If you find yourself in Gainesville here are three ways to get a bite to eat:

Maude's Classic Cafe: It's not your same old corporate haunt. Maude's Classic cafe serves up a great, piping hot (isn't lukewarm coffee such a disappointment?) coffee as well as plenty of breakfast and lunch dishes; great looking croissants, mile-high cakes in the case and friendly help. Stop here for coffee, to gather your thoughts and, hey, maybe to write a blog post or two. In the evening, beer and wine is served, too.

Lunch: Check out the specials at Liquid Ginger Asian Grille: $7 to $9 gets you an entree, salad, a crispy spring roll, rice and choices such as Thai coconut curried beef. The creamy, sweet hint of coconut milk softened the spiciness of the curry. Lots of fresh veggies, a crispy egg roll -- this was a real deal.

Tea lovers rejoice -- Liquid Ginger offers up 20 different teas at $3 per pot. Lovely little iron pots are brought to the table and kept warm above a glowing candle. I always think tea is so civilized. What a treat to find something like this in Liquid Ginger.

Dinner: I caught up with No.1 son for some dinner. He had a taste for Mexican food, so a bit of research led us to La Fiesta, just off Interstate-75 on Newberry, next to La Quinta.

This was a treat. Bright, clean, affordable house margaritas for $2.25 (top shelf tequilas for a bigger price tag, too). I got tamales -- my standard by which to judge a Mexican restaurant -- and they were great. Son got his favorite -- fajitas, both delicious and plentiful. When a hungry college student cannot finish the order, you know it's a big portion. No dessert, we were stuffed.

Our total for two people, with drinks, came to about $25. We could easily have a second dinner out of the leftovers.
There you go -- three places to stop for a bite to eat, a great place to shop for unique gifts. Go spend a great day in Gainesville.

Maude's, Liquid Ginger and Floating Island are all in the Sun Center Shopping Plaza at 101 SE 2nd Place (downtown near the Hippodrome)--this is filled with independently owned and operated shops of all sorts--a great place to pass some time.

Maude's Classic Cafe
352-336-9646

Liquid Ginger Asian Grille and Teahouse
352-371-2323

La Fiesta
352-332-0878