Yellow Dog Eats Cafe'

Have you ever been to Gotha, Fl? I have been living in Orlando for 8 years now and my first time hearing about Gotha, Fl was yesterday. It is located in the Windermere/Ocoee area and it is home to Yellow Dog Eats Cafe'.


Nique's "O" Town Eats was at it again yesterday I had been doing my research for the best of the best eats in the Ocoee area since I recently moved there and I came across Yellow Dog Eats Cafe'. It is home to the best pulled pork sandwiches, so I had to give it a shot. This location was not hard to find in the little town of Gotha but it did feel like I was in another city. As soon as I arrived it looked like if the Cracker Barrel had a Bistro restaurant, Yellow Dog Eats Cafe' would be it.

As I entered the small bistro I could see real photos of dogs everywhere with small tables and chairs for sitting, a wall full of vintage wines, and another wall full of preserves and different hot sauces that were bottled by Yellow Dog and for sale. I was greeted promptly and given a menu, and was told by the cashier, that you order first and then pay at the counter. At the front of the store there was a deli case full of home made pasta salads and vintage brews. The tomato and mozzarella salad caught my eye so that was going to be on my list to order. I had a couple of friends on the way, so I took a seat to a small table that had a graffiti feel to it, then I noticed that all the tables were written on by people that have visited or eaten there.

I studied the menu and saw that they had an array of sandwiches, salads, and barbecue. All the signature sandwiches had a country style name that were referenced to dogs such as the Retriever's Roast a seasoned medium rare roast beef sandwich with tomatoes, leaf lettuce, sweet smokey pommery mustard, Gouda cheese, orange-Cointreau mayo, and caramelized onions all on a multi-grain bread...Um mm a very interesting combination of flavors. I decided I was here for the pulled pork so I went with the Blue Suede Shoes for $9.95, pulled pork topped with tangy blue cheese, crispy bacon, thin sliced scallions and red onions served on a soft bun and I ordered a small order of tomato and mozzarella. My friends arrived and looked over the menu and Jamar decided he was going to get the Blue Suede Shoes as well and we were going to share a 1/2 rack of St. Louis Style ribs with "Gold Sauce" for $9.95. Shanae settled for the original Yellow Dog's "Famous" pulled pork sandwich for $8.95.


The whole time we spent on going over the menu, no one came to our table to ask if we needed help with the menu or if we would like to start with anything to drink. This place was really a do it yourself Cafe'. We got up and ordered our food all together when we ordered the ribs our cashier told us they were out of ribs! And we just missed them. I'm sorry did the ribs get up and walk away? What do you mean we just missed them? As she was explaining this to my friend who had his heart set on the ribs, I saw a big order up before ours that was full of ribs, so that would explain it. But for them to close at 9:00pm and it was 6:45pm they should work on having a substantial amount of ribs especially for people who would come for dinner.

I sat down with my tomato and mozzarella while we waited for our sandwiches. The tomato and mozzarella was very good. The grape tomatoes were very big, plump and juicy. The mozzarella balls were fresh with a good texture to them and together they were swimming in an olive oil, pesto, and basil dressing, I had balsamic vinegar added on top to give it a signature tomato and mozzarella taste. I ate that pretty quickly. Our order was up and they called our name to pick up our order. The sandwiches were over flowing with pulled pork and they were drizzled with a sweet and tangy sauce that was lip smacking good. My friend Shanae was upset that her sandwich was not hot enough and that her pulled pork didn't look like it was submerged in the sweet and tangy sauce just drizzled, I agreed that the pulled pork could have been hotter and you would think that a sandwich of this caliber would be piping hot and fully coated in sauce. The buns were soft but they tasted like they came straight out the bread bag, not toasted nor heated up in any way.


My Blue Suede Shoes was served with potato chips and coleslaw. The coleslaw was home made and it was just okay a little too tangy for my taste but yet it had a little kick to it that wasn't your average coleslaw. My pulled pork sandwich was good given its temperature, the creamy blue cheese and the scallions were a great compliment to the pulled pork. I had to get up and go ask for more sweet and tangy sauce because my pulled pork needed to be a little sloppier. Once I got that I was able to put down my massive Blue Suede Shoes.


I enjoyed my meal, but my visit, not so much I would go back again only for a to go order, because a do it yourself Cafe' is not my forte.

I would recommend Yellow Dog Eats Cafe' if you are ever in the Windermere/Ocoee area or if you would like to get away from the "O" Town to experience a home town Cafe' with it's own personal touch.

Check out the website:
http://www.yellowdogeats.com/

Opa! in the "O"

Mediterranean Blue..

Greek on the go, that's what you'll find when you visit this quaint Greek establishment. I have become quite interested in Greek food this past year and I found out that it is a cuisine that tickles my taste buds. My favorite dishes are Greek style lamb chops, stuffed grape leaves, and spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese layered in buttery phyllo)..Um mm.

I came across Mediterranean Blue on the Orlando Sentinel website as a featured Greek dine in that is located on East Michigan street in Orlando. So of course this had to be added to Nique's "O" town Eats. I decided to study the menu online before I went, always a good idea. I was going to try for the first time an authentic Greek Gyro. The one featured that caught my eye was the Gyro King sandwich; sliced beef and lamb seasoned and roasted, served on a grilled pita with onion, tomato, and their house made tzatziki for $6.70, definitely a decent price that won't break your pockets for lunch.

I went on my lunch break and hoped I didn't run into the lunch time rush. As I entered I was welcomed by the cashier who was very cheerful. The little seating area was full and there was single seat high tops that were occupied for the most part. I didn't need to look at the menu which was high on the wall because I already knew what I was going to order. I did take a few minutes to look at the open deli case items that were featured, it was full of different Greek salads to order on the go in small, med, or large portions. What caught my eye were the grape leaves which was offered in a different showcase right of the cashier along with other hot selections such as spanakopita. This item was not on the menu but featured in the restaurant. They were 3 for $2.00 and they were stuffed with rice, herbs, spices and pine nuts. I quickly added them to my order.

My order came up to $9.27 not bad for a Greek lunch, I try to stay under my $10.00 threshold the best I can. After I ordered I started to study the deli case and noticed they had authentic Greek drinks and beer and wine to offer as well. Literally 5 minutes later my order was up I hadn't found a seat yet, so when the waitress came out with my order I followed her to a seat in the back that wasn't occupied. When my meal came I was ecstatic. My gyro was fuming hot and the feta and homemade tzatziki was oozing out ready for me to dig in. At first bite it was fantastic, the pita was grilled on the outside yet soft, the seasoned lamb and beef that seamed to be grounded and then sliced might have been a little too seasoned, as in 'salty' but the tzatziki took away the overpowering of seasoning. I haven't had grape leaves served hot yet so these were a special treat. The grape leaves were marinated perfectly and cooked in olive oil, the rice filling was fragrant with Greek herbs, and the pine nuts were a great touch. The grape leaves and Gyro definitely complimented each other and went down very nicely. Everyone around me seemed to be enjoying their meal and the staff was very helpful and quick on dishing out orders.

I will definitely be back to enjoy another Gyro but this time I will try the Chicken Souvlaki Gyro with spanakopita...Um mm. Nique's "O" town Eats gives Mediterranean Blue a big "O" for Opa!!!

Check out the website (currently under construction)

http://www.mediterraneanblue.net/

After Work Happy Hour

Eat, Drink, Be Happy...

Bar Louie's signature motto and why not? 1/2 off appetizers, $3.00 beers, $4.00 wines and $5 martinis from 4pm-7pm Mon-Fri visit Bar Louie and that is exactly what you're going to do. This upbeat restaurant and bar located on Sandlake in the Rialto plaza is the perfect place to unwind after a long days work. It is very contemporary with an open bar in the middle of the restaurant with flat screen t.v.'s around it and an outside bar for those who want to people watch and enjoy the weather. My first visit was with a group of co-workers I didn't order anything because I was only going to be there for a short moment but I did order a "few" drinks.

Bar Louie features a drink special every month and for the month of June they offered $3 Ronas and Ritas. $3.00 Coronas and Sauza Margarita's!! where am I? So I helped myself to a few Ritas and they were very good not too much sour mix, enough salt on the rim, and a punch of Sauza in every sip. I made sure I went back again before June was out.

My second visit to Bar Louie was an after work get together with some girl friends for our weekly Wine Down Wednesday's that we have every Wednesday just to get through the straining work week, believe me it's well deserved. I arrived and was seated promptly to a circular booth that looked very comfortable for the party of four that was soon to arrive. I quickly ordered my $3.00 Sauza Margarita because today was June 30th the last day of the special. I studied the 1/2 off appetizers and decided I was going to start with the spinach and artichoke dip. My waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and wine selections and gave me some suggestions for future orders. The spinach dip was good but it could of had a little more of a cheesy taste to it and more artichokes but the tortilla chips served with it were very good. My guests arrived and we decided to order a bit of everything. My favorite was the Sloppy Joe sliders with pepper jack cheddar mix they were served hot with 4 soft mini buns grouped together with fried onions on top, talk about a good appetizer and only $3.99!!

My friend ordered the Crispy Calamari and boy was it Crispee..the rings were too small and the batter they were cooked in was too salty, you definitely could not taste any calamari just crunchiness. No one touched it and the waiter noticed and took it away, the manager was kind enough to take it off her bill and came by to apologize for the appetizer.

Everyone enjoyed the atmosphere and their "few" drinks they ordered, it was a good after work experience even though the food wasn't all that great. I would recommend a visit to Bar Louie and call to see what their featured specials are if planning to go after work.

For the month of July every Thursday is "Louie's Hot Havana Nights" featuring $5.00 Mojito's.

Check out the website:

www.barlouieamerica.com

Best Oyster Happy Hour

"To eat an oyster is to kiss the sea on the lips." -Leonard Beck

If this saying is true I am in love with the sea, because I just can't get enough oysters!!!

I have been an oyster lover since I was 6 years old and I am always on the hunt to eat oysters as much as I can for as little to spend. Oysters peak seasons are in the fall and winter and due to the recent oil spill oyster prices have been jacked up and hard to come by. But I still have a few oyster getaways that you can find good oysters and not break your pockets in the "O".

1.) Oyster Bay (off of Chickasaw and Lake Underhill)

My favorite after work oyster spot, this spot is owned by the owners of Calico Jacks that used to be in the UCF area but was closed down a few years ago, and if you are a oyster Lover you would know that CJ's had great oysters and some of the best chicken wings ever!! Oyster Bay has it all, shuckers that are friendly and ready to take your order and drink specials that will blow you away. Happy hour is available 7 days a week from 3pm-7pm they have 2 for 1 drafts and wells with $.59/ea. oysters and clams. But on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday they have $.59/ea. oysters and clams all day!!! Oyster Bay usually gets their oysters from Texas or Apalachicola. Also check out their clam chowder and chicken wings delicious. http://www.oysterbayorlando.com/

2.)Moon Fish (Sandlake)

If you haven't heard already Moonfish probably has the best deal on oysters in Orlando. From 4:30-6:30pm Moonfish has a Happy hour menu that offers raw oysters for...$.25/ea.!!!! and grilled oysters for $.35/ea. You can't beat that deal, I would recommend getting a mixture of both oysters the grilled are topped with real Alaskan crab meat...Um mm. http://www.talkofthetownrestaurants.com/

3.)City Fish (Thornton Park)

This is another hidden treasure I found this week, City Fish is a great place to go during Happy hour they have drink specials from 5pm-7pm and an array of oysters from the East/West coast. The special they have is complimentary oysters on select Tuesday's of the month go to the their website and sign up for their Oyster Club and when emailed you will get an invite to enjoy free oysters from 6pm-7pm. When you're there you will enjoy their selection of oysters raw or grilled, this past week they featured Blue Point and Apalachicola oysters but get there early because when their out..their out. http://www.cityfishorlando.com/

4.)Lee & Ricks (Winter Garden)

Lee & Ricks is Orlando's oldest oyster joint and they are known for the best oysters from Apalachicola and they are good. Although they do not have any Happy Hour specials every year in October they have their anniversary special for about 3-4 days which is usually buy one get one free buckets!!! This event is on my calendar every year and people come from everywhere to experience Lee & Ricks, you will be in a line so get there early and bring a friend. I waited 2 hours last year! but If you are absolutely crazy about oysters like me it's worth the wait.

5.)McCormicks and Schmicks (Mall at Millenia)

This is also a great after work Happy Hour spot, Sun-Fri from 3:30pm-6:30pm they have a prixe fix menu of great appetizers to enjoy. But on Wednesday they have a featured oyster that are $1.00 each. This is a great opportunity to taste different oysters from the East/West coast. I would call before going to check out their featured oyster of the day. http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/Locations/orlando-florida/conroy-road/menus.aspx

I will be on the hunt for more oyster hot spots, so keep checking back to see what I have found and let me know if you know any oyster hot spots in the "O".

Next hot spot oyster stop:

Oceanaire Room

Orlando's Best Fried Seafood

For my Seafood Lover's,

If you really really Love seafood like I do, I found a hidden treasure this past week.

I'm from Jacksonville, Fl and being surrounded by water I have been accustomed to great seafood by having it at my disposal whenever the urge hits me. Since living in Orlando I haven't found anything close to St. John's Seafood or Gene's Seafood some of Jacksonville's prime time Fried Seafood joints...Shout out to Duval!!!

Any who I recently discovered Boston's Fish House in Winter Park, and it was Freakin Fantastic! I decided to go Friday after work and boy was that the wrong time to go. As soon as I got there, there was a line outside the restaurant. I figured since the line was long it had to be good so I stayed and waited patiently with the other anxious guest who looked like they came there often. I decided to study the menu which wasn't available while you waited so I went to get one from the greeter and rushed back in line so I wouldn't lose my spot. The menu was extensive but straight forward. I decided I wanted to try a bit of everything so I ordered the Boston's Dinner Platter which came fried or broiled. I went with the fried platter which included Sea Scallops, Cod fish, Shrimp, Clams and Onion rings for $21.95. It also came with two sides so I chose fries and coleslaw. I waited for about 30 minutes outside and as soon as I got to the door I was greeted and shown where to stand in line.

As soon as I stepped in I felt like I was in Boston; there were Boston license plates all on the walls, a throw back Boston Celtic's poster and a chalk board with today's specials written on it. The line inside was like a theme park line waiting for a ride but shorter. There was one cashier taking orders who surprisingly was very thorough and kept the line moving. I decided to call my friend to join me, for one he didn't have to wait in line and two they had Fried Farm Raised Catfish and my friend Love's catfish. So I added a 9 oz. portion of catfish with fries and macaroni which was a new side. His meal was $12.00 not bad.

The place was crowded and by the looks of it seating was limited but as soon as my order was taken I waited a few minutes and was seated pretty quickly. There were waiters running back and forth from the kitchen with trays full of golden fried seafood and it looks good. A waiter brings me my sweet tea which was brewed fresh and sweet. A couple of minutes go by and another waiter flies by my table and says "Here is an order of extra catfish that was double ordered would you like to try it"....He must knew I was hungry because I said sure!!!! It's not often you get free samples for food that was double ordered..why? I don't know it should be a rule. The catfish was golden brown not greasy but yet soft and flaky, I grabbed the tartar sauce and went at it. The tartar sauce was good as well, not too tangy and just the right amount of relish in each squirt. About 10 minutes past by and here comes my platter piping hot, piled high and straight from the grease, the way fried seafood should be served. This platter can definitely be shared but at that moment it was all about me. My friends platter of catfish was piled high and and if he didn't get there soon it was going to be devoured.

The sea scallops were not over cooked, in fact they were fried just right. The shrimp were plump and crunchy with every bite. The clams were not fried too hard and I was able to actually taste the flavor of the clam, nothings worse than a chewy clam that you can't seem to swallow. The cod fish was prepared in square chunks that were also flaky and flavorful. Of course I had to use a country girls favorite condiments mustard and hot sauce...Um mm. The onion rings which seems to be BFH signature appetizer were very delicious and were a good compliment to the fried seafood, sweet onions that were soft, not greasy and the batter stayed on while you ate it. My side of coleslaw was good, not too watery yet sweet and crunchy.

By now my friend was running late so the waitress offered to re fry his order at no charge, talk about friendly. By the time he got there he had a fresh order of catfish waiting on him and he dug in he enjoyed the catfish but the macaroni wasn't all that great..but what do you expect it was a new item.

All in all I give two thumbs up to Boston's Fish House, and highly recommend that you check them out, but not on a Friday after work. I would suggest going during the week or call in for a pick up order. But to experience a true Boston's Fish House experience you'll never forget you should visit at least once.

Check out their website at http://www.bostonsfishhouse.com/

About Nique's O'town Eats

Hello All,

I have recently started this blog to express my love for the finer things that I enjoy in life..Good Food! I have a deep passion for cooking and also dining at all types of restaurants, I have been on a hunt for the best of the best in Orlando, Fl and surrounding areas. I have compiled a few topics of dining experiences that I would Love to share with you. Please feel free to join the convo and let me know what you think.