Monday, February 8, 2010

Daytona International Speedway



Daytona International Speedway
1801 W. Int'l. Speedway Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
(800)PITSHOP
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com

I had the opportunity to go to the Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway last Saturday and had a great time. It was a little bit cool out, but overall it was a wonderful day. I was there with my buddies Kraig, Fourth Meal and Whitmer. We try to take in a couple of races during Speedweeks each year and it is always a lot of fun.

I had worn a jacket over a polo shirt and quickly found out that there was no way that was going to be enough to keep me warm. Luckily, Fourth Meal had an extra fleece in his car and that seemed to help me immensely. However, after standing on top of the garage and watching the ARCA race, I knew I had to get something to eat. Whitmer was all about trying to get a hot pretzel and that turned out to be a lesson in futility as every time he went to the pretzel stand they told him to come back. On the one hand, you have to appreciate the vendor's honesty in telling him they weren't that hot yet, but on the other hand, how long does it take to warm a pretzel? We found out they were having problems with their sterno and finally got it corrected. Whitmer finally got his pretzel and said it was all right.

I decided to venture further and see if I could find a good hot dog or bratwurst. As it turns out, I was able to find both. I ventured to a hot dog stand located not far from the Budweiser Bistro in the Sprint Fan Zone. It was not crowded when I got there, so they were able to assist me right away. The hot dogs and brats were sizzling on the grill when I approached and looked really good. Part of me wanted to go brat and the other part hot dog. I finally decided to go Daytona Dog and skip the brat. I got one plain and one with sauerkraut. On the plain dog, I put mustard, ketchup and pickle relish and mustard on the dog with sauerkraut. Now I had to decide where to eat these beauties.

Many of the tables nearby were not taken, so I saddled up to one of them and started to get after it. If you have read this blog for a while, you know I do not like to eat outside. Mainly because it can be too cold and my food gets cold quickly, but also because of the heat of Florida in the summer and because of flies. I am not a good picnic guy. Because it was so cold this night, I knew I had to scarf these dogs like nobody's business if I was to enjoy them to their fullest potential.

Before I go on about these dogs, let me tell you that they are not your average hot dogs. While they were not foot longs, they had to be at least seven or eight inches long with a bun to match. These are only estimates by me as I am sure you are aware that men often have a hard time correctly guessing the length of tubular meat. We often make the mistake of saying a hot dog is eight inches long, when it is really about five, but I am telling you these are bigger than your normal hot dog.

I bite into the dog and it is really good. It was nice and hot and full of flavor. Now if you have never been to a race track before, you should know the one thing they don't have is napkins. Napkins at a race track eventually end up out on the track and covering the grills of the cars on the tracks. That in turn causes overheating of the cars and is not a good thing. If you forget this fact and load your hot dog up in the manner that I did, you are in a world of hurt.

Probably into my second or third bite of my first dog, I hear someone yelling, "Harry, Harry!" Turns out to be Michael who runs all of the concessions for International Speedway Corporation. He asks me how my dogs are and I give him thumbs up as I cannot talk to him with my mouth full. The man knows how to make a great hot dog. The only thing I would hope for is to have the buns steamed. My guess is it is too difficult to steam the buns with the huge crowds and need to serve so many people. The steamer would have to be huge. Still, these were great hot dogs. I really loved the crunchy, tangy sauerkraut on my second dog as well. I am looking forward to getting back out there and getting after a brat.

If you go to the track and find yourself in the Sprint Fan Zone, I would also recommend you get something to eat at the Bud Bistro. They have great sandwiches as well as tasty salads. This is not food you would expect to get at a race track.

For my visit to the speedway last weekend, I have to give the hot dogs four Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Vince Carter's Restaurant



Vince Carter's
2150 LPGA Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32117
(386)274-0015

I have written about Vince Carter's a couple of times now, but had never eaten there. Today, I finally got my chance. I met my friend Katie for lunch and we had a great time. Previously, I had visited the sports grill and my wife and daughter had eaten as well as my friend Kelly. Everybody enjoyed their food and the service was great. I was looking forward to finally eating there myself.

Since I live not far from the restaurant in the LPGA, I know how busy this restaurant is right now. I told Katie we should meet at about 11:45 to avoid the rush and it worked. We got there and were immediately seated in the dining area. Our server was friendly and attentive and brought out drinks in due time. Katie ordered the soup of the day, which was a vegetable noodle soup along with the wedge salad. I ordered the French dip with French fries. I really should have gotten the macaroni and cheese as my side or the sweet potato fries, but I played it safe.

Katie asks for her soup first and she gets it, but the entrees come out probably five minutes after she got her soup. Our waitress brought the soup, then brought bread and soon after brought the entrees with the explanation that the kitchen was a little fast today. They need to work that out a little better. Katie shouldn't have felt rushed and it was a good thing that she ordered a salad wedge which is not a hot dish, so it didn't matter much. She did order it without onions and got onions, so she had to send it back. My sandwich was fine, so there were no problems there.

Katie got her salad back as she was finishing her soup, which is when it should have been served in the first place. It actually looked amazing and I am not a big salad guy, but it was a hearty wedge of lettuce with abundant dressing, bacon bits and tomatos. It really looked good. By the way, she said the soup was incredible. My French dip was served on a toasted ciabata roll with cheese and au jous sauce for dipping. The sandwich was nice and hot and the steak flavorful. The bun was really amazing as it had been grilled and tasted great. We had a wonderful lunch.

I just read a bunch of reviews for Vince Carter's on Urban Spoon and hope some of the people that didn't have a great experience will try it again. First, if you are a finicky type of person when it comes to visiting restaurants, don't go when they first open. Even the best restaurants have challenges early on. Give them time to work out the kinks. Secondly, don't complain about wait times in the first week of a new restaurant opening, especially if you are talking about Daytona Beach, where there are very few fine dining experiences available. Finally, I have read too many reviews complaining about the prices of everything being over $30. That is just not true. Steaks are in the $30 range, but there is plenty of great dishes that are available in the $9.00-$20.00 range. At the end of the day, there are some people that should never eat out and get all of their meals at home as they can never be pleased. If you are one of these folks, just stay home.

We had a great experience with good food. For my visit today to Vince Carter's, I have to give them four Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry