Poland in Florida

[kaima]

I am melting in this hot land and enjoyed the natural preservation areas around the Kennedy Space Center today, and am spending the night in Titusville, just out the Spaceport's gates.

Much to my pleasure the local dining guide advertises "Val's European Restaurant & Deli", which I drove past on my way into town (on Highway 1). The advertise "Specializing in Polish Cuisine" ! So the Cuban restaurant lost out.... Tonight, among other delights, I will discover what "Bigos" are. Looking at their on-line menu I am guessing I will get the Polish Sampler":

Polish Sampler - A taste of several authentic Polish dishes,
including 4 pierogis (2 pierogis w/cheese & 2 sauerkraut
w/mushroom) 1 cabbage roll, mashed potatoes, bigos,
grilled kielbasa and beet & horseradish relish

That is too good and too rare to pass by!
www.valseuropean.com/

Kool Kai, ready to shower, dress and head out !

[rdywenur]

So what are you doing in Florida...is this a pleasure or business trip or non of my business trip ..LOL Have fun....in the sun. Beats watching tv in your igloo anytime. Jump in the ocean a few times for me please.

[bescheid]

Oh you are so fortionante Kai!!!

Florida, land of sun, beaches, land of fun! Enjoy to the fulliest!!

Charles

[kaima]

Thanks for the good wishes. I had to pack up much of the hot weather clothing I own, and the thin clothing and short pants are getting good use! It is quite a change coming from just near 50 F to the 80's and near 90 F days an 60's at night.

This is just a joy ride or true vacation. I spent a week with cousins and now have another week to explore Florida. In two days and nights I have covered from Daytona Beach to Canaveral / Titusville - and after visiting the Polish restaurant I came back to the hotel and extended my stay here another night. I need that to cover the Space Center and have time for the beach as well. It is interesting to try a vacation with no goal to 'do' anything specifically, rather this is relax and discover and work on what and how I wish to. That is rather nice!

[kaima]

Now for the review of "Val's European Restaurant & Deli"
www.valseuropean.com/

Ahhhhhhh....... Was it good? Good enough to figure prominently in extending my stay another day so I can return tomorrow to try another of their offerings! Yes, the food and the beauty of the nature here (north of Cape Canaveral), www.fws.gov/merrittisland/ , the lure of the beach and a chance to see the space center completed the deal.

Val's Restaurant is not pretentious on the outside, but inside it presents a warm and inviting atmosphere. The European influence is obvious at the first glance and gave me a case of deja vu as soon as I walked in. The welcome for new visitors and warm atmosphere for regular customers completed the picture.

The dinner came with a complimentary glass of wine tonight, and quite a good one. I ordered the Polish Sampler, much more than I wanted (even having skipped lunch in the preserve), but my Slavic soul needed some nourishment, and this dinner fulfilled the need! Delivery took respectably long, as it must in freshly prepared, and presentation and flavor matched good European standards. The stuffed cabbage didn't taste like my mother's, but then neither did that of my aunt,yet it was still quite good variation. The only surprise was that I was able to eat it all and did not need a doggy bag.

Attention to detail is shown by the use of cloth napkins and a changing of tablecloths between each set of customers - something that was nice to see.

Well, enough. I could have simply written that it was a fine experience!

Kai

[kaima]

So I was baffled by the discussion on 'bigos' on this forum earlier, and guess I do know it but cannot name it. And yes, I do enjoy it. I never knew it was Polish, but offer a tip of the hat to whoever invented it and its many variations.

From Wikipedia:
Bigos is a traditional stew typical of Polish and Lithuanian cuisine that many consider the Polish national dish.

A savory stew of sauerkraut, cabbage and meat, there is no standard recipe, as recipes vary considerably from region to region and from family to family. Typical ingredients include fresh and fermented white cabbage (sauerkraut, kapusta kiszona in Polish), various cuts of meat and sausages, often whole or puréed tomatoes, honey and mushrooms.

[rdywenur]

If you get a chance try and do some snorkeling and /or see some manatee.

[Jaga]

Kai,

I am glad you have such a good time in Florida - and good food!

as for the bigos - we should have also a recipe in the website

[kaima]

Rdy, THe manatees were in hiding, so I am still seeking my own mermaid. Any volunteers out there?

I am at the Best Western near the Orlando airport tonight, getting ready for an early flight to Seattle and on to Anchorage tomorrow. I just took a walk down the street to see if I would find restaurants or the 'Florida Mall" first, figuring a 3 PM meal would be in order. I have only snacked on almonds and carrots since breakfast. Instead I found a pleasant surprise, a fine German "Bauern Stube" on 517 nearby. The menu is in German and then English, and the hours are inconveniently (and genuinely) German, being closed from about 2PM to 5PM and reopening for evening meal. So I came back to check the internet and perhaps workout in the gym before walking back to the restaurant in a few hours.

All in all Florida is a pretty pleasant place when you get used to the heat. With all of the bugs and the gators it is not a place to go camping or sleep on the ground, it seems! I have always tried to avoid those once-in-a-lifetime fatal mistakes. Had a great dip in the Atlantic ocean yesterday, t shirt on for sun protection and testing the waters due to the rip tide warnings. Growing up on Lake Erie I knew what to anticipate in pulls and currents & stayed safe.

Kai

[rdywenur]

So what's it gonna be sauerbrauten, reuladen, snitzel und kufel dumplings and struedel . And don't forget the piwo. Ommpapa

[hollister]

kaima said:

All in all Florida is a pretty pleasant place when you get used to the heat.

Please, tell me when this happens? I hate Florida! The longer I am here - the more I dislike it!

BTW Kai is it true that when you walked along the beach and came upon a beautiful woman in a bikini your first thought was, "hmmm... I wonder what she would look like in a parka?"

[rdywenur]

good one Holly....... ;D ;D ;D ;D

[kaima]

Holly, I will comment on the heat again when I get back to Anchorage and the 50's tomorrow. Jumping from the high 80's to the 70's was a chilling experience with the rain storm yesterday, so I am wondering what awaits me, although I will be putting on more clothes up there!

Yes, a woman in a parka with a fur ruff is quite a treat!

Now I did walk away from the German restaurant disappointed. I had a good Jaegerschnitzel (one of my weaknesses) and red kraut, but the spatzle was with cheese, almost a macaroni & cheese taste that I never experienced in Germany - and didn't like here. It is a family, mother & son operation, good atmosphere, but then there was sticker shock when the final bill came in and every side dish was extra and expensive. Finally, they seemed to abandon the German (and European) habit presenting each dish as a work of art. The food was simply glopped on the plate in American fashion. OK for an American customer, but sadly lacking presentation for someone accustomed to European beauty.

Sadly, I cannot recommend the restaurant.

Kai

[hollister]

Florida misses Kai!

It is incredibly here this am - the air is full of smoke from Georgia - there are warnings all over the news to stay indoors due to the poor air quality

Check out the story here www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=54363 - click on the photo link to see pictures of just how bad it is.

[bescheid]

Gollies Holly

That is a real and present situation! I had seen news on the tele of a grass fire, but, there was no indication of the dense concentrated drift to your area, very revealing those webcam shots!

Charles