LAKESIDE INN
We decided to take a weekend to get out of the city and go to a pretty and quiet place. This time we headed north to Mount Dora. The town is 40 miles north of Orlando in Central Florida. It has been called the “New England” of Central Florida for its antique shops and old architecture. Once in it, you feel like in a different place and time.
We stayed at “Lake Side Inn” a historic hotel built in 1883 and still decorated Victorian style. The hotel has a lake front view and a long and quiet pier where one can watch beautiful sunsets. The hotel restaurant features an excellent Sunday brunch. I enjoyed the restaurant much more than the hotel itself. In fact, I do want to return to Mount Dora and go to the Sunday brunch at Lake Side Inn, but I would not stay at the hotel until it is renovated (if it ever is). It is a pretty place, but unfortunately no one has invested the money necessary to upkeep the property. The rooms are outdated with individual AC units that rattle, the carpets are worn out and look unclean. Not a comfortable stay, which is a shame, because the place is very pretty.
The Mount Dora downtown area has plenty of gift and antique shops and is within walking distance of the hotel. We decided to go for a walk and were surpriced to find a Sushi restaurant! It was unexpected among the back streets of downtown. It turned out to be a very nice Sushi restaurant called Mount Dora Sushi. www.mtdorasushi.com.
The last day there, we found the Mount Dora Brewing Co. We were sorry we found it so late in the trip and expect to be back. We had a great time at this mom & pop kind of place. A small bar decorated like the inside of a carpenter’s shop (which we later found out that it actually was a carpenter’s shop), with a Karaoke set up in the back and a custom made wood bar. The brew master/owner (and carpenter) makes 4 wonderful beers. I recommend the beer sampler so you can find your favorite. This is a definite must repeat for us. I plan to go back with my son in law and my daughter. I am sure they will enjoy it.
Mount Dora Brewing
Tags: Lakeside Inn, Mt Dora
The truth is that we are getting old! We are entering that period in life where you are young enough to do stuff, but old enough to forget what it is that you did…where exactly did you go…how do you get back! We are also at the age where you can take off since the kids are grown up. Therefore, the idea came up to start a blog about our adventure. This way we can remember what we did and maybe it can also help someone trying to find good places to visit.
We will review restaurants (since we love good food), beaches and other pretty places that make good quick escapes.
Cheers
City Fish Market
Located in 7940 Glades Rd, Boca Raton FL, City Fish Marketis an excellent seafood restaurant. When you enter, there is a small fish market that has fresh fillets of various fish i.e. Sushi grade tuna, salmon, scallops, shrimp and various types of oysters. They also have their soups ready for take out. To the left is a very nice full service bar (I had the best Mojito made in an American bar I have ever had – Hemingway style).
With the City Fish Market at the entrance and the bar, at first you don’t think the place is as sophisticated as it really is. As you move forward the City Fish Market layout opens up to a fine-dinning restaurant overlooking a small man-made lake. The restaurant decor is simplistic, very pale tones and a lot of white. The lake is just a body of water with a simple fountain in the middle. Something you can find in any city apartment complex. The outside view is not a big deal…the food is! and the service was excellent!
For appetizers we ordered, Tuna Tar Tar & Crab Cakes. The tuna was excellent and the crab cakes were wonderful, very rich with plenty of crab meat. For our main-course we shared the Fried Seafood Platter and it was excellent. Everything was fried in a light batter and comes with a variety of 6 sauces for dipping, the side was a nice portion of great french fries. Included in the platter are shrimp, scallops, fresh fish, calamari and crab fritters. Each was equality fresh and succulent.
My sister and I love seafood (either cooked or Sushi). In our blog you will find lots of examples of that i.e. The Crab Pot in Seattle, Masa Sushi Restaurant in Talahassee, Captain Charlie’s Reef Grill in Juno Beach,among others. The City Fish Market is another example of seafood well executed.
Tags: City Fish Market, excellent food, FL, restaurants
We had a wonderful afternoon at Margarita Cantina Crab & Seafood House in Ft Lauderdale. It is on the A1A across from the ocean. Great breeze and very good steel drum music by OceAniK. The food was very good and fresh and the drinks well made. Definitely a repeat.
200 Ft. Lauderdale Beach BlvdFort Lauderdale, FL 33316
(954) 463-7209
Tags: good food, ocean front, restaurants
It was time to take a little R&R during the long weekend and I ended up in Jensen Beach Florida with my sister. The beach we stayed in was actually in Hutchinson Island which is off the east coast of central Florida but the area is called Jensen Beach. The goal was simply to rest. It turned out to be just what I was looking for. We stayed at Vistana Resort that is actually a Time-Share in Jensen Beach. Got a great deal at Orbitz.com for two nights. The weather was not good so we actually never got in the water. Just took walks down the shoreline and took in the sea breeze. It was quiet and peaceful there. It is not a typical beach resort where there are rental umbrellas and jetskies, etc. This place is “uncomplicated”. Take your own umbrella if you so wish and swim in the water. Simple.
The whole thing turned out to be a time to rest and eat! Jensen Beach was great! The places we went to had excellent food. I highly recommend them. We had lunch at Smokey’s before we actually went to Jensen Beach. It is approximately 25 miles north of Jensen Beach. So we actually passed Jensen Beach and kept going north, but it was well worth the extra miles. Smokey’s has the best “Baby Back Ribs” I have ever eaten! Truly stand by the name. Slow smoked ribs that fall off the bone. They almost taste like ham. The prices are very reasonable. Definitely a repeat.
We also visited Dolphin Bar in Jensen Beach. Another great place. It is right on the water in the inter coastal (the back of the bar is partially shown on this picture). I took lots of pictures from a very nice pier they have in the back. The food is fresh and very good. They also have a good bar tender who knows her craft. The whole experience was so nice that we actually returned for lunch the last day we were there before driving home.
We also went to “11 Maple Street”. I had read all the great reviews other visitors had given the place. Another friend had also recommended it. They were all right! This place is actually an old fashion home in a side street (Maple Street). The decor is kind of eclectic, almost like the chairs and tables came from different places and times. Like nothing I had seen before but very nice. The food is also like nothing I had tasted before. They have four or five “large plates” which are categorized as such in the menu. Then they have a large selection of appetizer size plates that include a wide variety of choices none of which are the usual things you see in appetizer menus. They have things like frog legs, skate wings, quail, all beautifully plated and accompanied with delicious sauces. Definitely a very different and interesting experience and should be repeated. When we go back, the must repeats for us are: Maine spotted skatewing, Herb beurrre blanc and the wild king salmon wood grilled (rare). If you like wine, they also have a wine pairing with each small plate. A special place.
Tags: FL, good food, ocean front
