There’s almost a Vegetarian Indian District in the OBT/Florida Mall area, topped off with an Indian grocery in the same area. I have yet to try them all, but I’ve heard it’s certainly worth checking out. Two bonus reviews for you too, one by I-Drive and Kirkman and the other in East Orlando near UCF.

Indian Food

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1. Woodlands Indian Cuisine

I often go for a sampler, about $16, which features small bowls of different sauces, soups and even a dessert, along with a bit of rice, some flat bread and a few appetizers – including a veggie and potato Somosa, yum! The other popular choice for us are called Dosas, which are giant pancakes/crepes with some filling, normally potato, rolled inside. They always bring a pitcher of water to the table, and be ready for some spicy food. You can request different levels of heat for some dishes.

I first heard about Woodlands from some vegetarian/vegan friends of mine. I have been seeking out veggie places lately, because it lets me know I have a city that is tolerant of different lifestyles, and it proves I don’t have to move somewhere else to get access to other cultures. This restaurant is not decorated very lavishly, unless you count the lemon and chili peppers hanging by the front door. Right off of north OBT, easy to get to, and always good service, and a staff who is used to helping us Americans figure out what we should order.

2. Udipi Café

Head here for the lunch buffet. Completely worth your time. They even have a dish on the buffet that resembles “Sloppy Joe”, but it’s made with some meat substitute, and still served on a plain hamburger bun. Every buffet comes with a giant Dosa pancake/crepe filled with potato and vegetable – delicious. The food is all vegetarian. (hint: Udipi is a region of India that is known for vegetarian food) Would definitely come here again, despite the fact that it’s almost up in Longwood, which is not close to my home. Hopefully I’ll have a good excuse to go again soon!

3. Khasiyat Indian Restaurant

The interior (and exterior) is not all that interesting, but they do have a a few things going for them. The service was pretty delightful. We saw a large family who must have been visiting the theme parks, and made the trip all the way out to this neighborhood for a taste of home. I’m also going to assume they might have been vegetarian, which can be a challenge at the local theme parks, unless you like salad. After having been to a few other vegetarian places in town, Khasiyat held few surprises, but they did sport a television with music videos and other Bollywood gems.

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It’s not just humans getting into the mix, either. Puppets and Monsters are sure to appear during the hour organized by Brian’s wife, a member of a local performance group called Thunderhag & the Thunderland Orchestra.

If you’re not able to make it downtown, or you’re house-bound, Brian will be Tweeting and Live-streaming pretty much every major (or minor) event during the week.

There are lots of watercolor drawings and slideshows with maps available on the City of Orlando’s website. They have a page with a few downloadable documents created that outline the gentrification of Parramore, creating lots of “party curb” streets (so drunk people don’t trip?), and making greater use of parks and public spaces. They also want to make sure the venues and other city buildings are “good neighbors”, whatever that means.

If you want to hear this BS in person, they’re having an event on Monday at City Hall. It seems to be open invite, so if you care about the future of downtown, make some time in your schedule for this.

Creative Village event March 22nd

If I’m allowed to videotape, the meeting will show up on our Watch Live page.

As we have people visit, we’ve started to compile a list of activities (some are mega-touristy) and restaurants that we can recommend to everyone. Here they are, in no particular order:

• The Wine Room
• Disney’s Animal Kindgom
• Cafe Tu Tu Tango
• White Wolf Cafe
• Funky Monkey Wine Co
• El Coqui Mexicano
• Gatorland Zoo (Go Orlando Card)
• Sky Venture Orlando
• Florida Ecosafaris Zip Line (Go Orlando Card)
• A Day Away Kayaks – Bioluminescent Night Kayak Trip
• Blue Man Group Orlando
• SAK Improv Comedy Lab
• Sea World Orlando
• Wild Willy’s Airboat Rides
• Bok Tower and Gardens
• Manatee watching at Blue Springs (cold weather months)
• The Old Spanish Sugar Mill Pancake House, DeLeon Springs
• Disney Hollywood Studios (formery MGM)
• The Ravenous Pig
• Hamburger Mary’s Hambingo (Gay Bingo, Tuesday Night)
• Farris and Foster’s Chocolate Date Night
• Leu Gardens
• Kennedy Space Center (Go Orlando Card)

Note: links to Go Orlando Card are part of an affiliate program.

Every month, downtown Orlando galleries open their doors for a new art exhibition called Third Thursdays. Mark parks the Mobile Art Show in front of CityArts Factory on the corner of Pine Street and Orange Avenue.