Daily Green

499 SE 2 St
Gainesville, FL 32601
(352) 226-8288
Mon-Sat 10:00-3:00

I've been meaning to go to The Daily Green, housed in the old Louis' Lunch building in Southeast Downtown, for a while now.    Fortunately, today's schedule lined up just perfectly with a delicious trip to this new lunch spot.   




One of the main things they do at Daily Green is waffle cones.  I know it sounds crazy, but they have a savory waffle cone that they serve meals in (they even have a gluten free cone option).  It seemed ridiculous at first, but ended up being a really convenient way to eat.  A friend got the meatballs, onions, and asiago cheese and I got the bar-b-q tempeh with crispy green tomatoes and gritlins (dehydrated grits and cheese balls).  Both were damn good.  I couldn't eat the broccoli slaw that was supposed to come with the tempeh, so I subbed out crispy green tomatoes.  I'm not certain, but I think they were dehydrated too and were excellent.  I was very impressed at the idea to dehydrate food instead of frying it.  It tasted just as crispy and delicious as if it were fried, but was much healthier.  

As I said, I felt a bit odd at first and was using a fork to eat out of the cone.  But after a few minutes, I had the whole thing in my hand just eating away.  I have to say that the waffle cone may be my new favorite form of food delivery.  A third friend got the bar-b-q pork in a collard green wrap with kale chips.  He says it was damn fine as well.  The collard wrap was an ingenious alternative for low carb eaters.  
 
The bottom line for this place is that they seem to have thought of everything for everyone.  Gluten free? Vegan? Low carb? Meat eater? Vegetarian?  They got you all covered.  I'm really glad to see good food being made in a fresh and interesting way.  I'm also happy to see investments being made in areas of downtown that need a little TLC.  There aren't many new restaurants that are impressive off the bat, but places like The Daily Green are certainly showing everyone else how it should be done. 

Sarkara Sweets

201 SE 2nd Ave #110
(Across from Maudes)

I've been curious about this place for a while.  The only reason I haven't gone yet is because nobody in America ever says "Hey guys, let's go out for cupcakes tonight!"  I just can't see myself in the middle of a workday or night on the town thinking that adding a cupcake to the mix is a good idea.  That's nothing against what they do, it's just reality.  Maybe I could see having one for a birthday or office party, but I can't see any other legit occasion to dig into a cupcake.

So, since we were celebrating my birthday last night, I decided it was time.  Much like the Japanese frozen yogurt fad, these cupcake shops seem to be sweeping the nation.  You can build your own cupcake or buy one of the pre-made flavors.  Since they had quite a spread of beautiful looking cakes, I stuck with the pre-destined flavors.  Between the members of our group, I'd say we tried at least 10 different flavors.  All of them were very unique and interesting: French Toast, Smores, Spicy Mocha, Raspberry Chocolate Chai, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, and so on.  Each was its own little work of art.

In reality, the cupcakes were SUPER sweet.  I think they could use half the sugar they're currently using and they'd still be sweet enough.  For me, the over the top sugar content really ruined the experience and most people in our party agreed.  I was happy to see that they had multiple gluten free options since my wife is GF.  After getting the gluten free chocolate cupcake, though, we wondered if if was supposed to be called "flavor free" because it didn't taste like anything but sugar (chocolate doesn't have gluten!).

All in all, I can see why people like this place.  It's cute, fun, and has beautiful cupcakes.  Personally, I just didn't think they were that good, and that's based solely on the sugar content.  I'm pretty sure I contracted type 2 diabetes and gave myself 3 cavities all while eating here.  Check it out for yourself.  I, however, will return to the "I don't see any need for a cupcake at this moment in life" category.





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Gator suyaki - the best Chinese around!

3830 SW 13th St
:(352) 377-4773

5 thumbs up!
 
It takes a big man to admit that he is wrong, and I am that big man.  But, whoah!  How wrong could I have possibly been?  I frequently rail against the sub-par Asian food options in this town only to see them decline even lower.  Bahn Thai was just passable to begin with and the new owners have driven it into the ground.  Same with Saigon Legend.  You know I hate Chopstix, and the former occupant of the place I'm writing about was previously shut down for serious health code violations.  The owner was even quoted as saying that Chinese food isn't compatible with American sanitary regulations.

So when someone told me that Gator Suyaki was excellent, I was naturally skeptical.

I tried it first at lunch with just one other person.  We were told to order the Eggplant with Garlic Sauce and the General Tao's Tofu.  Sweet lord-a-mercy they were both outstanding. 



The eggplant was phenomenal.  I've had dishes like this before, but none came close to the sultry, savory, seasoned wok flavor and rich aromatic garlic.  There were also a few bamboo shoots and some sort of black, thin mushroom.  We've been back several times since, and this dish is always a must have for the table. 



The General Tao's Tofu was equally good.  As it's Chinese food, the dishes don't come with anything that isn't listed in their title.  It was literally just tofu on a plate.  The tofu was expertly fried and glazed with a delicious sweet and slightly spicy sauce though.  I've had this one 3 or 4 more times since the first visit and none have matched the initial visit's preparation.  It's still a solid dish though.  Just be warned that you won't get any veggies with it.

Don't worry, because the menu abounds with options.  You literally need a bookmark for the damn thing.  There must be 500 items on it.  Most of the pure veggie options haven't been amazing, but the straw mushroom dish below was excellent.  It came served in a thick gravy like sauce (vegetarian warning, there is NO WAY these sauces are vegetarian). 

The best way to enjoy this place is to go with a large group.  We've tried so many things on the menu and haven't had to be stuck with a whole plate of one dish per person.  Sharing is the way to go.  Any of the chicken dishes come out like the one pictured below (Honey Garlic), fried to oblivion, but OH SO GOOD. 

The more adventurous people in your party can try the jelly fish salad (never available when we've gone), the stir fried pork stomach or tripe (both of which we tried to mixed reviews), or the pig ear.  The place seems as authentically Chinese as The Great Wall itself.  If you go on a weekend night, odds are you won't hear any language but Mandarin, as the majority of the patrons and almost all the workers are off the boat Chinese. 

Another wonderfully interesting item is the steamed bun.  They come in red bean paste and egg yolk flavors.  The egg yolk bun tastes pretty much like a twinkie.  Pretty ridiculous.

The food is excellent, the prices are great (about 10 bucks an entree), the portions hefty, and it appears to be extremely clean.

I strongly encourage all of you to eat here right away.  It's so damn good and it's been hiding right underneath our noses this whole time!












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Hiro has great Korean tacos

I tried all 3 of their styles, but the best was the Korean style with pickled onions and cabbage, Kimchi sour cream, and "Korean sauce." I had the lemongrass tofu which was excellent. Lightly and crisply fried up and delicious. This place is pretty fun when it comes to new takes on old classics.


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Worth the price and a whole lot more.

I know I haven't been writing much lately, and I certainly regret it.  I've never intended to be something that people in this town actually paid attention to, but somehow it happened.  I'm well aware that a few months of silence makes me quickly become obsolete to so many people who may have moved on to something else.  I've been extremely busy with my job, side projects, special interests, etc so I really haven't had much time to type up some new reviews.  Also, I've been eating out a WHOLE lot less.  The reasons are many.  First, I got bored of most places in town and lost interest in many old favorites.  I also have been trying to make as many health conscious decisions as possible, and unfortunately eating out is the first thing to change in that department.

I still eat at Flacos at least once a week.  I've also been pleased to add Tempo Bistro and Gator Suyaki to the top of my list of excellent places in town.  I've lost interest in The Top and The Jones and I just don't care enough to try out some of the newer places.

As a result of this change in my eating habits, I've come to the realization that where Gainesville really excels in the food department is in the raw materials.  We have excellent producers of honey, coffee, produce, milk, cheese, meat, baked goods, confections, chocolates, etc, etc.  If you want to make a meal, you can get some of the best raw ingredients around right in the ol' 352.

For several years now, we've been members of the Family Garden CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  We pay our farmer, Jordan, up front (usually in August or September), and then we get vegetables and fruit every week until about late May/early June.  Since the growing season in our region is SO long, we get stuff nearly year round.  Also, as the seasons change, he grows different crops that are appropriate for the weather/climate zone.  This means we don't get tomatoes in December, but we do get a constantly revolving assortment of fresh, seasonally appropriate variety. 

Jordan's produce is all organic, locally grown, and personally delivered to the Farmers' Market.  Also, it is always excellent.  The quality of the produce is unmatched.  If something is in season, you'll never regret the membership fee when you see your week's haul.  I've calculated that our weekly fee comes out to around 25 dollars (don't quote me on that, I'm terrible at math).  That's alot of money for vegetables...  or is it?  Before the CSA, I typically spent a good amount of our shopping budget on fresh fruit and veggies, but how did they get here?  Which came from California?  Which (unwittingly, as I never try to buy foreign produce if possible) came from Argentina or Chile?  How many fossil fuels and chemicals and other earth taxing ingredients went into their production?  Did this blueberry really pass through the Panama Canal to get to my plate?

So, it was with some irritation that I watched a random shopper tell Jordan he was selling his cucumbers for too much money.  Here's how the exchange went:

Shopper: How much are your cucumbers?
Jordan: 3 dollars for a basket (a basket had about 6 cukes)
Shopper: Are you kidding?  Publix has them for 1 dollar (never specified how many for a dollar)
Jordan: So go buy them at Publix.
Shopper: I was just saying, I thought you'd like to know that other people are selling for less.
Me (couldn't resist): Yeah, but he's the guy who grows these.  They're organic.  He grew them right over there (points vaguely to the west).
Shopper: Well, I don't care that they're organic
Me: Well that's only one of the reasons why they cost more.

People will always want to haggle.  They'll always try to score the best deal possible.  They'll even try to lend a hand and offer suggestions to help you improve your business from time to time.  But this guy was simply not attaching any value to food.  No value to farmers. No value to what should really be happening in the world of food production.

The fact that Jordan (with the help of his skilled staff and family) plants the seeds, tills the earth, waters, monitors, organically pest controls, covers with frost blankets, harvests, delivers, and then sells the food himself is worth something.  It's worth 3 dollars for 6 cucumbers.  In my opinion, it's worth a whole lot more than that.  But with guys like the above mentioned shopper, how can a small farmer compete with large corporations that can get you a cucumber from California for 1 dollar?  Hopefully with our support they can.

Go support some local food producers today!

 

(what our fridge looks like after a CSA pickup)

Hiro Asian Sandwich Bistro

Hiro Asian Sandwich Bistro
3841 SW Archer Rd

4 thumbs up

I've been excited to try this place out for a while now.  I heard that the owners of Bento opened a Vietnamese Bahn Mi Sandwich shop and wanted to experience something I'd only heard about before.  Also, as it's the folks at Bento, I'm pretty confident in the quality level going in.  I think Bento does a good job of what they do.  They're not the best pan asian place in the world, but they do a respectable job in a fashionable and youthful way.

Unfortunately, my iPhone just died, so I can't share the photos with you, but I'll try to describe the food as best as possible. 

First off, they have something called "shake fries."  I've been trying to eat healthier food lately, but since it was my first time here, I had to go all in.  The shake fries are simply french fries served in a wax paper bag.  You then add your own choice of seasonings from the spice bar to the bag and shake.  It's that simple.  There were probably a half dozen different choices from garlic salt to other unique blends of spices.  I don't know if they made this idea up or just borrowed it from somewhere else, but it was clever.  It makes the customer that much more involved in their eating experience. 

Next, if you're going here expecting traditional Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches, you're going to be let down.  Off the bat, the girl at the counter told me they're selling traditional American sandwiches with a slight Asian twist.  Rather than be discouraged, I actually had a realization.  We can't really expect legit Vietnamese Bahn Mi in this town.  I don't know why, because if it was good, we'd all eat there.  But simply stated, we can't.  All we can hope for instead is a place that serves food with a fun and worthwhile twist.  Instead of being disappointed, I decided to keep my mind open and hope that what I was about to eat would at least be interesting.

I ordered the chicken teriyaki sandwich.  It came with mushrooms and onions and was served on a warm french bread sub roll that was lightly buttered.  It was pretty darn good.   It didn't send my taste buds soaring through the rice paddies of Cambodia, but it was good and it was certainly different than the standard fare about town.  The place was clean and chic, the presentation was unique and top notch, and the food was good.  What more can we ask for?

I'll gladly return and sample more items off the menu and I suggest you do the same!

Loosey's Pub

Loosey's Pub

5 thumbs up

120 SW 1st Avenue: Downtown

I've been meaning to review Loosey's for some time now.  Not only have they managed to carve out their own unique niche in the over-saturated beer bar scene that has become downtown, but they've developed an excellent menu of high quality and beautifully presented pub food.  Unfortunately, my iPhone just died, so I can't share any photos here, but I'll do my best to describe their fare.

First of all, let me cover their beer selection.  They have a very respectable selection of bottled and draft beers with many monthly rotations coming in and out.  They feature only American beers, so if you want a Guinness, you're at the wrong place.  One of my particular favorites is the Blue Point Toasted Lager.

Next, let me be clear that if you're downtown and want a burger, you should go to Loosey's.  They easily have the best burger around and sell it as cheap as 5 bucks on some nights.  For a half pounder, you might even want to share it with someone.  Also, the number of toppings and condiments you can add are astounding!

I've also tried their blackened chicken tacos, which at $7.50 could easily feed two, and the fish and chips, which are great as well.

Loosey's also hosts live music many nights a week and have developed a solid reputation for treating bands really well.

You might not think of the Pub as a legitimate restaurant, but I can assure you it is.  When The Top has an hour wait and you're just dyin for a bite and a brew, get your ass too Loosey's, which is usually busy, but never so packed you can't get service right away.