Restaurant Review - Bread'n'Buns, 1200 Oakley Seaver Drive, Clermont, FL

On a recent week night, Grandma, Grandpa, LB and I decided to try out the new Bread'n'Buns Scandinavian Bakery and Cafe that recently opened in Clermont, behind the Sonny's BBQ on S.R. 50. The decor is very simple with laminate wood floors and the same look for the tables, with lots of space. The chairs are black or orange with one small "living-room type" couch area. There is also outside seating in the courtyard by Gator's dockside. Clermonters have apparently already discovered Bread'n'Buns as other patrons clearly were there for a return visit and commented on which danishes were their favorites and how great the coffee is. Must be a great place for breakfast (they are open 6 am to 8 pm M - F; and open at 8 am on weekends - still too early for me). There is also a small bin of puzzles and toys for kids to borrow that I ended up using on one earlier visit for LB because he was getting a little wild crawling and jumping around the couch area.

You step up to the counter to order, which has a display case of all of the bakery goodies such as cakes, pastries, breads and rolls. They all look very yummy. I'm guessing the "Scandinavian" part of the tagline is actually Iceland as a few items reference that. The menu features sandwiches (with unique combinations for $6.99 - $8.49 for wholes and $3.99 - $5.49 for halves), salads (again interesting combinations for about the same prices as the sandwiches), and soups. Soups are $3.49 ($2 extra in a bread bowl) with Onion Soup available everyday and then a different soup featured each day. There is no written kids' menu, which is strange, but if you ask they have a plain ham and cheese or turkey and cheese sandwich on a bun for $1.79. However, they also offer half versions of their sandwiches and BB was happy with that on our previous visit (he got the half Proscuitto Mozzarella with proscuitto, arugula, mozzarella, basil, onions, tomatoes, olive oil, and sour cream - he liked it but thought the proscuitto was a little strong - we'll probably order the same sandwich but with regular ham next time for him). The one kid-unfriendly thing is the drinks. They do offer fruit punch and lemonade for fountain drinks but they only have one size - and it is pretty large. One other strange thing - the price for the drink is listed as $1.79 on the menu yet I was charged $1.99 every time - I guess they need to reprint their menus. They also have coffee drinks, bottled drinks and iced teas, and fruit smoothies. The smoothies are made with frozen fruit and the Icelandic milk product Skyr. Skyr is similar to yogurt in taste and texture. We tried a banana and strawberry Skyr smoothie last time (we asked for the 12 oz $3.99 and somehow got the 16 oz $4.99). None of us could taste the fruit at all - it just tasted like a plain yogurt shake. So either the Skyr is a lot stronger tasting than yogurt or there was not enough fruit mixed in.


Grandma, Grandpa and I all decided to get the "Triple of the Day" which is two of the following: half sandwich, half salad, or soup; plus the pastry of the day for $7.79. It is a great way to try the whole menu including the pastries. I ordered the ham and cheese kids sandwich for LB.


My choices were the half Bacon & Brie sandwich and the soup of the day (Curry Coconut Creamed Vegetable Soup for Wednesday). My sandwich was on thick (about 1 1/2 inches) and hearty dark bread with crisp bacon, arugula, brie, sun dried tomato paste, and green bell peppers. The tanginess of the sun dried tomatoes paired well with the creaminess of the brie and the slight bitter aftertaste of the arugula. The only thing that didn't really fit well, tastewise, was the bell peppers. I think I'll ask for the sandwich without it next time. The soup was fantastic - very creamy with a strong coconut taste (I love coconut). On my previous visit (on a Saturday) I had the Tomato Basil soup and it was terrific as well - I have a feeling all the soups are great - I'll have to come back every day to try them all! (Here they are in case you are interested: Monday - Cream of Forest Mushroom; Tuesday - Creamy Carrot; Wednesday - Curry Coconut; Thursday - Creamy Soup of Sweet Potatoes and Pancetta; Friday - Lobster Bisque; Saturday - Tomato Basil; Sunday - Creamy Soup of Leek and Tomatoes).




Grandpa chose the Onion Soup (delicious) and the half Crab Meat Burger. I have no idea why they call it the Crab Meat Burger because it is actually a crab salad sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, avocado, fresh coriander, sour cream, and "spicy" tomato dressing. He said at first it tasted strange but then he got used to it. It just wasn't what he expected of a crab salad sandwich but he said he might order it again. Grandma got the half Pears & Gorgonzola salad with lettuce, pears, gorgonzola, walnuts, dried cherries, grapes, croutons in a lemon vinaigrette and the half Provencal Chicken sandwich - sliced chicken breast with lettuce, kalamata olives, roasted tomato, avocado, parmesan cheese and pesto sauce on a foccacia bread. She loved the salad but didn't really like the sandwich because it was hard to eat and kept falling apart. LB like his sandwich although he picked it apart and ate the cheese, ham, and bread separately.

The last part of our meal was our Pastry of the Day. I found out it was a cinnamon roll today and, not that there is anything wrong with the cinnmon roll, asked if I could have the danish instead and was told "sure!". I had gotten it last time and it was really delicious. Yes, it is just called a "danish" (I asked). No special name like Crown Danish that they also have - it is simply known as a danish and it has this wonderfully sweet almond paste inside. Grandpa really liked his cinnamon roll, I was happy with the danish that I shared with LB. Grandma tried my danish but thought it was a little too sweet for her. I really like the offerings at Bread'n'Buns, especially the half sandwich, soup, pastry combo. I'm definitely coming back to try the other soups!

Restaurant Review - Panera Bread, 2260 East Highway 50, Clermont, FL

There's a new Panera Bread location that opened up in Clermont, right near the intersection of Hancock Rd and S.R. 50., next door (literally) to the Carrabba's. I've been to Panera before, mostly the Sand Lake Rd location, sometimes the one at Millenia Mall, and while it is fine if I'm in the area, I usually don't "crave" the food there. I'm just not one of those organic sandwich/salad eaters. But, Grandma and Grandpa called and said Panera has a new product called the Crispani and it was really good, so I gathered up the boys and we headed to Clermont to meet Grandma and Grandpa for dinner.

The Crispani is basically Panera's version of a flatbread pizza (with organic ingredients of course). This Panera offered three different versions - three cheese, tomato and basil, and sweet sausage with roasted peppers. The Tomato and Fresh Basil Crispani looked really good in the photo - slices of tomatoes, leaves of basil, and chunks of mozzarella cheese baked onto a flatbread crust. I then checked the kid's menu on the menu board - there are three offerings: Grilled Cheese on whole grain bread with organic American cheese, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich on whole grain bread made with all-natural peanut butter, and the Kid's Deli Sandwich on, you guessed it, whole grain bread with a choice of deli meat and, yes - you guessed again, organic American cheese. For $3 - $4, each Kid's Meal comes with a squeezable organic yogurt tube and a choice of organic milk, organic chocolate milk, or apple juice (I'm guessing it is organic as well). I asked the boys what they wanted and LB said he wanted the Grilled Cheese. BB wasn't happy with any of the choices (he's like me, not big into organic stuff) so we decided to share the Crispani (it looked big). When I went up to order, the server told me that the Crispani takes a little longer than the other items at Panera so they would give me a number to put on my table and deliver it when it is ready. She suggested getting a soup or half salad to start and that by the time we are done, the Crispani should be ready. That sounded good to me so I ordered a cup of the Wild Rice and Creamy Chicken Soup for $3.29 to start and then the Tomato & Basil Crispani for $6.99, and then LB's Grilled Cheese. Grandma and Grandpa decided to share the Sausage & Pepper Crispani.

We sat down in the "living room" section of the restaurant - that's usually the section in the front of Panera that has smaller round tables and sometimes couches. There were other kids there running around so I figured my kids wouldn't disturb anyone in that section. A few minutes later my name was called - our soup and LB's Grilled Cheese was ready. The soup was really good, very creamy and flavorful - BB liked it too. LB wasn't too keen on the Grilled Cheese. He took one bite and then just drank his chocolate milk. I tried it and I could see why he didn't like it... it tasted too... organic and wheaty. Not like the greasy grilled cheese sandwiches I'm used to! LB didn't want his strawberry yogurt either so BB actually asked for it and ate the whole thing.

About ten minutes later, our Crispani(s) were delivered to the table. LB perked up at that point and declared that he wanted some pizza, too. The flatbread pizza was good - not too crunchy, not too chewy, with nice big chunky toppings -- and, it didn't taste organic, even if it was. Also, because of the flatbread crust, it made it really easy for the kids to pick up and eat. Grandma and Grandpa liked their Sausage & Pepper Crispani as well. They both said they didn't like it at first because the sausage and caramelized onions really did make for a sweet taste at the beginning. But they said the taste really grows on you and they ended up liking it. There ended up being enough pizza for all of us, I realized, so next time, I will skip the kid's meal and just get the Crispani for all of us.

Restaurant Review - Gekko Japanese Restaurant, 13900 C.R. 455 #109 A, Clermont, FL

Gekko Japanese Restaurant is a new sit-down restaurant in the Publix shopping center at the corner of S.R. 50 and C.R. 455 in Clermont. It's a nice looking place with a sushi bar on the right and tables going down the left side of the restaurant. We've been to dinner there twice now and both times there was a mix of retirees, families with young kids, and couples/singles -- so I didn't feel out of place taking my boys. Grandma, Grandpa, the boys and I went there on a recent Thursday night for dinner and I should have taken the hint that there might be a time issue on that night. Friends of Grandma and Grandpa were there and said they had already been waiting an hour and hadn't gotten their food yet. But, we were already there and I was hoping maybe the restaurant would work their timing issues out - besides, we hadn't had issues the first time we had ate there (although it had been less crowded on the other night we had went).

We were seated and started to peruse the menu. Although Gekko doesn't have a separate children's menu with activities, they do have children's offerings on their menu, which is somewhat unusual for a sushi restaurant. There's a "Sushi for Kids" for $7.95, which includes one shrimp sushi, one crab sushi, one egg sushi, and a California roll -- all of which are cooked and not raw sushi. Then there's Beef Teriyaki for $7.95 and Chicken Teriyaki or Chicken Katsu for $6.95. All kids meals come with miso soup, house salad with ginger dressing, and white rice (except the sushi that already has rice). That's actually a lot of food so the price is pretty reasonable, although still on the high side. Dinner entrees for adults run from $13.95 to $17.95 and include items such as teriyaki and tempura made with chicken, seafood or beef. Dinner sushi entrees are more pricey and go from $15.95 to $22.95, not including the Sushi and Sashimi Boat for 2 that has, if you pardon the pun, a boatload of raw fish for $55.95. I wasn't sure I would be able to eat a whole sushi dinner (probably 15 or so pieces of sushi) since I wasn't that hungry, so I ordered off of the al a carte sushi menu and got a Rainbow Roll for $8.25. A Rainbow Roll is basically a California Roll (cooked crab, avocado, and cucumber rolled in seaweed and rice) topped with strips of raw fish such as tuna, salmon, and yellowtail. However, I love miso soup (a soy-based soup with tofu and seaweed) and ginger dressing so I ordered an al a carte soup ($1.75) and house salad ($2.50) as well. BB ordered the Chicken Teriyaki (grilled chicken cooked in a sweet soy sauce-based marinade) and LB asked for chicken fingers - whoops! The server said the Chicken Katsu is basically like sliced chicken fingers - just a boneless breast of chicken breaded, deep-fried, and then sliced. So we ordered the Chicken Katsu for LB. Grandpa ordered the Sushi Dinner for $15.95 (chef's assortment of sushi) and Grandma ordered the Chicken Tempura (deep-fried chicken and vegetables) for $14.95. The server left... and then... we... waited....

Twenty minutes later (yes, I'm not joking) our soups and salads finally arrived. Thank goodness because the boys had already been getting antsy. We quickly asked for the special "kids" chopsticks and luckily received them quickly. Usually, one of the sushi chefs will take a regular pair of chopsticks and, using the rolled up paper the chopsticks come in and a rubber band, will make a pair of chopsticks that any kid (and grown-up who doesn't know how to use chopsticks) can use - even my 3-year old. BB loves Japanese food and quickly ate most of his soup and started to work on his salad. We were all surprised when LB decided that he liked the miso soup. He especially liked the tofu - that he called "squeezies" - because they squished between his fingers. Of course, he didn't touch the salad or the seaweed in the soup (he doesn't like "green" food). After he dug through his soup and realized he had eaten all of his "squeezies" he started to ask for ours. I gave him all the tofu I had but he was really upset that there wasn't more. Mental note for next time - I will ask for extra tofu in his soup. Then... we... waited... again...

Forty minutes after our appetizers had arrived, the kids' meals and Grandma's meal arrived. I was actually outside when it came, trying to get LB to run off some energy on the sidewalk. So finally, the boys could start eating. The boys' meals were served in really cute Hello Kitty covered dishes. I thought that was a nice touch. Grandpa and I both looked at each other at this point thinking, hey, where's our food? I mean, we both got SUSHI -- you know, raw fish?? Doesn't need time to cook?? Five minutes later our meals finally arrived. The fish on the Rainbow Roll was pretty good but either the cucumber or the avocado was not quite ripe enough so the roll itself wasn't as soft as I was expecting. The boys did pretty well, although both were not that hungry anymore because of the long wait between entree and appetizer. I was able to flag down the server so we could get our check because I didn't want to have to wait for that as well. To be honest, if this had been our first time eating at Gekko, I probably wouldn't go back. But everything was fine the first time we came, so I'll probably try again one more time and make my decision then. At least, I know there is a place I can go for sushi and still have things that the boys can eat as well.

Restaurant Review: Carrabba's Italian Grill, Clermont, FL

Tonight I took my big boy (BB) and little boy (LB) to the Clermont Carrabba's to meet Grandma and Grandpa for dinner. There are several Carrabba's in the Central Florida area but I believe this is the newest one. Grandma called ahead to get our name on the waiting list, yet we still waited about 30 minutes to get a table. For some unknown reason, Clermont restaurants ALWAYS have a long wait. Here it was, a Wednesday evening at 6 pm, and we had a half hour wait! I guess Clermont residents have been literally starving for new restaurants in the area and now that several open up each month, they want to make sure they stay in business. I actually didn't have high expectations of what our experience might be at this restaurant. Grandma and Grandpa told me their first experience at the new restaurant a few weeks ago was terrible -- the food was cold and the service was horrible. But, they were willing to try again and we were all glad they did. We had the most wonderful server who was very attentive and was great with the kids. It turned out that Ashley was studying to be a preschool teacher and told us how she loved working with kids. How perfect is it to have a server like that? She quickly took our drink orders and let us know that it was still Happy Hour and "real" drinks were 2 for 1. Grandma and Grandpa took her up on that deal and ordered two sangrias. Ashley quickly came back with our drinks as well as hot bread and a bread dipping sauce made with herbs, spices, and olive oil. While the boys were stuffing themselves with bread, I perused the menu. Carrabba's has a pretty standard Italian menu with pasta dishes and pizzas along with some specials of the day and several interesting choices in Pasta Specialties and From the Grill. From the Grill features various preparations of chicken, seafood, and steaks that come with soup or salad plus a side dish. These run in the $15 - $20 range and sounded too filling for me. I went with Mezzaluna in the Pasta Specialties which was half-moon ravioli filled with chicken, ricotta and spinach in a tomato cream sauce. Grandma had the same as I did and Grandpa went with a bowl full of mussels steamed in a white wine and butter sauce. The kids menu was a coloring/activity book that had the offerings on the back. BB loves getting an activity book and crayons as a menu and quickly started filling out all the pages of his book. LB just scribbled happily. Kids' entrees are $4 - $5 and come with a beverage -- a big plus in my book as my kids rarely finish their drinks. LB went with the cheese pizza while BB got the cheese ravioli and went off the menu with his sauce, preferring an alfredo to the offered Pomodoro sauce (ah, my little gourmet, I was so proud). Of course Ashley said that would be no problem. The food quickly arrived and was all delicious. LB decided he wanted to eat a little bit of everybody's food although he liked BB's food a little too much and got a little cranky when he couldn't have more of the ravioli in the white sauce. We were able to placate him with the mezzaluna and he calmed down. Ashley returned to the table several times to refill drinks and bring more bread. We ended up bringing several types of ravioli home to save for my husband who had been working. All in all, a very pleasant experience and good food.