Sushi Pop

I was finally able to visit Sushi Pop last night. It's been around for a long time and I've been hearing a lot of buzz about it but I was never able to visit until yesterday.

We had a wonderful experience our server Andrea was excellent.

She started off by offering me a beer the Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout ( Link ), I wouldn't have thought to order a beer but this one was perfect because it had a tangy strong flavor that offset some of the more mild dishes.

The decor in Sushi Pop is a nice mixture of traditional & modern Japanese, beautiful banzai trees and orchids paired with Anime movies playing and Manga art on the walls.

They have so many interesting items it was very hard to choose, so I ordered a number of different varied dishes so I could get a feel for the whole menu. Menu on Sushi Pop Website

Here are the dishes we tried:

• Roasted asparagus salad with roasted garlic and mushrooms was so delicious I found myself dipping my chopsticks in the sauce again and again just to get a taste of that sweet soy sauce. 5/5 stars
• Far East Flatbread a duck fat seared Chinese scallion pancake topped with blue cheese, caramelized onions, roasted Japanese mushrooms, Furikake seasoning. This was kind of like a large flat bread it was quite delicious very strong and would fill up the average person, don't order this by yourself. 5/5 stars
• Thin sliced Hamachi(Yellowtail) with jalapeños and a very light sauce that had a delicious amazing flavor. 4/5 stars
• Lobster sushi roll with toasted almonds, avocado and tempura asparagus. Since it was cooked tempura style I expected this to be a little hotter temperature wise but it was still pretty good. 3/5 stars
• Sea urchin Sashimi, something I've just recently discovered that I like, it has a brown buttery flavor. This particular serving was a little bit more mushy than I would've preferred but it still had that flavor that I enjoy. 3/5 stars
• "It's No Yolk" - Cubed salmon with sunny side coconut milk mango "egg", served with seaweed rice cracker. 2/5 stars
• For dessert we ordered the P.M.S. though oddly named, it is a mixture of Peanut butter powder, Molten chocolate lava cake, and Salted caramel ice cream, It was uniquely tasty. 3.5/5 stars

Sushi pop is not cheap especially when you order that much as I did but it is really great unique experience, a great place to take that adventurous date or for a splurge.

Hibachi Asparagus
grilled asparagus, garlic braised oyster
and shitake mushrooms with soy
glazed pea tendrils • $8

Far East Flatbread a duck fat
seared Chinese scallion pancake
topped with blue cheese, caramelized onions,
roasted Japanese mushrooms, Furikake seasoning • $12

Jalapeño Pepper Hamachi
yellowtail with diced jalapeños, fresh
wasabi lime sauce, black pepper and
micro cilantro • $14

Lobster and Almonds
tempura lobster, avocado, asparagus,
smelt roe, yuzu tartar sauce, encrusted
with toasted almonds • $10

It’s No Yolk
fresh cubed salmon tossed with lime
juice, olive oil, shallots, thai basil with
sunny side egg of sweet coconut
milk and mango puree, served with
seaweed rice cracker • $14

P.M.S.
peanut butter powder, molten chocolate,
salted caramel ice cream • $7

Some other really interesting dishes I didn't get a chance to try:

• Gold Digger- lump crab, tempura shallots and sweet chili topped with blue fin Otoro, bu bu rice crackers, edible 24 karat gold flakes and soy gel • $17
• Godzilla - tempura fried alligator, hearts of palm salad with green onion, celery leaves and radishes, citrus and Togarashi remoulade • $12

Sushi Pop
310 W Mitchell Hammock Rd
Oviedo, FL 32765
(407) 542-5975




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Downtown Food & Wine Fest: Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1, 2012

Mouth-watering food and global wines are paired with world-class entertainment and national celebrity chef appearances at the Downtown Food & Wine Fest at Lake Eola on Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1, 2012.

Located in the heart of downtown Orlando at Lake Eola on Robinson Street, the two-day Fest features mouth-watering dishes from 40 of Orlando's premier restaurants, domestic and international wines, and live entertainment.

Revitalized by popular demand, the Fest is presented and produced by Orlando favorites MIX 105.1 FM and 1059 SUNNY FM in partnership with the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. A portion of the event's proceeds benefit the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Educational Foundation.

Celebrity Chef's Stage*

Bright House Networks hosts live cooking demonstrations on the Chef's Stage with fan meet-and-greet opportunities with the following celebrity chefs: 

BRAVO's Top Chef Just Desserts Season 1 Chef'testant Erika Davis (Saturday)

Food Network's Extreme Chef Amadeus, winner of the "Mexican Showdown" (Saturday)

BRAVO's Top Chef Season 9 Chef'testant Finalist Lindsay Autry (Sunday)

Live Entertainment*

Saturday, March 31 (noon to 9 p.m.)

Live Hart                        

John Smith and Tropical Steel     

Simulcast with Scott McKenzie of MIX 105.1 FM and Bob Frier of FOX 35                  

American Idol Winner David Cook                 

Sunday, April 1 (noon to 7 p.m.)

CeCe Teneal

My Generation

Little River Band

* Appearances and entertainment subject to change without notice.

Tickets on Sale Now

Admission is $10 per person, per day with advance online purchase at www.DowntownFoodAndWineFest.com. Tickets are also available at Centennial Bank and Mercedes-Benz locations throughout Central Florida.  Admission at the door is $15 per person, per day. Admission for children under age 12 is free.  Food tickets are available at the event for $2 each; food and wine tastings range from 1-4 tickets.

Stay Connected

For more information on the Downtown Food & Wine Fest:

Visit www.DowntownFoodAndWineFest.com

Like Downtown Food & Wine Fest on Facebook

Follow @DTFoodWineFest on Twitter

Call the events hotline at 407-919-1048

Email DowntownFoodandWineFest@cbsradio.com

Festa Italiano

Sunday 3/11 Festa Italiano! 4pm-7pm $65 all u can eat & drink. Over 100 wines and 25 food stations. Antonio's Maitland.
Tickets are presale only. Call 407-645-5523 or 407-645-1039. Expecting 250-300 people. More details to follow

O-Town Chowdown Event

During Bike Week 2012 Orlando Harley-Davidson is having an “O-Town Chowdown Event” featuring some of the Orlando Food Trucks during Orlando Bike Week 2012.  The dates of the event are March 10^th through the 18^th.  Event times are 10-7pm daily and 10-6pm on the two Sundays.  Here is a list of the food trucks that are on site during the event.  Four trucks will be onsite daily and they are rotating in and out throughout the week.  Some have more than one day.  For more information and schedule visit http://www.orlandoharley.com/bike-week-2012/

The Batter Bowl

Big Wheel Provisions

C&S Brisket Bus

Twisted Cuban

City Eats

Pupusas Orlando

Gastro Truck

Monsta Lobsta

Que Rico

Tree House

Yum Yum Cupcake

La Empanada

The Flattery

SwedeDISH Truck

 

Feast at the Imperial

Feast was held. Sunday Feb 19th 2012 at the Imperial Bar/Washburn Imports.


Feast is a first come, first served locally sourced feast.
Created by friends Andy, Brett, and Dennis and inspired by and in conjunction with John Washburn at The Imperial, feast will invade your mind body and spirit.

Get to know your food, enjoy the spirit of community, and celebrate our local food movement.

Food: Smoked brisket with pickled cabbage and creole mustard, braised short ribs with black eyed peas and hominy, tripe and tongue stew, beef braised carrots, parsnip and quinoa salad w/fresh mint and toasted pine nuts.

Drink.
Michelada, lemonade mimosas w/lemon thyme syrup

Here are a few pictures.

Luma on Park Ave, Winter Park

from their site: "What is Luma: An upscale, casual American Kitchen serving original locally inspired cuisine."

290 South Park Avenue in Winter Park, Florida 32789 Google Map
Luma serves dinner seven nights a week.

http://www.lumaonpark.com/

http://www.facebook.com/lumaonpark
https://twitter.com/#!/lumaonpark


---

Had a delicious dinner and experience last night at Luma. The staff was wonderful, especially our server Shawn. I was very interested in about half of the items on the Small Plates menu. We shared the following items:

• Tomato soup - unfortunately this was only decent but nothing special, I've had better flavors in tomato soup at much more lower priced places
• Heirloom tomato salad - though I love locally grown Waterkist tomatoes, these were a little mushy, there was a couple clumps of Burrato cheese on the salad which had an interesting texture like a buffalo mozzarella with a very mild flavor.
• Pea shoot tagliatelle carbonara - the tagliatelle dish was so delicious, the pasta was made in house from snap peas and it had basil-fed snails and small cubes of Tasso(smoked pork), each bite had a wonderful snap pea crunch, I highly recommend you try this dish.

I also had the Lionfish sashimi which sounded very interesting and something I don't think most people have ever had before, but was too mild for my taste, still it was a unique experience. According to our server the Lionfish is becoming quite a nuisance along the Florida coast, here is an article about it, Florida wants invasive Lionfish on the menu

The only Main Course that interested me was the Scallops with grits and Tasso, but due to a sudden lapse in judgement, I decided to order the Bolognese Ragù which didn't have enough of the tasty meat sauce for my liking. The pasta was cooked al dente but I didn't care for that texture. I also tried a bite of the Striped bass which had an excellent flavor and went well with the onion broth.

Too full to try dessert but they had one really interesting item that caught our eye. It was described as having a flavor similar to the milk left after you eat all the Cap'n crunch cereal out of it.
CAP'N CRUNCH POT DE CREME -rabbit run farms strawberries, peanut butter crumble $7

We hope to go back soon and try the chef's table, you have to call at least a few days in advance but I hear it's quite a great experience.

Menu(changes daily)

Heirloom Tomato Salad
Watermelon radishes, EVOO-fried bread, 
anchovy vinagrette, burrato $10

WATERKIST FARMS TOMATO SOUP 
crème fraiche, extra virgin olive oil, chive
$8

PEA SHOOT TAGLIATELLE "CARBONARA"
basil-fed snails, pancetta tesa, sugar snap peas
$13

LOCAL LIONFISH SASHIMI
Serrano, lime, king farms datil peppers, Thai basil flowers
$12

HOUSE STROZZAPRETI BOLOGNESE
eight hour ragù, red wine, parmesan
$21

CAROLINA STRIPED BASS
toasted farro, trumpet mushrooms, onion broth, romesco
$29

South OBT Latin Food Truck Crawl Part 2, coming next weekend!

RSVP here on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/350530621646944/

This is a public event!

Saturday, February 25, 2012
7:30pm until 9:30pm

South Orange Blossom Trail to start (across from Tropical Ford),
9867 South Orange Blossom Trail Google Maps

We are discovering food off the beaten path this month! The Latin Food Trucks on South OBT will be on the menu with four types of Latin cuisines. If you have ever wanted to explore these food trucks, this is the night to go with an adventurous group of eaters who love taking food photos and spotting them.

Food Trucks:

• Las 4 Estaciones (FB)() - Peruvian burgers, Anticuchos, chicken sandwiches, empanadas, & more
• Dominican Chimi (Yelp Review) - Dominican Pinchos and sandwiches
• Arepas El Gran Saman (Yelp) - Venezuelan Arepas
• La Tripleta subs and more (FB) - Puerto Rican sandwiches & more

We will start at Las 4 Estaciones food truck at the address listed above and leave our cars parked there. We will walk North on OBT and stop at the food trucks in the above listed order. Try one or try them all by sharing, bring your friends and get ready to spot some Latin food...

*Please remember to bring CASH for this event. Items usually range $4-8

Foodspotting is a website and free app for the iPhone, Android and soon BlackBerry, that helps you find good food wherever you are. Search for what you crave and make recommendations simply by snapping a pic of your favorite dishes. Download the app from http://foodspotting.com/apps

For more info about the crawl, visit a similar one we did last year http://www.eatlocalorlando.com/2011/04/sobt-latin-food-truck-crawl-part-1.html


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Shin Sushi

Last night I organized a dinner with a group of fellow Orlando foodies and food bloggers to Shin Sushi. Many of us had heard it was the best in town, obviously a debate that will go on and on, so I thought it would be fun for all of us to go and see what the consensus was.

We had a group of 14 and Shin was happy to oblige, though we did not reveal the "special occasion" I think all the high quality cameras and picture taking by many of the attendees may have given us away.

In attendance were the following friends, food bloggers and their guests @ricduck, @Ann_archy, @ladyskye77, @PrimlaniKitchen of The Primlani Kitchen, @TravelerFoodie of travelerfoodie.com/, @mismamari of Forkful.net, @randomhangers of randomhangers.com .

The decor is simple but clean wood and silver, the metal chairs kind of surprised me, as I'd always assumed Shin was quite fancy, but luckily I found my chair to be very comfortable. There is plenty of free parking along the street in front and free parking in the garage just behind the restaurant.

Service was pleasant and the server was excited to tell us about special menu items and was enthusiastic about certain rolls he liked, though with a big group a few people didn't get their extra ginger and other sides as quickly as we would have liked.

I've eaten sushi a number of times at Ichiban downtown years ago and a couple of other times at Amura, but I often forget the names of the different ways sushi is prepared, which seemed to be a common experience among many diners. I've summarized the different ways sushi is served at the bottom for reference.

The server failed to mention 2 special items which were not on the menu but were barely legible on the marker board behind the sushi bar:

• Hamachi Kama - it was described to us as the jaw and cheek of yellowtail (more info)
• Fried Oyster Roll - server was a bit vague about this one and none of our party ended up ordering it

I found the Hamachi Kama description exciting so I ordered a one for us to all try. Separating out a bite for each person was a bit of a challenge but many did get to try some. I thought it was quite delicious especially the large chunks of meat that had some of the crisp skin attached to it, it was a nice blend of flavors.

For my main dinner I ordered 2 pieces of Nigiri, Toro(tuna belly) and Uni(sea urchin). I've actually prepared Tuna Belly at home on the grill(some say cooking it is a sin) before and I love the flavor when I've prepared it but served as sushi it didn't do much for me.

For my main sushi rolls I ordered:

• "HIGHWAY 50" $12 (Tuna, cucumber, cream cheese, Sriracha sauce topped with smoked salmon, and avocado) this roll sounded delicious but it's flavors were too mild for me.
• "EEL DRAGON" $15 (Half fillet of freshwater eel, cucumber, sweet onion, cream cheese, drizzled with eel sauce) - this was my favorite item of the night by far The cooked eel was unbelievably good. I'm not exactly sure how this is prepared but it seemed to be pan grilled and it had a sweet delicious glaze on it. I could order just the eel on rice and be quite happy.

I also tried some spicy tuna which was decent but not really my kind of thing.

Traveler Foodie(link) was the most knowledgeable among us about the different types of Sushi, Sake and fish, so he was dubbed the sushi whisperer. He recommended we try the horse mackerel but unfortunately they did not have it that day. They did have one of his other recommendations of Uni(sea urchin), so I ordered a piece of that Nigiri style. It was a light orange color and very soft. The flavor reminded me of a light touch of butter, I wasn't sure what to expect but it was surprisingly good.

@ricduck Foodspotted(photographed) quite a few items, you can see his pictures here: http://www.foodspotting.com/starlighthill

BEEF KUSHI KATSU | 8
Four bite-size, crispy, deep-fried with panko, Angus Beef and vegetable skewers

Some other interesting menu items we spotted were:

YUZU SCALLOPS | 19
Five pan-fried jumbo scallops wrapped in bacon, sautéed in Yuzu with a soy sauce-butter reduction

Rolls:
LOBSTER VOLCANO | 22
California roll topped with Shin volcano & tempura Lobster

MANGO SALMON | 8
Salmon, mango, cucumber, sesame seeds

KARA MUCHO | 9
Tuna, salmon, escolar , cucumber, with homemade habanero
puree topped with masago and scallions

Sushi Definitions:

Sashimi - just the piece of uncooked fish

Nigiri - same as above but with a small cylinder of sushi rice underneath often with a little band of seaweed to hold it together

Rolls(Maki) - traditional sushi rolls most people are familiar with

Tempura - a type of breading used on shrimp, asparagus in some Maki(rolls) and many non-sushi dishes most notably Tempura Vegetables.

---

An interesting fact/misconception that many people don't realize is that most sushi isn't actually made with truly raw fish, most of it is previously frozen for food safety. "In the US all fish served raw (like for sushi) has to be previously frozen in order to ensure that all parasites are dead. The only exception is tuna. You can serve raw tuna that wasn't frozen because it's not prone to parasites", More info at the link below

http://www.beyondsalmon.com/2005/12/but-isnt-all-sushi-previously-frozen.html

Shin Sushi is open for lunch and dinner and is located in the same building as Virgin Olive Market and Citrus restaurant. On Orange Ave just north of 50/colonial.

Dinner Menu: http://www.shinsushi.com/Shin%20menu%20dinner%202011%5B1%5D.pdf

Shin Roll Menu: http://www.shinsushi.com/New%20rollsm2011%5B1%5D.pdf

Hours:
Lunch-Monday through Friday, 11:30am ~ 2:00pm (Last call 1:45pm)
Dinner-Monday through Saturday, 6:00pm ~ 10:00pm(Last call 9:30pm)

Orlando area Farmers Markets

Audubon Park Community Market @ Stardust Coffee
Facebook Page
Monday 6pm-10pm
1842 E. Winter Park Rd

College Park Farmers Market @ Infusion Tea
Facebook page
Thursday 5pm-9pm
1600 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, FL 32804

Edgewood Farmer’s Market
Beginning Thursday, February 9TH, 2012 and every Thursday thereafter.
Thursday 4pm-8pm
405 Larue Avenue, Orlando Fl, 32809

Lake Eola Farmers Market
Sunday 10am-4pm
599 East Central blvd, Orlando, Fl 32801

Maitland Farmers Market
Sunday 9am-2pm
701 Lake Lily Dr
Maitland, Florida 32751

Sand Lake Farmers Market
Dr. Phillips Marketplace
Sand Lake Rd. & Dr. Phillips Blvd, Orlando, Fl
Saturday 9am-2pm

Sanford Farmers Market
Official Website
Saturdays 9am-2pm
E 1st St & Magnolia Ave, Sanford, FL 32771

Ocoee Farmer's Market
Fridays 3pm-7pm
Bill Breeze Park
125 North Lakeshore Drive
Map

Waterford Lakes Farmers Market
Saturday 9am-2pm
514 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando, FL 32828

Winter Park Farmers Market
Saturday 7am-1pm
200 West New England Avenue

Winter Garden Farmers Market
Saturday 9am-2pm.
300 West Plant Street, Winter Garden, FL 34787

Lake Mary
Official Website
Saturday 9AM-1:30pm
at the Lake Mary City Hall
(Corner of Lake Mary Blvd & 4th Street)

Edgewood Farmer’s Market

The City of Edgewood is proud to announce a Farmer’s Market

Farmers Market is Thursdays 5:30-8:30 pm

Raymond A. Bagshaw Park at Edgewood City Hall

405 Larue Avenue, Edgewood, FL 32809

Farm fresh eggs, produce, organics, local vendors, food trucks.  Free parking and tables and chairs available in the park.

Fifth Fridays Food Trucks takes place the 5^th Friday of those months with five Fridays!  Next event is Friday, April 29^th from 6 pm to 9 pm

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Jazz Tastings new Tapas Bar in Maitland

Jazz Tastings -- wine & tapas bar - "With a menu of Spanish- and Cajun-influenced tapas and wine pairings to match, along with a live house jazz band, Frazier said he hopes to cater to an upscale audience looking to enjoy good jazz, wine and food."

Jazz Tastings Facebook

164 Lake Ave, Maitland, FL 32571 near Rangetsu
Hours:
Sun 1pm-9pm
Tues-Thu 4pm-12am
Fri-Sat 4pm-1am

here is their menu:
Spinach Salad

Warm Chorizo Vinaigrette, Caramelized Granny Apple Crouton, Balsamic Onions, Goat Cheese Crumble

Tapas


Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini

With Savory Spiced Fig Jam

Crispy Beer Battered Black Grouper Nuggets

With Roasted Cauliflower Puree, Warm Smoked Green Pea Coulis, Sweet Potato Paprika Dust

Lump Blue Crab Cakes

With Black Bean Chili, Roasted Tomato Relish, Horseradish Bloomed Capernaise

Mussels Diablo

With Shallot Herbed Butter, White Wine, Chili Sambal Oelek, Parsley Shake, Grilled Crostinis

Beef Filet Tournedos

With Wilted Swiss Chard Chiffonade, Saffron Butter Pons Fondant, Black Beer Demiglace

Chili Dusted Scallops

With Deep Fried Chorizo Maduro Fritter, Key Lime Beurre Blanc

Crispy Pork Belly

With Ginger Spiced Apple Compote, Toasted Couscous Tapioca, Sage Demiglace

Tiger Prawns

With Sweet Potato Grits, Chorizo Chickpea Broth, Warm Watercress in Tempranillo Reduction

Calamari Frito

Smoked Paprika Polenta Crusted, Sofrito Vinegar, Black Bean Aioli

Fried Green Tomato Stack

With Spiced Panko Crusted Buffalo Mozzarella, Chilled Horseradish Dill Remoulade

Chicken and Waffles

Buttermilk Chicken Cutlets, Wild Rice Waffle, Pink Peppercorn Sherry Pouvre

Meat Cheese and Olives

Selection will vary upon fresh availability. Ask your Server

Desserts


Flourless Chocolate Cake

Warm Wild Berry Preserves, Vanilla Bean Crème Anglaise

Pecan Bread Pudding

Kentucky Bourbon, Poppy Seeds, Butterscotch Fosters

Panna Cotta

Seasonal Wild Berries, Almond Milk Waffle Crisp

Rum Cake

Dark Spiced Rum, Grilled Bananas, Espresso Crème Anglaise


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Food & Wine Festival at Baldwin Park 2012

http://www.cff.org/Chapters/orlando/index.cfm?ID=20074&blnShowBack=True&idContentType=1312&Event=20074

Saturday, March 10, 2012
6 - 9PM
Cost: $65.00
New Broad Street, Baldwin Park, Florida
RSVP on Facebook

The 2012 Food & Wine Festival at Baldwin Park promises to be the talk of the town. Over 20 restaurants will be there. We have O-Town's finest dining and beverage purveyors on one street for one evening for one simple donation. This year's A-list food critics and Mayor Buddy Dyer will join forces with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to determine who will win this year's coveted Silver Plate awards. Don't miss your opportunity to vote for the "People's Choice" award. From 4Rivers brisket to cupcakes, we'll have it all. What could be better you ask? How about Shula's sommelier choosing wines to compliment the evenings fare, and an exclusive VIP lounge catered by Stonewood Grill that will feature front row seating to this year's entertainment, BB King's All Star Band. Inquire today to learn more about volunteer, sponsorship and exclusive ticket opportunities for Orlando's premier Food and Wine Event.

Participating:
CK's Jerk Shack
4 Rivers BBQ
Barfly
Brio
Cabot Cheese
Cafe Tu Tu Tango
Cookie Cousins
Copper Canyon
Eden Bar
Funky Monkey
Gem Catering
The Glass Slipper
Jack's Steakhouse
Lago
O'Boys BBQ
PF Chang's
Shula's 347
Stonewood Grill
Tap Room at Dubsdread
Terlato
Tibby's New Orleans Kitchen
Trinchero
World Center Marriott
Yuengling
Yum Yum Cupcakes

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New Restaurants in the Orlando Area

Here are some recently opened restaurants in the Orlando area, check them out and let us know if you like

PR's Big Pig -- Winter Park: http://www.yelp.com/biz/prs-big-pig-winter-park

Ravalia's Pasta Bar & Italian Rotisserie -- Casselberry http://www.yelp.com/biz/ravalias-pasta-bar-and-italian-rotisserie-casselberry

Nou -- Altamonte Springs: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-nou-restaurant-altamonte-springs

Peperoncino -- Dr. Phillips: http://www.yelp.com/biz/peperoncino-orlando

Truffles Grill -- Winter Park Village http://www.yelp.com/biz/truffles-grill-winter-park

Bento Ya -- near Orlando Airport http://www.yelp.com/biz/bento-ya-restaurant-orlando

So Napa -- Maitland http://www.yelp.com/biz/sonapa-grill-maitland

Coming very soon:
Café Jean Paul -- new juice bar & café - "Set to open by Feb. 1, with Astrid Jean Paul at the stove, the café will feature an array of healthy salads, soups, chutneys and New York-style Knish, as well as an organic juice bar with options available for people on all sorts of diet restrictions — from gluten-free to vegan."

Jazz Tastings -- wine & tapas bar - "With a menu of Spanish- and Cajun-influenced tapas and wine pairings to match, along with a live house jazz band, Frazier said he hopes to cater to an upscale audience looking to enjoy good jazz, wine and food."
Jazz Tastings Facebook

Both coming very soon to Village Plaza in Maitland next to Rangetsu thanks to Winter Park Maitland Observer for the info http://www.wpmobserver.com/news/2012/feb/01/maitland-plaza-hits-capacity-big-development-horiz/

Prato Winter Park

Prato just opened last week, I heard about it on the Twitter of a local food writer, Rona Gindin. @ronagindin

Prato is from by the same people who own Luma just down the street, it took over the space formerly occupied by Ann Taylor, right next to Kilwin's Chocolate Shop.

The interior is strikingly beautiful with lots of dark wood color and an open ceiling, well decorated with a huge beautiful bar on the left and lots of booth seating along the right wall. In the back area there is an open kitchen with some tables that would be pleasant to sit at and watch them prepare the food. Between the bar and the kitchen is a wood burning oven where they prepare the pizzas.

The staff uniforms are plaid button up shirts, I guess they are going for  a farmhouse type look with that.

The menu changes a few times a week.

It's still early and they have some kinks to work out so don't expect everything to be perfect, if you are highly strung you may want to wait a few months until they get on their feet and are running smooth.

The staff were all great, from the managers to the servers. The manager visited our table regularly to check how our courses were.

We started off with the House Cured Lonzino($9) which is similar to prosciutto, very thinly sliced over Frisse type lettuce, it was decent.

Lonzino

I tried a bite of the Duck Bolognese Tagliatelle Pasta, is not really my thing but it tasted pretty good. You can order a half($9) or full($16) order of pasta, the full wasn't huge.

Next I ordered the Waterkist(a local tomato grower) Heirloom Tomato Salad($12). It was described by the waiter as Caprese style but it came out over Frisee and a few other somewhat bitter lettuces and one piece of Mozarella. The tomatoes were very tasty as were the 2 croutons on the salad, those were delicious but I would have preferred a few more. The menu mentioned a Gorgonzola dulce, which I assumed was a dressing. It wasn't a very obvious flavor on the vegetables but afterwards I was able to get some of the flavor of the sauce/dressing on some bread dipped in the sauce left on the bottom of the dish.

The bread they served was a delicious Foccacia, they weren't very generous with the amount of bread but don't be afraid to ask for more.

For my main course I had the Porchetta which was similar to a baked pork tenderloin sliced in large pieces. It was mixed with some wonderful earthy roasted root vegetables. The broth it sat in was light but had a great flavor. Also mixed in were Farro which resemble Barley. Upon first look I did not expect to love this dish as much as I did, but once I ate it, I really loved it.

I finished with Olive Oil Gelato, which just tasted like vanilla bean ice cream. I couldn't taste the oil flavor at all.

There were a few other items that looked really interesting:
Roasted Butternut Squash with Mozzarella, Pistachio and Red Onions.
Roast Pumpkin Soup
Grilled Hanger Steak with Gorgonzola Polenta and Salsa Verde

After they smooth everything out this will be a truly great place to eat, it has a wonderful atmosphere and played a lot of mild 80's music. Glasses of wine were $7-12. Appetizers were about $10-12,  Main courses were about $18-24.

124 N Park Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789 Google Map
Neighborhood: Winter Park

www.prato-wp.com/

Dinner Mon-Sat: 5:30pm-11pm Sun: 5:30pm-10pm

Menu:

The Briarpatch Winter Park, Park Ave

Briarpatch Restaurant

252 N Park Ave Winter Park, FL 32789

(407) 628-8651

Mon-Thu 7 am - 9 pm

Fri-Sat 7 am - 10 pm

Sun 8 am - 5 pm

I've heard a lot of bad things about Briarpatch, mostly online reviews, my recent experience there was excellent though so it makes me think maybe those reviews were some ex-employees or something.

I was really impressed with everything myself and my friends ordered from the Zucchini Bread with cream cheese to the Huge Brie and Raspberry French Toast.

My own breakfast was an delicious combo of Cheese Grits, fried green tomatoes, eggs and candied bacon.

The bacon was cooked so perfectly, it was crispy just like I like it not chewy  and pretty salty.

The service was great, attentive and fast.

The Meat House Winter Park

The Meat House

Categories: Butcher, Grocery
669 N Orange Ave Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 629-6328
www.TheMeatHouse.com

Really great selection of meats and some other groceries like cheeses.

They sell prime beef in addition to regular cuts. They have a lot of meats already marinated and some really tasty samples of the different meats. I tried the sweet steak tips and they were tender and delicious.

The neverending staff is a bit overzealous about trying to help you, but I'll cut em some slack since they just opened.

It is part of a chain if that sort of thing is important to you but I believe it has a local owner.

The prices were a little cheaper than you would find at Whole Foods and some things were on par with Publix prices but others were a little more.

They also had some good looking seafood. Go check em out they are caddy corner from Fiddler's Green on Orange Ave in Winter Park.

Now you've got a nice little area where you can buy produce(Eat More Produce), Seafood(Lombardi's) and Meat(Meat House), the area should add a cheesemonger and a few ethnic stores and we'd have a awesome little food shopping district.

Gelato @ Italian Village Cafe in Winter Park CLOSED

Sadly THIS PLACE HAS CLOSED!

Had some delicious Home Made White Chocolate and also Coffee Gelato last night at Italian Village Cafe in Winter Park a real Hidden Gem, they also have a lot of Paninis and other Italian foods. They have about 20 kinds of Gelato and all variation of shakes and smoothies too.

Location:
601 north Orlando ave, Winter Park, FL 32789
Hours Mon - Sun: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

winterparkitalianvillage@gmail.com

Phone
407-539-1644

Website
http://www.winterparkitalianvillage.com

Gnarly Barley

http://www.thegnarlybarley.com

New pub and grill The Gnarly Barley, South Orange ave at the intersection of Nela, near Belle Isle, a mile or so north of SandLake

The menu sounds tasty.

They are having a pig roast today Saturday Jan.14th at 3pm Facebook Event Link

They also have tacos: "Soft corn or flour tortillas filled with roasted, chipotle brisket, or shredded chicken, pico de gaillo, sour cream, and monterey jack cheese.

*Make your taco a HELL TACO by adding our jalapeno-habanero relish. It's delicious, but definitely not for the faint of heart!"

Beer Selection:
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale $4.5 5.6% ABV
Abita Purple Haze $4 4.2% ABV
Dogfish Head 60 Min IPA $5 6% ABV
Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils $5 5.3% ABV
Brooklyn Winter Ale $5 6% ABV
Southern Tier 2x IPA $4 8.2% ABV
Blue Point Toasted Lager $4 5.3% ABV
Drifter Pale Ale

Upcoming Food Truck Bazaars

TheDailyCity.com Food Truck Bazaar 5-8pm
The original Central Florida gourmet food truck party visiting Central cities monthly (sometimes twice!)
1st Fridays Kissimmee: Kissimmee Civic Center, 201 E. Dakin Ave
1st Saturdays Sanford: Hood Ave at Seminole Blvd
1st Saturdays Winter Springs: Winter Springs High School APRIL ONLY
1st Sundays Orange City: Lowes, 901 Saxon Blvd
2nd Tuesdays Longwood: 311 Warren Ave, STARTS MARCH 27

2nd Fridays: Casselberry: City Hall
NOT OFFICIAL: 2nd Saturdays Winter Garden: Winter Garden Village 3251 Daniels Rd.
2nd Sundays Orlando: Behind Fashion Sqaure Mall
3rd Saturdays Winter Springs: Winter Springs High School APRIL ONLY
3rd Sundays Oviedo: NEW VENUE TBA
4th Tuesdays Longwood: 311 Warren Ave. STARTS MARCH 27
NOT OFFICIAL: 4th Saturdays Winter Garden: Winter Garden Village 3251 Daniels Rd.
4th Sundays Orlando: Behind Fashion Sqaure Mall

All Orlando Food Truck Events
Daily 24/7: Winter Park Food Truck Stop, 1127 N. Orlando Ave. | Twitter
Tuesdays 11am-2pm Trucking Tuesdays, First Church Orlando, 142 E. Jackson St.
Tuesdays 6-10pm Tasty Tuesdays in the Milk District, 2432 East Robinson St.
Wednesdays 6-9pm: Maitland Food Truck Pod at Lake Lilly Park
2nd & last Wednesdays 4:30 - 8:30pm JCC Food Truck Jam, 11184 s Apopka Vineland Rd.
Thursdays 5-8pm: Winter Park Food Truck Rally, 1127 N. Orlando Ave | Twitter
2nd, 3rd 4th Thursdays 6-9pm: Winter Park at Eat More Produce, 1111 S. Orlando Ave, Winter Park
1st Thursdays 5:30-9pm: Apopka Food Truck RoundUp, Kit Land Nelson Park, 18 N Forest Ave
1st Fridays 5-8pm The Food Truck Bazaar Kissimme: Kissimmee Civic Center, 201 E. Dakin Ave
2nd Fridays: 5-8pm The Food Truck Bazaar New city TBA
3rd Fridays 6-9pm: Ocoee Food Truck Friday Bill Breeze Park, 125 N. Lakeshore Drive, 34761
1st Saturdays Sanford: 5-8pm The Food Truck Bazaar Sanford: Hood Ave at Seminole Blvd
2nd Saturdays 6-9pm: Downtown Longwood Cruise-In, 174 W. Church Ave.
1st Sundays: 5-8pm The Food Truck Bazaar Orange City: Lowes, 901 Saxon Blvd
2nd Sundays 5-8pm The Food Truck Bazaar Orlando: Fashion Squaure Mall
3rd Sundays 5-8pm: The Food Truck Bazaar Oviedo: Lowes on Red Bug Lake Rd
4th Sundays 5-8pm: The Food Truck Bazaar Lake Nona: CrossPointe Church, 11002 Lake Hart Dr

more details and other events: The Daily City & Droolius

Orlando Food Truck List Complete Updated list

Here is a link to a google map I created which shows all the orlando food trucks with links, phone numbers and times: http://eatlocalorlando.blogspot.com/2011/03/orlando-food-truck-map.html

Check it out and please give any suggestions you may have to improve it, thanks.

For all these trucks, they are mobile so make sure you call and check where they are before you visit, the locations can change daily. Also many of them are cash only but a few do take credit cards.

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Regular Food Truck Events:
Mondays:

• College Park Food Truck Mini Bazaar is at the corner of Clayton and Edgewater and runs Mondays 6-8pm. Four food trucks are featured  More Info

Wednesdays:

• Food truck cafe Wednesdays 6pm-9pm at Lake Lily in Maitland 
• twice a month by Dr. Philips at 4:30pm-8:30pm Jewish Community Center (JCC) 11184 S. Apopka Vineland Rd

 Thursdays:

• Winter Park Food Pod 6pm-10pm @ Eat More Produce 1111 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789
• 1st Thursday of the Month Apopka Food Truck Pod Facebook Page/More Info

The Daily City also has Large Food Truck gatherings a few times a month usually on Sundays
check out their site for specifics on current Bazaars The Daily City Food Truck Events

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The Crepe Company
thecrepeco@gmail.com
407-792-3566
Website: The Crepe Company
Downtown Orlando Lake Eola Farmers Market 10-4pm

Sam's Fantastic Hummus Truck
Grape Leaves, Hummus, Tabouli, Sambosa
Facebook
Twitter
FantasticHummus@gmail.com
(407) 375-1796

Asian:
Korean BBQ Taco Box
Menu
3 different locations, see twitter for current info
407-844-3990

Kalbi Haus

Greek:
Koukla's Mediterranean
Menu
413 N Alafaya Trl Orlando, FL 32828
(407) 968-7757
Mon: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Tue: 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Wed: 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Thu: 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM
Fri: 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM
Sat: 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Sun: 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Jamaican:
CK Jerk Shack Island BBQ
Menu
Maitland Farmers Market Sundays 9am - 2pm
600 Lake Lily Dr. Maitland, FL 32751

One Love Kitchen
Menu
5001 W Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32808
Caribbean and Jamaican

Allan's Jerk Shack
Located @ Club Lime Light on Thursday and Saturday Nights . Open Friday Nights @ Corner of Orange & Pine St. 407-668-9225

American:

Kburgers
407-271-3369

Louies Bistro

Mamas Fixins

Monsta Lobsta

N.Y. Pizza Wheels
407-494-9461 Hours
Wed - Sat: 8:00 pm-4:00 am
11484 E Colonial Dr Orlando, FL 32817

Brick and Fire Pizza Truck

The Flattery
Flatbread pizzas

Old School Coffee Stop
Menus
Mon-Thurs: 7-6 p.m.
Friday: 7a.m.-10 p.m
26205 E Colonial Dr Christmas, FL 32709
(407) 568-4005

Big Wheel Provisions Truck
Menu
Regular locations: 
Monday evenings at Audubon Park Farmers Market and Thursday evenings at College Park Farmers Market

The Crooked Spoon
Menu


BigBruno's Bites
Menu
Redlight Redlight Thursday-Saturday 8pm-2am
Redlight Redlight is 745 Bennett Road, Orlando, FL
(407) 893-9832 ‎

Country Chuck Wagon
Saturdays 10am-4pm on the corner of Forsyth and Colonial Drive at the svc station on NE corner
407-227-4840

Uncle Jones Bar-B-Que
1370 E Altamonte Dr Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
321-945-1440

Sunrise Catering
Sandwiches, Salads, Chinese Food, Breakfast Sandwiches
Read Review and see Menu Photos by Forkful LINK
Red Lot at Orlando International Airport
2 Trucks
Intersection of E Weatherbee Road and Cell Lot
They even deliver!
Mon-Sun 8am-7pm
(407) 467-6699

St. Cloud BBQ Shack
4201 13th Street, St. Cloud, FL

Vegan Hot Dog Cart
Downtown
59 N Orange Ave, Orlando, Fl, 32801
just past Washington St. Next door to @LizzyMcCormacks
Nights from 10pm to 3am

Pure Mobile Cafe
Vegan and Vegetarian Food

Yum Yum Cupcake Truck Cupcakes

Batter Bowl Truck  Desserts

Fro2Go Truck Frozen Yogurt

Gator Country BBQ - Gator Meat Skewers

Latin:

Twisted Cuban
Cuban Sandwiches



Que Rico Colombian Truck
100 W. Washington St.
Downtown Orlando, FL 32801
321.345.RICO

Silver Bistro

La Empanada
Cuban Empanadas

After Party
Brazilian food truck
7200 International Dr Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 914-9154
7pm – 3am

Fonda El Criollito
Latin Food Truck Parked on 436 just south of Hoffner in the parking lot of Park Bark & Fly
6050 South Semoran Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32812
Nights

Frank's Bar BQ Food Truck
5470 Hoffner Avenue, Orlando, FL 32812-2501
407-952-8077
Ribs, Pork, Coleslaw, Pinchos, Pina Coladas, smoothies, hamburgers, fries and chicken
Hours:
Tuesday-Thursday noon-9pm
Friday-Saturday noon-11pm

El Punto De Tripletas
Menu
at the Rahal Citgo Gas Station((407) 380-5063) Right Across from Royal Thai
1112 North Semoran Boulevard Orlando, FL 32807-3533
Hours:
Monday 11am-9pm
Tuesday-Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday-Saturday 11am-3am Late Night!
Sunday 3pm-7pm

Casa De Chef
Cuban Sandwiches, Burgers, Rice Bowls
Their Facebook
Menu thanks to Watch Me Eat

Pinchomania
533 N Semoran Blvd Orlando, FL 32807
11am-11pm Mon-Thurs
11am-4am Friday, Saturday
407-591-1055

La Tripleta Subs
9741 S Orange Blossom Tl Orlando, FL 32837
Wednesdays 6:30pm-midnight
Thursday-Saturday 6:30pm-4am
407-432-7671

Arepas El Gran Saman
9803 S Orange Blossom Trail Orlando, FL
Sun-Thurs 7pm-4am
Fri-Sat 7pm-5am
407-286-6025

Arepas Orinoco
Nights
4119 E. Colonial corner of Colonial & Bennett next to Roxy's nightclub

Las 4 Estaciones Orlando
Peruvian
9867 South Orange Blossom Trail Orlando, FL 32837-8917
407-488-4336
Friday-Saturday 6pm-4:30am
Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday 6pm-3am

El Cubanito - Cuban Sandwiches, Plantains, Congri, tostones, Batitos Cuban Milkshakes.
Mon-Sat 7am-7pm
2237 N Forsyth Rd Orlando, FL 32807-5351
(305)305-7438

La Parada Caribena
Chimmichurri Steak Sandwiches
11470 East Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32817
Nights

Treehouse Truck
Menu
407-921-1696

El Arepaso de Orlando
Menu
53 E Washington St Orlando, FL 32801
Downtown
Wed-Sat 7 pm - 3:30 am

El Fogon De Abuela
6303 S Orange Blossom Trl, Orlando, FL 32809
(407) 888-0050

Los Magnificos Frituras
Menu
14200 E colonial Dr Orlando fl 32826
407-501-0131
Monday-Thursday 5:00pm-12:00am
Friday - Saturday 5:00pm-4:30am
Sunday 6:00pm-12:00am

Arepas El Cacao
Menu
International Drive & Grand National Drive
(Stationary Location in Orlando Crossings parking lot, beside Del Taco)
Orlando, FL
321.202.4983
Read In Depth review and see pictures at Droolius
6 p.m. to 4 a.m. everyday

Pupuseria Flores
12811 W. Colonial Dr. Winter Garden, FL
Fri-Sa. 7 pm-midnight
407-883-6402

El Brazero Taco Truck
2901 Us Highway 441 Apopka, Florida 32712
(321)228-6140
Mon-Sat 10am-6pm

El Taco Loco
Menu
6705 N Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32810 Tue-Thu 8 am - 8 pm Sat-Sun 8 am - 10 pm 407-733-9599

Dominican Chimi
Menu
9785 S Orange Blossom Tl Orlando, FL 32837
Fri-Sun 8:30 pm - 1 am
407-535-1151

El Sabor De La Vida Tacos
Menu
(407) 242-7143
13092 W Colonial Dr, Winter Garden.
Across from K-Mart in parking lot of Winter Garden Animal Hospital
Fri-Sat 7 pm - 1:30 am
Sun 7 pm - 10:30 pm

Kuko Christian Food Truck
7958 Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32807
507-968-3244
Monday Closed
Tues 12-8pm
Wed-Thurs 12-10pm
Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
Sunday 1pm-8pm

El Nuevo Tun Tun
Menu
6200 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32807
(321) 250-0145

The Pelao
Menu
815 S. Semoran Blvd., Orlando, FL 32807
407-517-8855

Chimi King Chimichurris ChimiKing
Menu
11937 S Orange Blossom Tl Orlando, FL 32837
407-535-6652
Thursday through Sunday from 7:30 - night

Pinones En Orlando
Menu
2 Locations:

4316 Curry Ford Rd Orlando, Fl 32806-2707 at Conway Rd in the Sunoco parking lot. 321-594-0116
Mon - Tues: 10:00 am - 2:00 am
Wed - Thurs: 10:00 am - 3:00 am
Fri - Sat: 10:00 am - 4:00 am
Sun: 2:30 pm - 2:00 am

10660 E Colonial Dr Orlando, FL 32817
Tue-Sat 5 pm - 1 am

Lechonera Mario AKA Lechonera Mi Pequeno Pinones
Menu
9205 East Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32817
(407) 257-9860 Mon-Sat 7am-4:30pm

The Taco Company known as The Taco Truck
Menu
W Colonial Dr & Marshall Farms Rd, Ocoee, FL 34761 (turnpike exit 267-B) by Just Brakes and U-Haul
Ocoee
Friday-Saturday 7:00pm-2:00am
Sunday 5:30pm-12:00am
407-506-6570

Juancho's Grill
Tuesday-Thursday, Sunday 4pm-late
Friday, Saturday 4pm-4am
407-486-8533
11301 East Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32817-4602
It's in the parking lot of St. James Auto Electric, right next to Bojangles and across the street from Super WalMart.
Colombian burger ($4.99) and Colombian hotdogs ($3.99), hawaiian quesadillas, arepas, salchipapas (frankfurters with potatos), pinchos (grilled meat on skewers). Red truck with pictures of the menu put all along the side of the truck.
Review By Tasty Chomps

Taco Slapper
@SlapperTaco
Tacos, Burritos, Quesadillas, Nachos

Swedish:
Swede Dish Truck

Vegetarian
The following trucks usually offer some type of vegetarian dish, call to check availability:
Vegan Dog Hot Dog Cart
Big Wheel Truck - tries to have a few veggie options every day
Crooked Spoon - veggie sandwich, Mac & cheese(order without the bacon)
Korean BBQ Taco Box - ask for veggie taco
Sam's Fantastic Hummus Truck - he's 90% vegetarian

#OrlandoFoodTrucks