11/26/24
with Caleb Hicks and Mohan Selvamoorthy
with our Guest Star...
My friends and I are taking the conversation in new directions by having guest stars come along to share in our fun. Please welcome Lenny Foster, owner of Gallery One Forty Four! Tonight we’ll be enjoying dinner at Andaman Asian Cuisine, at our guest star’s request. We’ll be doing our usual experience review of the restaurant while including Lenny’s wisdom and insight into our experience of this local eatery.
First Impressions
The sign outside had a light out on one of the letters. It’s hard to hold it against the restaurant, especially since we forgot to ask about how long it had been out to the staff! It made for an interesting photo and first impression though. This time, Caleb and I were a few minutes late. When we got to the bistro, Mohan and Lenny were already there waiting for us. The two of them were already thick as thieves, and I could tell that our first guest star experience was going to go well.
The restaurant was already playing Christmas music despite it being November. I guess they wanted to get in on the holiday season as soon as possible. I enjoy the cozy appeal to this place. It holds a nice location on the corner of a strip mall where parking and accessibility are excellent.
The Establishment
There are lots of quirky little details in the interior such as window curtains of various colors, the empty beer bottles lined up against the diving wall between the kitchen and the dining area, and the leafy pin board near the entrance.
Lots of wood colors in the decorum. The ceiling was black the walls were a mixture of light grey paint and wood grain panels. The music was demure and didn’t overpower the experience. The staff was busy but helpful and gave us space when it was obvious we needed it. There were screens on display showing various videos, but nothing of particular note was on the screens. The colors were generally dark in tone, which gave a more intimate and cozy feel.
I was not very impressed by the bathrooms. They were unbearably smelly. The paint was chipped in many places, and the grout on the sink was broken up. I was also not a fan of how you had to walk into the back area to get to it. The art and lighting just sort of stops before the restroom which made that area feel like an after-thought to the whole experience.
The staff didn’t provide enough napkins. And we asked for lemons in our water and never got any. The waitress said she would bring them on another trip but didn’t. They were a little busy, so I could forgive them for that, but worth noting nonetheless.
First Course - Appetizers
Now, Lenny is a cool guy. His demeanor and way of speaking tells volumes about his worldly experiences and ability to mix well with any crowd. Right away the conversation flowed as if he was a member of the group all along. Lenny has some dietary limitations that we wanted to respect when we ordered appetizers. He doesn’t do any shrimp, hard shells or crustaceans. The selections here were numerous, but we got the Andaman platter for the broad selection and options that Lenny could enjoy. We also got the Chicken Satay, and the Thai Dumplings.
Andaman Platter –
A mixture of appetizers; fried calamari, Thai dumplings, spring rolls, coconut shrimp, and gyoza dumplings.
We got a bit more of some of these in additional appetizers but this was a great way to start the meal. The spring rolls and gyoza dumplings were good for Lenny, and I particularly enjoyed the coconut shrimp. The calamari was a bit tough for me, but that’s typically how calamari is. They looked a lot like onion rings, and we joked about how if you see a dish that looks like onion rings at an Asian restaurant, it’s probably calamari. Everyone shared this one and it disappeared pretty quickly so we barely got a picture of it!
Thai Dumplings –
Steam Thai-style dumpling, ground chicken & vegetables stuffed in a steamed egg-based wrapper.
These were presented in a bamboo steamer. The dumplings were quite meaty with a thin layer on the outside. The flavor was nice but not particularly notable. Lenny thought it took a while but it was good. He much prefers places like this that have a more family feel rather than a chain. I have to agree, I prefer to visit family restaurants for reviews and pleasure as chains often come with their own problems and fewer unexpected surprises.
Chicken Satay –
Grilled marinated skewered chicken, served with peanut sauce & cucumber relish.
This got lost in the mix and took a while to come out… I felt that this was a less exciting dish, and could have wanted for some more sauce or additional spice. The color was more yellow and had a bit of a turmeric flavor. Mohan liked it but also felt the sauce could be more prominent. Lenny enjoyed the chicken despite our criticism.
Lenny told us a story about how he learned to use chopsticks from a family that escaped Hiroshima and noted on how none of the family member used the chopsticks the same way. Mohan noted that similarly, no one in our group doesn’t use chopsticks in the same way either. I never quite noticed it before until he had pointed it out!
In Lenny’s words, Thai is best in your pajamas. It makes for great delivery or takeout. The restaurant seemed to be doing quite well though, as it was a bit busier tonight than he typically noticed. We talked about how delivery was a very modern style of restaurants, as fast dining and ease of access are the most prevalent things in the modern age. Some guests came by to say hello to the artist, and I couldn’t help but notice how plugged into the community he was. Lenny was curious to know about Mohan’s origins. Mohan grew up in Chennai, India and talked about how Andaman was also the name of an island in India. In his early years he lived with his parents and his mom’s parents. In India, it’s apparently rather common for multiple generations to live with their parents, especially these days!
The appetizers got eaten so quickly we didn't get enough pictures of the food!
Second Course - Entrees
Lenny noticed my note-taking and commented that he isn’t a fast typer. He blended really well with the group and his perspective on the restaurant was quite apt. Great suggestions from the menu on his part. Lenny was thinking of ordering the Beef Pho. We had a laugh at the number of ways that the word can be pronounced. When Mohan talked about the boba drinks available, he revealed that his son loves boba, and this lead to a discussion on their family travels. His son was a boba connoisseur having tried them in Paris, Lisbon, New York, Maine, and despite all that there were places he favored even here. He told us of a great place in Daytona outlet malls. His son even goes to the same school as Caleb’s daughter!
After a good deal of deliberation we finally decided on our entrees and placed our orders. The staff was very helpful in finalizing our decisions.
Tofu Pad Thai – Lenny
Rice noodles stir-fried with egg, scallions, bean sprouts & crushed peanuts with seared tofu.
Beautiful presentation. Flavor was better than he had had here before. The tofu was seared well and it added a lot to the flavor. A generous guest, he was quick to share his plate. In his own words, he felt that the pad Thai was perfection.
Crispy Grouper with Chili on the Side – Caleb
Florida grouper with chef’s selection of sauteed vegetables and chili sauce.
The staff was a big help with choosing this one. It really good crust. The fish was still soft and flaky with delightful flavor. He really liked the sauce that came with it. The veggies were cooked well, not too hard not too soft.
Chicken Pad Thai, 2 spice rating – Mohan
Rice noodles stir-fried with egg, scallions, bean sprouts & crushed peanuts with chicken.
Originally Mohan ordered the Andaman pad Thai special but there didn’t seem to be any lobster in this which was disappointing. When the waitress came back we learned that there was a miscommunication and Mohan ended up with the standard chicken pad Thai. Mohan thought that Lenny covered the pad Thai well, but he also felt that the dish was perfection. I got a chance to try it as well and the noodles were perfectly cooked and brought together the meat and spices really well. The pad Thai is truly the dish to get when visiting Andaman.
Green Curry with Duck, 2 heat rating – Michael
Coconut milk, sweet basil, bell peppers, carrots, eggplants, green beans, & bamboo shoots. Duck quarter.
The crispiness was very present and the bird was very meaty and paired better with the green curry than I expected. The color of the meat was prominent and beautiful. This was very good, but I often like curry when it’s available. The vegetables were a bit tough but brought a lot to the dish. The curry was milky and a bit sweet with a kick of spice on the tail end. It almost had a licorice or anise-like quality due to the mix of spices within.
Caleb talked about his volunteer work at the fire department and how they would tell him stories about the town and the history therein. We noted how the fire chief would be a good guest star to have.
Lenny asked me about my involvements in the community. I told him about my work in town as a business developer, as well as my interests in the arts and music. My band, Infernocide, and my developing work in the art community. He was so supportive of my busy lifestyle, what really stood out to me was how he said it was good to just live and live in any way I could. I certainly would take that to heart!
Third Course - Desserts
The conversations continued well into the evening, and we actually had stayed longer than we planned. It couldn’t be helped, Lenny was such a great guest and there was just so much to talk about!
Unfortunately the fryer had shut down as we were now staying beyond their open hours. But they were able to provide us with mochi ice cream regardless. The staff was gracious and didn’t try to push us out the door at all, though we were speeding things up in order to not be a burden to them. Typically they have a rather broad selection of desserts, 6 different choices when most places only offer 3 or so.
The mochi was delightful, very creamy. I enjoyed the festive dish that it was served on. The great thing about mochi was that it is easy to share. Lenny was quite full at this point, so I shared it with Caleb and Mohan.
The waitress told us about where the name Andaman came from. How her family was from Thailand and came over here. The restaurant was originally two locations that were under the same owner but they have now since split apart. This would explain why they share a very similar naming convention, and why they have two different weekly schedules. These differences actually made coordinating our visit a little more difficult than we originally planned! Thankfully it all worked out, as the evening couldn’t have gone better.
Guest Star Special!
“What type of art do you do”
Photography, different kinds of work.
“What go you into photography”
In the late 80s, early 90s he was in the DC area, selling cars And then he got into management. In 86 he got sober, and 91 he was into the 12 step program, racquetball, working out. Went to a pawn shop and there was a Printex camera he adored and he thought maybe he could take pictures. He asked his brother and he knew cameras, he said to buy it. He went to the national museum, nature, anything to take a break from the toxic car business environment.
“35 Millimeter film back then right?”
“Oh yeah.”
The stories that they carry with them are neat.
He went to New Mexico on vacation, and shoot a bunch of stuff. He went back home and started selling it. He said he was decent, and sold some stuff. 6 months later after his trip, he had an epiphany and he moved to Taos, New Mexico
“Why Taos?”
He had a friend who was doing an assisted therapy practice before it was a thing. So he went along with her. He needed to move.
He had this memory of magazines that his mother would bring in from work, pictures of the southwest, called Arizona Highways. He had a lifelong love for the American southwest from this early experience.
When he moved to New Mexico, he talked about the small communities who had lived there for many generations. It was very family oriented, culture oriented, and they were very supportive of his work.
When he later moved to Florida, there was a bit of shock in moving to the south. He discovered African American history going back hundreds of years. Enslaved Africans would escape in the underground railroad going north to south, and the civil rights history in the ’60s. This was televised, videotaped, recorded. Shown all over the world, racism, abuse, disenfranchisement. This publicity forced president Johnson to pass measures for civil rights. Dr King Jr, came here at the request of local civil rights activists… These historical moments were so profound to him. With each discovery, he took a pair of shoes and placed them there to tell a story. He meant to tell a few, but now is up to 85. Lenny felt very strongly about these pieces. He told us about people would relate to this art series, many were related to the people in this art series. How what happened then affects what is going on now.
Lenny talked at length about the history he learned on his travel to St Augustine. He told us more about the various themes in his art, about the magnolias, the seascapes.
He said he would likely record another in the series of churches relevant to black history tonight after our conversation at the restaurant. But dinner ran late, so he ended up saving it for another time.
“Saint Augustine, the original saint, was from Ethiopia.” Rarely do you see him depicted this way. On researching this, Lenny discovered several saints of African descent. This spawned the idea for his black saints series. I personally found this series to be quite interesting, as these were in full, vibrant color and had such interesting subject matter.
Old white guys would come to him with tears in their eyes. He knew then that he was on to something with his art.
“If you can silence the mind you can find great art.”
His father lives with him, and he takes care of him. Caleb related how he takes care of his family members as well. It teaches you something about life, about love.
His father turned 94 recently, and we noted that it was quite an accomplishment. “Getting old is a privilege most don’t get to have”
Caleb asked about his hat, to which Lenny told us about his love for fedoras. The conversation turned to how he would like to get one for Christmas, as he hasn’t gotten them as gifts yet. Perhaps we could make that happen sometime!
Lenny let us in on a new series that he is working on, using 4″x5″ negatives. he is taking photographs of old trees that are local in the Florida region. The older the better. These go along with the other works in his gallery as these trees have so much history to tell. I found this perspective inspiring.
Final Thoughts
Lenny was an amazing guest and we were all happy to have him along. He told he us had a great time and would be happy to come along again, we might have to take him up on that sometime! We learned so much about a wonderful artist, and got a great experience out of the evening. Lenny is so plugged in to the community, and he has so many stories to tell. Of course, you can learn more about his through his website and social media. Be sure to pick up one of his books or even a work of art!
Andaman was a great venue for this adventure. The staff was polite, despite the errors that were made, and it breathed with a local atmosphere throughout. The food was quite good even if the decorum left some things to be desired at times. The menu was so broad, we’ll need to revisit this restaurant again just for ramen or sushi sometime! For now, this was an extremely eventful chapter of Food Conversations. We hope you’ll join us next time and pull up a chair.