Orlando Fast Food Critic – Page 33 – Sharing my food experiences with you.

American Pie Pizza Company

American Pie Pizza Company is a Florida based pizza chain. It has a relatively unique flavor that is a nice change from the average pizza place. It offers a nice, relaxed atmosphere. It has video game systems hooked up to their televisions with wireless controllers so you can play at your table.

American Pie has an affordable lunch menu, including sandwiches, 2 slices of pizza, a variety of calzones, and more. Most of the lunch specials will cost about $8 with a fountain drink. It has a decent selection of beer that is also reasonably priced. Overall, American Pie Pizza Company will leave you satisfied, and won’t put a big dent in your wallet. It’s not the best pizza in town, but it is good, and affordable.

On a side note, American Pie offers a 29″ pizza, and if two people can finish it in 29 minutes or less, it’s free. Two of the bigger guys I worked with attempted it, and only had about 1/8 left, but ran out of time. It’s a lot more pizza than it sounds like it is.

Hot Dog Heaven

Hot Dog Heaven is not your ordinary hot dog stand. It specializes in Chicago style hot dogs, and offers a variety of options, from hot dogs with the works, to slaw dogs, kraut dogs, chili/cheese dogs, and a host of other toppings. The ingredients are fresh and tasty. You can make your order a basket, which comes with french fries, and your choice of another side. Two dogs and an order of fries is a nice lunch for two. They also have kosher garlic dill pickles, which make for a refreshing side.

You can buy your drinks with a reusable plastic mug (in a variety of colors), and bring it back for $0.35 refills. It’s a nice additional savings for an already inexpensive lunch.

I always seem to go to Hot Dog Heaven on Saturday afternoons, and it’s always busy. Expect at least a 15 minute wait in tight quarters at peak times. It is worth it if you have the time though. If you don’t, make it a point to treat yourself off peak hours.

Jax 5th Ave Deli & Ale House

Jax 5th Ave Deli & Ale House is a run of the mill deli shop. I have eaten here a few times for lunch, having different sandwiches each time; the Cuban, French Dip, and 5th Ave, a sandwich made of turkey, ham, roast beef, and a variety of breads. Each of these are a good choice, but the 5th Ave is the only one that definitely won’t leave you hungry afterward. The sandwiches come with more potato chips than you will want to eat, considering they are often stale. For the price you pay here, it would be nice to have a choice of some more appetizing, and filling sides.

The two things that Jax has going for it are, it’s vast beer selection, and the fact that they put a jar of dill pickles on your table. The pickles are kosher dill, and nice and crispy. The beer selection is excellent, and will have something for everyone.

Overall, I would only recommend this place for the beer. Sit at the bar and have a few, and snack on the free pickles. The sandwiches are alright, but you can get a bigger, better, and cheaper sandwich from Publix. The service has also been poor for my coworkers and I, often having to repeatedly ask for drinks, and felt like we were inconveniencing them in the process.

Habaneros Mexican Restaurant

Habaneros is a great Mexican restaurant. It has an excellent selection of authentic Mexican cuisine. The atmosphere is nice, and the music helps set the mood. They even have a live mariachi band on certain nights of the week. The staff is pleasant and accommodating. As soon as you are seated, you are greeted with fresh chips and salsa, that is both refreshing and delicious. The salsa has just enough spice for everyone to enjoy.

There are numerous options for combination dinners, including all sorts of combinations of tacos (hard and soft), enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos, chile, tamales, rice, beans, and more. All of the food tastes great. Habaneros has a “Monster Margarita” on the menu, which is a full 32 ounces. At under $10, it’s a refreshing drink at a great price. It’s strong enough to taste the liquor, but not to overpower it.

I recommend you finish off your meal with an order of flan. It is enough to split it with someone else, but one person could finish it themselves if they wanted. The flan is a sweet end to a delicious meal.

Seito Sushi

If you are looking for a place for lunch and in the mood for some sushi, Seito Sushi may be just what you are looking for. You will feel welcome immediately when the friendly staff greets you and takes you to your seat. It’s a great atmosphere to relax or catch up with co-workers away from the office.

Seito offers both a lunch and a dinner menu from which you can choose from. The lunch menu is pretty affordable – about $10 to $13 for a platter – and offers several lunch platters served in serving trays called bento boxes. The bento boxes are served with thoughtful portions of miso soup, steamed rice, pork dumplings, and california rolls. One of the better combinations is the chicken Katsu bento box. These battered, breadcrumbed chicken pieces are flaky and go really well with a compliment of tangy fruit and vegetable Katsu sauce.

The lunch menu also offers a mouth-watering assortment of sashimi and sushi combinations. Seito has a huge selection of sushi rolls to choose from. You can mix and match traditional items like the california tempura rolls and the kamikaze rolls(tuna, salmon, yellowtail and whitefish) or go with something a bit more exotic such as the Insanity rolls (spicy crab and fiery jalapeno pepper) or the Ichiban rolls (spicy salmon and cucumber).

A great mix of sushi combined with the people and relaxing atmosphere make Seito sushi a place to try. The wide selection of sushi rolls, bento box combinations, and sashimi will keep you coming back for more.