Central Florida Foodie Etc... reviewing my personal encounters with food!

Not open for lunch... (Gringos Locos)

2010-02-01T13:52:00.000-05:00

well their hours on their website (http://eatgringos.com/menu.php) say open from 11-3 on Fridays...tried to go into ... closed...

has anyone else tried them during the day time? no luck?

::update:: 2/1/10
Finally was able to get my hands on one of their burritos at midnight during the week the past week. Taste? Pretty good, not too salty (salt sensitive) and I was kind of concerned it would taste like the food had been sitting their all day waiting to be eaten...but it wasn't that bad. There was no one else there on a Thursday evening at midnight, but I was thankful they were open b/c I was starving! Good alternative to after club pizza. I wish that more club goers were aware they are there! I asked them how their lunch rush was and they said it actually was very busy all at once. So that is good to hear. Sounds like they open up during high traffic times, which I guess makes sense, why waste sitting around when you will maybe get 1 or 2 customers during offpeak times. Overall good eats for times I don't want to venture too far from my doorstep ...and A++ for being open super late!

Smashburger coming to Orlando!

2010-01-05T15:38:00.006-05:00

20 Orlando Smashburgers over the next five years as reported by the Orlando Business Journal!

http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2010/01/04/daily10.html?ed=2010-01-05&ana=e_du_pub

Locations more middle america and out west, I wonder if it will be able to rival the existing chains and ma n pa burger joints in town!

Put one downtown in one of the vacant condo restaurant spots please!!!

http://www.smashburger.com

Another froyo joint... (Mochi)

2010-01-05T15:15:00.010-05:00

Have the froyo wars officially moved to the East Coast? About friggin time! The west coast has been in the middle of a war of sorts, yogurt wars! There is Red Mango, Cefiore, PinkBerry, and tons of other one off and less recognized franchises in California. Pull up a google map view of all the frozen yogurts and you will find tons of little dots all over the west coast and finally you might here in Central Florida as well!

Is it a trend? I don't think so, I love the stuff! Best thing is, you can't really buy it in the store. So you have to support the local joints in town and make your way into these places! Mochi has a couple of other locations Jacksonville and Gainesville. And where you find a Mochi, a Bento Cafe is not too far away either! Same owners? Perhaps, or maybe its just business partners. Who knows, but they know what they are doing. I would have to consider myself a froyo aficionado of sorts. I've had just about most of the froyo places in town (minus a couple of places in areas I don't venture often anymore). And I have had Pinkberry in Cali and a couple of other small franchises that exist out there. So far Pinkberry and Cefiore have been the highest ranking for my taste buds. The froyo wars began where it was counter service but the newest rage is self serve. Where a lot of places out on the west are converting to a selfserve style, some Orlando places have decided to open just as that.

Mochi is just that selfserve froyo, taste any that you'd like, put as much as you would like in a cup and top it off as you see fit. Weigh it, and at .45 cents and oz. You got yourself your own personal froyo! Do I like the concept? I could do without as I hate how many hands have been on those machines and touched all the spoons of the toppings. I do prefer the traditional counter service. But lets get to how this stuff tastes! My first visit to Tutti Frutti on Park ave, the yogurt was way too icey and bland. Not at Mochi! The yogurt was just the right tartness and creamy texture I had grown accustomed to.

Great stuff and even better that all I have to do is walk 5 minutes from my apartment to get some at most hours of the day or night! It is open till midnight during the week and 2am on Friday and Saturdays! I sure hope they continue these hours!

Take Mochi for a spin, or a tug/pull on their yogurt machines, you won't regret it!

Mochi
145 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 425-9797
http://www.mymochiyogurt.com/

Simple Sushi (Sushi Hatsu)

2010-01-05T14:50:00.006-05:00

Living in downtown Orlando, I have found myself visiting a lot more of the restaurants in the area. One in particular is not so far from my dwelling, Sushi Hatsu. I decided to try it on one of the recent too cold for Orlando nights.

Walking in, you notice it is a small quaint place. I almost feel like I walked into one of the million chinese/vietnamese/thai restaurants in San Francisco. There is a small sushi bar with a TV playing the Magic game. Score! Already a win in my book :) Sushi and the Magic game, I am a happy camper. We are greeted by the Sushi chef behind the counter and quickly greeted by our Waiter. Everyone looked Japanese, so I thought this had to be authentic! I ordered a hot water to warm myself up from the outdoor chill and looked over the menu. A very basic sushi menu, all the typical rolls, dynamite, dragon, philly, etc.. I decided to go with 2 house rolls, which was a salmon roll tempura fried and rerolled with roe (if I remember correctly). My date had 2 philly rolls. I am not a huge raw fish fan, so you may think this isn't a true sushi review. My date though loves his sushi and he felt that it tasted very fresh and was great for the price! My rolls were very good and the portions were great.

I love the small, ma n pa feel of the restaurant. I will definitely be back and recommend it for anyone in the area of a sushi fix!

Sushi Hatsu
24 East Washington Street
Orlando, FL 32801-2311
(407) 422-1551

Cup o Joe (Rock N Joe)

2009-12-29T23:47:00.004-05:00

Quick entry tonight, on my way to the Target in SODO, I wanted to give other coffee shops a try. I decided to try a cup of coffee at Rock n Joe's in Sodo. I walk in, no one in sight except about 3 customers reading and on their computers. So I check out the menu, I take about 30-45secs to see what I want. I walk around the front of the counter to peer through the back to see if any of the staff spot me. No one. I walk around the side for another view, no one. Hmmm ok about 2-3 minutes has passed by. Alright, guess they don't want my business? I walked out. You would think that places like these, newly opened joints in a less populated, less foot traffic area would die for customers. I mean as I walked to Rock N Joe's I was given a menu to OLV a new restaurant in SODO, and that made me look at the menu and want to go in the next time we go out for dinner.

Downtown Tacos (Mucho Tequila and Tacos)

2009-12-11T10:59:00.015-05:00

Checked out the newly opened Mucho Tequila and Tacos at the corner of S. Eola and Pine St. It is located across the former "Beacon" Restaurant and Bar newly named Imansion. To my amazement, Mucho was very nicely decorated....

insert proverbial record scratch sound clip

and this review was started after my first visit I went to Mucho...and the food was very good at that time.

BUT....... a group of us stopped in last night...around 9:40pm and was told to sit anywhere ....once a waitress came up to us...we were told the kitchen is closed......!!!! ok first of all why were we told to sit anywhere w/o a mention of the kitchen being closed FIRST....then we asked what time does the kitchen close? she said 10pm......um yea that is in 20minutes!

The food was good our first visit, but that type of service on our 2nd visit is something that will keep me from coming back....good luck to them... and the rest of their restaurant ventures that seem to be doing oh so well out in that area!

Edit:
Gave them another shot last night, while the food was excellent, we went back knowing they were apart of the buy local orlando program and as stated on the buylocal website, 15% off meal. It wasn't honored! They said you can try and come back another time and hopefully we can give a discount then!!! WTF? They offer something and then did not honor it, boo on them! Buy local should review Mucho's participation as that advertised discount is what got our group back in the door, false advertisement! If their computer couldn't do it, they should have thrown something in as good customer service...just a tip ;)

http://muchotequilaandtacos.com/index.asp
Mucho Tequila & Tacos
101 S. Eola, Orlando, Florida 32801
Phone: (407)-the worm or (407)-843-9676

roach coach burgers? am i crazy? (Junior's)

2009-12-11T10:39:00.011-05:00

Last night I was dragged to some roach coach that a few of my friends drive more than 45 min to have a burger at. They call it hamburguesa (Hamburger in Spanish). The appeal? Other than the exquisite furniture plastic lawn chairs, the burgers are served with crushed potato chips, some pineapple sauce and garlic ranch dressing all in one. Juniors also has Arepas, Shish Kabobs and Chorizo. The burgers were good, the bun was toasted and the crushed potato chips added a nice texture. Would I drive out of my way to make it to this place? Probably not, but if I were in the area and had a hankering, sure why not! The burgers were $5 and an Arepa was $4. Prices stayed around that mark.

The trailer is parked in a small food mart plaza, here is the google street view: http://tinyurl.com/yb9zhvb

Junior's aka Hamburguesa
5697 Vineland Road
Orlando, FL 32819

chili from champs

2009-12-01T12:48:00.003-05:00

the chili at champs across from the orlando public library downtown, win! super yum, thick, creamy and tasty!

sorry no pix cuz i ate it so fast it was so good!

Zeppoles! Rare finds in Orlando (Piper's Bar&Grill)

2009-11-30T13:48:00.006-05:00

Been a little slack on the foodie postings lately, so I thought I'd go back into my phone pictures and find some of memorable ones!

Zeppoles are a very simple Italian dessert and hard to find in Orlando! You would think any pizza place would serve this dish since it is pretty much deep fried pizza dough covered in powdered sugar! A good find and well done at what was once NYPD Pizzeria and now renamed to Piper's Bar & Grill, not sure if it is the same owners now, but hopefully they still serve this little indulgence!

boston market $1 meal! get it while it lasts!!!

2009-10-27T23:16:00.001-04:00

Cancun Cruise Food comes to Lake Mary? Nice try... (Carlos' n Charlie's)

2009-08-03T11:06:00.009-04:00

Last night we decided to try what is a common party restaurant so I am told when you visit Cozumel or any of the neighboring areas popular for cruises to stop at. Think TGI Friday's meets Mexico and you get Carlos' n Charlies. Why did they decide to stick this in the multi-failed location in the Lake Mary Colonial Town Park? You got me. I'm not sure on the time frames of opening to closing but in the past 3 years Austral and Ultra Luce both occupied this same location and didn't fare too well, lets hope Carlos'n Charlies doesn't have the same bad luck as those previous.

When you walk in you are greeted with the typical hostess, but your attention quickly is diverted behind them to the bar stools with not regular legs on a bar stool, but ladies legs in heels! Hahah this is absolutely hilarious to see a man sitting on these stools, definitely a chuckle! The place has a whimsical design with signs and random bits of just about anything everywhere (again a lot like TGIF).

We were sat down, but it took a good 5-7 min before our drink orders were taken, no huge deal (at least not yet...). Once our waitress came by for our drink orders and returned with our drinks, well mine was totally forgotten about and the draft beer that was ordered was flat. Double wammy! Ok, so she came back with my drink and something else for the blah beer. We placed an order for an appetizer, Queso Fundido. It's suppose to be 3 different cheeses, one with chorizo, one just the cheese and one with black beans. Now it would taste great except for the gummy texture and it had totally congealed. Ignoring that if you turned the cup upside down it would not move, we scooped some out on our flour tortillas and attempted to smear it on. It tasted ok, but would have been nice if it was a nice smooth cheese that just was hot and oozed. Maybe this is just how Mexican's like their queso? Who knows...

For my entree, I ordered Carne Asada tacos, well apparently I had to reiterate this about 4 times, haha. Usually I would get pretty annoyed and irritated at the fact they came to ask us 4 different times what we ordered and with what by 3 different people, but I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. I mean how can you remember what I ordered when the entire staff has to line dance to some song that comes on every hour n half. Yep, the staff will dance for you, for probably a whole 5 minutes, now this may be fun in the evening with a packed house of drunks, but during a 6pm dinner on a Sunday, eh, I think I'd rather have my food arrive at my table right the first time. Once they got their act together and my food came, it tasted pretty decent. Nothing spectacular, but I definitely could have gone with just the entree instead of an app as well. I was only able to finish 1 of my 3 tacos and packed the rest for home.

All in all, the place looks like a great place for a dinner party with a fun atmosphere where you aren't too concerned about the food and more so enjoy the entertainment. I am sure the mixed drinks are good, but we did not get to sample any of them. They have to make sure they are good if they want to try and compete for the loyalty of patrons who frequent neighboring restaurants Dexters and Liam Fitzpatrick's. Now there is another mexican themed restaurant opening soon as well owned by the same owners of Carlos'nCharlies, Vamonos Taqueria; I think this is suppose to be a fast casual version of Mexican food, think Moes/Chipotle/Qdoba-esque type place. Hopefully they will leave a better taste in my mouth than Carlos'nCharlies! I think a place like this is better suited on I-drive or maybe even downtown, but Lake Mary is too suburban.

Carlos' N Charlie's LLC
www.carlosandcharlies.com
951 Market Promenade Ave
Lake Mary, FL 32746-7616
(407) 333-3482

Solaire vs Aspire: Experiencing condo living in downtown orlando, florida

2009-07-27T13:44:00.007-04:00

Now having experienced moving in and out of two of the major highrises in Downtown Orlando, I am compelled to share my encounters with the public. Doing a quick google search, not much is to be found on reviews of living in these 2 highrises, Solaire at the Plaza and Aspire Apartments (Dynetech Centre Building).

I will rank the following 1-10 (10 being ideal, 1 less than desirable, photos to be added later)

Solaire at the Plaza(155 S. Court Ave, Orlando, FL 32801, Between Church St and Pine St)
-Moving In and Out, the most painful process...you are not allowed to reserve the freight elevator on Sundays, we were told this day is for emergencies only and that there is some city ordinance that you cannot move on sundays (BS!) Freight elevator reservations only can be done for Mon thru Sat in blocks of 2 hours between 8-5pm, no later! I paid rent to my landlord for a specific move in date, but since the management company had the freight elevator booked already for that day, I had to move in on a different day. Absolutely no flexibility here! During my move out, the freight elevator was broken, so not only were we not called about this inconvenience, but we were forced to use a regular elevator and transfer everything through the freight elevator, very annoying! Rank - 1

-Noise Level, it really isn't that bad. I had a city-view/pool side unit on a higher floor. Yes, I could hear latitudes DJ blaring music or wall street playing absurdly loud music that I could clearly have my own party by opening my balcony glass door. This is why you choose Solaire though right? It's pretty much the most convenient high-rise building that is near just about anything. Neighbor noise, nothing too terrible, I could occasionally hear hallway noise, but nothing that was not tolerable or unexpected. Rank - 8

-Other Solaire Tenants Like living a post-college lifestyle wishing you were still in college? This is the place to be! Frat boys in abundance! Tons of 20-30 somethings who now have enough excess cash to party it up most nights and bring the party home with them as well! If that isn't enough for you, you also have the occasional young family with children of all ages. And you also get some folks that are also in retirement just wanting convenient living and complain about noise and visitors, so make sure before choosing the unit you want to live in you do not have them as neighbors, otherwise plan to live in silence or deal with the wrath of complaints! Enjoy being trapped in an elevator with drunken folks where you never know what will happen, definitely makes living in Solaire exciting! Rank - 9

-Visitors in Solaire, The rule is 5 per tenant or else it has to be a registered party, turn in a guest list and then I believe you can have up to 12 per tenant in your unit. Each person has to be signed in OR if you are sneaky enough you can shuttle them in via the garage in your car and bypass the signing in process. Understand the reason behind the rules, keeps the building from overflowing and of course there is a max occupancy number they need to stay under. Rank - 3

-Everyday Conveniences and Perks, Definitely nice that you can be within a 5-10 minute walk of any type of restaurant around from a quick grub joint to fine dining. Walk to any night life establishment, whether it be a bar, pool/darts, movie theatre or swanky night club! The new orlando magic arena is a quick 10 minute walk! Drop your dry-cleaning off at the front desk, borrow a bellman cart to transport bigger items to your unit. Rank - 10

-Units in Solaire, I will give it to Solaire, they did do well on the design aspect of the actual units. I lived in a 1 bedroom, and I have seen quite a few of the 2 bedroom units and other layouts of 1 bedrooms. Curves in the soffets, exposed ductwork in some units, nice granite countertops, stainless appliances. I had the privilege of living in the largest 1 bedroom unit that was 862 sf, with a massive closet that was prob. 4Wx10Lx20H. None of their 1 bedrooms are fully enclosed with a door, instead they contain partial walls. In my unit it made great sense, the wall didn't split the window, and I had a complete full wall of floor to ceiling windows and provided a wide view of the city. My one gripe is the bathroom is in the bedroom, so if you had any guests, they would have to walk through your bedroom. The kitchen contained plenty of storage, the cabinets were upgraded to be taller than the average storage space and all were very deep.

The 2 bedroom units I believe are all corner units and look gorgeous, the few I have been in are all split floor plans and provide a wide view from any side of the building. The 2 bedroom layouts do have exposed duct work where my 1 bedroom did not. Rank - 9

The Staff at Solaire, For the most part the concierge staff is very approachable and willing to help with a smile, I did have issues with one person in particular that never seemed to smile, ask how I was or say much of anything or looked like they wanted to be there or help out. I am not sure how this person still works there, but they do. In the late hours, the concierge staff is no longer on duty and a security firm handles the over night staffing. They are pleasant as well and get to know the residents quite well, sometimes a little too well (ie flirting and asking very personal questions) but I guess the job can get boring except the occasional frat boy trying to bring 20 guests home with him or trying to fight with the security because he cannot bring his open container in or out of the building. Rank - 6 (average brought down by 1 bad apple)

The management at Solaire, well if you didn't get how the place is managed already based on the previous, then I might as well not even include this section! Let's just say Solaire has had 3 management companies in the past 2 years and the consensus with the tenants is that this is by far the worst of the 3. With tons of short sales and foreclosures in the building, HOA fees are not getting paid and that turns into maintenance coming in at a lower priority. Leaking ceilings, broken closet from poor installations, leaking windows are just to name a few of the issues that were not fixed in the entire time I was living there and still not fixed. Up until recently the hallways had no a/c. The elevators smell of animal urine. Rank - 4

Garage, there is a reason why they call it the nest, the twist and turns in the garage are not the easiest to zip through when in a rush, as told by the markings on the walls. Narrow steep driveways make it difficult to maneuver your car and never mind the other guests who are trying to park on the lower floors who are not tenants and just wanting to park for the theatre or the restaurants downstairs. They are new to the garage and are very slow for good reason b/c the garage is so difficult to figure out. Rank - 1

Amenities, the pool deck isn't very special, its your basic pool area and there are some nice side areas to grill at where you can reserve it with just a quick phone call. No sun after 5pm since the amenities floor is on 10 and is nestled between tall buildings. Rank -7

Aspire Apartments at the Dynetech Centre (111 E. Washington St., Orlando, FL 32801)
-Moving In and Out, By far and away the easiest process, you do have to reserve a time slot here, but since there are only 100+ units and currently at 90%+ capacity, not too many move-ins during the time of my move in. I reserved a time slot and even went over my allotted time and was not bothered at all. I also was able to use the freight elevator way into the hours of the night with just a simple phone call into the security desk! I was amazed at my phone calls at 11pm, midnight where I was pleasantly told not a problem and they would have the elevator ready for me and the gate up. Only thing I wish they had were the bellman carts that Solaire has on loan for residents, would have made things go a lot faster! Rank - 10

-Noise Level, nothing to complain about, you get the typical city noise ( I face the same direction as the unit I had in Solaire) . I have yet to see any post college graduates trying to continue their college experience into their late 30s. I will update this post if I encounter anything out of the ordinary! Rank - 10

-Other Aspire Tenants, haven't really seen many yet, as expected with 1/3 less possible tenants than Solaire (although I am sure Solaire is no where near 90% capacity as Aspire is), everyone appears to be very respectable towards security and I have yet to see again a frat boy trying to continue his college life and bring it home with him. Rank - 10

-Visitors in Aspire, you are allowed as many visitors in your unit as you would like (of course within reason and common sense), only 2 guests on the amenities deck otherwise you can rent out the clubhouse for $500 ($250 refundable) for up to 60 guests till 11pm. You do have to sign guests in at the security desk with an ID, but understandably. No issues here that are not expected! Rank - 9 (for the 2 guest limit at the amenities deck)

-Everyday Conveniences and Perks, not quite as close to some restaurants as solaire as there is only one restaurant occupied in Aspire (Tastings Wine bar) but still within a quick 5-10 minute walk there is plenty around. Lake Eola is a quick 2 minute walk and Solaire is a 4-5minute walk! Have not experienced Concierge service yet, but since this is considered an apartment and is managed by Lincoln Property Management, any maintenance is handled by them and is 24hours where emergencies are taken care of immediately and non emergencies are handled by priority level. Rank - 9

-Units in Aspire, Your typical highrise finishings are in this unit, granite countertops, stainless appliances (wish my fridge was a side by side and had a ice/water dispenser on the door). Tile and Carpet, all units have cherry wood cabinetry with stainless door pulls, cabinets are not upgraded height, but still a lot of storage space, pantry is also a good size. I would prefer a sunken sink rather than a sink that sits above the counter. Ceilings are unfinished drywall, there are doors in the 1 bedroom units. The bathroom stand up shower is a bit tiny and the white subway tile gives me that hotel feel. Bedroom closet isn't as massive as my Solaire unit, but its a decent size. There are odd structural pieces in my unit, random columns in my bedroom and balcony, but all my complaints are not deal breakers in my opinion. A small amount to spend on some furnishings to make it more homely and it will feel just like home! Rank -6

The Staff/Management at Aspire, All the staff has been pleasant to work with thus far, very patient and everyone appears to be on point with everything. No complaints everyone has met and exceeded my expectations. Rank - 10

Garage, well one would think after living in Solaire, the other highrise garages cannot be any worse. It isn't necessarily worse at Aspire, but its definitely not that much better. There is a steep incline to drive into and there is no overhead sensor to sense your card, you have to roll your window down and flash the card over the sensor, not quite as convenient as Solaire where you can press your avid on your windshield and it is detected. The exit requires a sharp turn and careful maneuvering as to not curb your wheel, but with practice you can get this down pact and you will make it close enough to flash your card to exit out. Parking is unassigned and I have not had an issue finding parking. Rank -7

Amenities, by far the nicest pool deck in all of downtown in my opinion, 29th floor amenities, including clubhouse, pool, jacuzzi, and fitness room. Clubhouse and Fitness room both over look Lake Eola and the Pool overlooks the city, gorgeous views everywhere! The entire 29th floor is amenities which is nice for residents as you are not bothering tenants on that floor. Rank - 10!

Overall with every pro and con, Aspire is definitely more desirable and both come into the same price range for similar unit sizes. Feel free to add comments to this post and I will update as I experience more at the Aspire!

forget propane, coal is where its at! (Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza)

2009-07-17T16:42:00.006-04:00

Ever thought of getting out that tailgater grill, throw some coals in it and toss a pizza on top? Well the founders of Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza had a similar vision, minus the tailgaiting. For most Floridian's who have yet to venture to New York for some of this commonly found coal-fired pizza, you might think who would want to bake a pizza over some coals? It is actually quite amazing, a new location recently opened up this past Wednesday and I didn't miss a beat to check it out! I let the madness of the first day opening pass and went on Thursday.

The restaurant is nestled in a newly built plaza which houses the largest Whole Foods in town(on Restaurant Row). We walk in and it seems like the staff doesn't realize we had just walked in so it took a few seconds for someone who was just waiting on a table to ask us if we were dining in. They sat us promptly and took our drink orders. We decided to start off with the Eggplant Marino. While eggplant is not one of my favorite veggies, I gave it a shot, it wasn't quite breaded to a crisp but was very very lightly breaded and topped with the same sauce you get on your pizza. The eggplant had a very light flavor and was nicely pared with some sliced bread. The pizza we ordered was a traditional, hold the basil. No shredded bagged mozzarella at this joint, everything on the pizza was fresh, even the cheese! And if you are wondering why I am so adamant about my cheese, is because you will not find unless you specify fresh mozzarella on a pizza most places in town! Their catch phrase is "Pizza Well Done!" and that it is, the crust is cooked to a crisp but not too tough to take a bite and it tastes great, the cheese just oozes and the sauce just is the perfect amount of zing, my mouth is watering as I type!

For an establishment that was barely opened 2 days, and pretty much had the service and food down pact, I definitely have to recommend anyone and everyone to come and take a bite for themselves!

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza
http://www.anthonyscoalfiredpizza.com/orlando.html
8031 Turkey Lake Road
Orlando, FL 32819
407-363-9466

Gripes with Realtors

2009-07-14T11:24:00.004-04:00

When did it become so easy for a realtor to provide information on a unit in a building, show it once to a potential renter, and then that potential renter is forever a client of theirs within that building?

Here is my piece of advice, don't EVER view a rental through a realtor by signing something. Find an ad on Craigslist, find out who the property managers are at the building then contact them directly. Cut out the middle man, but not only do you cut out the commission/finders fee that the developer/property managment would pay out to the realtor, but you have a stronger position to negotiate terms. And in no way am I being compensated by CORT, but using them as a referral (simply put CORT in the referral field) on your rent app. or a company very similar...and you the renter will be able to benefit in the form of gift cards! Unless a realtor offers you some sort of benefit for them representing you, it is pretty much worthless, they don't do any of the work, you found the ad that they posted on a public forum. If they never did this, you could easily call the building of your choice that you wished to reside in and find out the same information!

Have any thoughts? Leave a comment!

buylocalorlando.net - support local central florida establishments!

2009-06-23T16:17:00.002-04:00

sign up, it's free!

buylocalorlando.net support local establishments around town and save money while doing it!

some of the discounts:

Plaza Cinema Café
189 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, Florida 32801
321.558.2878
www.plazacinemacafe.com
50% off Admission

Planet Smoothie (Wall Street)
37 North Orange Avenue
Orlando, Florida 32801
321.297.8522
10% discount

Sam Flax Art & Drafting
1401 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida 32803
407.898.9785
www.samflaxsouth.com
10% off purchase when you show your Buy Local Orlando card

Sparky’s Pet Salon
145 East Pine Street
Orlando, Florida 32801
407.864.0015
www.sparkyspetsalon.com
First time clients receive free follow-up bath with purchase of first full groom.

NBA Playoffs...means less focus on food reviews ...

2009-05-28T13:08:00.001-04:00

sorry folks! but the nba playoffs are going on and i have had my mind elsewhere!

Go Magic! Let's close out tonight in Cleveland :D

battle of the fast food fried chicken! (bojangles' famous chicken 'n biscuits)

2009-04-23T11:16:00.006-04:00

Recently a new chain has made its way to Central Florida, and perhaps Florida as well. Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits. The first one in the area opened up in the East side of Orlando, and to a great welcoming of the locals. It has been open since April 18th and there has been nothing but lines out of the door and lines down the street for the drive through.

Looking at the menu, there is just so much to order from. I was told that the Bo Berry biscuits are a must get, so that was first on my order. Blueberrys baked within their famous biscuits drizzled with a sweet frosting, who could pass this up. Next, I had to think about the main meal, I decided to go with their 2 pc meal (leg and thigh) with mac and cheese as a side and a biscuit! The breading was slightly spicey and the chicken was quite moist. Definitely worlds apart from KFC's fare. The bo berry biscuits were absolutely no dissapointment, so much so just by having them, left my tablemate to order his own pair of biscuits!

All in all, great place for some southern fast food fried chicken 'n biscuits! Oh and the great thing is that breakfast is served all day long, another plus! Check the place out, plans are to open two new stores each year for the coming four years in Orange, Seminole and in Volusia counties.

Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits
http://www.bojanglesflorida.com
11291 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32817

Better fish in the sea (Boston's Fish House)

2009-04-20T11:08:00.005-04:00

Got a call to meet some friends at Boston's Fish House this past weekend, none of us have ever been, but have heard great things about the place. I was excited to get a chance to see what the buzz was all about. When we got there there was a line wrapped around the place, so much so that the guy letting diners in, told us we needed to wrap around the corner instead of extending the line out straight. We arrived at about 8pm and we probably ended up in the door around 8:30 only to find ourselves at a ride in disney line, another 10 min or so of line and we were able to order. A fast casual setup, order first & pay, get seated and then served. We were probably served within another 10-15min of sitting down.

I ordered a 9oz serving of catfish broiled with garlic white wine sauce. Sounded great, executed poorly. The fish tasted over cooked and dry and barely had any taste of garlic at all. I asked the waiter for some lemons so I could drizzle it over my catfish to give it some sort of taste. It semi-remedied the taste factor, but nothing could fix the overcooked rubbery dry fish. I had mashed potatoes and squash as my sides, and those probably tasted way better than the main entree. The one good thing was portion, had the fish tasted better, I could have probably finished my meal. I tasted one of the other meals that was ordered at our table which was the Maine Shrimp. The shrimp tasted gummy as well, I figured it wasn't a fluke that my meal was overcooked and it was just their style of cooking. Total thumbs down from me.

For a place where the wait to order was 45min it had to be a good place I thought! I've had better seafood at the now closed Dixie Crossroads on I-drive at Festival Bay or at City Fish in Thornton Park. I might give it one more shot, I mean why do all the locals keep coming back to a place of overcooked rubbery seafood? Maybe the desserts are better...? We will see next time!

Boston's Fish House
bostonsfishhouse.com
6860 Aloma Ave, Winter Park
(407) 678-2107

Another Burger Review (Five Guys)

2009-04-14T15:53:00.004-04:00

a friend of mine visited Five Guys in baldwin park for the first time, figured since i have not posted a review in a few...this will have to hold you guys over!

http://www.chrislauonline.com/2009/04/14/five-guys-burger/

Five Guys Burgers & Fries
4821 New Broad St, Orlando
(407) 219-3366

UNDO SEND now available on GMAIL!!!

2009-03-24T20:57:00.002-04:00

first random bit on my blog that is nonfood related! im pretty stoked about it...

according to: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-in-labs-undo-send.html

google now allows you to: "Turn on Undo Send in Gmail Labs under Settings, and you’ll see a new “Undo” link on every sent mail confirmation. Click “Undo,” and we’ll grab the message before it’s sent and take you right back to compose."

saweeeeeet

best froyo evAr (cefiore)

2009-03-19T14:16:00.003-04:00

All I can say is, thank goodness we finally got froyo in Orlando. By far the best of the 3 current known options (cefiore, gurtzberry, sweets). My favorite flavor, Acai (they also have original, rasberry pomegranate, ghirardelli chocolate, green tea, acerola cherry). The flavors alternate, but almost always is acai and original always available!

I am addicted, plain as that, I way prefer it over icecream and not to mention it is fat free! woohoo!!!

cefiore.com
2104 Edgewater Drive
Orlando, FL
(407) 648-8247‎‎

BEST burger in CF! (johhny's fillin' station)

2009-03-19T12:05:00.001-04:00

Tucked away in the Michigan Ave area, recently dubbed the sodo district (south downtown) is a biker bar that has always held the blue ribbon prize of burger aficionados in the area. The place is called Johnny's Fillin' Station and has been holding it's own since 1985, where it began just as a lil ol lemonade stand. Remember the days when you would sell lemonade for a quarter out on your driveway? Well the founders took that idea and ran with it and boy did that pay off!

Let's get to the 'meat' of this review! A regular cheeseburger with provalone, onion rings, and fries were on the order. Appz were half price on Monday, so we splurged and got the onion rings, fries and potato skins (not pictured, because we ate them too fast!). The burger was cooked to perfection, medium just like I asked, and the bun was ever so slightly toasted just enough to get that soft texture of the bun but a crisp as you near the bite into the meat. This is where I fell in love with onion rings, no where else has yet to do onion rings the way Johnny's has. Whatever they do to them, stills my heart ;) haha. And the fries were so golden and perfectly fried, who could resist! Everything was done so well and always consistent! ALWAYS recommend this place to anyone looking for the best burger in town!

Johnny's Fillin Station
2607 S Ferncreek Ave
Orlando, FL 32806
(407) 896-0617

www.johnnysfillinstation.com

February Foodie Wrap up!

2009-03-08T23:22:00.013-04:00

Kinda fell behind in the whole food review thing, so im going to do an all in one review of some of the places I was able to get to last month.

Every Sunday at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando, there is a Farmers Market until about 4pm and there is french quiche booth that had these pastries that I absolutely love. I went to France back in I think 2001 and loved waking up every morning and going to the patisserie, so I had to snag up a strawberry tart when I saw this booth! It was definitely a yum, try it out and you will see!

Lake Eola's Farmers Market
101 N Rosalind Ave

Orlando, FL 32801

(407) 246-2827

cityoforlando.net

Next up is Bikkuri Sushi on E.Colonial/SR 50 in the Little Saigon area of Orlando. I have been quite a few times, but this time I thought I'd try the Chicken Katsu Udon Noodle Soup, as I love the one at Bento (Downtown Orlando). Wasn't too big a fan of the udon soup at Bikkuri, I think they had too many carrots in their broth, it had too much of a sweet taste rather a salty taste. Definitely have had better dishes at Bikkuri, love the chicken curry and rice and the sushi is great as well at Bikkuri. I could not pass up dessert! I got the fried bananas and ice cream and it was a great treat to have, and big enough to share which is exactly what I did! Yum!

Bikkuri Sushi
1915 E Colonial Dr.

Orlando, FL 32803

(407) 894-4494

bikkurisushi.com‎

A new wing place has been popping up around town called Hurricane Wings. For work one day, I was craving some hot wings, so I googled some wing places nearby and pleasantly found a new place and figured I'd give it a try! It was definitely a nice atmosphere walking into Hurricane's a very clean and chill atmosphere. You feel like you stepped on the side of a dock where there is a local food shack, and you forget you are in metrowest, haha. The packaging was very impressive, I do love my boxes! And for wings, I like that their are air holes to prevent steaming the wings to soggy, yuck! Everything tasted great, no complaints!

Hurricane Grill & Wings

‎

3120 South Kirkman Road
Orlando, FL
(407) 297-9770‎‎

Metro Espresso Pizza Cafe in Thornton park is a great place to get a quick pie. My significant other and I love nothing better than marinara and fresh buffalo mozzarella melted to perfection on a pizza. While the waitress was hesitant to serve this delictable combination, after asking her boss, he pleasantly served us just what we wanted! And it came out superb, perfect crisp to the crust and perfectly melted not too much, not too little. The sauce tasted great too, not too salty! Definitely will be coming back for this favorite of ours!

Metro Espresso Pizza Cafe

417 E Central Blvd
Orlando, FL
‎ (407) 422-5282
‎

sorry for no new reviews...

2009-02-26T22:08:00.001-05:00

but i have a ton lined up that i need to review ... i may just do a bulk review and do a few pix and one liners :P... stay tuned!

more bogo's! (ruby tuesday)

2009-02-19T13:08:00.005-05:00

Times are tough, why not enjoy another bogo! Ruby Tuesday is now offering though March 24...a bogo! get it! more info: http://soconnectedclub.rubytuesday.com/hostedemail/email.htm?h=a0fa406fd183f1c965c61d9cd41347db&CID=&ch=