Burrito Brothers

1402 W. University Avenue
(behind the presbyterian student center)

3.5 thumbs up (a good meal, not terribly authentic, but satisfying nonetheless)

Price Range: Pretty cheap. A big ol burrito will run you about 5 bucks.

Menu Highlights: Beef and bean burrito. Sweet Potato Burrito

Burrito Brother is a longstanding tradition in the Gainesville Student Food scene. Currently, it's housed in the back of the Presbyterian Student Center on the corner of 14th and University Ave. For those of you old enough to remember, it used to sit right on 13th in a tiny walk in storefront just north of University. There were no seats, only 5 people could comfortably fit inside, and it was classic.

This was one of the first traditional Gainesville eateries that I ever went to. To be honest, I wasn't wowed at first. You could say that Burrito Brothers was my introduction to the Gainesville spin on food. It certainly isn't legit Tex Mex, but rather some guy in the middle of north central Florida's take on it. The spices weren't authentic, the sauces weren't traditional, and the ingredients weren't what you'd normally expect. It was blander, simpler, less exotic, and totally Gainesville.

Despite my initial shock, I grew to love this place. I'd frequently get a beef and bean burrito to go and sit on a nearby friend's porch, applying the enchilada-esque sauce to each bite. One burrito would keep you full for hours, and visiting the old storefront really gave you a legitimate insider's feel.

As I graduated and moved farther away from town, I neglected their offerings for more convenient choices, but every now and then I remember how much joy their bizarelly rice paper-like tortillas brought me.

Today, as I cruised 13th for a quick bite, burrito fate called my name. I ordered the sweet potato burrito, which features sweet potatoes, black beans, Jack cheese, lettuce and roasted corn salsa. As always, I asked for a side of red sauce. It's kinda like a ketchupier version of enchilada sauce. Regardless, it's good. The burrito was great and filling, and I really enjoyed it. I could have used a bit more flavor out of it, but re-read paragraph two if you need to.

Look at it this way. The place is a tradition. They make good food. It certainly isn't authentic, but I think they get the job done.

Bahn Thai

1902 Southwest 13th Street

Three Thumbs Up (It's the best Thai food in town. A friend told me that's like saying "She's the prettiest girl in Ocala.")

Price Range: Surprisingly expensive. It seems to always cost at least 5 more dollars per person than you'd think.

Menu Link

Menu Highlights: Red Curry, Stir Fry Tofu with Mixed Vegetables

First off, I'm sorry for the lack of pictures lately. I've been doing a bit of take out food and don't want to offer those photos as evidence of a place's quality. Otherwise, let's get to it!

Bahn Thai is easily Gainesville's best Thai restaurant. Granted, that's not saying much, but it's pretty good nonetheless. There are certainly downsides to the place, such as the mob hit feeling of the windowless room or the immediate proximity of several transient/hooker motels. The wall of photos from 1992 also doesn't help assure me that the place has been cleaned any time recently. You can clearly see the exact same decor behind Michael J Fox and Woody Harrelson when they ate at the restaurant during filming of Doc Hollywood. I am also always disappointed by the haggard appearance of the tofu in the vegetarian dishes.

All that aside, they do have some tasty food. My favorite is the stir fry tofu with mixed vegetables, or the ol number 86. It comes with bean sprouts and crispy noodles, but if you're smart like me, you ask for these filler ingredients to be left out in order to maximize the awesome higher quality vegetables. This dish is chock full of variety, with at least a dozen different types of veggies. The sauce is a light brown sauce that can tend to be a bit oily, but it's quite good.

Their red curry is right on and the tofu version comes with a bunch of delicious veggies as well. I also tend to like their cashew sauce despite it being quite different from other Thai restaurants' cashew sauces. It's less light and delicate and has more of a heartier, gravier taste(yes, I just invented an adjective form of the word "gravy").

If you're feeling cold or under the weather, nothing kicks up your body temperature like a bowl of Tom-Yum soup. I think it's deliciously tangy and they do it quite well.

Their menu literally has a billion items on it, so feel free to experiment in order to find the dish that's just right for you.

If you eat in, make sure to take advantage of the complimentary dessert, which tends to vary between black sticky rice (think purple rice pudding) and sweet potatoes in coconut milk (very soft, small pieces of potatoes swimming in deliciousness). Both are really great and totally unexpected forms of dessert.

One final note. The service is always polite and professional. The owners (wife runs the business while husband runs the kitchen) are also very courteous and gracious hosts. This is certainly a selling point for me, as they always make sure you enjoy your meal.

All in all, Bahn Thai does the trick. I'd honestly prefer the place to be a bit better and certainly much cleaner, but it'll do.

Blue Highway Pizza (Micanopy and Tioga locations)

204 NE Highway 441 Micanopy
13005 SW 1st Rd Tioga

Full menu here http://www.bluehighwaypizza.com/tioga-menu-2009.pdf

Price Range: Very reasonable.

Menu Highlights: The pizzas are phenomenal. I also like the Spaghetti Pomodoro at the Tioga location

I'm not quite sure why I've neglected to review these guys yet, as they easily have the best pizza in town and possibly some of the best I've tasted. I strongly prefer the Micanopy location to the Tioga one for the following reasons: the Micanopy one is the original, it has charm beyond belief, and I actually think their pizza is better than the Tioga location.

For starters, I'm a huge fan of plain ol' cheese pizza. If you're not, however, never fear as Blue Highway has several wonderful options available (just check out their menu). They also have a deep dish that is knee weakening good (it certainly isn't healthy). For me, though the star of the show is the dough. It's so perfect in every possible way that it's hard for me to even do it justice. The bottom is coated with delicate bread crumbs and the crust is brushed with olive oil and garlic. It truly is a wonderful creation. My only complaint is that neither location is terribly close to me.

The Micanopy location has a simpler menu, as their kitchen space is limited. You're pretty much confined to salads, pizzas, and calzones. Tioga, however, has a full menu with pasta, sandwiches, and more. I particularly like the deliciously simple spaghetti pomodoro which has pasta, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, and some crushed red pepper. It's really a perfect presentation of a simple Italian classic.

I can honestly say that this is some of the best pizza I've ever had, and it easily puts the rest of the pizza in this town to shame. It's worth your while to make the trek to either location, but if you really want killer pizza, head to Micanopy. Plus, you can buy a gun on the way home.

Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille

110 S.E. 1st Street

3 Thumbs Up

Price Range: They're pretty good about keeping meals under 20 bucks each.

Harry's is a tough one for me. In my opinion, it completes the trifecta of fake fancy restaurants on the S.E. 1st block of downtown (Amelianos and Ichiban being the other 2). They play the role of fancy restaurants but aren't really anything special for the most part.

To stay focused on Harry's, though, it's really not a bad restaurant. I think they do serve really decent seafood dishes and you'll probably leave satisfied without much to complain about. Furthermore, despite the reek of corporate backing, it is in actuality a small Florida chain with only 5 locations statewide. Knowing that, it could give one a greater sense of decency by supporting local business.


I stopped in for lunch today and had the blackened redfish with steamed green beans and a salad. It was all pretty good, with the redfish being a bit overcooked, but not terribly dry. Overall, I enjoyed the meal, but with tip, lunch ended up costing me 15 bucks. I've eaten multiple things on the menu, and can't say I've had any major complaints about them. No matter what you order, their bread is quite spectacular and is served with a herb/garlic butter.

To their credit, I don't think they're trying or pretending to be fancy. They go for a New Orleans/Mardi Gras theme, which is kinda weird for a Florida company. But with that, they don't go over the top by decking the walls with a bunch of bullshit. I think they actually pull off a casual, nicer dinner vibe.

Again, I say this place is tough for me because everything about it says that I should hate it, but it's really not a bad restaurant. I also enjoy that they have ample porch seating for nicer times of year.

If you haven't eaten here before, they're not going to turn you onto anything new, but they will serve you some pretty decent seafood.

The Fat Tuscan Cafe: Sandwiches, Salads, and Soups done right!

725 NE 1st St

Five Thumbs Up

Price Range: Sandwiches are from 5-9 bucks. It's really quite reasonably priced. Full menu is here http://fattuscan.com/SM.html

Menu Highlights: The Fromage a Trois is a delicious take on the traditionall grilled cheese

The Fat Tuscan Cafe is self described as an authentic European cafe with the best homemade food. Honestly, despite my typical cynicism and vitriol, I actually agree with them. I think their sandwiches are great, the bread is extremely tasty, the ingredients are high quality, and the physical location is beautiful (it's a restored historic house in the Duck Pond portion of town). I do think they reach their claim of authentic European cafe, as the place looks chic and the food doesn't ever disappoint.

I've eaten here many times, and have always been pleased with the Fromage a Trois, which features gruyere, fontina, brie, roasted tomato, sautéed shallots, grilled on panini bread, and drizzled with a balsamic reduction. I'm sure it's not terribly healthy with all the rich cheeses, but man is it good. They also make their own soups and if you can pair this sandwich with one of their frequently available tomato based soups, the combination is sublime.

I am not wild about the Grilled Vegetable Sandwich on Ciabatta bread, which features zucchini, squash, eggplant, portabella mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and gruyere cheese on a ciabatta. Maybe it's the fact that it's cold, or that I'm not a huge fan of cold eggplant and mushrooms, but I'm not really into it.

The third vegetarian choice is the Greek Panini, with roasted tomatoes, grilled eggplant, roasted garlic, calamata olives, chevre, and arugula. I haven't had this one recently, and don't remember how I feel about it.

Obviously, there are a slew of meat based choices, which are all tasty as well.
The Ham and Cheese Panini was another choice made by a lunch partner. It featured homemade honey ham slices, brie, roasted apple mustard and arugula grilled on panini bread. It looked quite good and is pictured with a side salad.

The Roast Beef with Herbed Cheese looked particularly good, and was confirmed as such by my lunch mate. It features slices of homemade roast beef topped with homemade herbed cream cheese spread, and caramelized shallots on toasted ciabatta bread. It's pictured here with a side of tomato pasta soup (the actual name was much fancier)

On the last Wednesday of the month, they feature special, reservation-only, candlelight 5-course Rustic, Italian-style dinners (lots of qualifiers in that sentence). The courses are Appetizer, Salad or Soup, Pasta, Main Entree/Vegetable and Dessert. For 35 dollars per person (iced tea or coffee included), it sounds like a great deal. I have never tried this yet, but really hope to soon.

My only complaint is that the pasta salad that accompanies each sandwich is never good. To me, it's a waste of pasta as it's always dry and nearly flavorless.

Otherwise, this is quite a special, hidden gem of a restaurant that most people might not know about. Go check it out!

Sandwich Inn (a quick, cheap, decent eat on the east side of town)

110 NE 16th Ave

1.5 Thumbs Up

Price Range: CHEAP!

I've driven past this place countless times and often wondered if it was any good. Could the unassuming little drive thru shack be an easily overlooked hidden gem of goodness? Finally, I managed to stop by for a quick eat.

Their menu is SUPER cheap, which is good for your wallet, but probably not so much for the quality of ingredients.Obviously, it's largely meat based, but they did have a few veg items (grilled cheese and egg and cheese). I was very tempted to try the fried catfish sandwich, but was headed to the gym later and couldn't justify it.I settled on the grilled cheese and small fries. It was pretty decent, and mostly what I was expecting/hoping for. The fries were pretty good, and the sandwich couldn't be simpler. The whole thing cost $2.83.

There is a certain charm to an old school drive thru burger joint, and Sandwich Inn has some of it. I've seen places that are more charming, but when it comes down to it, it's really all about the food. In our case in point, the food wasn't bad, but nothing to write home about. It's essentially a quick eat, and I'm sure you could have some fun with their menu.

Give it a shot if you're bored, but it probably won't become a regular in the lunchtime repertoire.