Hope and Change

Servers, here's a tip.  When I hand you two twenties for a $30 tab and hope to keep it all by asking, "Do you need change?", you're wrong. I hear, "May I have all your change for my tip?"  I generally leave a decent amount, but if you request a gratuity, that irritates me and I will leave less.  If you say, "I'll be right back with your change,"  I appreciate your consideration and may even leave more than I had planned.

Words do matter.

Globetrotting with Nico

No Longer in Business
Nico Globos (loosely translated – “Nico the Globetrotter”) is a place to go and be charmed.  Its European personality pervades everything;  the decor, the menu, even the staff.  It's a friendly personality, maybe too friendly for some tastes but it works for me.

Nico Globos

Located in what passes for downtown in Lake Mary, far from the Heathrow bustle across the interstate, you first notice the outdoor dining area.  Local folk probably already occupy many of the five umbrella shaded tables, sip wine, read and perhaps charge a cell phone.  But before you get to the door, one of them may hop up and introduce herself as owner Anita and wish you a pleasant visit.

Indoors you find more continental flavors with iron chandeliers and sconces, stone floors, and wine barrels lining a narrow space, a half dozen booths on one side and a handful of tables for two on the other.  Anita apologizes for the paper menu, which I thought was unnecessary since it changes about twice a week.  I like this and a menu that changes often makes me more likely to come back often.  I'd hate to be a server trying to keep up, though.

Nico's House Salad

Now to the food, quite good for both of us.  For starters my wife has Nico's House Salad, which turns out to be the star of the evening; field greens, cheese, pears, nuts with a tangy sweet red wine vinaigrette.  I lead off with the Lobster Bisque, golden and properly smooth with tomato prominent in the flavor, which would be perfect with a pinch less salt.

Penne Past with Shrimp and Spinach

The entrees are Portabella (sic) Stuffed Raviolli sauteed in butter which would keep my lady's interest from start to finish (a feat) and Penne Pasta with Shrimp and Spinach sauteed in olive oil and spices.  There's too much food on my plate to finish it all.

To wash it down, I'm introduced to Turbo Dog English Style Brown Ale, the closest American beverage I've found to my favorite, Newcastle.

At $50+ for two dinners, a beer and no dessert, the pricing feels a little steep at what is essentially a neighborhood eatery.  But to be fair, on another occasion I made two lunches out of the $8 curried chicken salad.  Maybe I just don't do enough globetrotting.

Watch out for that guy in the next booth.

Nico Globos
124 4th Street
Lake Mary, FL

Crotchets

Crotchets are those posts wherein I display my crotchetiness.  For example:

I enjoy attentive servers.  They ask intelligent questions like, "May I refill your tea?" or, "Do you need more butter for your bread?"

I don't enjoy servers who demonstrate that they aren't paying attention by asking, "Is everything okay?"  That makes me feel like they are just showing the flag under management orders.  Or maybe there is something wrong with the food and they wonder whether I've noticed it yet.

And don't get me started on those who ask "How does everything look?" two seconds after they set it on the table.  I'm not an art critic, I'm hungry.

I Even Ordered the Haggis

Scotland's Saltire
The World's oldest national flag

In Florida, Scottish restaurants are as hard to find as Nessie, unless you include McDonald's and “Duncan” Donuts. As far as I can tell there is one place in the state that claims that designation, MacAllister's in Lakewood Ranch. I recently had a chance to stop by on a visit to Sarasota.

MacAllister's Grill and Tavern has two themes – Scotland and golf. In fact, I would say it's mainly a Golfing theme with a Scottish flavor. The outdoor seating looks nice but since it was raining we dined inside where the décor was tavern style with lots of wood, booths and golf. In our room, the walls held pictures of castles, golf courses and a tribute to Payne Stuart.

On the menu, a flag beside various items indicated Scots inspiration but that was actually a little confusing when the Seafood Pasta was marked as Scottish but the Highland Chicken wasn't. Many items were obvious, though, like Steak Pie, a number of Salmon dishes and Haggis.

Haggis and Tatties

On principle, I started with the Haggis and Tatties appetizer. Like most people, I'm not really fond of what Robert Burns called the “Great chieftan o' the puddin race”, but I actually found this version tasty: a slice of haggis wrapped with mashed potoatoes, deep fried, then topped with onion strings and served with a gorgonzola and whisky sauce.

My entree, the Edinburgh broil, was essentially a London broil given a Scottish name, a nice rosemary sauce, and another helping of tatties.  Pretty good for $10. My wife is a sucker for Chicken Pot Pie and said this was one of her better ones.

The (Scottish) Beer List

There is also a fair selection of Scots beverages, though I skipped them since my next activity for the evening was to be driving to Orlando in the rain.  Next time I will enjoy a bottle or two of Old Engine Oil.

Over all, the food is decent and the prices reasonable. It's a good place to go and pretend to be a Scotsman or a golfer for a little while.

MacAllister's Grill and Tavern
8110 Lakewood Main Street 
Lakewood Ranch, Fl 34202

Happy Burgerday to...

I went to a birthday party the other day and this was the cake.

Bellissimo Indeed

Bottom to top - Pollo Bellissimo,
Spinaci e Fagioli, Pollo Sofia and my wife

No Longer in Business

Angelo is the best thing about Bellissimo in Altamonte Springs.  He greets you with a handshake, a grin, a hearty "Buona sera!" and maybe kisses the ladies (well he gave my wife one, anyway - I need to explain the restaurant term bussing to him).  One of the partners, he makes the rounds of the dozen or so tables and makes sure everyone is having a party, even encouraging guests to chat with strangers at other tables.  It's a neighborhood place and he tries to make everyone feel like neighbors.

For Angelo to surpass the food is quite a feat.  I'm certain the restaurant is named for its Pollo Bellissimo and not the other way around.  Chicken breasts pounded pancake thin, sautéed and topped with mushrooms in a brandy balsamic sauce is without doubt the best Italian dish I have ever been served.

My wife claimed her Pollo Sofia was even better.  It was another sautéed breast covered with an herbal white sauce on a bed of spinach.  I tasted it and she does have an argument.

Spinaci e Fagioli

The accompaniments were also praiseworthy:  the sautéed veggies were well seasoned and flavorful (I usually consider zucchini strictly ornamental) and roasted potatoes coated with olive oil were light and delicious.  One side item, Spinaci e Fagioli - spinach and beans - sounded too interesting to pass up so I ordered it for myself.  What I got for my $3 was a family sized plate of white beans and properly wilted spinach that we shared and then took the other half home.

My half of the Caesar Salad

Only the starters seemed weak, the bread and the greens in the house salad were standard commercial fare, pleasant but not up to the rest of the menu.  To be fair, though, we split an excellent Caeser Salad on our second visit, so we'll probably go that route from now on.

If you live near Altamonte Springs and want to meet some neighbors over dinner, Bellissimo is a good place.

Bellissimo Ristorante Italiano
520 West State Road 436 - Suite 1112
Altamonte Springs

Fish Tacos? Eeuwww...er...uh...pretty good

Wall art at Fresh on the Fly

The ladies were hungry and I'd still never had a fish taco, so we paid another visit to Fresh on the Fly in Lake Mary.

Mom wanted fried shrimp but that only comes in a Po' Boy Sandwich, so she got the Po' Boy without the sandwich.  Her rating: the best fried shrimp in my life!  She's been eating them for over 80 years, so that opinion deserves some respect.

Wife had the same and called it good but the breading had a little too much black pepper for her taste.  (Full disclosure: she and pepper are not close friends.)

Fish Tacos with Red Beans & Rice

The fish tacos were surprisingly good, though the Spicy Pineapple Salsa, while tasty, was quite tame for me.  Pepper and I are best buds.  Next time I'll opt for the blackened fish instead of fried.  The real star of my order was the Red Beans and Rice, worth a trip on it's own.

Coconut Creme Bar

I like their desserts.  Rather than seeing how much sweet stuff you can cram down after your meal, they give you just  the right amount to top it off.  We split Key Lime Pie and a Coconut  Bar.  The pie was better than most I've had,  just a tangy filling and crust with a hint of topping.  If you do need a finish with some substance, the coconut bar is good.  Sort of a heavy cheesecake with freshly whipped cream.

Mom has gone home, now, so we'll have to find another excuse to eat here.   Red beans and rice sounds good for lunch tomorrow.