Georgia Gorges

Georgia. Home of peaches and apples and pecans. The rivers and lakes are full of trout, the mountains with wild game. Whatever they lack in food they make up for in service. I’m glad Georgia was on my mind.

To escape the world of college, applications, interviews, exams and papers, my mom and I drove to peachy Georgia – some six-plus hours from my place in Gainesville – after my last final exam of the semester. With no Internet and no cable, reading and eating were the only two activities possible. No complaints here.

Downtown Blue Ridge’s 30-some-odd shops sold knick-knacks and log cabin trinkets, glitzy, fake jewelry, antique books and fine wines. Homemade fudge and ice-cream rounded out the hodge-podge of shops - perfectly quaint for a girls’ vacation. Out of the Blue wine shop, serving tastes of Dutch chocolate wine, was the favorite.

As a Sunshine-state native, the 20-degree weather had me bundled up in scarves and mittens. To-go coffee cups filled with café mochas and crème-brulee lattes followed me in and out of shops.

Mercier Orchards, a woody, local market where all things apple are sold, was like a traditional general store. Sugary apple cider warmed my insides. Chicken salad with pecans and apples, and a cup of rosemary chicken soup made it easier to weather the weather. After completing my lunch in a small room by the fireplace, I walked through the rooms of the market, ogling the homemade jams and jellies, the fresh meats, the old-fashioned candy, the chocolate-covered nuts, the holiday decorations. Most impressive (and delicious) were all things apple - apple bread, apple dumplings, apple pies and apple teas. The fried apple turnovers were too much to resist. I selected a warm one from the case with drizzled frosting on top. I took a chocolate-fudge-covered apple (my greatest obsession ever) to go.

Dinner decisions were surprisingly difficult for a tiny town. Reservations were a must. The Blue Ridge Brewery, the newest upscale establishment, with only about 9 tables, was well worth driving the windy, mountainous roads in the pitch-black night for a 7:30 mealtime. Though there was no brewery or homemade beer in sight, the bar had an extensive wine by the glass and wine by the bottle list.

The meal: spinach salads with candied pecans and goat cheese, topped with a pancetta and champagne vinaigrette to start. Roasted squash soup, drizzled with crème fraice, to taste. Trout almandine served with fingerling potatoes and green beans for my mother and her girl friend. Pan seared duck with a fig reduction for me.

Every item on the one-sided menu called to me. Not only main courses, but side dishes made my stomach growl and my mouth salivate. The wilted spinach, the roasted beats and the sweet potato confetti sold me on the duck. Sweet and tender, it certainly lived up to our attentive waitress’s raves. Quite a Hanukkah treat!

Lunch at L & L Beanery meant more chicken salad, a Blue Ridge specialty. Walnuts, grapes and apples tended the chicken and the thickly cut slices of wheat bread. Lunch on the Toccoa River at the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant consisted of crinkle-cut sweet potato fries and scallops in a sweet and sticky coconut sauce. The top-notch view took second to the food.

In true Southern tradition, all meals were plentiful dishes loaded with tasty ingredients and a Georgian flair – a perfect way to relax and celebrate the first few nights of the holiday. I felt just peachy after all my Georgia gorges.

My end of the date rate the plate(s): Georgia has some of the best food I have ever eaten. Some Southern food may be only fried and greasy, but the quaint establishments in Blue Ridge offer first-rate food, service and quality.

Mercier Orchards, 8660 Blue Ridge Drive, Blue Ridge, GA

Blue Ridge Brewery, 187 Depot Street, Blue Ridge, GA

L & L Beanery Cafe and Bakery, 260 West Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA

Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, 8055 Aska Road, Blue Ridge, GA

Turkey day

Turkey day (or in my case, turkey days) sucked all life out of me. Stuffed even fatter than each turkey I engulfed and woosy from celebratory “I’m thankful for…” toasts, writing and blogging was far from my mind. Food comas ensued, parades were watched and catch-up sleep was a must.

Of course, like everyone else, I said thanks for my family (adopted and real), my friends, my health and my happiness, but I also added a few new “thanks” this year. I attended not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Thanksgiving meals, making me realize just how thankful I am for all the love in my life – love for one another and love for food.

Everyone wanted to host and celebrate the day grounded in gobble-gobble goodness. I gladly obliged and reaped the benefits.

Thanksgiving meal #1: Cuban Thanksgiving meal, Aventura, Wednesday night Though I arrived late, even by Latin standards, to meet up with my boyfriend and his family, I nibbled on a few scraps of pulled pork and moist pumpkin muffins, the latter made by my boyfriend’s sister. I washed down my glass of red with café con leche, a bite of birthday cake and flute of champagne for dessert.

Thanksgiving meal #2: Mom’s Thanksgiving feast- half Italian, half American, Plantation, Thursday afternoon My mom and stepdad have friends who live to cook. They enjoy preparing dishes that guests go ga-ga over – the tried-and-true crowd pleasers. Appetizers began at 1 p.m. Spinach dip, artichoke dip, sliced meats and veggie trays competed with “sausage bread,” a take on my stepdad’s special pepperoni-and-cheese pinwheels. Certainly no lack of food.

Usuals – the turkey, the stuffing, the green bean casserole, the cranberry sauce – made their appearances. My plate, however, was taken over by the sweet potato concoction that makes me salivate even six months before Thanksgiving. Like dessert for dinner, the sweet potato mush is cooked with butter, brown sugar and candied nuts on top. Nothing else on the table is worth eating. But just to add some variety to my meal, I opted for a heaping portion of salad with chopped apples and Gorgonzola cheese. Italian-style stuffed artichokes and green peppers were also too good to pass up.

Thanksgiving meal #3: Boyfriend’s family’s intimate dinner – the non-thanksgiving Thanksgiving, Plantation, Thursday night Andrew’s sister, a chef extraordinaire in her own right, doesn’t do the whole “you gotta have turkey on Thanksgiving.” Instead, she prepares a medium-rare rib roast with a perfectly seared outside. Cranberry sauce is spruced with oranges and apples; mashed potatoes are chunky and with the skin, just like I like. While I was too full to take anything more than one bite of each, I was able to enjoy a taste. Andrew, his parents, his sister, her boyfriend and I laughed as even the cat begged for snack.

Thanksgiving meal #4: Daddy’s Thanksgiving extravaganza – Jewish-style, Cooper City, Friday Let me put this out there – my dad is an awesome cook. I called him frantically the week before turkey day begging and pleading for a free-range turkey (I am on a new kick, adamantly supporting free-range and organic items because artificial drugs, pesticides and plumpers disgust me). Without so much as a complaint, he ordered my special turkey from Whole Foods.

Turns out, my turkey prepared by my stepmom was the most moist I have ever eaten. Even its gravy was juicy. In true Jewish tradition, food abounded. As if an entire turkey weren’t enough, sweet spiral ham was served. Full trays of green bean casserole, stuffing, sweet potato casserole and cucumber salad filled the serving table. My dad’s moist pumpkin bread and my grammey’s chocolate-covered, crunchy Chinese noodles had me fingering the dessert tier before dessert was even served.

My immediate family is notorious for too much food. Left-overs were boxed and sent home with guests, and that that couldn’t find a home was frozen for later enjoyment.

Spending time with family (especially my baby brother, home on leave from the Coast Guard Academy) and friends at all my meals made this November even more special. I did, however, somehow manage to miss the pumpkin pie at all my meals.

It’s funny – normally, I hate Thanksgiving, but not this year. Though my family didn’t set aside differences like the pilgrims and the Native Americans did, I was able to celebrate with all those whom I care about. There’s always enough of me to go around…too bad I can’t say the same about all the sweet potatoes I devoured.

Orlando Food and Wine Festival

I’m still tasting the prime rib sliders on buttery, biscuit-like buns. My lips still pucker at the thought of the cool Riesling (it was served in a see-through plastic cup, but it didn’t bother me in the least). Moist, rainbow-colored cupcakes in shot glasses continue to dance across my eyelids when I close them. And I’m still longing for just one more piece of the chopped bruchetta on a crunchy cracker drizzled with thickly aged balsamic vinegar – one of my biggest weaknesses along with chocolate and goat cheese.

To continue the three-month celebration of my birthday, my boyfriend and I took a trip to Orlando. Not for Disney, not for Universal and not for any of the subsidiaries, but for the downtown food and wine festival around Lake Eola. The festival lasted two days, Saturday and Sunday, so we made a weekend getaway around it.

Upon entrance, Andrew bought us a pack of tickets at $2 a ticket so that we could purchase food and wine from all the vendors we fancied. We decided a complete walk up and down the mile-long, one-street festival was pertinent before any purchasing or trying anything, no matter how tempting. We both internally and externally noted which tapas and wine goblets were the “must-haves” and the “definitely nots.”

Like ducks in a row, each vendor was given their spot next to some other vendor with equally delicious-looking food. The stands vied for attention by impressing with their food displays, wine bottles and signs. PF Chang’s piled mounds of fortune cookies, Primo displayed a fresh salad bar to decorate their Italian sandwiches, Pure Magic ice cream had nitrogen tanks to miraculously turn their cream into ice and The Boheme’s stand was decked to the nines in white tablecloths and a lamb carving station in the back. With only so many tickets and only so large of an appetite, where do you go?

The four- and five-star restaurants that typically take weeks to score a reservation at and tend make a bigger dent in your wallet than your pants were reduced to even smaller portions of shrimp scampi and lollipop lamb chops than usual. Their cost, though, three to four tickets a taste, was just a fraction of the restaurant’s cost and way too good to pass up. While it’s rare to eat at The Black Olive, Ruth's Chris Steak House and Il Mulino all during the same lunch, I had no problem stretching my stomach for a nibble of each.

But is it really fair to put significantly reduced-cost Ruth's Chris Steak House next to Tijuana Flats? Probably not. Yet with festival-goers in shorts and T-shirts because of the brutal Florida heat, no one was too good or underdressed for any restaurant. Little bites from each restaurant were affordable by all. For those with a keen eye and the ability to trace people like ants back to a food source, Kobe was serving full meals or chicken in black bean sauce, rice, veggies and lo-mein at the same price as a cupcake or two. Lines moved quickly, as most restaurants only served two or three mini dishes of the plates they deem to be the highlight of their restaurants.

Andrew and I enjoyed lunch, dinner and the following day’s lunch at the festival. With each bite of food I took, I could taste the pride and the love of its creator. My favorite tapas included (but were certainly not limited to) tender, grilled lollipop lamb chops and smashed potatoes, aranchini in marinara sauce, coffee gelato smooshed between two mini, double-chocolate cookies, shrimp in a butter sauce atop a crunchy piece of bread and the filet mignon in a fig puree. You’ll have to excuse me for not recalling where each scrumptious dish came from, but with a wine-fogged mind, I’m sure you’d forget too.

A food and wine festival would be nothing without the alcohol. Wines from Bulgaria, California and France flowed freely from noon to 9 p.m. Because of the heat, I always drank a chilled white to keep me cool. Andrew craved pale ale and gulped down large cups of beer. While we learned nothing about beer or wine pairings with our food selections, we did sip on some tasty beverages before listening to the live music and watching the celebrity chefs cook.

The executive chef Matthew Price from The Capital Grille in Orlando took to the stage to demonstrate his signature medium-rare sliced filet with Cioppolini onions and wild mushrooms. Using fig essence and demi glace, Price showed exactly why a good meal is worth savoring. Other chefs taught their secrets of bananas foster, Nova Scotia lobster tail and holiday tres leches cake with seasonal flavors of Eggnog.

While the festival featured only Orlando restaurants and was geared toward Orlando residents, it celebrated food and wine, which people from anywhere can appreciate and enjoy. It reminded festival-goers of the joy of sharing recipes, cooking, walking around outside, socializing, listening to live jazz and eating food all types, reaffirming my love affair with food (and my boyfriend, for bringing me).

We all scream for ice-cream: Karma Cream

Upon first lick, it’s soft and creamy. The second, dense and flavorful. The third, rich and cold. Unless you read the sign, you’d never know it’s organic vegan ice-cream.



“What is ice-cream without milk?,” many complain. Turns out, it’s deliciously creamy. Made with soymilk and real cane sugar, the ice-cream is sweeter than dairy ice-cream, yet still utterly smooth.



Karma Cream is either a place you’ll love or hate, depending on if you give it a shot. While vegan ice-cream is what makes it stand out, organic dairy scoops are available too. But the non-dairy vegan cream, whose texture is softer than regular ice-cream, is the best.



Don’t believe me? Karma Cream let’s you try all the flavors you want on miniature metal spoons – more environmentally friendly than plastic ones. The maple walnut, the lemon cookie and the dreamsicle are flavors that appeal to a variety of tastes. Every once in a while, the flavors change. But the triple chocolate is simply decadent, and in a cone, it’s a contender with the best full-fat ice-cream you can find.



The crunch from the homemade waffle cones is harder than most, but it also sweeter. Like a cookie wrapped around the ice-cream, the cone is a topping in and of itself, unlike card-boardy sugar cones at other ice-cream shops.


Agave honey and sugar water are free toppings, while vegan whipped cream, homemade chocolate espresso hot fudge, pineapple sauce and all-natural ricemallow fluff are options to make your treat one-of-a-kind. Making your own ice-cream sundae is exhilarating, but building your own ice-cream sandwich using two freshly baked vegan chocolate chip cookies makes dessert more like a delightful meal. Fair-trade coffee and organic chocolate beer round out this dessert stop’s menu.



Karma Cream, adorned with local art, is a small shop nestled in the same strip shopping center as Gator Dawgs and Mother’s Pub. It’s open 24 hours, and Wi-Fi is free for those craving ice-cream when they should be doing their work. Best of all, Karma Cream boasts good karma all around. The disposables are 100 percent plant-based and fully biodegradable. And all the dairy products come from free range cows.



But don’t let the word “vegan” trick you, the ice-cream isn’t calorie free (in fact, it’s far from it), meaning it still registers on the dessert Richter Scale and is bound to satisfy any sweet tooth. Vegan or not, Karma Cream is a treat.

KP's Crumbs: An iced coffee and a scoop of the triple chocolate is all you need to cheer you up, help you study or fill your tummy.

My end of the date rate the plate: Spoon and spoon and spoon again!

Karma Cream

1025 West University Ave., Gainesville, FL, 352.505.6566

The Fat Tuscan

The Fat Tuscan
Katie Packer

Its tempting name and its rave reviews sent me running to The Fat Tuscan in the northern part of downtown Gainesville on Northeast 1st Street, close to the shabby chic Bed & Breakfast District. One Gainesville Sun writer described the upscale version of mom’s grilled cheese as the best (and only) he’d had in decades. So I gathered a crew of friends to join me at this historic house specializing in lunch.

The deep wood floors and warmly painted walls suggested the home-turned-restaurant was owned by Martha Stewart herself. Girlfriends and older couples lounged in chairs while sipping bold French press.

Our high-top table in what would have been the living room if this vintage house were a home had hard, wood chairs instead of cushioned ones. The two-sided menu is limited, but the salads, sandwiches and specialty soups choices only get better as the list goes on. Tropical salads with grilled Florida shrimp, macadamia nuts and toasted coconut don’t even begin to deter from the prosciutto, pear and brie on ciabatta or the Formage a Trois Panini with gruyere, fontina, brie, roasted tomato, sautéed shallots and balsamic reduction.

With eyes bigger than our stomachs and our mouths salivating, we ordered sandwiches.

Only one in my party got the side of the day: potato salad. The rest of us were given a mini salad as a substitute, and taste of the sandwiches was average at best. For a place that specializes in lunch, the white bread (supposedly Panini bread) may as well have been Wonder bread, the eggplant in the vegetable sandwich was hard and the pear slices were thinner than a fingernail. For $9 a sandwich, I felt cheated. The fancy grilled cheese could have been made in my skillet at home.

Dessert on the counter made my still-hungry stomach grumble, so the waitress brought our table chocolate brownies. As promised, they were rich and crumbly, and quelled my sweet tooth.

Friday nights on the eatery’s veranda with dimly twinkling with Christmas lights seem more promising than Fat Tuscan’s lunch. Jars of sangria and appetizers from 5 to 8:30 p.m. are a charming way to begin a romantic night, but be sure to make reservations elsewhere for a later dinner. No dinner menu is available, as The Fat Tuscan only serves a fix-price dinner occasionally.

While The Fat Tuscan won’t leave fat from the tiny portions at lunchtime, the desserts might get ya.

My end of the date rate the plate: Worth a single fork, maybe two.

The Fat Tuscan

725 NE 1st St

Gainesville, FL (352) 505-5648

Fall in love with Italian all over again: Manuel's Vintage Room

Manuel's seafood linguini

Italian food, in all its rich and creamy glory, cannot help itself from stealing the heart of humanity. Only a faint cry will protest of a plate of pasta, a thinly sliced eggplant parmesan, a platter of beef Carpaccio or tender seafood atop linguini with fresh garlic and butter. Italian food, in fact, has been done over and over again in the United States to the point of monotony. Spaghetti and sauce has been reduced to slimy noodles, missing its al dente peak 10 minutes earlier. And pizza is equated with 24-hour fast food created by some college kid who takes the pie out of the freezer and heats it for a midnight craze. But the Italians would never have it. Neither would Manuel or his family.

Lamb atop risotto

Manuel’s Vintage Room makes charm and out-of-this-world Italian food look effortless, even amidst nightclubs in downtown Gainesville. No more than 10 tables fill the entire restaurant, and the waiters, eager to help make selections, know the perfect pairings for this bistro’s carefully crafted menu. The small, open kitchen whips out food relatively quickly without compromising taste, and provides ample time for dining.

Manuel’s, which dims the lights around 7 p.m. and adorns each table with a tea candle, is favorable to talking but romantic enough to urge you to scoot in a little closer and whisper. My date and I did just that.

In true Italian spirit, we selected a full-bodied bottle of Chianti from Manuel’s extensive wine list to accompany what we thought we knew what we wanted to eat. But within the few minutes it took our bottle to arrive, we had changed our order preferences at least five times. Digging into the hot bread on the table, I could resist replacing my original appetizer order with the hand-pinched pasta our waiter marveled about. The grilled lamb special also somehow finagled its way into our order.

The pasta appetizer was a dream. The noodles were pinched into little purses around a splotch of ricotta cheese with a tiny pear bite in the middle. The tinge of sweetness from the fruit met with the creamy cheese and the fresh pasta for a heavy, yet stunning appetite tease.

The linguini with seafood and sausage in a marinara-garlic sauce was superb as a main course, but nothing could hold a candle to the succulent lamb. Grilled to perfection, the lamb chops slid off their bone with a gentle nudge from a knife and the risotto served with them rounded out the Italian meal. Boxes to go were a must, but later that night and the next day the leftovers were gladly gobbled up.

At Manuel’s Vintage Room, the flickering candles, the wine, the food and the ambience compliment each other seamlessly like a well-rehearsed orchestra and beseech you to stay all night long while reminding you why you feel in love with Italian in the first place.

KP’s Crumbs: Simply, go to Manuel’s. It’s, by far, the best Italian I’ve had in Gainesville. It makes for a wonderful date locale or intimate dinner. Its small space and cooked-to-order food are more like eating at someone’s home than a restaurant and you’d certainly be missing out if you didn’t go. Get the lamb and the pasta pouches, assuming they are on special when you go.

My end of the date rate the plate: Fork and spoon until it hurts and you feel like you can’t eat any more. Then, bring the rest home so you can enjoy forking and spooning at home…what better way to consummate your meal.

Manuel's Vintage Room

6 South Main St., Gainesville, Florida, 352.375.7372

Bad sushi in Gainesville: Shooting Star is more like falling star

Good sushi, at the very least, should be fresh and refreshing. Not every sushi restaurant boasts a hip atmosphere or an experienced staff, but most serve sushi-grade fish and sticky rice. Regretfully, Shooting Star does not even live up to the fresh factor that makes sushi a Japanese favorite.

A Saturday night visit to the free-standing Shooting Star restaurant in Gainesville's downtown area seemed inviting. The inside, with a black-light-lit jellyfish tank and a full-service bar, exuded an ultra-cool vibe.

The bubbly, self-proclaimed "waitress extraordinaire" suggested the salad with the Shooting Star special dressing made from pear and ginger ($3). The rest of the moderately priced menu mirrored most other Japanese restaurants with an assortment of typical sushi rolls and hot rice bowls. Desserts appeared more promising with tempura cheesecake ($5) and green tea ice-cream ($3) highlighted.

After a 45-minute wait and only one apology, the salads were served. When asked for forks, the waitress simply forgot and left it up to those of us eating to get up and hunt for cutlery. An additional 20 minutes later, the main dishes were served. Somehow the hot chicken "donburi," or rice bowl, was served before the sushi was brought out. The sushi had to be consumed while the rest of the table sat and watched.

The chicken donburi had pieces of raw chicken, and the mango salmon roll, with avocado, was more of a mango-rice roll than any type of salmon or avocado roll. The little salmon it did have still had the skin and scales on. The extra-charge eel sauce was more of a thick syrup than a dipping sauce.

The waitress said that the manager was too busy in the back, so he could not hear customer concerns. Ten minutes later, a woman (supposedly an owner) arrived at the table, sternly asking what the problem with the food was. After an explanation and display of the disappointing, unappetizing food, she yelled in protest. She reached into the half-eaten donburi bowl to prove the chicken was not raw, put a piece into her mouth, and continued yelling and pointing fingers with the inedible chicken in her mouth. So much for the customer always being right. Tempura cheesecake was thus out of the question; I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I left my plate of uneaten, scale-y sushi and made a b-line for 101 Downtown, where the food is always superb. My hungry tummy still wanted dinner even at 9:30 p.m.

With so many wonderful and tasty sushi joints in Gainesville, Shooting Star is certainly not the only option for Japanese cuisine. Instead, try Tatu (1702 West University Ave., 352.371.1700) or Ichiban Sushi (4401 NW 25th Pl., 352.375.8880), which both promise fresh, innovative sushi rolls and attentive service as well as hot choices.

The only wish upon a shooting star I wish I made was to not have even walked in the door of this unappetizing, unfriendly eatery.

Shooting Star - for the senses (on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being the lowest rating)

Noise: 1

Smell: 1

Taste: 0

Sight (presentation): 1.5

My end of the date rate the plate: Don't even think about forking or spooning. Shooting Star is bad news bears, bound to lead to sickness.

Monster subs and ice cold beer: Hogan's

Hogan's beer and subs (Photo from Hogan's)

September is the month of the Great American Beer Festival, so in honor of it, reach for a big, cold one.

Hogan’s, open late, is home to loaded subs and chilled brewskis, on tap and bottled. With sports games on the TVs, domestic pitchers for $6 a pop and pitchers of import for $8.50, let sipping on beer serve as social shindig.

For those hoping to hitch a beer deal, Hogan’s is also home to those. Domestic drafts are 75 cents from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday through Friday. All-American Monday boasts 50 cents off domestic bottles; Tuesday promises 50 cents off all German bottled beer; Wednesday features 50 cents off Irish bottles; and Friday slices a whopping 75 cents off Mexican bottled beer.

Heck, you can even win a “World Tour” T-shirt if your buy one of each import bottle on the “Tour the World” card Hogan’s provide.

And where there’s good beer, there’s even better subs ($4 to $8). Hogan’s doesn’t skimp on the meat or the veggies, and they’ll even hot press your hoagie to melt the cheese and warm the bread. Boutique-y sub toppings, such as Munster cheese and sweet peppers, make Hogan’s heros stand out from all the rest in Gainesville. You can customize your own or chose a deli favorite.

But be prepared to wait. Every sub is made to order, so even orders to go can have you waiting 15 minutes.

Since you’re gonna have to wait anyway, you may as well order the works…a few types of meat, a couple of cheeses, all the vegetables with extra pickles, oil, vinegar, honey mustard and then some. Whatever you do, have fun with it. Then, wash it down with a gulp of your third or fourth iced cold ale, if your stuffed stomach permits.

For the Senses (on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being the lowest)
Noise: 2 (even louder when there’s a sports game on)
Smell: 2.5
Taste: 3.5
Sight (presentation): 2

My end of the date rate the plate: The footlongs are forkings you don't want to pass up.

Hogan's

5156 SW 34th Street, Gainesville, Florida

For more check out my Web site.

Just peachy: Peach Valley Cafe

Greek omelet with baby spinach, feta cheese and roasted red peppers, served with breakfast potatoes and toast

With the first Gator football game of the 2009 season and labor day all falling on the same weekend, the buzz in and around Gainesville is contagious. Alumni are returning to catch the first game. Friends are visiting to experience the Gator spirit and families are taking advantage of the long weekend by pouring into town.

To kick the football weekend off, head to Peach Valley Cafe, off of 34th Street, which serves up food for champions. Breakfast is available all day long, lunch is served starting at 10 a.m. and dinner's available by 4 p.m. Plus, the portions are big. One buttermilk pancake fills an entire dinner plate; wraps are served with salty fries, coleslaw and a pickle; and omelets are come with some combination of crunchy breakfast potatoes, flaky biscuits, stick-to-your-ribs grits, fried bacon or sausage.

I went this weekend with a group of girlfriends and one of their mothers in celebration of life, good friends, good football and a great start to the school year. Though I was the only one hungry for lunch, I chowed down on my chicken curry salad wrap, and the rest of them happily devoured their breakfasts.

The waitstaff at Peach Valley Cafe, composed of mostly college kids, can be a bit testy, but special orders tend to come out correctly and hot. The restaurant itself, while nothing spectacular to look at, has plenty of seating areas, which keeps the line on a Saturday morning moving swiftly.

Sitting outside with a large party (so long as you don't mind the heat) is a pleasant way to enjoy hearty food and the beaming Florida sun. For those more inclined to strong air-conditioning, the inside is fine too.

No matter where you chose to sit, before you growl in The Swamp, fill your growling tummy with Peach Valley Cafe. For breakfast or lunch, it's just peachy for a pre-game bite.

For the Senses (on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being the lowest)
Noise: 1
Smell: 2.5
Taste: 2.5
Sight (presentation): 2

My end of the date rate the plate: Worthy of another fork. Not the best I've ever had, but it'll do.

Peach Valley Cafe

3275 SW 34th Street, Gainesville, Fl, 352.3761834.

For more, check out my Web site.

Red Onion Neighborhood Grill

With the hustle and bustle of the University of Florida campus crowding all the great eateries, sometimes it’s nice to escape the crowd and enjoy a meal without running into everyone you know. The Red Onion Neighborhood Grill, just a 10-minute drive from the center of the University of Florida, is tasty getaway from the usual favorites. From burgers and crab cakes to salads and sandwiches and steaks, the Red Onion offers a little something for everyone, no matter what type of food you’re in the mood for.

Appetizers, including beer-battered red onion rings and hot tortilla chips with fresh, chunky salsa, range from $6 to $9, while main entrees, such as pasta dishes and classic NY strip steaks, are around $15. With such an extensive menu, the Red Onion doubles as both a lunch spot and a dinner place. Many of the waiters seem to suggest the burgers made from 1/2 lb. black angus beef and served with fries when asked what’s good to eat. The salads are big enough to serve as your meal. Portion size on all the dishes is more than adequate, and the appetizers are great to nosh on.

Modern, red light fixtures set the subdued, yet upscale ambiance at the Red Onion, separating it from your typical T.G.I.Friday’s, Applebee’s or Chili’s. With a full-service bar and TVs mounted on the walls, the Red Onion is conducive to large, boisterous parties and small get-togethers. You can even watch Gator games here if you don’t have tickets. The wait staff is attentive and will gladly split the check between people, if need be.

The Red Onion, while not anything out of the ordinary, is a refined establishment with decent food where you won’t likely run into the typical UF clientele.

KP’s Crumbs: The burgers are big enough for two meals. The tortilla chips aren't salty enough, but the guacamole for $1 extra makes them worthwhile.

My end of the date rate the plate: Eh, not really worthy of any fork at all. Certainly not worthy of spooning. Put it this way, in Gainesville, you can do way better!

Check out this article and more on my Examiner site.

The Red Onion Neighborhood Grill

3901 NW 24th Blvd, Gainesville, FL 32605, 352.505.0088

Official Gainesville food Examiner

In addition to my oh-so-personal posts here on Fork First, Spoon Later, I will be posting some more official Gainesville restaurant reviews on Examiner.com because I am the official Gainesville restaurant reviewer!

Check me out here and subscribe to me. I will be posting about four times a week, so feel free to post comments and let me know what you like and don't like, where you want me to go and what you want me to try. If you wanna post it, I wanna read it.

Don't worry, though, Fork First, Spoon Later will be the only place I provide all the need-to-know dish with every single extra detail including my personal thoughts and favorites.

Daily quickie: Satchel's Pizza

In a college town, pizza is all the rave. Ordering in or picking up is bound to cause a headache with so many pizzerias to choose from. But if you are looking for the king of all pizzas, you don't need to look any further than the Satchel's - a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves only pizza and salad. This vintage, boho-y pizza joint specializes in ooey-gooey pizzas with every topping imaginable. Go for tons of veggies, but if you don’t, you can’t go wrong. The red sauce is a bit spicy, but not hot, and there is a solid inch-and-a-half of bready crust. To start the meal, order a famous salad. Satchel's oversized chopped salads are served family style and include bite-sized apples, walnuts, carrots and a homemade, tangy balsamic dressing.

On a Friday or Saturday night you can expect to wait at least an hour for a table (even longer if you want to sit in the car-turned-private-dining-area) since reservations are not accepted. But don't worry, you can listen to some live local music in the back while sipping on old-fashioned soda pop in glass bottles sold in the gimmicky gift shop. I am particular fan of the bottled root beer.

To pass the time, mingle through the shop and ogle the odds and ends that you can buy for a few bucks to remind you of your Satchel's experience (you can even buy the tasty balsamic dressing to enjoy at home). Card games, band-aids, change purses and light fixtures crowd the for-sale space and vie for your attention.

Be sure to bring cash, though, because credit cards and checks are not accepted in the gift shop or the restaurant. There is an ATM available for customers, but use the money you would have spent on the ATM fee for a homemade chocolate chip cookie, mini cheesecake or brownie in the glass case up at the front where you pay. The chef only makes a few desserts a night, so be sure to snag something sweet to finish off your tasty meal before they are all gone. If you are lucky, there will be some chocolate-chip cannolis left for you to try. You’ll leave with a full tummy and hands full of lots of crap from the backyard store.

KP’s Crumbs: Ask to sit outside. The fake flowers made from cans and the fun garden ornaments are conversation pieces. The cannolis are by far the best dessert. And zucchini, spinach, broccoli and mushrooms are the tastiest toppings to put on your pizza. The avante-guard servers may come off as a bit rude, but I’d be too if every table of mine were full every single minute. Don’t take anything they say or do personally.

My end of the date rate the plate: Worthy of four forkings. Go often; leave way more than satisfied. But don’t forget, this date only takes cash.

Satchel's Pizza

1800 NE 23rd Ave., Gainesville, Florida, 352.335.7272