Well…………….kind of. We revisited a Greek restaurant in downtown Orlando.
And yes, it is on a corner on the banks of Lake Ivanhoe. I was a little curious about it’s history and found out:
~ owners immigrated to US from Greece in 1988, settling in Boston, MA
~ both had restaurant experience in Greece and the places they opened were successful.
~ they decided a change of scenery and climate was needed and Central Florida was their location of choice, moving here in 2000. The rest is history.
It’s located in one of the districts informally called Lake Ivanhoe Antique District. The day we visited the weather was perfect for sitting outside under the covered porch seating.
While perusing the menu, our waiter brought our beverages of choice. Guess which was mine?
HAD to start with some appetizers: hummus w/pita triangles and dolmathakia. What? Okay, much easier to call them stuffed grape leaves. I had turned up my nose in the past, but gamely agreed to try it again. Nope, still not my thing. The hummus – totally my thing.
Our friend had a burning desire for salad this weekend. That’s never happened to me, but who’s judging. It was met with this Greek salad, topped with grilled chicken as her protein.
Eric and I both went for the souvlaki with chicken my choice.
Eric chose the lamb sausage version.
But wait – don’t they look similar?
Yep.
Eric called the waiter over, picked up the plate and said yes, that is lamb sausage. Eric dug into his meal and said nope, nada, no way. He took his plate inside the restaurant and came out with his french fries. Ten+ minutes later he got the meal he ordered. Spoiler Alert – no photo. He was too hungry and devoured his meal. I didn’t want to get in his way!
Today’s food was exceptional – or I was really hungry – or possibly a bit of both. We can’t wait that long for our next visit.
Just never know what you’re going to find in Central Florida.
Located in Lake County, this place was in the middle of nowhere. They obviously had enough open land to build some greenhouses .and a market, along with a restaurant attached. The last part was what initially drew us.
After parking, these picnic tables were under cover with plants for sale along the edges.
I use the term ‘restaurant’ loosely, it was more like a food truck – which is still acceptable. We both ended up with BBQ. I chose the quarter chicken with Eric selecting the brisket.
The food was fine – nothing special, but filling. The market inside was interesting. Some produce was displayed on these tables.
Along with produce being in these coolers.
Another cooler had fresh eggs and canned fruit. We got a jar of peaches and Y.U.M. I made a peach tart later in the week and the only thing missing………..ice cream – we were out. 😦
There was your basic jelly, jams and preserves.
A few other jams…………typical Florida.
Way south, Scuppernong fruit can be found.
So just what is a scuppernong????
~A large variety of muscadine grape, native to the Southern U.S.
~greenish or bronze in color outside, white inside, larger and rounder than a white grape.
Couldn’t resist a shot of these jams. What???? Are you kidding me?
Bear Jam – made with blackberries, elderberries, apples and raspberries.
Frog Jam – Fig, raspberry, orange and ginger. (get it?)
Traffic Jam – Strawberries, raspberries, cherries and cranberries.
Lest you think it is all about the sweets, these canned tomatoes looked awesome!
Next to them were these salsas. I’ve had a kumquat salsa, and it was delicious. I was skeptical at first but the taste won me over. Maybe our next visit we will try one of these.
And then there was this in a cooler by the register. Hmmm. What were those greenhouse really being used to grow?
When we first pulled in, there was several RVs parked in their large grassy field. What? Really?
There’s a group/club called Harvest Hosts. For a yearly membership fee, you’re given access to a map with 3220+ wineries, breweries, farms and more across North America. This is one of those places. Really.
What’s so special about this RV? They had a donkey tied to the back of their RV. Who knew.
Everyone has traditions. Ours for a number of years has been to spend it with our two oldest godsons (and their parents!) in North Florida. Part of that time together has always included a walk on the beach Christmas morning – no matter the temps. Here are a few memories.
December 25, 2017December 25, 2018December 25, 2019December 25, 2020
Three of us never change, we’re always in the photos. We are going to the beach no matter the temps or the weather! Sometimes we can persuade others to join us, other years we can’t. This year turned out a bit different. Something ‘world-wide’ got in the way of our plans. The walk still occurred and while I was there in spirit, bring along an iPad……………voila! I’m on the walk.
December 25, 2021
Another tradition is sausage balls (and a fried egg – just saying) for Christmas breakfast. It has been Connor’s job for a while to make the sausage balls. Eric tried really hard to copy him – nope, Connor’s were better.
Staying home meant Eric had to cook. No turkey for us today. It was being fried in north Florida. 😦 Filet was the substitute. It was mighty fine, but would have enjoyed the turkey. Soon.
When the plans changed unexpectedly, you’ve got to make adjustments. Through the years, I’ve told a number of people ‘take lemons and make lemonade’. It was now our turn.
So the friends we didn’t get to spend Christmas day with…………………ZOOM! Technology, isn’t it wonderful. Would much rather see everyone in person, but for the moment it works. While it’s not the best shot below, it still counts. These expressions are priceless.
How do you end a Christmas night post? With a great photo from your favorite sister. Thanks sis.
Where does one start? You start typing one word, followed by another word and eventually you get it together. It begins by sitting down, taking a deep breath and creating a pathway for your thoughts. That’s what I needed to do for this blog.
This is a ‘sweet’ time of year………..and I mean that literally. LOTS of sugar being devoured by kids and the young at heart. Back in the day……….I did a lot of baking and usually had a cake plate sitting in the kitchen with goodies, be it a cake, cookies, brownies or whatever. But you know what? It’s a lot easier to buy a single sweet, savor the flavor and continue on your quest for the next sugar masterpiece.
What’s not to love when these cookies surround you at work.
Or these sugar delicacies. Got to share……..the chocolate peppermint donut could possibly be seen sitting on my desk earlier. It’s possible. Maybe? That’s the beauty of sugar. The clues have been devoured.
Let’s throw in a little ice cream, topped with peppermint dust. Who heard of such a thing? Peppermint. Dust. Never would have put those words together. I didn’t until this year and saw it on several sweets. Aaaaannnnndd, I like it! YUM
If you can step away from sugar……………….let’s talk about lights. Christmas lights. Growing up in the Midwest, we would drive around town, taking in light displays when it got close to THE date. It would be SUPER special if there was a recent snow on top of the lights – WOW! Don’t really see that in Florida, but here are a few interesting sights.
Nope, never saw this growing up. Lights on a palm tree.
These people had a r.e.a.l.l.y tall ladder. I kept the car in the photo for perspective.
Quintessential Florida. Flamingo? Really? Really. With the fake palm trees. At least the wrapped palm trees above were real.
With all the rage being the blow-up yard decorations, our neighborhood did not disappoint. That is a TALL Santa – no forced perspective. It was as tall as the roof.
Couldn’t resist this Disney vignette from another front porch.
Just think. Back in the day……….this was a traditional mid-western holiday display and I found it in our neighborhood this year.
Speaking of traditional, my sister’s Christmas tree……..
……….and my Christmas tree. HAD to have the Grinch.
Actually, the Grinch has his own Christmas tree and photo-bombed the above photo.
Let me close with a final sweet………my sister’s holiday cake. Now that totally looks yummy. Can you send me a piece, maybe several pieces? 🙂
Although we had a recent visit to Lakeland, one of our closest friends was coming to Florida on business and able to spend a bit of time with us enjoying Florida’s sunshine. What better way than eating outside and walking through a garden. The weather did not disappoint for either of these activities.
First up was lunch at The Joinery – a fairly new food hall in Lakeland. We visited several weeks ago and it was worth another visit. We hit different food places than the last time. I TOTALLY loved my choice, Super Duper Spot, ordering a burger and fries. This was no ordinary burger, nope! It had special sauce and when asked she said it was their ‘trade secret’. Good for them. I can tell you, it worked. Besides, who can turn down crinkle cut fries – not me. 🙂
Other food purchases were tuna sushi roll (a l.a.r.g.e. roll) and carnitas tacos.
I still think that ‘I won’ with my selection – just saying.
Next stop…………Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, a short distance south and east.
After parking you’re greeted with a few floral masterpieces and their entrance fountain.
This is a nice touch – identifying what is currently blooming in the gardens.
Eric is a friend of the director, David Price, and he met us upon arrival, spending some time walking the gardens with us. LOVE when designs incorporate edible plants & herbs.
It was quite exciting to see one of their uninvited guests rambling through their plantings. This gorpher tortoise made a beeline for some greens and our presence wasn’t deterring him at all, no siree.
He was helping ‘prune’ away some of the yellowing foliage………..and filling his belly.
Eventually we walked up the ridge to one of the highest points along central Florida to see the main attraction – Bok Tower. Google it. I could do a post just on that alone.
The pond near the tower used to have a number of swans but now showcase these giant lily pads. I asked about the swans……………they became a bit too possessive of the gardens and have a new home.
I was able to capture a quick shot of our group as we were touring the grounds.
There is a reflecting moat surrounding the base of the tower. My photo below is the reflection, complete with a stick and leaves floating on the surface of the water – not scratches or dust on my lens.
Beautiful Florida day, enjoying the sun, the breeze and good company.
YEAH!!!! Here we are again! Get to log in another fishing trip to the Gulf coast, staying at Crystal River’s King Bay Lodge.
We have clear weather for fishing. But, take a look at the time on the photo.
Yep, didn’t get out on the water until mid-afternoon and we left home early morning. Why is that you might ask????? There was one important piece of equipment needed for the boat:
………the GPS. In my mind we had 3 options. (1) go without (not an option said Eric) (2) purchase another one (Eric also said not an option and (3) drive back home to pick it up. Yes, he went back home. I stayed at KBL and hung around the grounds until he got back. He exceeded his expected time of return and I believe a trip through the golden arches was part of the reason. Really?
Even though we had a late start, we still came back to KBL with some keepers.
Seatrout top and bottom with a grunt in the middle.
My particular trout was a very nice size. Hence a photo with me and my fish. Our boat is one of those in the background.
Man! Very different fishing this time of the year. The time change and shorter length of daylight really cuts into available fishing. Dusk was creeping up quickly and the shadows were getting long.
A late start fishing discouraged Eric from cooking that evening and we drove to a local favorite Peck’s Old Port Cove Restaurant.
Weather permiting we sit outside and this day it worked out for us. A little breezy being so close to the water (literally 10 feet from the back of the outside porch) but throw on a jacket and you’re fine.
Eric always goes for a dozen crabs – steamed with old bay seasoning (spicy!) – while I ordered the grilled grouper, complete with fries and a (very) delicious cole slaw. Yes, it looks like ‘normal’ cole slaw, and it is………but it definitely hits the spot when eating at this locale.
The next day of fishing starting out with catching some unusual species: a shark (24″) and needle fish (16″).
Whaaaaaaat. Really? Really.
But the Dardens persevered and brought these beauties back to KBL. The trout ranged from 15.5″ to 18″. At the bottom was the black seabass, extending beyond 10″ (the legal size needed).
Such a boring photo…………………………..
Eric makes fun of me but I like to dress them up a bit with some local fauna.
Invariably while we’re taking photos at KBL, we draw (really I should say I draw) attention and this time I added another layer of color to my last photo.
He’s possibly going to use all of these ingredients when he prepares the fish, so I thought ‘Heck, why not.’. It was fitting. Eric just shakes his head.
I must say, two of the above fish were nice and plump – mine.
While Eric caught this one. Sorry hon.
Since it’s a regular occurance at KBL for fishing and thus filleting, local wildlife is always hanging around. This guy (great white heron) was getting bold. He’s about 8′ away from where Eric is filleting our catch.
Persistant devil! He got even closer and while not truly aggressive, you couldn’t turn your back or he would have snatched a free meal.
While no photos of that night’s prepared meal, the fresh trout was delicious. All too soon it was our last day of fishing. Eric likes to grab a photo of me on the boat leaving KBL. I take the boat, he takes the truck, picks up the boat trailer and we meet at Pete’s Pier where he parks. BEAUTIFUL day on the boat, with crystal clear water.
This last year we’ve expanded our acceptable catch and come home with a variety of fresh fish. Our last day had these fish coming to the Darden kitchen. Eric was impatient for the photo to be taken so no extra flora or fauna – so boring.
Middle fish 12″ grunt with a sand perch top and bottom – used for fish stock.
Loved our visit to Crystal River. Not sure if that will be the final trip for this calendar year, but I hope not.
Ginny
P.S. – Right before I posted, I saw something that made me smile. Did you notice the bumpers on the boat? To the far left, one bumper is a mermaid. 🙂 Little touches of whimsey can be put and found where you choose even when fishing.
At the end of my Crystal River – Summer 2021 post, I indicated the next post would focus on the ‘scalloping’ part of the trip. I’m finally getting around to completing the last few details of that post. Here you go………………..
Argopecten irradians – WHAT? That’s the scientific name for the Florida bay scallops. Found in shallow, nearshore waters along Florida’s Gulf coast. These bivalves are usually found nestled in seagrass beds and have really cool electric-blue eyes. They move by opening & closing their shells rapidly, pushing themselves across the seabed.
Okay – that’s probably enough of the educational piece for this post. 🙂
We had pretty decent days for fishing while at Crystal River but for a short period of each year, Scalloping is the main purpose for most visitors, and we were no exception. I’m not here to scallop but enjoy the fruits of Eric’s labor – thanks hon.
A few essentials are needed: mesh bag, goggles or snorkle and fins. Otherwise, it is about slowly moving around the boat, eyes down peering through the seagrass for the scallops.
Fins up and head down – always a good sign.
Enough of those tactics and you end up back on the boat with a bag of scallops. It’s not really that easy…………but if you find a good spot that hasn’t been picked over, you’ll end up with a bag like this – probably 15 inside.
Now comes the fun part – NOT!
Getting the edible part of the scalloping out of the shell requires patience and a strong stomach as you scrape out the shell. Scallop guts go into the trash can and the muscle is the part eaten. Notice the ‘equipment’ needed for this strategic operation? A spoon.
When all’s done you should end with a nice bowl of bay scallops: small 1″ pieces of white seafood flesh, about the diameter of your thumb.
My favorite way to eat them is sitting in some soy sauce, a dab of hot sauce and angel hair cabbage for a bit of crunch. Eric leaves off the cabbage for his. Serving them in their (cleaned) shell adds a bit of ‘something’ to the dish.
Did I mention the photo above with the scallops are not cooked?
Another tasty way to enjoy this delicacy is with pasta – a little olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes yielded this dish.
Our first day of scalloping yielded this bounty.
With our second day of scalloping yielding these bivalves.
Typically, shells are dark & mottled on top and lighter on their bottom shell, better camouflage amongst the seagrass floor of the Gulf. The orange shell is considered rare and a product of their colorful parents.
It was a fun trip, catching fish and snorkeling for scallops.
Wow! Just got back from spending a day in Lakeland and what a great little city. I found an old postcard on the internet and posted it below. It looks a bit different today. 🙂
I imagine that some residents in town wouldn’t agree it’s progress, but it has become a bedroom community for the Tampa Bay area and dare I say Walt Disney World? I know several couples from WDW that live here. It’s quite a drive (45-60 minutes) but the housing prices are significantly lower – at least they were.
As with a number of my posts, I dug a little deeper to learn about this area and found these factoids.
~Incorporated in 1885 and has an elevation of 194′. Pretty high for Central Florida.
~No surprise………named for the many lakes near the town’s site.
~Nickname is the Swan City. Huh?
I couldn’t leave that factoid alone. My research discovered the first swans appeared in 1923. However, by 1954 they had all disappeared due to alligators and nearby pets. A resident at the time wrote to Queen Elizabeth and the Royal family allowed capture of two Royal swans for the city. The swans currently on the lake are those descendants. Pretty cool!
Lakeland also has another cool fact. Everyone in Florida is aware of the Publix grocery store chain and most (maybe or maybe not) are aware that Lakeland is their headquarters. It is one of the largest regional grocery chains in the US with 1000+ locations. This private corporation is the largest employee-owned company in the US. That’s pretty cool too!
But why were we here?????????
Food Halls are a ‘big’ and growing thing, so much so that Lakeland has their own which opened several months ago. It was only a matter of time before it became one of our weekend jaunts.
After ensuring the hours of operation fit our needs, we headed west to Lakeland. Their website describes it as a ‘modern food hall and craft brewery in downtown Lakeland’. There are seven food vendors, a craft cocktail bar, a flower & gift shop and oh yeah, a brewery. What their website didn’t really say was that they brewery was not yet open – supply chain issues, go figure. They hope to get it open before the end of this year. Their building has a bit of cool history……..it is the former home of Lakeland Brewing Company – never heard of it.
With seven options we could split our culinary decisions. I chose Mexican – GallitoTaqueria.
Queso dip and the ‘puffy’ tacos were my selections of choice. They had serve-your-own Coca cola fountain drink machines – love them. Can mix and pour a variety of flavors to suit your personal choices.
Eric and Adrienne selected SaBU Ramen.
Their individual selections were fairly similar.
Naturally had to fill in the cracks with some ice cream – which was another one of their vendors.
They make small batch, artisan ice cream in sunny Florida. Cappacino & coco nib ice cream was my choice this day. Yum!
Overall, it was a pretty cool place and will be a repeat visit in the future.
Before leaving this fair city, Eric found a nearby brewery for a quick local tasting – Dissent Craft Brewing Company,
Locating their brewery led us to another near-by thriving downtown district. Not sure if it has a ‘named district’ but it surrounded a city park – highly decorated for the holidays – with a ton of restaurants that got high marks. We will be back to test (and taste) that statement.
It was a nice, relatively short drive from home with lots of future possibiites.
Finally! Got to plan a short trip to Crystal River. We knew it might be a dicey trip as there was a tropical storm/depression/wave/thunderstorm (really, seems like every cloud has a name – just saying) in the Gulf but all indications let us believe it would go further north than our spot. Leaving that morning, this was our forecast.
Nothing is ever easy…………especially with a boat. Eric had been washing and waxing the boat earlier in the week. The night prior to leaving he discovered the boat trailer had……………….a flat tire – of course it did. One more thing that had to be done to get ready – exchange the tire for his spare. Nope, the spare was fine, not flat. Bet you were expecting another tale. Ha!
Going to our home-away-from-home spot, King’s Bay Lodge.
Surprisingly, we were assigned to a room we had never stayed in – #2. Even better, as we were driving over that morning, we got a call the room was ready immediately, mid-morning.
Interior was fairly typical of other rooms, same style but each individual owner gets to pick their specific furniture. Would I stay on the room again – sure. Didn’t necessarily love the room’s location in the overall scheme of things. It was fairly close to the road and just about as far away from the boat as you could get.
Take a look at the first photo in this blog and see that phrase “River Flood Warning”? Yep, we noticed. Getting to the boat at the KBL dock required wading – yikes.
Naturally we had to stop at Pete’s Pier……..
………and saw more flooding. This is the walkway from the parking lot to the store & bait shop.
We did notice they’ve done some work on the place, repairing recent hurricane damage. Guess the gas pumps haven’t made the list for replacement – yet. The photo doesn’t show, but 2 feet to the right, the boardwalk is under 5″ of water.
The trip was for naught. HOWEVER, loved being on the water…….
The weather was adversely affecting the fishing so after time on the water, we headed in for an afternoon snack. Found a new place – St. John’s Tavern – very nice.
Perfect for an afternoon snack was a beer, a pretzel and a cup of chili – loaded with onions and jalapenos (yes, that was Eric’s selection).
We didn’t want to fill up too much. After watching the sun set, Eric was cooking steaks on the grill. Man! It was nice just sitting, relaxing, drinking a beer and watching the sun go down. 🙂
The radar looked MUCH better the next morning. This is doable. Should be plenty of time for a little fishing and a little scalloping.
Scalloping – LOVE to eat them (raw) but don’t love searching for them in the water. Eric did pretty well. That will be a post in itself, scalloping. We (and by that I mean Eric) caught enough seafood for our dinner: one trout and quite a few scallops.
Once again he used the grill for the fish, leaving the skin on when cooking.
Put that together with some dirty rice and a salad (tomatoes from our home garden!) and you have a mighty tasty meal.
Our second day of fishing was MUCH better – code for I caught some fish – with the photo below showing our haul. In addition to these fish Eric find plenty of scallops for the two of us. I’m holding that photo for the next post
Three grunts, left, sand perch in the middle, a grunt, porgie and blue runner on the right with a seatrout at the bottom.
Our last day of fishing yielded one of my favorite fish – spanish mackarel – the bigger fish at the bottom of the photo. We also caught this small porgie which gave us two small fillets for another meal.
Why do I r.e.a.l.l.y like mackarel…………….sushi! Add in an avocado, tuna, edamame, bok choy, followed by the mack and you have an awesome meal.
Having the sushi was a great end to several days on the water on Florida’s Gulf coast. Next up is a post dedicated to scalloping.
I subscribed to Natural Life’s Daily Chirp and really enjoy their graphic art. This one seemed fitting for today’s post.
Eric’s been working a few days at a local ’boutique’ grocery store which required a few changes in our normal Sunday plans. He’s only working 1-2 days weekly and invariably Sunday is one of those days. Therefore…………the girls were on their own!
What do do? Where to go? What kind of plans should we make? Most important – where should we eat! Occasionally, there was another factor for our eating destination. Depending upon his shift, he could meet us afterwards – mid-afternoon – so that somewhat dictated locale and direction. We did good with our selections. Let’s check out where we went.
First Sunday we texted a popular Winter Garden restaurant located in their historic downtown to see if we could get a table for 2 before noon at The Chef’s Table. Got it!
We haven’t taken Adrienne here yet and it has been a LONG time since I visited – both good reasons to stop here. We started with some liquid refreshment. Florida lager for me and a blood mary for her.
I tried to find some history about this place and it was tough. It has won numerous awards, both locally and more broadly and was considered a gourmet dining experience. The owner, Laurie Tarter was doing ‘farm to table’ cuisine way earlier than most. She originally opened with 9 tables and 30 seats. That has expanded into two concepts (prix fixe menu & small plates).
We started with two small plates for sharing: duck fat fries and smoked fish dip (of course) 🙂
Next up was a salmon plate and ham benedict on a biscuit. Never had a benedict served like that, but it was mighty tasty.
A different Sunday we went to The Porch located in Winter Park.
Started with a red Sangria and these pretzel bites. LOVED the pretzel bites and come to think of it, REALLY liked the Sangria. Total win.
So I had an awesome and authentic pressed Cuban sandwich in Miami earlier this summer. The one I ordered here was no slouch. I would come back here in a heartbeat – just for this sandwich. Okay, it doesn’t look like much in my photo but it was mighty tasty. Oops – a repeat phrase, but it’s the truth so the phrase stays in the post.
Checking out their website before coming, these things were top of mind and there was no doubt they would be ordered. Beignet Poppers: homemade apple cinnamon puffs topped with powdered sugar and served with Angry Orchard Cider-salted caramel sauce. Wow. A lot of words for a dessert. They were yummy. But let’s be honest………..they were fritters, not really beignets.
Wanted to throw in a few photos from another Sunday stop – The Glass Knife. A guy at work visited and could not stop talking about the place. Even arriving mid-morning we had a 30-minute wait.
Going inside I can see why – its small. We ended up in their outside covered patio which was bearable, even during July in Orlando. White sangria definitely helped get over the wait.
Small menu for their Sunday brunch but I ate every single crumb of this pretzel roll, roasted turkey club sandwich with aged cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, vine-ripe tomatoes, argula, peppercorn aioli and a tangy honey mustard. Man! Everybody likes to include lots and lots of descriptors for their menu items. The photo may not look very exciting, but nothing was left on the plate.
I’ll close with another interesting food stop in Orlando – Se7en Bites. They specialize in nostalgic southern comfort foods with a modern twist.
Chef owner Trina Gregory-Propst has been featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives along with other tv shows. Her restaurant currently resides in the area in Orlando defined as the ‘MILK’ district for the last 5 years. Wasn’t sure what to really expect. There was a line outside by this door when we drove up.
Next stop inside was the counter to order your food.
Being this was ‘brunch’ Adrienne ordered a chicken salad sandwich which she said was fantastic.
I got another ‘benedict’ with the egg sitting on top of another biscuit with smoked bacon and a fried green tomato. More yumminess.
We both ordered sangria with our choices. I think being served in a plastic cup didn’t really do the drink any justice.
Something the restaurant is known for is their bakery within the building.
Had to vouch for their goods and brought home some sweets – the cherry pie was awesome. I would go back to this place just for the pie – just saying.
Probably wondering what is the ‘MILK’ district. One cow and twenty acres of land was all it took for T.G. Lee and his wife to open a dairy farm east of Orlando in 1925. This dairy still exists and anchors the 10th Main Street America district in Orlando with their national headquarters.
That’s it for this post. The girls are still exploring dining options throughout Central Florida and sometimes we let Eric come along. 🙂
Darden Travels 