Restaurant Review

I picked my parents up from the Sanford airport last night - a strange little airport, with lots of British low-cost carriers and signs that warn visitors to look left before crossing - and found a cute little restaurant in an area of town I've never before visited.  

I'm going to start a new tag of posts - reviews.  I'm always quick to give an opinion, and it's good to keep a collection of local places worth visiting.

Two Blondes and a Shrimp

112 E. First St.  Sanford, FL

I found reviews for it in Chowhound.com, and it looked reasonably-priced and had a wide enough menu to please anyone.  Eclectic little restaurant with bar and patio for music.  Quirky waitstaff, exceptionally friendly.

We started with Candied Bacon and Texas Nachos.  The candied bacon was, well, meat candy: brown-sugar glazed crispy bacon strips with a touch of black pepper.  The nachos were usual fare, if not a little over-sour-creamed (even if you like the stuff, which I don't) on cheapy tortilla chips, but with barbecue instead of mexi-beef.  A nice, sweet touch.  Fresh, fluffy biscuits for the table.  The appetizer special last nightwas Oysters Rockefeller, but I couldn't convince anyone else into them.  But I was happy with the bacon!

I had Pecan Chicken, with molasses and pecan crust (skin-on, unfortunately); grilled asparagus; and the Grits-of-the-Day, tomato-basil flavor.  The grits were good for a few bites, but the flavor was just overpowering after that -  it's the same phenomenon as pumpkin ice cream.  I just dig that they have grits du jour, I couldn't pass it up.  Wish I'd had more asparagus instead - it had great flavor, and just the right tenderness.

My dining companions had the same Pecan Chicken, but with garlic mashed potatoes and applesauce (over-cinnamoned for my taste); Bourbon Pork Medallions with corn-on-the-cob (tasted almost... brined, and looked like it had been left in the field for a while - unless it's some kind of heirloom corn) and the same asparagus; and Cola-Glazed Baby Back Ribs with the corn and hoppin' john (white rice topped with black-eyed peas).  We couldn't bear the thought of dessert after all that, though the server did tempt with key lime pie.  Next time!

In all, a good value and a friendly little restaurant with good live-music potential.  

4 flamingoes of 5, particularly if you're picking someone up at the airport.