Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Woodlands: Cheap bite, unimpressive otherwise


Woodlands. Just look at it: On S. Orange Blossom Trail a few blocks away from the nearest strip club, a signature-ugly shade of green painted building with an uninviting front door plastered with print-outs of their lunch buffet price and equally-ugly orange colored "Yes We're Open" sign. Yet, this is where some local Indians go. It's my personal belief that customers have selective vision- in this case, they don't care about anything but a cheap, vegetarian bite.

Prior to the visit, I had to check their online website for a little homework for what I wanted to eat. When I arrived, I was happy to encounter an on-site menu which was much larger with many more options. I decided to try what I deemed would denote tasty Indian food- the standard Idli, and a Dosa- more specifically, the Mysore masala dosa. To finish things off, I wanted to try their Madras paysam for dessert.

The Mysore masala dosa was okay... I just wished the proprietor had trained the Latinos cooking in the kitchen the flavor rather than just the technique of the dish. The unfamiliarly bland masala inside the dosa left me wondering if this is a Spanish version of the dish. The accompanying idli and sambhar were okay. The idli should've been soft as a cloud when freshly prepared, but you could tell that it wasn't straight out of the steamer. {{I don't hold this point against the establishment, because, from first hand experience, I know how quickly the flavor of an Idli changes as it cools. It would be absurd of me to expect a dive to make custom-order idlis}}. On another note, I especially appreciated the chunks of garlic in their version of sambhar. They were like floating spice bombs.

However, the entree wasn't cohesive because their flavors were off. I didn't feel like lifting the spoon repeatedly towards my mouth- in other words, I didn't love what I was eating. Add insult to injury, it made me feel I should've have opted for their lunctime buffet instead- at least I could've found something on there I would've liked and it would have worked out to be better price too. However, the portion size of the entree was large. I found a silver lining in that. When an employee said that they were out of Madras Paysam, I didn't complain because my stomach was too busy with what I had already eaten.

Service was sub-par. A pitcher of water was promptly put on our table and after we placed our order, we were forgotten. We were a party of 3- my friends quickly succumbed to the spices and I had to hunt down an employee and ask him for a refill on the water.

IN A NUTSHELL- Go for the cheap eat. Don't expect perfection- with the service or the flavors. It's a vegetarians roughage stop.

Woodlands on Urbanspoon

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Mama Nems' Soul Food: Mama Not-So-Bad


Just off Kirkman Road North is Mama Nems'. Or Mama Not-so-bad (read on and find out why). A few people had recommended this place a while back and I decided to check it out one fine afternoon last week. I had envisioned this place as being a rather old, bustling local diner circa 1970's with green linoleum flooring. In reality, it was quite a surprise to see this place with modest-yet-tasteful decor and generous lighting. However, there were no expectations in this aspect and I would have been fine with either situation.

I did have an expectation for good soul food. And nothing, and I mean it, NOTHING in my opinion is better to prove if the joint has soul than if the collard greens are worth selling your first born for a bowl of goodness. I ordered it right away. When they came out, they looked fine. The collards had retained their wonderful shade of green and the steam from the bowl wafted lasciviously around my head. However, Mama was disappointed in the taste- I wanted to go into the kitchen and tell her to use ham hocks rather than turkey for that feel-good flavor. The greens were a tad salty and I wish they were rendered further to a less-chewy consistency. So, I didn't feel the need to sign away my future child for it. B- , Mama.

Moving on to some fried green tomatoes, lima beans, mac-n-cheese (or Cheese and Mac as they call it probably for litigious reasons). The tomatoes were scalding hot which were great (exceptionally hot food = plated food came straight from the kitchen to your table. No I-4 traffic jam/stalling along the way). The rest of the sides were flavorful and decent. Mama, you get a B+ for this round.

The second test of good soul food is cornbread. One word- disintegratable. This Jiffy Cornbread Mix probably was tweaked in the wrong direction- it broke apart so easily that I had difficulty even tasting it before it landed everywhere except my mouth. Mama, you cut corners here. You get an F-.

The third test- Fried Chicken. It was delightful. Not too salty, perfectly cooked to crispy oh-my-g*d-my-arteries-just-screamed-but-I-don't-care goodness. This is probably the best fried chicken I've had in Orlando so far. Mama needs to enlighten me on a few chicken cooking secrets... either that or just mail me a box of that yum-yum every weekend. A-.

The waiter that greeted us was professional, honest, and above all, there to serve. His service was quick and well received. He brought a few slices of fresh pineapple with our meal that perfectly finished the main course on a sweet note. I especially enjoyed this smart and simple culinary touch.

IN A NUTSHELL- Good, but I didn't leave feeling the urge to revisit Mama soon. I did leave feeling satiated- and that's important for soul food. Final score? Mama's not so bad. If you go, try their fried chicken and 2 sides deal for a good (and cheap) bite. Hopefully, Mama will read this and take a hint on the cornbread.
Mama Nems' Soul Food on Urbanspoon

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