Review - Troy's Cuban Deli in Clermont Florida.



One thing I've learned since moving to Florida, is that people are a lot less patient and in a much bigger hurry than folks in Colorado. In fact, I'm not sure If I ever quite fully understood the term "Rat Race" until I relocated to the Orlando area. The madness that is the tourist industry, coupled with the sheer amount of people that live in here, can be a bit overwhelming to someone who's never experienced it and finds themselves suddenly thrust into the thick of it. 

With all that being said, in the midst of the madness and busyness, there are places like the one that I had breakfast at this morning.. 'Troy's Cuban Deli'. It seems that time moves a little bit slower as soon as you walk through the doors.  Something as simple as getting myself a Cuban coffee and an authentic Cuban breakfast aligns my chakras, gets me copacetic and feeling zen.

You wouldn't think such Simple Pleasures could do this, but it does for me. A lot of it has to do with the people there. The owners and staff are incredibly wonderful people which makes the experience all that more enjoyable. Orlando is such a huge Melting Pot, there are tons of places like this all over the place whether it be Puerto Rican, Colombian, Cuban, polish, etc.  And don't even get me started on the little pizzerias ran by folks that have moved down here from New York.  Fuhgettaboutit!! 


'Cuban Breakfast'
2 Eggs over easy, sweet plantains, croquettas, 
Sliced Ham & Swiss Cheese and buttered & pressed Cuban Toast.
Oh yeah.. it's under $5.00!



'Cafe' con Leche'
Made to order with Cuban Espresso, scalded milk, 
and for me.. sugar.  Always Sugar.
That nice froth you see on top is a result of sugar that's started to caramelize.



Cuban Sandwich
House made roast pork and ham, Swiss Cheese, pickles and Mustard, 
tucked in fresh Cuban bread, and pressed on a grill.

I often drop in for the Cuban Sandwiches, served with house made plantain chips.  If I'm really hungry (like I was on this particular day) I'll order a 'Papa Rellena'.. a mashed potato ball, stuffed with Picadillo (a seasoned ground beef) and deep fried.


Fresh pastries, Empanadas, Croquettas, and Papa Rellenas made all day long.



If you love Cuban food, this is the place to go in Clermont Florida.  The quality, value and taste is absolutely incredible.  The ambiance is great as well.  Bright colors, Cuban decor and an airy feel instantly get me into a happier mindset and lightens any burden or stress I may bring along with me.

Troy's Cuban Deli.. a place where I can go to de-stress and get recharged, all in the time it takes to drink my freshly made Cafe Con Leche and Cuban breakfast. I absolutely love it, and it's places like this that make me love the area I live so much.




Cosmetic makeover for a 23 year old Incredible Hulk

by Darrin Vindiola


While cleaning out the garage not too long ago, I came across an old toy I bought for my son back in 1992.  It's a 15 inch Incredible Hulk Supersize action figure made by Toy Biz.  My son absolutely loved it, and played with it like crazy for many years.  The figure held up pretty good, and could really take a beating.  Check it out..


Here's the Monster of a toy that my son loved so much back when he was approaching two years of age.  Granted, he could hardly lift it.. but he loved it just the same.  Below is another picture to give you some perspective on how big the toy is..


I grabbed the closest random item in my office to give you a size comparison.  In this case, it's a 12 ounce bottle of beer, err.. "Romulan Ale" to be more specific.  Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase beer geek huh?

While the figure functioned perfectly and had no major defects, there were definitely some cosmetic issues.  Paint marks were transferred onto the Hulk from other items that he had collided with during rigorous play sessions.  From the colors on the toy, I could immediately identify where they came from.  Some of the colors came from different painted walls in the house, an old swing-set, a bunk bed, other toys and furniture.



 


With nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon, I decided to try and restore the figure the best I could, to at least give it a semblance of his former glory back when he was some 22 years younger.



I have a little experience with plastics, and decided that paint thinner and a soft cloth would probably work best to coax the varying thicknesses of transferred paint off of the surfaces.  The light green plastic was not painted, so I wasn't too afraid to give it a liberal scrubbing to remove the blemishes.

The dark green hair and purple pants however were indeed painted.  I cleaned these areas with much less pressure for fear of dulling, or damaging those surfaces.



While the paint thinner worked like a charm, I noticed a bit of a haze and dullness to the figure that wasn't there before.  I finally took some plastic polish and applied it to the entire action figure, which in turn rejuvenated and reconditioned the plastic.

I'm happy to say that the figure cleaned up nicely, and looks pretty dang good now.  I will eventually give this figure back to my son so he can reminisce about the endless hours he spent playing with The Hulk. For now however, I think I'll leave him on my shelf for awhile to terrorize the other toys in my collection..