New Restaurants April 2017

What are your favorite or least favorite new restaurants and other food related businesses?



Here are some new places that look interesting:


Big Kahuna Poke bowls on Tuskawilla, https://www.yelp.com/biz/big-kahunas-island-style-bowls-winter-springs

Tin and Tacos: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tin-and-taco-orlando

Omelet Bar: https://www.yelp.com/biz/omelet-bar-orlando

Capsized Kitchen: https://www.yelp.com/biz/capsized-kitchen-orlando

Reel Fish: https://www.yelp.com/biz/reel-fish-coastal-kitchen-bar-winter-park

Mesa 21: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mesa-21-orlando

Florida Film Festival 2017

The Florida Film Festival will be held Friday April 21st-Sunday April 30th at the Enzian theater in Maitland. They have a number of great events with some spectacular food, chefs and restaurants involved. They also are showing a few food related movies.

http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/

The highlight for food lovers is the opening night party.


Opening Night Party:

Friday, April 21
6PM–1AM

Celebrate opening night of the 2017 Florida Film Festival with a thrilling new film, THE HERO. Sample food and cocktails from your favorite local spots—a moveable feast where you can mingle and celebrate with all the folks who will be your new best friends for the next 10 days. Eat, drink, be merry, and discuss all the films you cannot wait to see at the festival ahead.

Participating restaurants, bars, and select vendors include: Arthur's Catering, Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ, The Copper Rocket Pub, Cuisiniers, Enzian Theater & Eden Bar, Hourglass Brewing, Hunger Street Tacos, La Empanada, Pizza Bruno, Rogue Pub, Rosen Shingle Creek, Southern-Glazer's Wine and Spirits, Ten10 Brewing Co., Terrapin Beer Co., and Tito's Vodka.

6PM: Champagne & appetizers served
6:30PM: Theater doors open
6:55PM: Welcome and introductions
7:10PM: Begin film: The Hero preceded by “5 Films About Technology”
8:30PM: Party starts for “Party Only” ticket holders
8:30PM-Midnight: Dinner & drink stations open outside
9:30PM: Film lets out
10:30PM-1AM: Dessert served inside Enzian
1AM: Event ends

Another event related to food during the film festival is:

Locally Fresh!

• Sun, April 23rd 11:00AM - 2:30PM Enzian & Eden Bar

Locally Fresh! Scrumptious Cinema
Sunday, April 23

Feed all your senses! Central Florida farmers and food purveyors partner-up with local filmmakers at this utterly unique (and mouth-watering) event—a festival favorite! Filmmakers Matthew Tullo, Miguel Gomez, Julia Spada, Brett Downey, Loretta Troutman, Alex Reynoso, Donald Tynes, Sheri Kebbel, and Veronica Jaramillo dig into the stock and trade of what makes Central Florida delicious. Watch their documentaries highlighting The Dinner Party Project, Ten10 Brewing Co., and The Fresh Stop Bus, accompanied by cooking demonstrations and sumptuous samples. A feast for the eyes… and the taste buds.

Locally Fresh! Farmers Market
Sunday, April 23
Noon-2:30PM
FREE

After Locally Fresh! the lawn at Eden Bar transforms into a Farmers Market, filled with local products fresh from the field. Get to know Central Florida’s finest famers and vendors.

Movies

Here are a few of the movies that are food related:

New Chefs on the Block

• Sun, April 23rd 2:30PM - 4:20PM Regal Winter Park Village A

• Directed by: Dustin Harrison-Atlas
• USA, 2017, 96 minutes
• Florida Premiere

In the restaurant business, hard work doesn’t always pay off. Nearly 50% of restaurants fail in their first year, while 60% don’t even make it to their second year. Two chefs—Frank Linn of Frankly…Pizza! and Aaron Silverman of Rose’s Luxury—with blind determination and even slimmer odds, struggle to open and maintain their first restaurants in Washington, DC. In parallel development, these two young ambitious chefs with very different personalities and restaurant styles reveal the journeys and the hardships of bringing their visions to life. Construction delays, skyrocketing costs, rookie mistakes, and the growing pains of new restaurants push both chefs to the brink. Who will make it? NEW CHEFS ON THE BLOCK delivers a nitty-gritty real-life look into the adversities, pressures, and enormous rewards of opening a restaurant. Featuring legendary chefs and restaurateurs Danny Meyer, Michel Richard, Mike Isabella, and Washington Post food writer Tim Carman.

Bugs

• Sat, April 22nd 2:00PM - 3:00PM Regal Winter Park Village A

• Directed by: Andreas Johnsen
• Denmark/Netherlands/France/Germany, 2016, 73 minutes

Part eco-doc, part food film, BUGS begs the question: how tasty can a queen termite really be?  This gorgeous film features two intrepid researchers from the Nordic Food Lab, who travel the world in search of exquisite insect flavors. Not only do they seek cultures in Australia, Kenya, Uganda, Italy, Japan, and more that feast on crawly things, they work to create haute cuisine from local maggots and bees. And young chef Ben Reade and food-science researcher Josh Evans eat it all. The founders of the world-renowned Danish Restaurant NOMA created the Nordic Food Lab as a “non-profit, self-governed, open-source institution that investigates food diversity and deliciousness.” These young missionaries are as concerned with sustainability and economics as with good food, which makes BUGS a beautiful, insightful, worldwide investigation into the complicated promise of protein from insects.

One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts

This short is a part of

Bugs

• Sat, April 22nd 2:00PM - 3:00PM

• Directed by: Peter Byck

• USA, 2016, 15 minutes
• Florida Premiere

Meet Will Harris, a truly awesome guy. His journey from industrial rancher to sustainable, humane food producer will fascinate and inspire you.

Kasa Tapas Downtown Orlando

Kasa Tapas has been open in downtown Orlando for a few years now. The theme is menu comprised of diverse small plates(tapas) with global influences


Menu


We started our meal with a duo of cocktails, one was called "The Gin Joint"




Kasa has a tapas themed menu and recommends 2-3 orders per person. Our first item was the Pork Belly Poutine a Canadian tradition with a gourmet twist. It was rich and filling.



Pork Belly Poutine - Fingerling potatoes, chorizo gravy, Wisconsin Wisconsin​ cheese curds, queso fresco, 63 degree egg

Next up was a sous vide Pompano this was a nice counterpart to the poutine. Edges were crispy, flavor was mild but good.The acidity of the blistered tomatoes balanced the sauce.


Seared Pompano from togarashi-spiced baby bok choy, baby heirloom tomatoes, lemon caper, beurre blanc.

The third dish was Yucca with a gouda cheddar and truffle fondue. Often I find that truffle flavor can overpower a dish but that was not the case with this one. One minor complaint the yucca still had the spine, a center piece that runs down the middle of the yucca root, had to extract that from some of the pieces.







Yucca with dip



Sangria

Our final dish was a special sushi roll creation the Chef made for us. It's not on the menu but they are considering adding it. It was creative and unique. I really enjoyed the sauce as well.


Chef's special creation Sushi - tuna with goat cheese and avocado, panko breaded flounder topped with slivered almonds, green onions and red peppers over avocado chive sauce.

Overall I think Kasa offers some really unique and creative tapas and dishes at a fair price.

Their space is expansive and clean.

We'll be back.

They have a variety of drink specials for happy hour and certain days, check their social media for the latest details.

http://www.kasarestaurant.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kasaorlando/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/kasaorlando

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kasatapas


Hours:

• Mon: Closed
• Tue: 11:30 am - 9 pm
• Wed: 11:30 am - 11 pm
• Thurs: 11 am - 10:30 pm
• Fri: 11:30 am - 11:30 pm
• Sat: 5 pm - 11:30 pm
• Sun: 11 am - 9 pm

Lobster Ceviche From Luke's Maitland

Lobster Louie Ceviche from Luke's Maitland

Great tangy flavor.

Sushi Pop

Went to dinner last night at Sushi Pop Oviedo, had a lot of different items. Salmon Belly, Bluefin Tuna, Buffalo Rock Shrimp. Here are a few photos. Great as always.  

Tasmanian Trout with chives and bourbon barrel maple syrup.

Korean Fried Chicken Wings

Salmon Belly - Blood orange ponzu, sesame seeds, radish, olive oil, kaiwari, fried pickled shitake mushrooms, lemon grass xo on Himalayan salt

Sourdough Bread House in Maitland

Sourdough Breadhouse opened for the first time yesterday 2/27/17

I had a omelette and some orange juice both were good.

MENU

the space is very clean and quiet, good place to do some work.

Follow them on instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sourdoughbreadhouse/



sourdoughbreadhouse@gmail.com



110 N orlando ave

maitland plaza suite 1

Maitland, FL 32751.

1921 by Norman Van Aken in Mount Dora

This past weekend I attended a chef's dinner with Norman Van Aken at his new restaurant in Mount Dora. It's affiliated with the Modernism Museum across the street, with art and decor from the museum creating intimate, unique spaces throughout. Van Aken is a James Beard award winning chef who's considered the father of modern Florida cuisine. He chose Mount Dora for its historic charm and proximity to the finest farms in the state, creating what he considers to be the ultimate in Florida farm to table cuisine, and having experienced several dishes from his repertoire, I have to agree.

The evening began promisingly, with the most delicious sangria I have ever experienced. 1921's sangria is on tap, and is made with effervescent Rose Vinho Verde, peach brandy, and lemon. Light and sparkling, the flavors meld perfectly. The bartender is a veteran of Winter Park's The Ravenous Pig, and he created a version of their famed Gin and Jam, with house-made Bing cherry jam, lemon, lime, and honey syrup.

 Flounder ceviche in passionfruit juice with torched sweet potato. Light and flavorful.

New to the menu this evening was Chef Van Aken's version of a potsticker dumpling, with Florida spiny lobster and rock shrimp in country ham dashi with shiitake and lobster mushrooms.

Roasted Florida red snapper in coconut curry with conch fritters, charred pineapple, and Seminole pumpkin. I'd never tried Seminole pumpkin before, and it was the biggest surprise of the evening- a delicious smooth flavor and crisp yet creamy texture. 

Wood grilled dry aged New York strip with crispy shallots, and a creamy potato and cauliflower casserole.

Florida wreckfish, which is like grouper but even more sweet and tender, with pesto-vegetable gnocchi and corn relish. The roasted tomato was mind-blowingly perfect, from Tina's Pride in south Florida. The produce and fish are delivered daily, the chefs even know the name of the boats where the fish were caught the day before. Freshness and quality of ingredients make each dish outstanding.

Korea Town fried cornish hen in a crisp batter with a delicately spicy/sweet glaze.

And for dessert, a semifreddo: Georgia peach shortcake with peach custard, brown sugar crumble, peach jam and whipped cream. Perfection!

1921 by Norman Van Aken

142 E. 4th Ave., Mt Dora, FL 32751

 (352) 385-1921

https://www.facebook.com/1921-by-Norman-Van-Aken-553658801464038/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/1921-by-norman-van-aken-mount-dora

Pizza Bruno

My friend Bruno finally opened his own place. I've enjoyed his cooking at many other venues in town and have long awaited him opening his own place.

Everything was great, generous portions, tasty food, cool atmosphere, good music, friendly staff.

Olives

 

Charcuterie platter with Prosciutto, Soppressata, house giardiniera, Pecorino with local honey. Huge portion, could feed a small family with just this platter, but save room for the pizza!

 

Huge Garlic knots

 

 Kale salad with cheese and caramelized pecans, golden raisins, emperors dressing, Pecorino cheese

Meatballs with Ricotta and sauce, very generous portion and excellent flavor.

Blanca Pizza - fresh aged mozzarella, lemon ricotta, garlic, rosemary, arugula, pecorino cheese.

 Crimson Ghost Pizza - chilies, hot Soppressata, fresh mozzarella, basil, honey



3990 Curry Ford Rd
Orlando, FL 32806
(407) 440-3894

      

Mon:	5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Wed-Thu:	5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Fri-Sat:	5:00 pm - 12:00 am
Sun:	4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

https://www.facebook.com/PizzaBrunoZ/

 Also check out some photos from their grand opening:

https://www.facebook.com/FlyingZ.Photo/photos/?tab=album&album_id=308556389486868


Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/official_pizza_bruno/

Blu on the Avenue

Here are some pics from a recent meal at Blu on the Avenue in Winter Park.

 Kale Salad, was good, the red onions were a bit strong and dominated the flavor. The goat cheese was good, I wish there was more cheese though. The pecans were nice.

 Salmon with Farro. The Farro was very mild but a nice complement to the Salmon which was rich and sweet and had a great crisp crust on the bottom. I never could figure out what that green stuff on the side was, it didn't have any flavor. I'd get this again but $28 the price is a bit high.

These were what we got when we ordered roasted vegetables, they weren't bad. 

Lobster Grilled cheese, nice crust on the bread, there was a good amount of lobster but the cheese they chose didn't complement it well.

Overall I like Blu on the avenue a lot but if you go on the weekends expect it to be very loud and crowded. They also have a lot of creative dishes and sushi.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/blu-on-the-avenue-winter-park


326 S Park Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789

(407) 960-3778

bluontheavenue.com

Florida Film Festival 2016

The Florida Film Festival will be held Friday April 8th-Sunday April 17th at the Enzian theater in Maitland. They have a number of great events with some spectacular food, chefs and restaurants involved. They also are showing a few food related movies.

http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/

The highlight for food lovers is the opening night party.


Opening Night Party:

Participating Restaurants:  K Restaurant, Market on South, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, ShishCo Mezze & Grill, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Jillycakes Orlando, Yogurtland, Mediterranean Blue, and 4Rivers

Participating Bars: Eden Bar, Hourglass Brewery, Tito’s Vodka, Terrapin Beer Company, Rogue Pub, Swamphead Brewery, Stacole Wines, Nespresso, Central 28 Beer, Copper Rocket Pub, and Diageo


Then a few days later there will be a Local Food event and a Farmer's Market afterwards:

Locally Fresh!
Sunday, April 10
11AM-12:30PM

Farmers Market
NOON- 2:30PM
FREE

Feed all your senses! Central Florida farmers and food purveyors partner-up with local filmmakers at this utterly unique (and mouth-watering) event—a festival favorite! Filmmakers dig into the stock and trade of what makes Central Florida delicious. Watch their documentaries accompanied by cooking demonstrations and sumptuous samples. A feast for the eyes… and the taste buds. After Locally Fresh! the lawn at Eden Bar transforms into a Farmers Market, filled with local products fresh from the field. Get to know Central Florida’s finest famers and vendors… and don’t miss this delicious opportunity to take some local goodies home for your own feast.
Live music during the Locally Fresh! Farmers Market provided by Performing Arts of Maitland.

Movies

Here are a few of the movies that are food related:

SEED: The Untold Story

http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/program/films/seed-the-untold-story

• Directed by: Taggart Siegel and Jon Betz
• USA, 2016, 93 minutes
• In English
• Southeast premiere/2nd US showing
• Sun, April 10th 2:15PM - 3:45PM Regal Winter Park Village B

“Seed is not just the source of life. It is the very foundation of our being.” --Vandana Shiva.
In the last 100 years, 94% of our seed varieties have vanished. Facing this alarming decline, filmmakers Siegel and Betz (The Real Dirt on Farmer John, Queen of the Sun) take us on a fascinating, artful exploration of seeds. You will meet captivating, crazy, colorful people who are true crusaders for maintaining seed varieties facing extinction. They are pitted in a David-and-Goliath battle with industrial seed companies. (Monsanto, anyone?) You will journey into astonishing seed banks; you will visit the Hopi Nation—“The People of the Corn”; you will see the devastating effects of seed test plots in verdant Hawaii; and you will learn the dramatic story of seeds, the basis of life on earth. Along with the filmmakers, executive producers Marisa Tomei and Marc Turtletaub are on a mission in this inspiring work.

King Georges

http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/program/films/king-georges

• Directed by: Erika Frankel
• USA, 2015, 77 minutes
• In English
• Rated Unrated
• Sat, April 9th 2:15PM - 3:35PM Regal Winter Park Village A

The legendary French restaurants in America, including La Côte Basque, La Caravelle, and Lutèce, had closed by 2010. Yet after 40 years, one of the great ones remained in Philadelphia. At the heart of Le Bec-Fin is the mercurial chef-owner Georges Perrier, a 67-year-old native of Lyon and one of the best chefs of his time. Filmmaker Erika Frankel captures the iconic restaurant and its famous chef, with an intimate look at Perrier, his kitchen, and his dining room in their final years. Battling to make Le Bec-Fin more relevant, Georges partners with Top Chef-winner Nicholas Elmi, but he cannot hand over control. The end of an era approaches. KING GEORGES is a fight-to-the-finish tale of a great French chef/maestro and a style of dining no longer found in America. Interviews with three of this generation’s culinary masters—Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Éric Ripert—provide perspective and pay homage to a true lion in winter.  

 Bacon & God’s Wrath

http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/program/films/bacon-gods-wrath

• Directed by: Sol Friedman
• CANADA, 2015, 9 minutes
• In English
• Florida premiere
• Rated Unrated

Captivated by the Internet and “the Google,” Razie—a feisty, kosher nonagenarian—expands her mind and her gastronomic pleasure in this live-action/animation hybrid from the director of last year’s brilliant take on Noah’s Ark, “Day 40” (FFF 2015). Winner of the Short Film Grand Jury Award for Non-Fiction at Sundance 2016.

Market on South

Recently visited market on south for a meal with some friends. It's a new vegetarian restaurant/market which is a mash up of 3 unique companies.