So, here I am, biding my time until my son finishes his SeaWorld camp. I had my free beef stew at the Residence Inn as a snack, but I still needed dinner. I decided to try a Chinese place called Citrus Garden. It was a couple of doors down of the infamous Tokyo Sushi.
Bottom Line -- not worth going out of your way to eat here, if you know your Chinese food. (I was not able to go with my family to Beijing, but the food I had in Hong Kong and Taipei was out of this world.) This reminds me of a story. When I was in law school, I onced lived in a group home of about 6 other people. One summer a young couple (18-20?) moved in for a month or so. Out of the core 7 or so people who lived in the house, 3 of them happened to be Asian American, me included. Well, this young couple, I guess, felt compelled to say how much they liked Chinese food. They recommended a particular take-out place because the joint cooked their veggies soft. The rest of the house kind of looked at each other, understanding that these kids were still too young to know how veggies should be cooked.
Any way, I had a half Peking duck, thinking I wouldn't have to put up with the possibility of overcooked vegetables. I got my wish, but I instead got overcooked duck. On the bright side, I thought their rice was one of the best I had in a Chinese restaurant. Most Chinese places serve their rice a bit chewy, with no moisture. I prefer Korean and Japanese rice, which is served moist, but not too sticky. Citrus Garden's rice came very close to the kind that I like.
Showing posts with label Orlando. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orlando. Show all posts
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Complementary social hour at Residence Inn by Marriott SeaWorld
The Residence Inn is an extended stay hotel that I thought mostly caters to business folks who are on longer-term stays away from home base. There are, I think, about 3 Residence Inns in Orlando. The one I am staying at this week is about 5 minutes from SeaWorld, and this one is full of families, not business types, looking for an affordable place to stay while on vacation.
As with other extended stay places, this one has some sort of happy hour or social hour in the afternoon. At this property, 2-for-1 domestic draft beer is the constant every evening. The thing that changes each night is the "snack." My first night here they served something that looked like hush puppies. I didn't eat any. Last night they served what looked liked chicken nuggets. I passed on that, too. Tonight they served what definitely looked like beef stew. I had some. I don't know if tonight's beef stew came from a can sold by Sysco, which is a food service company, or if the hotel cooks actually cooked it, but the stew was good.
I guess it is hard for some people to resist the appeal of "free" food. One family came up to the stew with large plastic cups, complete with lids, that were not presented on the table with the stew, and each family member filled up their cups to the top with the stew and slipped back somewhere from which they came. I guess they figured that their hotel charge included the cost of the social hour, so they simply took what was owed to them. It was interesting, though, to see each member of the family, down to the girl who looked about 8 years old, fill up a large cup of stew.
I've seen and known people who wrap up leftovers from their Ritz Carlton breakfast buffet to take back to their room, but morsels for later consumption were leftovers, not a replacement for a meal. So, if you typically vacation at a Ritz or Four Seasons, you might experience a bit of a culture shock if you stay at a Residence Inn. On the other hand, if you are a practical person and want to stretch your dollar to the fullest, this place could be right for you. Typically, my family stays at places a bit more upscale while on vacation. Do to my special circumstance of holing out in Orlando this week just in case my young son, who is at SeaWorld camp, needs me to quickly pick him up, my wife booked this hotel for me. All in all, however, I'm pleased with the combination of price, space and amenities of this Residence Inn. I'd come back.
As with other extended stay places, this one has some sort of happy hour or social hour in the afternoon. At this property, 2-for-1 domestic draft beer is the constant every evening. The thing that changes each night is the "snack." My first night here they served something that looked like hush puppies. I didn't eat any. Last night they served what looked liked chicken nuggets. I passed on that, too. Tonight they served what definitely looked like beef stew. I had some. I don't know if tonight's beef stew came from a can sold by Sysco, which is a food service company, or if the hotel cooks actually cooked it, but the stew was good.
I guess it is hard for some people to resist the appeal of "free" food. One family came up to the stew with large plastic cups, complete with lids, that were not presented on the table with the stew, and each family member filled up their cups to the top with the stew and slipped back somewhere from which they came. I guess they figured that their hotel charge included the cost of the social hour, so they simply took what was owed to them. It was interesting, though, to see each member of the family, down to the girl who looked about 8 years old, fill up a large cup of stew.
I've seen and known people who wrap up leftovers from their Ritz Carlton breakfast buffet to take back to their room, but morsels for later consumption were leftovers, not a replacement for a meal. So, if you typically vacation at a Ritz or Four Seasons, you might experience a bit of a culture shock if you stay at a Residence Inn. On the other hand, if you are a practical person and want to stretch your dollar to the fullest, this place could be right for you. Typically, my family stays at places a bit more upscale while on vacation. Do to my special circumstance of holing out in Orlando this week just in case my young son, who is at SeaWorld camp, needs me to quickly pick him up, my wife booked this hotel for me. All in all, however, I'm pleased with the combination of price, space and amenities of this Residence Inn. I'd come back.
Tokyo Sushi in Orlando
I am spending a week in Orlando while my son attends camp at SeaWorld. I didn't want to spend too much money on food for the week, but I also didn't want to eat typical grill fare the entire time. While looking for a drug store near my hotel, I noticed the Tokyo Sushi restaurant. I checked out the menu posted outside the door, and the prices were reasonable, so I walked in. The place was not fancy, but it seemed clean. I sat at the sushi bar and, after looking at the fish behind the glass, immediately knew I wasn't going to like it. Still, "don't judge a book by its cover" going through my head, I gave it a try.
I ordered yellowtail sashimi and a spicy scallop roll. While they were preparing my lunch I asked to see their salmon roe, as I did not see any behind the glass. The sushi chef pulled a bin out of a refrigerator and in it was a slime of cloudy, deformed orange roe. I don't know about you, but I like my ikura nicely round and clear. I politely passed on the roe.
Meanwhile, I noticed that the chef and the waitress were speaking in a language I could not immediately recognize. I've eaten sushi prepared by South Americans, Central Americans, blond-haired Mormons, Jamaicans, Koreans and, of course, Japanese. I wasn't exactly sure, but I think yesterday I just added Chinese to my list.
Maybe they were Chinese-Korean, because when I put a piece of the spicy scallion roll into my mouth, I could tell that the chef used Korean red-bean paste to spice up the roll. If I want Korean red-bean paste, I would rather go to a Korean restaurant. If I want spicy scallop roll at a sushi bar, I want it Japanese style.
The hamachi wasn't any better. A good yellowtail should be fatty, but the one they served was too lean, even if it was fresh, as the chef had insisted.
As I left the restaurant I saw a couple looking over the menu posted outside. I caught their eyes, shook my head and offered my unsolicited advice -- "if you know sushi, you probably don't want to eat here." I guess they didn't know sushi, or maybe they just didn't want unwanted advice, because they stepped into the restaurant anyway.
I ordered yellowtail sashimi and a spicy scallop roll. While they were preparing my lunch I asked to see their salmon roe, as I did not see any behind the glass. The sushi chef pulled a bin out of a refrigerator and in it was a slime of cloudy, deformed orange roe. I don't know about you, but I like my ikura nicely round and clear. I politely passed on the roe.
Meanwhile, I noticed that the chef and the waitress were speaking in a language I could not immediately recognize. I've eaten sushi prepared by South Americans, Central Americans, blond-haired Mormons, Jamaicans, Koreans and, of course, Japanese. I wasn't exactly sure, but I think yesterday I just added Chinese to my list.
Maybe they were Chinese-Korean, because when I put a piece of the spicy scallion roll into my mouth, I could tell that the chef used Korean red-bean paste to spice up the roll. If I want Korean red-bean paste, I would rather go to a Korean restaurant. If I want spicy scallop roll at a sushi bar, I want it Japanese style.
The hamachi wasn't any better. A good yellowtail should be fatty, but the one they served was too lean, even if it was fresh, as the chef had insisted.
As I left the restaurant I saw a couple looking over the menu posted outside. I caught their eyes, shook my head and offered my unsolicited advice -- "if you know sushi, you probably don't want to eat here." I guess they didn't know sushi, or maybe they just didn't want unwanted advice, because they stepped into the restaurant anyway.
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