My Road Trip
 
At an old intersection in the middle of hundreds of acres of orange trees one lone building stood against the Florida sun. It was the Gotha Country Store near the Windermere chain of lakes now rimmed by homes of golfing celebrities and rock stars from nearby studios.  Fish Morgan a Culinary Institute of America graduate along with his family saw the old store built on pine tree stumps and he immediately decided he would like to make food in this place rather than the corporate world. Lots of work and recently celebrating its 10th year in Gotha/Windermere it is critically celebrated. The local critic Scott Joseph of the Orlando Sentinel said “this place is worth the drive” and promptly bestowed one of his coveted “foodie” awards on the dog. Other awards followed.  The big sellers in this deli café are the sandwiches, salads, and bar b que. The reviews on national web sites say the “pulled pork sandwich is the best in the south”. The Elvis is pulled pork topped with bacon and coleslaw. This Slaw is laced with cranberries, nuts, and a little spice. A Yellow Dog tradition. The ribs melt on your tongue. The Mexican mutt, and the Johnny Rocket fly out of the kitchen along with the Retrievers’ roast, and the signature Yellow Dog Club. The backyard is a garden of beautiful flowers and butterflies and lots of them on passion fruit vines, milkweed, and swaying trees. The upstairs houses a “wine room chef’s table”. This is the place Fish Morgan does magic for a group of up to 10 people. Private, and intense attention to the whole evening is the mark. Lamb or Salmon in orange burre blanc, topped with rosemary and baby asparagus set on a bed of barely smashed potatoes and garlic are some of the past chef’s dinners. The inside of the old tin roofed store café houses take-outs and Fish’s own bottled bar-b-que sauces…some sweet and mild and some to burn you lips off. Jams jellies and preserves cover the shelves in his own label. Salsas of black beans, mango, and endless creative recipes grace the shelves. Fish’s endless selection of Wines for sale cover an old English boy’s school locker shelves.  Chef says on the menu every sandwich is served with a hug and a smile. Sunsets here are orange and purple and shell pink. Art of really good artist hang through out the interior including the original painting that gave the place its name. Old base drums from dance bands, and French puppet stages are all around, fighting for attention with Fish’s china dog collection, some of which are buried in the front of the counter with broken china and tiles. People bring pictures of their dogs and staple them to the wall all around. Some send pictures in a yellow dog t-shirt in exotic places. Every kind of person is found here in this place.…they are all casual and laid back having really good food. You will love this place. But keep it a secret…only a few thousand know about it now.