4 Rivers Smokehouse – Longwood

We recently traveled over to Longwood to check out the newest 4 Rivers Smokehouse.  We’re so grateful they built one in a strip mall for us.  Since we live down the road from the tiny Winter Park branch we’re familiar with the long line of BBQ lovers that spills out into the street. Still, we were a bit surprised to find a similar crowd of patient patrons  at the spacious Longwood location.  Luckily the weather was great and the line moved surprisingly fast.

It was a challenge not to order the brisket and pulled pork sandwiches we know and love, but it was a new place that called for a new dish.  We decided on the Six Shooter ($6.99) – aptly named for its six ingredients. The sight of this tower of cheese grits, pulled pork and coleslaw is a little shocking and you can’t help but feel a little embarrassed walking through the dining room with this heaping tray of food.  But after the first bite, you forget all that.  Who would have thought that piling up BBQ favorites one on top of the other and topping it all off with jalapeños would result in a fantastic dish??  It’s described on the menu as “the perfect blend of sweet and savory” and they nailed it: that’s exactly what it is.

We sampled a few other items for comparative purposes, of course.  The brisket and turkey were smokey and terrific as always, and the chocolate cupcake from the Sweet Shop was quite literally perfect. Extremely moist and not nearly as sweet as it appeared; we may never eat cupcakes from a truck again.  Our only complaint that day was that a couple of the sides we sampled were served cold, and a stone cold biscuit just won’t do.

In addition to the delectable items 4R offers in the restaurants, they offer some specialty items that can be ordered ahead of time.  We highly recommend the Smoked Salmon.  We’ve ordered it a number of times and enjoy it on salads and in quiche.  It’s reasonably priced and consistently moist and flavorful.

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La Fuente – Havana, Cuba

Lunch at La Fuente.

Tamarind Indian Cuisine – Winter Park

Lunch, dinner, take-out… we’ve tried them all and each time Tamarind Indian Cuisine has offered up dishes packed with flavor.

The smaller lunch menu offers complete meals at great prices.  The Thalis (plates…think Indian bento box) consist of a curry dish, rice, daal, chapati, and a simple salad.  There are over a dozen options of these filling combinations.  The spice and yogurt marinated chicken in the Tikka Masala was incredibly moist and the Navratan Korma was a rich assortment of vegetables served in a mild, creamy tomato based sauce.

During dinner, patrons are offered paper thin papadum served with the usual trio of chutneys: onion, mint, and tamarind.  We chose the Hariyalo Tikka appetizer, and while these small potato patties were not visually impressive they were beautifully seasoned. For a dish that truly demonstrates Tamarind’s deft use of spices, the Mysore Masala Dosa is a good choice.  This moderately spicy dosa is served with curry potatoes, a fragrant sambhar with large pieces of potatoes and eggplant, and a coconut cilantro chutney whose freshness rounded out the dish nicely.  The Lamb Vindaloo also proved a terrific choice. Prepared a true medium, as requested, the tender chunks of lamb were served in a wonderfully deep red, vinegary sauce.  Tamarind’s garlic naan was a treat, but we found the Kheer (rice pudding) a bit bland.

If you’re unfamiliar with Indian food, fear not, the Tamarind team is friendly and willing to answer any menu question.

#ForkandTell

Uppercrust Productions – Gainesville

We are entirely unapologetic for our gushing praise of Uppercrust baked goods.  This small shop in the Fresh Market Plaza carries a lovely assortment of wines, pastas, olive oils and other gourmet goods, but it’s the baked goods that we dream about.

There are two items in particular that we’re pretty sure make the world a better place: Uppercrust’s Rosemary Bread, which is offered as a bâtard, boule, baguette or dinner rolls and their Cheddar and Chive Scones ($3.75).  We’re partial to the bâtard ($5).  This fragrant loaf is perfectly crunchy on the outside and warm and chewy on the inside.  While the rosemary pairs particularly well with roasted meats and stews, we eat it slice after thick slice with absolutely everything.

The addictiveness of the bread may be rivaled only by the scones.  The cheddar and chive scones (available with or without ham) are moist and savory with a slight peppery bite.  They remind us that butter can be dangerously fantastic.  Granted, for many of us the prices at Uppercrust make these items special occasion treats rather than everyday fare, but for the sake of our waistlines that’s exactly what they should be.  Still, we stop in whenever we’re in Gainesville and we implore the Uppercrust crew to consider opening a branch here in Orlando.