Some of the best food is found off the beaten path

Wander off the beaten path in Avon Park. Downtown, next door to a tax office and a nail salon, is The Depot.

It is, perhaps, the most unpretentious restaurant in Florida, but the interesting fact about the owners, John Devany and John Hill, is that they graduated 35 years ago from the Culinary Institute of America. Yes, the famous one in Hyde Park, N.Y.

But The Depot is a diner in a town of 9,000 people.

"We don't serve foie gras," says Devany, but from him, it's hardly an admission. "There's no call for it in this area. They don't want pheasant under glass. They want meat and potatoes, even at weddings. You try to get them to switch, and they just want meat."

Nevertheless, The Depot is known as a significant restaurant, not just in Avon Park, but around the county.

"We cater a lot, and prime rib is the number one requested item," said Devany. He and Hill have owned The Depot for 23 years. They are natives of Yonkers, N.Y. and Brattleboro, Vt.

Try the salmon or meatloaf on Mondays, Chef Devany recommended, or the chicken and dumplings on Tuesday.

The Jacaranda

Farther down Main Street, inside the old Florida charm of the Jacaranda Hotel, Chef Axel Diaz suggested the Reuben or the Cuban, but there's also fried chicken or chicken cacciatore or crab cakes. It's all on the buffet.

Just walking in the Jac is an experience: heart-of-pine floors, 20-foot ceilings, that hospital-green trim, those old, soft club chairs.

Gordon's Philadelphia Grill

Gordon Delp says it, so it must be true: 99 percent of all his orders are for Philly cheesesteaks. He buys 500 Amoroso rolls a week.

Phillys are cooked to order, right in front of the customer. The process starts with frozen puck of shaved sirloin. But within two minutes, aroma wafts out the window at the tiny building on Lakeview, just north of Kenilworth.

That bouquet is the combination of onions, green and red peppers, and a slice of American cheese. The soft 8-inch roll is so hot, it burns the fingers.

"Some people use liquid cheese, because they don't put the cheese on the grill," Delp claimed. Because they don't want to scrape it. But he's been a Philly restaurateur for 50 years, and this is the right way.

"There are no recipes," Delp says. "It all comes out of my head."

What else? The meatball sub is the second most popular, but try the veggie lasagna, the Dutch cabbage soup, the eggplant parmesan, and the strawberry shortcakes, Delp advised.

Mulligans at Golf Hammock

You have to know how to get to Mulligans to get to Mulligans. Here's the big clue: it's on a golf course, just up the road from Highlands Hammock State Park.

The specials on a recent day were the pastrami and swiss, the spinach salad with bacon dressing, and the Caliburger, which has a California influence, garnished with mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes. It's the lunch of the stars.

That's what Bob Schwenker and his partners, Chef Derek Grabski and grillmaster Scott Tucker do when they're not cooking in Sebring. Their day jobs are catering to film makers who shoot commercials, movies or TV shows in Florida. "Burn Notice" and "America's Most Wanted" are two examples. The wall of fame includes menus signed by Andre Agassi, Ed Harris and John Walsh.

The partners are from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, but Schwenker came here once to play golf and decided on a second home. Tucker also lives here now.

So, what's the best item on the menu? Customers - mostly dressed in shorts and golf shirts - can't get enough of the sausage, biscuits and gravy, Schwenker said. The secret ingredient is the hint of cumin. They also love the eggs Benedict.

The dinner menu touts the chicken breast, stuffed with cornbread, and topped with tarragon sauce. Fish eaters prefer the citrus glazed salmon. Sides include fried okra and curried cous cous.

Hours and hours

The Depot is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, and for breakfast and brunch on Saturday.

"We usually get out from about 3 or 4 o'clock every day, so we can stay up until about 9 at night," Devany said. "We made it this way so we can have somewhat of a family life."

But Devany and Hill unlock the door at 4 a.m. every morning, so that means a 12-hour day, and another eight hours on Saturdays. And then there are those catered events at night.

And that's the unlovely truth about restaurant life. The owners are married to the restaurant.

Devany and Hill have a rule, that one partner is always there. That allows one to leave.

A U.S. 27 location would have greater visibility. Do they think about relocating?

"Actually, we really haven't," Devany said, "because we own half the block down here. Those people on the highway are just paying outrageous leases, some of them $4,000 or $5,000 or $6,000 a month. We own the building. We have a 4,000 square-foot restaurant with no mortgage."

Worth trying

Good food is worth looking for, and it's not always in the glitz-and-neon restaurants. Among the dozens of cafes that aren't on

U.S. 27:

The Blue Crab825 N. Ridgewood, downtown Sebring

Chateau Elan, 150 Midway Dr., Sebring raceway

Galati's, 637 S. Commerce, downtown Sebring

J.R.'s Runway Cafe, 130 Authority Lane, Sebring airport

Jacaranda Hotel, 19 E. Main St., downtown Avon Park

James Brown BBQ, 423 E. Cornell St., Avon Park east

Jaxson's, 443 Lake June Road, Lake Placid

No Frills Grill, 1979 Placid Lake Blvd., Lake Placid

Sandy's Circle Cafe, 213 Circle Park, downtown Sebring

Schooni's Italian American, 209 N. Main, Lake Placid

Our readers say

Casita Mexican

Family Restaurant, Sun N' Lake

of Lake Placid

"They serve Mexican food daily, lunch and dinner.They have greatfood and really aim to please.They have worked very hard, especially since the golf course where they are situated closed.A large group from Sun N' Lake goes there monthly for dinner together. My absolute favorite dishthereis camarones del diablo, a shrimp dish,very spicy.My husband usuallygoes for a combination of two enchiladas and a taco. Or sometimes we each get a burrito. He gets chicken and I get shredded beef. - Joan and Willard Wegman

Olde Florida Raw Bar & Grill,

633 Lake June Road

Between the four of us, we eat chili, wings, raw oysters, clam chowder and pasta (it is similar to fettuccine). I am a picky eater, but I have tried their fried grouper and found it likeable. - Jerri Kaplan