n roll sushi roll which did not wow me. For that price I'd go to the place in metro west and get two rolls that were better than that one I just had. Never hurts to try new places but now I know better.

Jessie's rib shack 

PR's 

Ceviche's dessert. 

Cracker barrel 

Pr's

Yellow Dog Eats

Gotha seems like an all too familiar sounding of a town, like the famed Gotham City where Batman saves the day. But the reality is, Gotha (pronounced Go TH a) is the most charming town in Central Florida near, Windermere that is filled with beautiful homes, country appeal, and Yellow Dog Eats. Yes, I said it, Yellow Dog Eats. Previously Gotha Country Store; Yellow Dog Eats was transformed by Fish Morgan (yes that is his real name) who decided he did not want to create deliciousness in the “Corporate World” but rather in the delicate little store now called Yellow Dog Eats.

Fish has a unique take on the best things in the south. He’s known for his sandwiches, wraps, salads and pulled pork. Something that can be bought just about anywhere but at Yellow Dog, you get so much more than just the ordinary because everything you eat here is extraordinary. I’ve had the yummy pleasure of trying out almost everything on their menu. I absolutely adore their Curry Chicken Salad – that can be made as a salad, wrap, or sandwich. It is the tastiest combination of Curried chicken, toasted coconut, and fresh mango chutney.

Something I never leave without having is their coleslaw. I’m not a big fan of coleslaw to begin with but having it at Yellow Dog is amazing! It is a mixture of spices that make it tangy with a tinge of spiciness and has cranberries mixed into it. Reading over the menu you’ll find your favorite pooches in the spotlight as they title off these delectable treats. With names like Black Hound, Mexican Mutt, and Retriever Roast you know how unique this place really is. On my visit this past Saturday with my sister Sarah, We tried out a Frisky Rufus and Irish Setter with a pineapple mimosa. Because we love the coleslaw here so much we ‘upgraded’ the size to large and a bag of Kettle Cooked Sea Salt chips comes with it too. We got there just after it opened around 11:15am, rooster was crowing in the background still. Before we picked up our food at the counter, the place was packed for lunch. The gal in behind the counter recommended the Irish Setter, a spinach wrap with presto mayo, chicken, goat cheese that was to a melty perfection, crisp bacon, red onions and spring mix then pressed to make it oh so delicious and the pineapple mimosa. Sarah ordered The Rufus. She also suggested getting it Frisky, an addition only available with The Rufus that comes with fried onions, bacon, and stringing potatoes. The Rufus is pulled pork topped with brie cheese, cherry ring peppers, and their famous raspberry Melba.

During this visit, on a beautiful Saturday morning, we enjoyed our lunch in their garden behind the store. Fish and his talented crew were busy making the tasty cuisines and interacting with customers, which is customary of Yellow Dog Eats. As I took pictures of their desserts, I listened as Fish answered the phone where a soon-to-be patron asked what the dress code was. Fish humbly giggled with the rest of the customers that already knew the answer, and his reply was something to the effect of board shorts, t-shirts or whatever you want.  It’s the diamond in the rough, the dive that everyone should try, and the place you’ll want to come back to over and over again. There is only one Yellow Dog Eats, so go to Gotha, Tell Fish I sent you, and enjoy a White Trash or Johnny Rocket. 

Sam Sneads - Maitland

Sam Snead's is right by my office. On occasion our office team will have lunch there. As you may have caught on, I really enjoy eating. When the waitress told us of the special, Our mouths were wide open ready to eat the words that were coming out of her mouth. So here it is  - opened face roast beef on texas toast with brown sauce and broccoli in a Parmesan butter sauce. It was pretty good. The roast beast was fatty but that's normal. It could have used another piece of texas toast but I was happy. We actually finished this meal with coconut cream pie. Let me tell you this, if you get the chance to eat here, order the coconut cream pie. I haven't stopped thinking of it since I left. I might have to go there just for pie next time. :-)

IHop - National Pancake Day

Jimmy Kwong tells me there is free pancakes at IHop for national pancake day. Even though I had a bagel, who can pass up free pancakes, I mean its IHop free pancake day. I'm an eater as you can see. I enjoy eating. When I heard free pancakes I couldn't just get pancakes so I got a whole meal fit for two. Lol. One thing I'll caution you on, the grits at IHop are horrible. Outside of that, I was one happy camper!

Dinner - Mac N Cheese

Dinner. Mac and cheese - an American classic and ultimate comfort food. I made my mac n cheese with sharp cheddar, Colby jack, and Alfredo sauce. I used elbow noodles, water boiled and after the water boils and elbows are in I add a bit of olive oil and a bunch of salt. Probably two teaspoons. Oil makes the noodles slick so they don't stick together and salt makes it taste good. Then when their almost done, I drain add the cheese mix in whole milk and button and add it to the pan for baking. I added seasoned ground turkey before putting it in the oven and topped it with bread crumbs and the rest of the cheese. I'm chef bor r D. It was fantastic!

It's a start - Carrabba's

What I expect I'll be doing with this blog is writing about all the memorable places to eat at in the central Florida area and anytime I create a meal worth blogging about.

Last night Jimmy and I went to Carrabba's by ourselves! It was a nice quiet evening. Now I usually like to write reviews for local eateries but I decided to write something on Carrabba's as the first post of this blog.

I've eaten at this restaurant chain before and find it to be consistently good each time. We started off as always with calamari. I had a blackberry Sangria and Jimmy decided to lay low with a lemonade. They served their house bread with herbs and olive oil prior to the entree. For dinner we decided to split a Chicken Parmesan.

I've had calamari in many different restaurants. It's one of those dishes that no matter how good or bad it is, I can still enjoy it because I like calamari. At Carrabba's it's neither the worst or the best. It has a hint of flavor but it definitely needs the marinara sauce to make it delish. Prior to the entree we chowed down on bread and a house salad. The house salad that I chose had creamy parmesan dressing. For the small salad, the dressing took over the salad. You know what they say when you have too much of something? Would you like some salad with that dressing? YES that is what my salad was and by the time it got to me, the salad seemed wilted from all that dressing on it. When our food came, I was already too stuffed to eat. Parmesan has that smell that when you aren't in the mood to eat anymore, it smells like vomit. When my food came, I took a nice big inhale of the food and wasn't hungry anymore. Jimmy ate it all so I know it was good but I couldn't bring myself to eat anything else after sniffing the sweet aroma of parmesan cheese. The Blackberry Sangria was fantastic so I finished that off before we wrapped up or night out. It was a great and an inexpensive time. Dominick, our server, was very nice and knowledgeable. If you go to Carrabba's in Clermont, you should ask for him.

We received a $10 coupon in the mail from Carrabba's and used that towards our entry and a $25 gift card. After all was said and done I think we spent $17. How bout them apples!!!

This morning, I decided to try that Chicken Parm for breakfast. The smell of parmesan cheese no longer nauseated me. I nuked it for two minutes and found that it indeed was delicious!

Note to reader: Unlike other food critiques, I'm not one to waste food. Bringing home left overs is always a part of our routine as well as saving anything we make at home. There is no shame in it. Food is meant for nurturing your body. Good tasting food is just a bonus.