[Paul1934]

Originally Posted by laboutj

I have not been able to find decent hot dogs either. In New England I would regularly get Kayem or Deutschmaker, I refuse to buy the Nathans or Ball Park in the package that seems to be available everywhere.

That is why we bring the bags (not the watered down sealed packages of what once were good dogs) of Hummels (regular skin on and big bites) whenever we come down.

[bimmertl]

Try the pork dogs at the Polish Deli in Leesburg. Homemade with natural casing.

https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net...Ug&oe=63762372

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by birdawg

If anyone think’s Darrell’s is good they never ate in a Jersey Dinner

NY diners were equally as good especially the cheesecake

[Paul1934]

Most any of the Greek diners are worth the stop. They get you with the bakery case as you walk in…

[PaulUnderwood]

Obviously you are not from New England go online to Dom’s Sausage best steak tips around and they ship to Florida.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Paul1934

Most any of the Greek diners are worth the stop. They get you with the bakery case as you walk in…

Always wondered if they did their own baking or is their one huge bakery that makes all the cheesecakes?

[Koapaka]

Originally Posted by HJBeck

Bern’s Steak House, outstanding but expensive. Almost to Tampa. No one has a wine list like they do. Everything is ala cart.

While we agree totally on Bern's, unless you make reservations 90 days in advance, the only dining options ever available is 9pm.

[Koapaka]

[QUOTE=laboutj;2148616]New Jersey is not in New England. I believe they're most readily available in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I went to Publix two years ago and asked for steak tips at the meat counter and they had no idea what I was talking about.

This place is supposed to have some of the best, but the prices are sky high: Steak Tips | Order Online from Dom's Sausage![/QUOTE

When in Tampa, there is a gas station just before you get back on the turnpike that has a sign named "Box of Cubans"....OMG, I know it is a gas station, but stop and get their sandwiches in the little kitchen inside....the best damn Cuban food we had and we have been to Cuba!!! Sometime we make the drive just for the sandwich, that good. BOX OF CUBANS - 159 Photos & 194 Reviews - 10451 Gibsonton Dr, Riverview, FL - Menu - Yelp

[Koapaka]

Originally Posted by bimmertl

Try the pork dogs at the Polish Deli in Leesburg. Homemade with natural casing.

https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net...Ug&oe=63762372

This place is a GEM but you gotta prepare because the darling ladies that run the place take most of Sept off as vacation

[Indydealmaker]

Turners Kitchen and Bar, Leesburg. Excellent food, quiet and no tables of twelve screaming seniors. They accomodate parties of 4 or less.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

You have completely made my point - there is no food diversity in TV, it’s all the same stuff from Sysco-this is not cooking, it’s merely cutting bags open and heating them up - you could train a 5 year old to do that. The so-called “ethnic” restaurants in TV are so dumbed-down to American palates, with very little seasoning or spices. This apparently is what most in TV want and tolerate. If not, then there would be a clamor and demand for better restaurants. I have lowered the bar in TV, but can only lower it so far. Luckily we are near/sorta near many good ethnic places (visited Tarpon Springs last week, and had a delicious authentic Greek meal). I’m a pretty good cook, and can usually out-do any restaurant meal. I’m making my way through Cook’s magazine recipes, as well as all the DVDs of America’s Test Kitchen - so much fun, and all recipes turn out excellent. I’ve also challenged myself to once a week cook the national dish of every country in alphabetical order, starting with Albania. Sometimes, I need to order unusual ingredients online.

So, I checked out the taqueria over near Oxford on 301. I was the only female customer. I was the only white customer. I was the only customer who at least appeared to be over the age of 50. I was the only customer who was not on a lunch break from some type of physical job (construction, landscaping, and a tree service truck I saw). I was the only customer who spoke English as their primary language. I was THRILLED. It meant I was in exactly the right place. Mexicans and other Latinos are every decent taqueria's #1 customers. It's not a restaurant, it's a food truck that's been set back from the road on a private lot with a big tent canopy over it, with some picnic tables and apartment-sized refrigerators for the GLASS bottles of refreshments, and a single outdoor spigot coming up from a pipe in the ground outside the eating area to rinse off your hands.

The taco tortillas, I believe, were pressed there, and set on the grill with just a tiny bit of oil to get the edges - not crispy exactly, but sturdy. They were definitely not fried or deep fried or sauteed. Just set down and left a minute to heat up and reinforce those edges. Two shells per taco, as expected.

The carne asada was delicious. Very lightly seasoned, chopped in small pieces, not even a hint of gristle or extra fat. With fresh diced onion, fresh chopped cilantro, a full 1/4 of a lime, and their salsa roja tasted like it was also prepared in-house (or, in-truck, if you must), not as hot as the habanero sauce back home but very flavorful.

Washed it down with a mandarin Jarrito (a brand of Mexican soda that comes in a variety of flavors).

Total was just over $6, before tip.

Their stew appeared to be the popular choice among the "regulars." I forget what it's called, but it's not on the menu, and is a popular "not on the menu item" at taquerias.

[Michael 61]

Ok this sounds like my kinda place - will certainly check it out when I come back To TV in a few weeks (in process of tying to get a home in the Richmond lottery) - I am from the west, and am used to the “real thing’ when it comes to street tacos, and you are correct in that the best are from food trucks that cater to Spanish speakers. Along that same line, I learned years ago from my Asian co-workers, never to patronize a Chinese restaurant in which 50% or more of the patrons are white. The best Asain restaurants are the one wheee you walk in, and you are one of a handful of white people, and the server barely speaks English.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

Ok this sounds like my kinda place - will certainly check it out when I come back To TV in a few weeks (in process of tying to get a home in the Richmond lottery) - I am from the west, and am used to the “real thing’ when it comes to street tacos, and you are correct in that the best are from food trucks that cater to Spanish speakers. Along that same line, I learned years ago from my Asian co-workers, never to patronize a Chinese restaurant in which 50% or more of the patrons are white. The best Asain restaurants are the one wheee you walk in, and you are one of a handful of white people, and the server barely speaks English.

Viva Mexico Taqueria | Facebook is the place. If you're heading north on 301 it's on the right side, opposite the Villages Sports Complex and before you get to the junction of 42.

If you're coming from Chatham and similar on 42, take a left on 301, then make a u-turn at the Sports complex to get into their driveway on the right.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

The restaurant scene is the one draw back for me as I soon move to TV. I’ve just become too used to non-chain mom and pop ethnic restaurants in my adulthood (Thai, Indian, Greek, Lebanese, Cuban, Filipino, Ethiopian, etc.). I’ve spent most of summer in TV, trying out almost every restaurant. So many on the square serve the same, generic, Sysco-purchased bar food (World of Beer, City Fire, Gators, TooJays, Cody’s Roadhouse) - nothing special about any of these places, though they seem extremely popular with so many. To me, all these restaurants are interchangeable, and their food is mediocre at best. Within the bubble, I have only found one restaurant that I find good (Harvest), with Blue Fin being OK. The Italian, Mexican and Chinese restaurants are not good, I can do much better cooking myself at home. McGradys, Fenney Grill and the country club restaurants are all disappointments. I liked O’Shucks, and luckily there are many good restaurants less than an hour south in the Orlando area, to get authentic and fresher sushi, and more variety than just bar-food type restaurants. Do you if just one French-type bistro opened in TV it would be successful? Check out the rating for the restaurants within TV on Yelp, almost all have average to poor ratings. Sad.

Evidently, my palate is not as sophisticated as yours. I enjoy the restaurants in this area. I'm happy to cook at home but look forward to dining out in most of the restaurants The Villages has to offer.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Garywt

Steak tips can come from two areas of the cow. One kind comes from tender, expensive cuts in the middle of the cow, such as the tenderloin. These tips are a superior cut but not what we consider to be a true steak tip, which should be a more pedestrian cut that is magically transformed into a desirable dish through marinating and cooking.

This description brings me back to when I worked in East Meadow, Long Island. There was a bar called Potter's Pub about 1/4 mile away from where I worked and my friends and I would go there after work at 11:30 at night. Nine times out of ten I would order the Steak Tid Bits. They may not have been "steak tips" but your description reminded me of the dish served at Potter's Pub. The Steak Tid Bits were delectable bites of marinated filet served in a dark sauce in a hot caste. OMG......so good.

Thanks for the memories.

EDIT: I just found this article..........
Potter's Pub to close its doors | Herald Community Newspapers | www.liherald.com