EATS // fork on THE Road
BETTER PUB THAN RESTAURANT STORY+PHOTOS: GARY CORSAIR
Frog & Monkey may not drive you up a tree
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’m glad I hopped over to the Frog & Monkey Restaurant and Pub in Mount Dora, but I didn’t go ape over the only underground pub in Lake County. With that said, I visited twice for lunch and didn’t drink anything stronger than iced tea. Frog & Monkey is clearly more pub than restaurant. On both visits my server recommended I return after dark for live piano music and adult libations. But, Fork on the Road is primarily about food, and the lunchtime grub shouldn’t be much different than the dinner fare, so let’s dig in.
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Frog & Monkey gets high marks for appetizers. The beer-battered mushrooms are among the best I’ve had. The batter that envelops large chunks of Portobello mushroom is crisp on the outside and chewy, but not mushy, on the inside. And the horseradish dipping sauce is excellent. This starter is well worth $8.95. The onion straws I enjoyed on a second visit (served with the same sauce) also get thumbs up. The rest of the appetizer menu is interesting, to say the least. Baked Brie? Edamame? Clams in garlic sauce? Bruschetta? Wait a minute, I thought this was an English pub. To find out, I ordered bangers and mash for my entrée … and was disappointed. For $14.95, I expected more than two hot dog-sized sausages (bangers) on a heaping pile of homemade mashed potatoes and a flavorless green glob of peas swimming in a sea of brown gravy and onion slices. I should point out that I am not an expert on bangers and mash (although I am Scotch and Irish), but the dish surely isn’t meant to be so bland. The chewy sausages and the gravy provided all the flavor. The potatoes provided a nice contrast to the links, but the peas were a mystery. In fact, I had to ask my server what they were. I would have never guessed peas if they weren’t mentioned on the menu. It definitely didn’t eat like a $14.95 dish. And I was wondering if the seafood
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Tasty insights and observations
