Porkie’s Original BBQ – It’s Smokin’

TEDDY’s RATING: 

There’s a lot of competition out there when it comes to barbecue restaurants. You’ve got your major chains like Smoky Bones and Sonny’s and the up and comers like 4 Rivers. So how does a small, single location survive? Well, Porkie’s Original BBQ in Apopka, Florida must be doing something right because they’re still open and thriving.

They seem to distinguish themselves from the Big Guys by using oak and hickory wood and slow smoking their meats on their 20-foot BBQ pit. They also have 6 sauces, all original recipes and made from scratch. Owners Steve and Mike started Porkie’s back in 2002 after traveling the southern states in search of the “perfect BBQ flavor.” That flavor is getting rave review from locals. They’ve been voted “Best BBQ” in Central Florida. (However, I don’t know where that title comes from!)  And apparently comedian Dennis Miller is a huge fan of the place and recorded a radio commercial for Porkie’s.   That’s totally awesome!

The menu includes pork, chicken and beef which can be served pulled, sliced, chopped or chipped. You can get platters, combos or “samiches.” Side dishes include baked beans, potato salad, collard greens, green beans, garlic toast, macaroni & cheese and dirty taters. I had the Pig Dip, thickly sliced smoked pork on Cuban bread and served with au jus. It was good, as were the dirty taters which are cubed red potatoes sautéed in onion and garlic. And supposedly their Monster Ribeye Samich is something worth trying.

Sometimes Porkie’s features some experimental dishes using very unusual meats like bison and beaver. When I visited, they had samples of bison chili. (I don’t like chili, so it wasn’t for me.)

Another thing that makes Porkie’s unique is that every Thursday night they host a local biker’s night. This weekly event sometimes draws several hundred bikers to the restaurant.

Porkie’s Original BBQ is a casual, family friendly restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. It’s open Mondays through Saturdays for lunch and dinner. Catering is available.

Dates of Visit:  January 2013

http://www.porkiesapopka.com/

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com

The Catfish Place-An Apopka Landmark

TEDDY’s RATING: 

If you’re a follower of my blog, you already know that I’m not a big fan of seafood. Yet, I keep checking out seafood restaurants and writing about them. I wouldn’t normally choose a seafood restaurant if asked where I wanted to eat, but I had been wanting to write about The Catfish Place for a while.

Steve Johnson opened the first location in St. Cloud, Florida, in 1972. At that time, it was called the “Brew and Chew,” but soon the name changed to The Catfish Place when they became known as a place to get great catfish. Several years later, Steve convinced his son, Bob, to open a second location in Apopka and it’s been a success for over 35 years, becoming a landmark in Apopka, Florida, and the oldest independently owned restaurant in town. The building was once a railroad depot and the atmosphere, like the food itself, is southern-style, down home.

To me, what really stands out here is the super friendly wait staff and great service. The food is great too, but it makes the experience all the more enjoyable if you have a waiter or waitress who really likes his or her job. Our waitress, Lisa, was very friendly and knowledgeable. She even mentioned that the sweet potato fries weren’t an extra charge of $2.00 as the menu said. And even though she brought me regular fries by mistake, she was incredibly apologetic and brought me the sweet potato fries right away.

They have a great early bird menu available from 4pm to 6pm, offering some of their most popular items at a nice discount. For an appetizer, our group tried the fried green tomatoes. I wasn’t crazy about them, but everyone else seemed to like them a lot. For my entrée, I had the grilled chicken breast which was very tender and tasty. My sides were their wonderfully sweet cole slaw and the sweet potato fries, at no extra charge. All meals come with their fabulous hush puppies, crispy outside and tender inside with just a hint of their own sweetness.

For those of you who are seafood eaters, you can get shrimp, scallops, clams, flounder, and of course, all you can eat catfish. Their catch of the day when I went was Mahi Mahi, grilled or broiled. And for the more adventurous eater, The Catfish Place offers gator tail and frogs legs. Their Florida Cracker Special includes both of those along with boneless catfish.

Though we didn’t partake of dessert, they have home made key lime pie, New Orleans style bread pudding and the chocolate volcano, which I’ve read is something else.

The Catfish Place is open from 11am to 9pm Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11am to 10pm Fridays and Saturdays. They’re closed Sundays and Mondays.

Dates of Visit:  October 2012

http://mycatfishplace.com

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com

Giddy Up to the Apopka Food Truck Roundup

TEDDY’s RATING: 

Rustle up some tasty vittles at the Apopka Food Truck Roundup!

The food truck craze has really exploded all across the country. You can sample all types of food in one place. Kind of like a traveling food court. I’ve even toyed with the idea of opening up one myself. Teddy’s Tantalizing Treats?  Hmmm.

Anyway, the Apopka Food Truck Roundup takes place the first Thursday of every month at Kit Land Nelson Park in downtown Apopka, Florida from 5:30pm to 9pm. This food truck event has been so successful that in August they’ll be celebrating their 1st birthday.

Several of the food trucks are regulars at the Roundup and others take turns making an appearance. Here are the trucks that were there when we went:

Burger Culture, Sunset Ice, TJ’s Seafood Shack, The Crooked Spoon, Monsta Lobsta, Yum Yum Cupcakes, Brisket Bus, Jimmy’s Meatballs, Kerri Out, Fat Tortillas, Korean BBQ Taco Box, Big Wheel Truck, The Crepe Company, Shipyard Brewing.

       

Each of them has their own Facebook page and you can follow them on Twitter so you know where to find them each day or weekend. Some have website, some even do catering.

Here’s the food that we tried:

The Crooked Spoon: Macaroni & Cheese, with bacon, yellow and red peppers, fresh basil and crumb topping.
The Brisket Bus: Pulled brisket sandwich with cole slaw.
TJ’s Seafood Shack: Fish & Chips.
The Crepe Company: Red, White and Blue Crepe (strawberries, blueberries, whipped cream).
Sunset Ice: Banana and strawberry Italian ice.

And we rounded off the meal with half a dozen cupcakes from Yum Yum Cupcakes: Root Beer Boom Boom, Orange Cream Dream, The Ballad of Churro, Peanut Butter Choco-Rama, Red Velvet and Lady Bird (gluten-free hummingbird cake).

Everything was very good, especially the cupcakes. Of the six, there wasn’t one that I didn’t like, but my favorites were Root Beer Boom Boom and Peanut Butter Choco-Rama.

I do have to say that the prices were a bit steep ($8.50 for the mac and cheese, $13.00 for the six cupcakes), but you’re paying for the experience. And it was a fun experience. There was live jazz music. The city sets up tables and chairs, which a lot of other food truck sites don’t do. We got there early before there were any long lines. Food is made fresh to order, so you should be prepared to wait. And even though most trucks take credit cards, it’s faster if you have cash.

So, why not lasso a great meal at the next Apopka Food Truck Roundup? But get there early, before the stampede!!

Dates of Visit:  July 5, 2012

http://www.facebook.com/ApopkaFoodTruckRoundUp

http://www.apopka.net/

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com