Mad Girl Eats TooJays Gourmet Deli in Orlando

TooJays Gourmet Deli, The Marketplace at Dr. Phillips, 7600 Dr Phillips Blvd, Orlando, FL. Other Florida locations.

A great place, with a variety of choices. When it gets sweltering hot in Florida, I tend to enjoy cold edibles. The Triple J sandwich pictured above, is one of the tastiest….and pretty sexy lookin’! A grand roll up of corned beef, roast beef, turkey, swiss cheese, and coleslaw with Russian dressing all in-between their bakery-fresh exquisite rye bread.

This sandwich hits the right notes: soft, chewy, crunchy, creamy, rich, sweet, salty, bright, and tangy. A perfect blend of textures and flavors. If anything, get a side of Russian dressing and add more, if you’re saucy and roll that way. I am!

I’ve had their Tongue, which is awesome, breakfast entrees, and their divine bakery. Every visit to TooJays, I come away happy and satisfied. I’ve never had a bad meal! Generous portions at decent prices, and fab staff. Muah!

5 out of 5 super salivating sandwich points!

Mad Girl Eats Tibby’s New Orleans Kitchen

Tibby’s,  2203 Aloma Ave, Winter Park, FL. Two more locations in the Greater Orlando area.

The saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, couldn’t be more true than at the Tibby’s location in Winter Park. Set in a generic, blah shopping center, you open the double doors and are instantly transported to gregarious New Orleans. Quickly welcomed and seated by an upbeat and friendly staff, I took my time soaking in the Bourbon St style ambiance. They have a large menu to peruse, all with the N’awlins classics. A must-try today is the Muffuletta, one of my favorite sammies. It states it is just like the original from Central Market in NOLA, so I’m looking forward to this. On their special menu was an interesting “Munday” traditional plate, pork with red beans and rice. Needing a side dish, the New Orleans Potato Salad spoke to me.

My server had a great idea for the Muffuletta, after asking if I wanted it hot or cold. Hmmmm, never had it hot, so she gave me half and half….of a half. Tip: A half of a Muffuletta is good size for 1-2 people. A whole is gigantic, so beware. Their Muffuletta is salami, ham, mortadella, olive salad, swiss cheese and provolone cheese all on a delightful bread that comes direct from New Orleans. I enjoyed this sandwich hot. The cheeses were melty, the meat flavor was more pronounced, and the olive salad makes a bolder statement. Huge flavor blast! The New Orleans Potato Salad was a divine side. Tender potato, eggs, bacon, sausage, olives, pickles, and onion. What’s not to like in that combo of delight?! I always appreciate green olives in my food, it just brightens an otherwise flat dish. Yum! The traditional Munday family dish of pork with red beans and rice was good. For my taste, it did need the Tibby’s Louisiana Hot Sauce on it. Next visit I’ll try the Gumbo, Etouffee,,or Poor Boy.

You can’t visit a New Orleans style restaurant without ending the meal with a sweet treat, like Beignets….and of course that also means, Café Au Lait. Ooohhh yessss. Bring it on! I was sooooo freaking happy with this dessert. This is my breakfast when I’m in New Orleans, and just as cheesin’ to have it for dessert. Gently fried, light and lovely pillows of pastry and  heavy-handed with powdered sugar expertly paired with Café Au Lait, was bliss. Actually, the guy that brought it out to me, shared a great tip. He said, he stirs some the powdered sugar from the Beignets into his Café Au Lait. Genius! It was scrumptious. I have no problem going back just for this as an afternoon treat. Although, they have Bread Pudding to try too. Oy vey!

Great atmosphere, stellar staff, high quality traditional food. Worth stopping for.

Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:00am-10:00pm, Fri-Sat 11:00am-10:30pm, Sun 11:00am-9:30pm.

http://tibbys.com

4.25 out of 5 bright bold and bodacious bites!

Mad Girl Eats Central Grocery, New Orleans

Central Grocery, 923 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA.

When visiting New Orleans, there are certain New Orleanean specialties you most definitely need to try. One of the most popular is the Muffuletta. A large round, sesame topped, almost focaccia dense ‘bun’. Inside are meats and cheeses, and an olive tapenade that sends this sandwich over the edge of righteousness. Central Grocery is home of the ORIGINAL MUFFULETTA, so why not try the sandwich where it was first created?!

Ok, Central Grocery is just that, a small old- timey Italian American working grocery store. They just happen to have a sandwich counter and a table and stools in back to eat at. Order, pay, and gather your food first, then make your way towards the table, it is family style seating. There is a soda machine back there to have a drink with your meal. There were two of us, and a normal Muffuletta is gigantic, so we opted for a half order and cut that in half. It was plenty!

Nice textured Italian bread, flavorful salami, ham and provolone, with their fab chunky olive salad to brighten and heighten the taste buds. A satisfying sandwich, however, I’d like a bit more meat. Many restaurants in New Orleans will offer a Muffuletta. If you’ve never had one, try the original first.

Long lines form during peak season, just be patient. Their website is uber basic.  Always call ahead for hours 504-523-1620.

4.25 out of 5 tasty tidbits of flavorful fun-in-a-bun.