​Sometimes, the only time you get uninterrupted time with other moms is at 9 am on a Friday. My friend Amanda and I decided semi-last minute (and by last minute I mean 5-7 days ago because let's be honest, when you have kids you have to plan things waaaaay in advance) to try out a restaurant we had heard a lot about in Winter Park: The Coop

I was excited to try The Coop because the same people who own 4Rivers own it, and I looooove me some brisket and mac and cheese and french fries. And Cheerwine. Amanda picked me up right at 9, and we braved I-4 traffic into the charming Winter Park district. Amanda has a thing for taking pictures of cool murals and walls, so before we went in, we pretended we were Insta-famous and took a few cute shots of the painted walls on the outside of the building. 

The place was pretty empty (because normal people are at work at 9 am on a Friday), so we went right up to the counter and ordered. I knew from the get-go that I was going to get chicken and waffles; it's my go-to when it comes to breakfast. I also got a soft drink (Hi I'm Diana, and I'm a Dr. Pepper addict), and my total was $14 and change. Amanda ordered the Caramelized Croissant French Toast and asked for no pecans. We had a whole conversation with the woman at the counter about that fact that although she's not allergic, she just really doesn't like pecans. (Sidenote: Who doesn't like pecans?!) The nice woman at the counter gave us our numbers, and we picked a seat. 

As we chatted about mom life, my plate of chicken and waffles came to the table. Amanda's French Toast didn't come at the same time, so we waited and chatted about travel and mom life and potty training. You know, the usual mom conversation topics. 

​And then we realized it had been at least another 10 minutes since my food had come out and the French Toast was nowhere in sight. We noticed another customer approach the counter with her number and asked a manager about the status of her food, so we assumed we weren't the only ones waiting for our food. 

Finally, we saw a waitress coming toward us with a plate, and we were excited to be able to eat. And, like in slow motion, the dish was placed in front of Amanda.

With pecans.

She politely reminded the sweet employee that she had requested no pecans, and she rushed back to make it right. Just a few minutes later, a beautiful plate of French Toast came back to the table, sans pecans (hey that rhymes).

We poured the restaurant's signature maple bacon syrup all over our plates and enjoyed. My plate of chicken and waffles was good, and the portion size was impressive, but overall, it was fried chicken and four mini waffles. Good, but not great. Her French Toast wasn't as sweet as expected, but it was colorful and topped with fresh berries that made it a very pretty dish. 

We ventured out to the patio where we found another painted mural wall and took a few pictures. The patio would be a cute place to hang out at night, with ample picnic tables and string lights. We were a little confused about the phrase on the wall. Anyone else see an issue?

Overall, I'd give The Coop three out of five stars. The staff was friendly, the atmosphere was cute and clean. The food? Decent but maybe not worth $15. 

We loved Winter Park and want to do another mom date there again soon. Where should we go? 

Disclaimer: I understand this is a horrible picture. I didn't get any good pictures but I still wanted to leave a review. Next time I'll get better pictures. 

Now that the wife and I are both working from home, we like to escape and do little day dates every once in a while. I saw someone post something about The Mexican Camel on Instagram, and I loved the name. I have a thing about names. I don't like things with weird names or names that make me uncomfortable.

Cheddars, for example. I've been there and loved it, but I really don't like that name. It sounds gross to me. Krispy Kreme is on the fence for me because the double K's aren't necessary. Light the torches. Send the mob. I know, I know. I just can't get behind it. And then there is anything that ends in world or land. Shoe land? Really? You couldn't think of anything more creative than that? Disney is the exception, obviously.

Anyway, back to The Mexican Camel. We met some friends there for lunch today. It was tucked in the back of a touristy shopping center on I-drive. The inside was cute, very colorful, and plenty of seating, but nothing really Instagram worthy. And aren't all restaurants supposed to base their designs on insta-worthiness? Yeah, I thought so. Overall experience and aesthetics of the place: 3 out of 5

Now if you know me, you know I love me some Chipotle. The cilantro lime rice. All the toppings. Guac for days (yes I know it's extra) and the chips for dipping. So when I heard it was like Chipotle with a little flair, I was all about it. The flair that makes The Mexican Camel different from Chipotle is the Mediterranean options. I like that you can go full on Mexican with the barbacoa and salsa and guac and cheese. Or you can channel your inner Greek and go to town with the pita, pickled turnips, lentil rice, and tzatziki. Or you can go crazy and mix it all up. I love options, so I was all about it. It's important to know that while I love to have options; I don't always take advantage of all of the options. So there, in line at The Mexican Camel, I gave them my exact Chipotle order.

Chicken
White rice
Black beans
Mild salsa
Corn
Sour cream
Cheese
Guac

Sarah went with the more Mediterranean side of things, and our total (with my soft drink) came to $25. I guess my chicken kabobs were a specialty option.

We sat by the window and had an effortless hour long conversation with our dear friends. Half of the table was mostly listening, so we were able to eat our food. The two talkers barely touched theirs but got their lunch to go.

Overall, I'm not sure I'd go again. Maybe I should try the Med side and leave my Chipotle order to the pros. At Chipotle. The bowl was good, but pretty bland. I tried squeezing some limes all over it but it really just tasted like plain white rice and chicken. It wasn't bad, and I ate it all, it just didn't wow my socks off (as the cools kids say.) 

And I'm sure PETA and the US Environmental Agency and NASA and the Men In Black and The League Of Turtle Supports will love this part, but The Mexican Camel gave out paper straws. I get it, save the turtles. But I'm not a fan of drinking my fizzy drink out of a soggy piece of paper.

This review feels negative, but I don't mean it to be. I feel like I'd give it another chance and maybe get a pita with chicken, and tomato cucumber salad, and feta cheese. I bet that would be awesome.

Overall, I'd give The Mexican Camel a 3 out of 5. I loved my lunch date with my wife and my friends, and am thankful for an afternoon out of the house and good conversations. Oh and the free warm churros. That was a plus.

Have you been to the Mexican Camel?

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