11
reviews HORRIBLE
What’s on your
iPod?
Rodney Shaw, 10
“This is Why I’m Hot” by Mims “I like the song, because I’m hot.” “Someone Like You” by Adele “Thrift Shop” by Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees Hope Bryant,10 “No Ordinary Love” by Toby Mac “It’s got a message even though the beat is really good.” “Riff-Off” from the Pitch Perfect Soundtrack “Fireflies” by Owl City “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons “Fifteen” by Taylor Swift Riley Kirk, 9 “Carry on my Wayward Son” by Kansas “The lyrics are meaningful to me since it happens to be on a show I love.” “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra “Black” by Pearl Jam “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica
GOOD
OUTSTANDING
4Rivers has best BBQ Keith Clowney
W
Staff Reporter
hat do a peace sign, a heart, and a 4R have in common? Three words... Texas style barbecue. Thanks to John River we have the best BBQ from 4Rivers Smokehouse. John Rivers was the president of a pharmaceutical company and made BBQ in his spare time. In 2004, he started cooking for charities and events, and five years later, he opened his first 4Rivers Smokehouse in Winter Park. The 4Rivers Smokehouse grew as multiple awards and good ratings appeared. Then there was one in Winter Garden, Longwood, and coming soon, the restaurant will expand to Jacksonville. The original 4Rivers location was a small building, where problems rose from overcrowding. This caused the original building to close, but fortunately the new Smokehouse opened down the street. 4Rivers` hours are 11 a.m. to 8
p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and they are closed on Sundays. The new Winter Park facility has a basic modern Texan-style design. Inside and covered outside dining areas are provided, the bathrooms are always clean and the lines are designed for big crowds because inside seating can be full at rush hour. The 4Rivers menu provides customers with a simple ordering system where you order your meal, pick your sides and pay. Because of the popularity, though, seating at certain times can be overcrowded. Overall, the food and service are amazing and worth any wait. The Signature Angus Brisket ($13.49) is hickory-smoked meat that has a flavorful, moist and tender taste that melts in your mouth as you chew it. The Signature Angus Brisket also comes with a soft and dry biscuit. The Texas Sausage ($7.99) is similar to a normal hot dog, but it is cut in to two four inch pieces and is
photo by 4rivers.com Texas style barbecue. 4Rivers BBQ has many food items, such as the Signature Angus Brisket. 4Rivers is located in Winter Park and Longwood.
placed in warm bread buns. It has a savory taste that bursts with flavor when you bite into it. The Southern Pulled Pork ($7.99) sandwich has a generous portion of 4Rivers` pulled pork. In contrast to other dishes, the taste seems the same compared to rival restaurants’ pulled pork sandwiches. However, this sandwich is improved significantly with the popular and delectable 4Rivers` BBQ sauce. The side menu is made up of
16 items. The mac and cheese is average, but still very creamy, the baked cheese grits are better than expected and the 4Rivers’ BBQ beans are sweet and flavorful. There are also simpler sides like fried okra, french fries and corn. Generally, everything at this restaurant is great, and I recommend 4Rivers to anyone who appreciates and loves homestyle barbecue.
4Rivers BBQ
Ichiban: banging buffet
RaceTrac not just a gas station
Ellie Bonck
Darbi Filliben
Staff Reporter hen you think of Japanese food, a buffet does not normally come to mind. Ichiban, however, has a new take on Japanese food with the buffet style restaurant. Buffet sushi might seem sketchy, but Ichiban has a large variety, and also has some unique features not seen in most Japanese restaurants. When seated in the restaurant, you have the option to either order from the menu or choose the buffet, and in most cases, the buffet is the best option. Although the menu has a variety of items, the buffet has up to ten choices of chicken and other meats, endless variety of sushi, plenty of vegetarian options and even a dessert bar with items from ice-cream to cream puffs. The most unique part of the Ichiban buffet experience however, is that the cooks still prepare your
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food just for you. There is a section of the buffet with raw food that you can place on your plate, with any amount of vegetables, meats and your choice of sauce mixed in. You then take one of the sticky notes they have out, write in your name and table number, and place it in the kitchen. The cooked food is then delivered to your table within a 10 minute window. The service is quick, and the employees are welcoming the minute you walk into the restaurant. Ichiban has a terrific variety of Japanese food, in a different way than how it is normally presented. I would recommend Ichiban, considering the many options, since it can either be a fast or relaxed dinner or lunch, and it can be chosen for different purposes and occasions. The price is just above $10 for the buffet, which is reasonable, and adds a new twist to Japanese food.
Ichiban
G
News Editor
asoline, frozen yogurt, milkshakes and boiled peanuts. Typically these things do not all go well together. Yet RaceTrac found a way to not only modernize a gas station, but become one of the hottest hangout places in the area. When I first heard that a gas station had become the new place to be, I thought what could be so special about a place that pumps gas? That was until I made a trip there. Not only is there a frozen yogurt station that would give Sweet Swirls a run for its money, but it also it had a touchscreen milkshake maker that allows people to choose the thickness of their shake. There were also tables that people can sit down at and enjoy their meals. I have never been to a gas station that has such a steady stream of
people coming and going at all times of the day and the line is always almost out the door. Everything about this place is high tech and state of the art. From touch screen machines to modernized architecture, everything is the latest and greatest. It also has an extremely convenient location that makes the gas station aspect that much more appealing. Parked by the community Publix and on a main road, it has a central location that is easy for everyone to access. It took no time at all for this place to become the talk of the town, which might say something about Oviedo. For a town that does not have much going on on a daily basis, RaceTrac provides something to do and a place to hangout in this tiny town. It is so much more than just a regular gas station.
RaceTrac