Mt.Dora Seasonal Dining Report
Here in Mt. Dora we are very proud of our culinary culture and My job is to shead light on what new things we have to offer here. And to let you know what has gone by or bye bye!
We said good bye to the Retro bistro and wine cellar. In its place we have The Frog and Monkey English Pub. The feature standard pub fare with some reasonably priced steak dishes. I need to eat there again to make a good judgment. Reviews so far are mixed.
The fifth avenue cafe recently closed their coffee shop and opened Pizza Amore' Good pizza but you will pay a little more.
Mt Dora lost its only jamaican resturaunt Art of Palms and I was sad to see it go. They thought too big and tried to fill a huge place. I think they would have done fine as a take-out place or a smaller more casual effort but who am I? Not to worry we gained a little gem on the opposite side of town called Ivory's at Lincoln and Grandview. This place is REAL soul Food! Fried Whiting, collard greens, smothered wings, grits, fried chicken,,you get the picture and you get full! The price is right, you just have to get it to go or eat at a picnic table. Reguardless your tummy will be happy. And on the weekends sugarboos bbq is right next door. It's kinda my soulfood junction. I get bbq at sugarboos and collards and macaroni and cheese at Ivory's
We said goodbye to Lauras Bistro on Highland street and what better to take their place but Baker Joe's. Joe was the original baker at the sunshine mountain bakery when it opened and was there until about a year and a half ago. The place was never the same after he left. Don't worry,, he and his mother are back to baking the best bread in the village. And Pizza too!
Kikko japanese has just opened on highland in the new shopping center and it looks like there will be a bakery and coffee shop opening next door to them. I will report back on kikko.
Harlow's Sports bar closed on hwy 441 and the Green House resturaunt,,, a lake county time capsule,, reopened under new owners. This place used to be good until the original owners sold out. We will wait and see!
A new cuban place is opening downtown called the copacabbanna. They are making quite the remodling mess of the old home of Al e gators. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's done. A Few Chains from orlando have also opened up but we wont mention them!
See ya next year
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Thanks for the update. Planning a short trip to Mount Dora in a couple days.
Wondered what your "take" is on the Palm Tree Grill, the Goblin Market, and Cafe Attuare?
And is Ivory's open for lunch?›5 Replies-
re: JulieF
Actually,
My favorite is Goblin Market. Chef Andrew is the most consistant and has made that place a destination for Stars that don't want to be bothered and have a great meal. It is a bit pricey but worth all of it. I reccomend the escargot app. and the filet for the main. Hit the Palm tree if you are on a budget. They are good,,just not esquisite. Ivory's is open everyday until 4 except Sunday. I would get it to go and take it to Donnelly park downtown for a picnic. Beautiful weather for that kind of thing.-
re: mountdorahound
I forgot,,,,,I tried Kiku (I called it Kikko above)
Nice big dining area. i liked how they were more concerned about getting us fed than filling up a table. Some places make you sit there and wait until the table is full before they will feed you. Not at Kiku!
As for the food,, I had your typical grilled steak and shrimp on the hibatchi. I thhought it was as good as kobe and better than Lampu(the other japanese stk place in Mt. dora). I had the lunch special and it was $9 for let's say a half ribeye,3 medium shrimp,veggies, rice,salad, and soup. Not Bad! -
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re: mountdorahound
Thanks for the answer(s)...guess we'll have to try the Goblin Market and Ivory's when we're next in town. Didn't get to a computer until late this evening.
Wound up at Palm Tree Grill (they're part of rewards network) -- and as you said not "exquisite" but decent. Very reasonably priced. My husband had a small filet with gorgonzola which he liked. I tried their artichoke stuffed with gorgonzola over alfredo sauce. It's canned artichokes stuffed with cheese then battered and deep fried. Probably would have been better with a different sauce (cheese and cheese?), but okay. And had their crabcake appetizer for my "main". The crabcake was nothing to write home about, but loved their homemade sweet potato fries --- the best part of the whole meal. Again -- the best part is that nothing on their menu is very expensive.
This evening (Monday night) we wound up at Cafe Attuara. Almost nothing is open on Monday evenings so you are very very limited in choices. (Our other option was Mount Dora Sushi but we're spoiled at home in that department).
Anyhow, I'd highly recommend going here == even if it isn't a Monday. Had a fantastic meal. To start -- the menu is extensive -- lots of choices, all types of meats, veggies, pastas, etc. AND they are willing to change anything for you, i.e. switch around sauces, re-pair sides, etc. Everything is made from scratch including their salad dressings. They also had some enticing specials. Each entree came with a nice house salad so we didn't try any of their appetizers. While waiting for the salads, we polished off the bread basket and the roasted garlic which we liberally smeared. My husband chose the barbecued ribs (strange choice in an italian restaurant, i know) which was in a home made sauce with different fruits, etc. The meat melted off the bones. And that's all he left on his plate.Totally not in consort, but as it's one of his favorites he went with a side of angel hair pasta and marinara sauce. I debated between the duck and a steak special and wound up choosing the grilled lamb chops. Instead of the wine cream sauce I asked for it plainly grilled...and specially requested grilled asparagus instead of a veggie medley of the day. The chops (6 in the rack) came wonderfully charred just like I wanted them and were topped with coarse salt and rosemary, herbs, etc. on the plate were two types of grilled peppers and a plethora of grilled asparagus spears also perfectly seasoned. I also left only a plate of bones. Sorry vegetarians out there... Anyhow, they have plently of pasta dishes, 4 types of fresh fish that night -- which they offered to prepare any way, along with salads, escargot, mussels, chicken, etc. etc. The people at the table behind us were raving about their bruschetta appetizer. The deserts looked wonderful too but we were just too stuffed to try them. BTW, the house wine prices are pretty good -- My husband's wine was only $7 per glass for a nice pour.Looking forward to coming back to Mount Dora in the future. So keep those reviews coming...and if you know of other places open on Monday evening let us know that too...Thanks!
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re: JulieF
I guess I should have warned you about monday's in Mt. Dora. This town virtually shuts down on mondays. If you are here sunday night, you must attend pieces risings deck party. Most of the locals attend this thing because they know they don't have to work on monday. Quite the wild time! Most of the stores are also closed. Monday's in the summer are even worse! If you ever want to get away from it all an be in a ghost town for a couple of days make reservations for Sunday and monday evenings.
Fortunately we are seeing more stores stay open past 5pm and open on mondays.
I am glad to hear you had a plesant meal at cafe Atture. I think they might finally have a good staff in place. I have eaten there but the results were mixed so I haven't been reccomending. I had a good lunch there last time but a lousy dinner. That was a year ago. I'll go back and take another bite!Here is a list of the places open on Mondays in the village area:
Pieces Rising- prices rising, good steaks and burgers!
Cafe Atture- Italian
The Frosty Mug- Icelandic Fare andTHE ONLY Live ent. on Monday nights.
Mt. Dora sushi- Try it next time
Fiesta Grande- Real mexican food at a good price.
Jerremiah's- Bennigans style menu.
The Lakeside Inn- I heard they have a new chef that rocks! Bring $!
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