Fred's Restaurant
07/09/2009 - By Trent Rowe Diningout Restaurant guide
Fred's Market has lasted so far where many others have failed.
The location at Harden & Beacon has been an Oriental buffet, a white tablecloth restaurant a seafood restaurant & an early-bird special spot.
Fred's recently earned THREE STARS But...
Fred's Market Continued.....
Temperatures an Ongoing Problem at Fred's
Fred's Southern Kitchen (used to be Fred's Market) has been on Harden Boulevard in Lakeland since 2004, when Fred and Tammy Johnson opened it. That's the BuddyFreddy family from Plant City.
There has been a problem with food temperatures over the years.
The last inspection that did not include a critical violation for improper temperatures was in December
2006.
According to Florida law, hot food has to be held at 135 degrees F or above. Cold food has to be 41 degrees or colder. An alternate rule is that food can be put out at the proper temperatures and be thrown out after four hours if the restaurant uses time in lieu of temperature.
Inspectors last week found food on the line at less than 135 and above 41.
A warning was given, and an administrative complaint will be filed. The restaurant will be sent a certified letter asking someone to come in for a hearing.
The restaurant can stay open.
There's one in Bartow, and the former Shells in Winter Haven has a sign that says Fred's Southern Kitchen.
Fred's is a pick-and-choose kind of place. Every meal is served as a buffet, with a menu if you can't find what you want. If you can't find what you want, chances are you need new eyeglasses.
Breakfast is served at 6:30 a.m., and you can nibble far into the morning.
If you start with the fluffy biscuits you might not get much farther along the line. Top some with sausage gravy for a Southern treat. Scrambled eggs are slow-cooked to be soft and tender. You don't find eggs done this way much anymore. Cooks are in too much of a hurry.
Smoked sausage slices, link sausage, ham in red-eye gravy, and chewy bacon provide plenty of protein. Homefries are real, with onion and green pepper. Apple slices make you feel good about yourself. French toast had just a nodding acquaintance with egg.
What is the cold salad bar at lunch has cereals, fruit and other healthy stuff at breakfast.
Back for lunch ... you can easily make a meal from the salad bar, thanks to good greens, cheese, eggs, prepared salads and fruit.
There are many items on the hot buffet without labels. I like to know what I'm getting. And some were not at safe temperatures.
New England Catfish Chowder should have come south a while ago. It's a substantial soup with fish that's less chewy than the average clam.
Catfish Gumbo had the required okra, smoked sausage, vegetables and rice. More catfish would have been nice. This and a plate of cornbread are all you need.
You need to check both sides of the bar. They are different, or be prepared to reach for what you want. Some choices change often so you won't get bored.
Mashed potatoes and gravy are real. Grits are good. I couldn't find the dumplings in chicken and dumplings. The cheese sauce in mac and cheese had dried up a while ago.
Cooks from this kitchen who do fried chicken could give lessons.
A label for chicken and rice was centered over a bowl of chicken and another of rice. While you're near the rice, get some to go under beef tips in gravy. Chicken pot pie tasted old-fashioned.
Roast turkey in gravy had pleasant flavor and went well with half a baked sweet potato and dense but tasty cornbread dressing.
Small pieces of country fried steak in gravy needs a little chewing but satisfies that meat and potatoes craving.
Pole beans, rutabagas, greens and cabbage were all cooked southern style (until soft), and there were more vegetable choices I didn't get to.
A couple of hot desserts from the bar were peach cobbler (lots of peach, not much cobbler), and sweet potato something or other with nuts.
Cold desserts included fine banana pudding with real bananas and fluffy cookies and cream mousse. Pies and cakes are there too. You could end your meal with a slice of quick bread and fruit from the salad bar.
For a little something from the menu, I tried a Freddy Burger at $6.99 including fries or onion rings. This is a first-class burger.
The food, mostly, tastes good, and is worth three stars. when the temperatures are proper.
Thanks to the inspectors' reports, this should happen soon.
Trent Rowe can be reached at 802-7512 or trent.rowe@theledger.com.
