Meltz

check out reviews of the new Meltz, grilled cheese restaurant in downtown Orlando http://www.yelp.com/biz/meltz-orlando

Beer Pairing Dinner at B&B Junction Winter Park with Cigar City

@CigarCityBeer + @BB_Junction beer dinner pairing Tuesday, December 10th, 2013.

Winter Park farm to table Burger Joint B&B Junction is pairing up with Cigar City beers for a beer pairing dinner, Tuesday December 10th at

30 spots available call 407-513-4134.

They are located at 2103 West Fairbanks Ave in Winter Park, FL in the old 4 Rivers space near I-4.

Dinner will include gnocchi, duck confit, bourbon-bacon glazed donuts, mussels, red snapper.

$40 a person you will also get to meet the brewer.

John Rivers book signing in Winter Park

John Rivers of 4 Rivers Smokehouse will be hosting a book signing and interactive cooking demonstration for his new cookbook, The Southern Cowboy, at the Williams-Sonoma in Winter Park.
 
The cookbook will be available for purchase for $28.99 - cash or credit card is accepted. Recipe cards and tips by John Rivers will be available.
 
Date: Saturday, December 14, 2013
Time: 12 – 2 p.m.
Location: Williams-Sonoma | Winter Park
142 South Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL

Complete List of Active Orlando Food Trucks

Orlando Food Trucks

Truck Name	Website	Twitter	Facebook
(Sam's) Fantastic Hummus Truck	Website	Twitter	Facebook
5 Gastronomy	Website	Twitter	Facebook
After Party			Facebook
All Things Sweet	Website		Facebook
Allan’s Jerk Shack			Facebook
Arepas El Cacao	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Arepas El Gran Saman
Beard Papa’s	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Bem Bom	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Big Wheel Provisions Truck	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Biker George			Facebook
C&S Brisket Bus		Twitter
Cafe Cocoa Mo	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Café Rouge Express	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Caro-Bama BBQ		Twitter
Casa de Chef			Facebook
Charlie's Bakery	Website		Facebook
Cheesesteak Phactory
Chillin N Grillin
Chimi King Chimichurris			Facebook
CityEatsTruck		Twitter
Claw Daddy
Cluster Funk		Twitter
Coffee Urge	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Comida Latina
Country Chuck Wagon
Cowboy Jims Cookies
Crabby Chris
Croutons Catering
Curbie's Sidewalk Café	Website		Facebook
Curbside Chef	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Darland Bakery	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Dimples Delights	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Dixieland Diner	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Dominican Chimi
El Arepaso de Orlando
El Brazero Taco Truck			Facebook
El Cubanito
El Fogon De Abuela
El Nuevo Tun Tun
El Punto De Tripletas
El Sabor De La Vida Tacos
El Taco Loco
Fat Daddy's BBQ	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Fire House BBQ	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Fork in the Road	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Frank's Bar BQ Food Truck
Fro2Go Truck		Twitter
Gastro-Truck		Twitter
Gator Country BBQ			Facebook
Gourmet French Fries
Honey Dripper & Co.		Twitter
Hook 'Em N Cook 'Em		Twitter	Facebook
Ice Cream Social
It's All Greek to Me	Website	Twitter	Facebook
James Evens BBQ Truck
Juancho's Grill
K Burgers		Twitter
Kalbi Haus (Hau5?)		Twitter	Facebook
Kona Dog		Twitter
Kona Ice
Korean BBQ Taco Box	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Kuko Christian Food Truck
La Empanada		Twitter
La Parada Caribena
La Pelotera Food Truck	Website	Twitter	Facebook
La Tripleta Subs			Facebook
Las 4 Estaciones Orlando			Facebook
Lechonera Mario (a.k.a. Lechonera Mi Pequeño Piñones)
Live Love Eat on wheels	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Local Yolk'l	Website	Twitter	Facebook
London Fish & Chippy
Los Magnificos Frituras	Website		Facebook
Louie’s Bistro		Twitter
Magic 4 Ur Palate	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Mamas Fixins		Twitter
Melissas Chicken & Waffles		Twitter
Mi Casita
Monsta Lobsta		Twitter
Mr Softee	Website		Facebook
Muse Gelato
Mustache Mikes Italian Ice	Website		Facebook
N.Y. Pizza Wheels			Facebook
Niffty Fiffty Diner
Old School Coffee Stop
One Love Kitchen			Facebook
Over Rice		Twitter	Facebook
Pastrami Project
Philly's Best	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Pinones En Orlando
Posh Nosh	Website
Pupuseria Flores	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Pure Mobile Café		Twitter
Que Rico Colombian		Twitter
Rubios Baja Grill			Facebook
Sabai Sabai Mobile Thai	Website	Twitter
Saigon Sizzle	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Sam's Fantastic Hummus Truck	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Shred-A-Bowls	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Soup to Nuts		Twitter	Facebook
St. Cloud BBQ Shack
Stay Calm Cupcake	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Sunset Ice		Twitter
Sushi & Seoul On The Roll		Twitter	Facebook
Swat Truck	Website	Twitter	Facebook
swedeDISH Food Truck	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Sweet City Gelato	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Tastebuds Catering	Website	Twitter	Facebook
The Big Cheese	Website		Facebook
The Brisket Bus	Website	Twitter	Facebook
The Crepe Company	Website	Twitter	Facebook
The London Fish and Chippy			Facebook
The Pastrami Project	Website	Twitter	Facebook
The Pelao
The Swat Truck	Website		Facebook
The Taco Company (The Taco Truck)
The Whip	Website	Twitter	Facebook
TJ's Seafood	Website	Twitter
Travelling Gourmet		Twitter
TreeHouse Truck	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Tubby's Ice Cream
Tuk Tuk	Website		Facebook
Twisted Cuban	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Uncle Jones BBQ Truck
Up In Smoke BBQ / Rib King			Facebook
Voodoo Kitchen	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Waco Taco	Website	Twitter	Facebook
Yum Yum Cupcake Truck	Website	Twitter	Facebook

Scratch Tapas Winter Park

A new Tapas bar has opened in Winter Park on Fairbanks across from the recently closed Shipyard brewpub. It's called Scratch Tapas and it bills itself as: "A Modern-American Tapas Restaurant, which emphasizes fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. We specialize in craft beer, microbrews, and fine wines both domestic and imported."

Here are some listings from their Fall Menu:

-breads & spreads        5
-olives, charred sweet chiles, roasted garlic bread        7
-sunflower sprouts, pea tendrils, sunchoke puree, garlic chips vinaigrette        8
-artisanal cheese, plum jam, berries & grapes        12
-roasted beets, hazelnuts, orange, rocket, raspberries        9
-pork belly adobo, calamansi, micro cilantro, carrot puree, black rice, scallions 11
-florida shrimp, celeraic polenta, mushrooms, black garlic, micro kale, veal jus       10
-coconut curry steamed mussels, lime, corn, toast      8
- ahi, blood navels, orange foam, cilantro, florida sea salt         11
-chocolate torte      7


They are open 5pm and 2am Tuesday - Saturday, and 5pm till midnight on Sunday.  It'll be nice to have some late night options other than fast food in the area.



https://twitter.com/scratchtapas

http://www.facebook.com/scratchtapas

223 West Fairbanks Ave Winterpark, FL 32789

(407) 325-5165

scratchtapas@gmail.com

 Here are some pics they posted on their twitter. Very Impressive!

Menu Board

chocolate torte with torches caramel

shrimp, celeriac polenta mushrooms micro kale black garlic

Beet Salad

pork belly adobo, cilantro, scallions, calamansi, carrot purée

Ravenous Pig Holiday Roast

 

Ravenous Pig Holiday Roast

 

Join Ravenous Pig on Saturday, December 7th for their Holiday Roast

They will be offering a delicious plate of house-made ham, sweet potato puree, roasted brussel sprouts, caramelized apples and a seasonal dessert.

 

11:30 am - 2:00 pm

 

$17/Per Person

$5 Draught Beers

 

Mark your calendars for their Traditional Roast on Monday, December 30th

4 Rivers Cookbook

THE SOUTHERN COWBOY COOKBOOK SIGNINGS: NOVEMBER

The Southern Cowboy, the first cookbook written and curated by Chef-Owner John Rivers of 4 Rivers Smokehouse is set to hit shelves on November 1. Featuring more than 80 recipes accompanied by personalized anecdotes, the 217 page cookbook reveals the story of a corporate pharmaceutical executive who turned his passion for smoking and grilling into a “barbecue ministry.” The digital e-book, available online here for viewing.

A signed copy of The Southern Cowboy will be available for $28.99 (plus tax) at cookbook signings beginning November 8 in North Florida and will conclude in Winter Garden on November 23.  Books are available for pre-order and online order here. Each signing will feature a Thanksgiving carving and tasting station with 4 Rivers Smokehouse’s mail-order Smoked Turkey, which is also featured in the Thanksgiving chapter of The Southern Cowboy. 

The Southern Cowboy Cookbook Signing Schedule:

Friday, November 8, 2013

Jacksonville: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Gainesville: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Longwood from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Winter Park from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Winter Garden from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

East End Market

After what seemed like 2 years of construction The East End Market(link) has finally opened. This place is absolutely wonderful. Great collection of local food vendors. The brains behind The East End Market really care about supporting local vendors, goods and the local community.

Floorplan

There are a number of vendors, 10 I believe. Cheese shop, La Femme du Fromage; Seafood & Spanish provisions, La Brexta; Skyebird experimental juice bar; Bakery, Olde Hearth bread company; Produce and local meats, Local Roots; Hot sauce/sandwiches and soups, Houndstooth; Italian desserts and dishes, Fatto en Casa; Coffee bar, Lineage Roasting. There are also a couple other vendors that don't sell food, one sells decorative plants, Porch Therapy and another called Olde design.

Lineage Roasting Pour Over Coffee

Skyebird Experimental Juice Bar

Femme Du Fromage Cheese Styles Menu

Femme Du Fromage

Fatto in Casa

La Brexta Spanish Provisions

La Brexta Spanish Provisions

La Brexta Spanish Chorizo

La Brexta Spanish Provisions

Houndstooth

Local Roots

Olde Hearth Bakery

Out front the market has a massive vegetable garden with lettuce, beans, peppers and much more.

East End Market is a gift to our city and it and the vendors deserve your patronage, go there ASAP and buy lots of food and goods.

In the future the market will be adding a Basque restaurant called Txokos from Chef Henry Salgado of the amazing Spanish River Grill in New Smyrna Beach.

Links to Vendors:
Skyebird:
http://skyebird.com/
http://www.facebook.com/skyebirdorganic
https://twitter.com/SkyebirdOrganic

La Femme du Fromage:
http://www.lafemmedufromage.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lafemmedufromage
https://twitter.com/LaFemDuFromage

Local Roots:
http://www.localrootsdistribution.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Local-Roots-All-Florida-All-Year/144799755597237

Houndstooth Sauce Company:
http://www.houndstoothsauces.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HoundstoothSauceCo
https://twitter.com/HT_Sauce_Co

Lineage Coffee Roasting:
http://lineageroasting.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LineageRoasting
https://twitter.com/lineageroasting

Fatto en Casa
http://fattoincasa.us/

Olde Hearth Bakery:
http://oldehearthbreadcompany.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OldeHearthBread
https://twitter.com/oldehearthbread



The market will also be having regular food events and classes, details here: http://eastendmkt.com/events-classes/

Location: 3201 Corrine Dr. Orlando, FL 32803 across from Blue Bird Bakery.

Get Directions
Or, take the Lynx Bus line 313 for Winter Park. The Corrine Drive stop is in front of East End Market. Check the route schedule for times.

Hours are:

Tues-Sat 10a-7p 

 Sun 11a-6p

Eastside Asian Market

http://orlandoweekly.com/dining/eastside-asian-market-serves-vegan-dishes-at-the-expressway-s-end-1.1565429

Eastside Asian Market

"Near UCF/Avalon Park a new Asian market has popped up, with a nifty little vegan cafe tucked away inside. Ramen prepared while you shop!" VIA ORLANDO WEEKLY

http://eastsideasianmarket.com/

Eastside Asian Market

12950 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL ‎ (407) 615-8881 ‎ ·

Just East of 408 by Winn Dixie

Trucks & Tech II : Trucktoberfest

https://www.facebook.com/events/633501336674659/

Trucks & Tech is a mashup between two cultures - foodies and techies. Trucks & Tech II will be an Oktoberfest themed event featuring German inspired food from each food truck - participants are encouraged to come in costume. The event will be held on October 17th at 6:00pm at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando, Florida. It will feature some of Orlando's best food trucks along with technology discussion, demonstrations and all new Startup Alley.

http://trucksandtech.com/ 

Food Trucks will include

• SWAT Truck
• 

  Dixieland Diner
• 

  swedeDISH

• 

  Melissa’s Chicken and Waffles
• 

  The Crepe Company
• 

  Soup to Nuts

   

   

Fish Out of Water Food Truck is Now called Sushi & Seoul On The Roll

Popular Sushi Food Truck Re-brands with New Name and New Items--Fish Out of Water is Now Sushi & Seoul On The Roll

Orlando--After over two successful years serving the communities of Orlando including an Orlando Weekly ‘Best of Orlando’--Best Food Truck win in 2013, sushi chef and food truck entrepreneur Al Ruiz has unveiled his latest in gourmet street fare.

“For over 2 years Fish Out Of Water Sushi Truck has experienced great success thanks to the people of Orlando. I have grown as a chef and with the help of talented chef and friend Lino Yi, I wanted to bring even more exciting food to Orlando’s streets.” said Ruiz.


“It's time to keep the vibe fresh and rebrand ourselves as we showcase our expanded offerings including ‘Truck Ramen’ and ‘Pork Belly Donuts,‘  I’m excited to announce our new name and a new logo - Sushi & Seoul On The Roll,” continued Ruiz.

With upward of 100 trucks and carts, Orlando’s street fare food scene continues to flourish.

To find out where you can find Sushi & Seoul On The Roll Food Truck and grab a steamed pork bun, a specialty roll or Tuna Tataki, you can find them on Facebook(LINK) and on Twitter (LINK).

Swine Hour at The Ravenous Pig

Swine Hour starts next week at The Ravenous Pig, happy hour features signature cocktails, draft beers, champagne and wine specials served with a delicious selection of appetizers. Starts Friday, October 18 at 4:30 p.m

Swine Hour at The Ravenous Pig

Tuesday - Friday

4:30 - 6 p.m. 

$4 Draft Beers, $4 House Champagne, $7 Wine, $8 Cocktails 

BLT Biscuits 4.
tomato jam, house bacon, gruyere biscuits

House-made Soft Pretzels 5.
whole grain mustard, taleggio-porter fondue

Stuffed Dates 6.
goat cheese, speck ham, vincotto

The Snack Board 8.
chef’s selection

The Crooked Spoon

Several months ago, Chef Steve Saelg shut down his very successful food truck, The Crooked Spoon, which served gourmet dishes and desserts to the Orlando community for 2+ years. His reason? He was planning to open a restaurant in Clermont that would offer the truck's dishes - and much more - this summer. His dream officially came to fruition on September 11, 2013 as the restaurant (200 Citrus Boulevard in Clermont, FL) held its official grand opening.

I have been an avid fan and supporter of Chef Saelg's culinary creations since spring 2011 and thus was obligated to make the trip to Clermont yesterday to see the restaurant in person. It is quite a trek from Longwood to Clermont, but after just a few bites of food here I decided that making the trip was a worthwhile investment.

For lunch, I ordered my personal favorite from The Crooked Spoon's food truck days: the 420 Burger ($12; see below). It was at least as excellent as the 420s I've had in the past and perhaps was even better, perhaps as a result of Chef Saelg now having a whole kitchen with which to work. This burger really hit the spot; if you're a burger aficionado, this one is not to be missed. The candied bacon and pineapple relish perfectly mix with the delicious Florida Angus beef, melted Swiss cheese, honey mustard aioli and fried onion ring. The brioche bun is another highlight; I'm unsure if Chef Saelg used bread from the Old Hearth Bread Company for his burgers in the past, or if his burgers' buns now are from that company, but the ones he now uses definitely are similar in quality (read: amazing!). I'm not much of a meat-eater but this burger is, at least for me, very difficult to resist. I also can highly recommend The Crooked Spoon Burger ($12) and, to a slightly lesser extent, the Cocoa and Coffee Burger (also $12). (I had the latter only once, perhaps in 2011 or 2012, but I did enjoy it.)

The restaurant's interior is designed very well, in my opinion; there is a spacious bar area offering roughly 20 draft beers, at least one liquor station and a wine section. There is ample seating space both at the bar and next to it, as well as in the main dining area. I noticed maybe a half dozen televisions inside the restaurant. Several more are outside in a covered/shaded area, which I'm sure will be a big hit when the weather is a little bit cooler. Pictures of the aforementioned areas are below.

The menu (below) is extensive and offers such popular items from the food truck as the Cranberry Turkey Sandwich and the 6-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese. In addition to the regular menu, there also are at least two chalkboards in the restaurant that list such special items as fish tacos and fresh seafood, as well as an assortment of sides and appetizers. The 6-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese (last picture below) is excellent; I used to get that from the truck a lot and even brought home an order of it yesterday. I devoured it for dinner. It was great!

One piece of advice I have is to, in the event that you're having a beer/cocktail/glass of wine, ask about the beverage prices prior to ordering one. The beer I had with my lunch was $8, and I did not know that until I received my bill. Perhaps there will be a beer/drink menu with individual prices soon enough, but as of yesterday I did not see one, nor did my server provide me with one. I arguably would have ordered a different beer or beverage had I known what I ordered was $8. I'm not complaining, really, since my beer was delicious and was what I was expecting, but I likely would have ordered something in the $5-$6 range in most cases.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with my experience at the restaurant. I never had a bad experience or any bad food from the truck during any of my visits to it, and that carried over to yesterday. Chef Saelg, to me, is at the top of his game and any shortcomings that the restaurant has or will have (whatever they may be, they are likely to be minor) will be addressed. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in and around Clermont, as well as to anyone in and around downtown Orlando who are willing to make a moderate trip to Clermont for some unique, delicious food. If you've had food from the truck before, you know what you're getting. If you're new to The Crooked Spoon's food, then welcome!

Magical Dining Month 2013 at Luma

Famed Winter Park restaurant Luma is one of the featured restaurants for Magical Dining Month which runs throughout the month of September. We recently attended a preview dinner for the 3 course prix fixe meal that will be offered for $33. Below is the Menu and some of the selections.

3 Course prix fixe menu

Vidalia onion eggplant soup with pimenton on creme fraiche and chive

Ashley Farms Chicken breast - Rabbit Run Farms Pole Beans, baby fennel, currants, marcona almonds, salsa verde

Pompano Beach swordfish forbidden black rice Anson mills red sea peas, Serrano butter sauce, pickled sweet peppers

Crispy grit cake with royal red pickled shrimp, tasso ham, green tomato chutney

Lemon olive oil cake. Cherry compote, lemon curd, house made vanilla ice cream

Malted sponge cake. Peanut caramel, milk chocolate cremosa, Maldon salt.