Unable to refuse quiche, I ate a wedge with buttery crust, tomatoes and broccoli, while Lauren ate the veggie scramble – eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, feta and olives. Both were filling enough to satisfy, but airy enough to sit well.
We squawked about whom we wanted to bring back for a delightful meal, knowing that The Wine and Cheese Gallery would be perfect for our best friends and our parents. A little cheese to go with that wine? Yes, indeed.
The Wine and Cheese Gallery
Big Lou’s name isn’t kidding. Everything in this pizzeria is bigger. A slice of cheese for $2.75 is literally larger than my head. A small side salad, served with two garlicy rolls, is enough to feed three. Bringing home left overs is a must.
For a quick slice or a pizza party for 20, Big Lou’s NY Style Pizzeria caters to all. The no-frills tables are topped with dried garlic, Parmesan cheese and red pepper; the pizza is served on paper plates.
Pasta dishes and hot and cold subs go by the wayside to the calzones and pizzas, which can be topped with some 20 types of toppings, including mushrooms, onions, roasted red peppers, fresh basil and even tempeh. Slices can add toppings too for a few cents more.
As one of the only places in Gainesville to serve cannolis, dessert is not to be missed. Just like everything else at Big Lou’s, the cannolis are larger than life (don’t listen when the waitress says one cannolo is only enough for one). The crunchy shells are overflowing with creamy filling and chocolate chips, just the way I love them.
At 8:15 p.m. on a Saturday night, every table is filled, and service is as it should be at a pizzeria, as fast as this post.
Big Lou's
Life’s been quite busy lately. Between bartending class and working for some extra cash as a beer tub girl, I’ve been eating here and there, trying to be cheap and save a penny or two, but when a craving comes, there’s no denying it.
Thai food is my absolute favorite cuisine. I could easily slurp up peanuty pad thai noodles and chomp on mee krob, sticky, sweet crispy noodles, every day of the week. Nom sod, a spicy salad with ground pork (though I ask for ground chicken) topped with fresh with lime or lemon zest, finds its way to list of weekly cravings too. I have found “my thai place” in every city I have lived and in many of the places I have visited. My Gainesville Thai hunger pains led me to Bahn Thai.
Bahn Thai is attached to a motel, but don’t let that deter you. It has fabulous food. The dark interior, filled with an array of booths and tables, is not pretty nor ugly, but their food, specifically their pad thai, is superb. I order it to-go about once every two weeks, and the portion, piled into a heap in a Styro-foam container, can easily last me three meals.
The noodles are cut short, the peanuts are ground into crumbly deliciousness, the chicken is chunked into bit-sized pieces and the egg is mashed up so that you never have a bite full of fried egg. Bahn Thai’s pad thai stands out from all the rest in Gainesville because it is not soupy. The peanut sauce is flavorful and fully coating the noodles without also coating the plate.
Whenever I feel too lazy to cook or too tired to go out, I bring home some pad thai, sit in bed, turn on the television and veg. Bahn Thai has officially made its way into my feel-good, “you-worked-hard-this-week, you-deserve-something-delicious” routine. And I’m already delirious imagining when I’ll order it next.
Bahn Thai
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
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.
Gainesville, FL (352) 505-5648
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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.
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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.
6 South Main St., Gainesville, Florida, 352.375.7372
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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.
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.
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.
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
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
College town, Florida = LOTS of forking and spooning. Everyone’s looking for it (they are too lazy to cook for themselves), so I’ll provide the need-to-know info about where to (and where not to) fork and spoon in Gainesville. Now that I’m back to my old stomping grounds, I’m ready to go Gator chomping at all my favorite local restaurants and find tons of new ones. Then, of course, I'll share them all with you.
A word to the wise – Gainesville is chock-full of superb food. Between all the fast food places, though, the tough part is knowing where to find the gems. A little insider knowledge goes a long way in learning that college town does not mean college food or trashy atmosphere.
The down and dirty dish before you fork from my tons of previous experience: Dragonfly takes reservations. Merlion's is the best Thai food you'll find. Ti Amo serves its food tapas-style, perfectly conducive to sharing with a special someone. D’Lites has two locations. A bowl of pho from Saigon Legend will last you two meals. And Las Margaritas will put a giant sombrero on your head if it's your birthday.
Happy eating!
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