Nacho Mama's Mexican Restaurant

I happened to be driving by the corner of 436 and 50 where the new flyover highway is and I noticed a sign "Nacho Mama's". The colors really stood out and I knew that it wasn't there before. It's in the old location of Mr. Mofongo on the Northwest corner of that intersection. Pulled up to the front about 9 am on a Thursday and was greeted by a nice lady waving me in and saying "come in, try our food!" I'm always scoping out new restaurants and this one looked to be good.

The lady was super nice and excited that I came in. She gave me a menu and started telling me all about the place. I wasn't super hungry so I ordered the Chorizo, Egg and Cheese taco $2. Quickly she brought me my taco and a side of green chili sauce. The friendly owner came out and we chatted for a bit about his vision for the place and then he brought me a sample of his homemade red salsa and some nacho chips with a delicious tangy cheese sauce.

The server kept offering me more and more water which I love, some places are pretty stingy with tap water and I drink a lot of it when I eat.

Nacho Mamas is a Mexican restaurant that serves all the standard Mexican fare, Enchiladas, Tacos, Burritos, Chili Rellenos, but they also have Mexican breakfast which seems unique for restaurants in the area. They are open early in the morning (7am) until very late at night on weekends.

They also sell Latin pastries like elephant ears and guava Pasteles. Also they make their own Horchata rice drink with real spices and a Watermelon Sangria.

They don't have a website, twitter or Facebook yet.
Former location of El Palmar & Mr. Mofongo
5643 East Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32807
Monday - Closed
Tues-Thurs 7am-11pm
Fri-Sun 7am-3am

Menu:

El Buzo Peruvian Restaurant

Thanks to Lunch Box Crew link for bringing this restaurant to our attention.

El Buzo is a Peruvian Restaurant in the Market Square Shopping Center behind Smokey Bones on the Northeast corner of Howell Branch and 436.

They serve authentic Peruvian beef, chicken and seafood dishes.

I was able to try two different dinner plates, the Lomo Saltado "Mar y Tierra" and the Asado al Vino.

Lomo Saltado is the national dish of Peru and any self respective Peruvian restaurant serves it. It consists of lean strips of beef cooked with onions, tomatoes over french fries and rice. In the case of the "Mar y Tierre" it means Sea and Earth so it also includes fresh shrimp. At El Buzo they add their own special touch of sauces on the side, one a tangy mayo sauce and another spicier paste made from herbs including basil. This dish had good flavors and the beef was tender and onions were still crisp. I really liked the herb sauce.

The second dish was the Asado al Vino. Roasted beef marinated in wine served with rice and yellow mashed potatoes. This was fine but not unlike american pot roast. This would be a great dish to serve to a dinner companion who hasn't had Peruvian food before and is not very adventurous.

They also specialize in all types of Ceviche, citrus marinated shrimp, fish and squid.

The owner and Chef Bruno a great cook & an avid spear fisherman and has won an American Spearfishing Championship. El Buzo means "The Diver". He has a couple spearguns hanging on the wall and lots of great photo albums of his spearfishing conquests on the counter. Also in the albums are photos of many of their dishes, very well presented.

For dessert I had the Alfadores cookies, which were crumbly type sugar cookies filled with nutella, very tasty!

They don't have a large sign so just look for the place with two umbrellas
1436 State Road 436, Suite 1024
Casselberry FL 32707
407-673-0237

Hours:
Mon-Sat noon-9:30pm
Sunday noon-close?

Menu

Food Truck Pod Recap

This past Wednesday there was a Food Truck Pod behind Firestone Live, 70 West Concord. I believe this is the fourth of these events. This one was different as they were serving mixed drinks and beer in addition to the Big 6 food trucks. Bud, Bud Light, Blue Moon, Heineken, Stella Artoire, Yuengleng, New Castle, Bacardi, Smirnoff, and other liquors.

Some notable unique foods at this gathering were the Cajun Chicken Wrap with coconut rice from The Crooked Spoon, the spicy calamari po'boy from Big Wheel Truck and the BEARGRRRR AKA Krispy Kreme Bacon Luther Burger from Treehouse truck.

Cajun chicken wrap-cumin coconut rice with black eyed peas, mango salsa, sweet plantains, crunchy potato sticks.

THE PINK PANTHER Salad. Strawberries, blueberries, avocado, feta cheese, raspberry vinaigrette on a bed of spring mix from Treehouse Truck

Luther: cheese n bacon in between 2 Krispy Kreme donuts.

In the weeks to follow they will be adding live music to the event. Very exciting!

Frank's Bar BQ Food Truck Hoffner

Yesterday I went out in search of unknown food trucks and I found one!

Frank's Bar BQ Food Truck is on Hoffner in the parking lot of the Nice & Easy Bar, between 436 and Conway. He serves West Indian(St. Thomas) style BBQ with a latin influence. He's been there over 3 years, he previously had a spot on Goldenrod but moved to his current location.

I tried his coleslaw which was good but standard style except he puts a few raisins in it! that made my day. He also gave me a sample of his pork with BBQ sauce, it was really tasty. The outside had a nice crust and the inside was soft and had great flavor.

He also serves Pinchos which are meats grilled on a skewer, Pina Coladas, smoothies, hamburgers, fries and chicken. See pics for menu.

Frank's Bar BQ Food Truck
5470 Hoffner Avenue, Orlando, FL 32812-2501
407-952-8077
Hours:
Tuesday-Thursday noon-9pm
Friday-Saturday noon-11pm

Casa De Chef

Casa De Chef
Cuban Sandwiches, Burgers, Rice Bowls
Their Facebook
Menu thanks to Watch Me Eat
#1 location:
5518 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, FL 32810
Monday tru Friday 8am till 7pm

#2 location:
Colonial/Fern Creek Chevron Station
1601 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803-4803
Friday 6pm till midnight
Saturday 11am till midnight

BBQ Shack in St. Cloud

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

They are next to the Wendy's in the plaza where the Goodwill store is on the corner of Kissimmee Park Rd and 192/13th St.

Printable List of Orlando Food Trucks

Check out this word doc we created. You can download it(click here to download) and print it using word or google docs. If you print it two sided all the food trucks will be listed on one two sided page. That way you can carry it in your car with you and when you are driving around and the hunger strikes just check the list!

El Brazero Taco Truck Apopka

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

Found this truck last month but it was closed, finally got to stop by today and try their El Pastor taco, only $1.50 and tasty, comes with Onions and Cilantro. She also gave me the option to add my own hot sauce, either green or red. I had the green and it was a little spicy but really good flavor.

They were doing good business even at 4:45 pm when I stopped by today. It's run by a nice lady and her husband. They are open everyday except Sundays when they cater the Soccer games in Tavares.

They have tacos made from Stewed Pork Steak, Chicken, Chorizo, Marinated Pork and even Tongue!
They also have Tortas(mexican sandwiches) $5 and Quesadillas $5

If you find yourself up by Apopka/Plymouth they are in the parking lot of the Diamond gas station on the north east corner.

I'm hoping they can come out to one of the food truck events soon.

El Punto De Tripletas NEW FOOD TRUCK 436 and Old Cheney

One of my informants reported a new food truck to me yesterday. Lauren from http://nomfest.blogspot.com/

El Punto De Tripletas
at the Rahal Citgo Gas Station((407) 380-5063)
1112 North Semoran Boulevard Orlando, FL 32807-3533

Right Across from Royal Thai

They have 4 different kinds of Cuban sandwiches:
Tripleta - Steak, Pork, Ham $6
Cuban - Pork, Ham, Swiss $6
Pernil - Roast Pork $5
Bistec - Steak $5

they are cash only and they do provide seating

Hours:
Monday 11am-9pm
Tuesday-Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday-Saturday 11am-3am Late Night!
Sunday 3pm-7pm

New Restaurants in Orlando

I'm always hunting for new restaurants in Orlando, here is a list of what I've found lately:

Roy's Burger Express
http://www.yelp.com/biz/roys-burger-express-orlando
5306 North Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32808
(407) 253-4995

Dylan's Deli, New Restaurant in WP Near Rav Pig French themed sandwiches, quiche, flan, paninis http://www.dylansdeli.net/
1198 Orange Ave Winter Park, FL 32789-4908
(407) 622-7578

Terrace 390
http://terrace390.com/
390 N. ORANGE AVE. ORLANDO, FL
407 425 2445

The Rusty Spoon - American Gastropub http://www.therustyspoon.com/
55 W Church St Orlando, FL 32801 (407)401-8811

Delmonico's Italian Steak House http://www.delmonicositaliansteakhouse.com
6115 Westwood Blvd Orlando, FL 32887
(407) 226-2662

Cuba de Cuba - http://www.yelp.com/biz/cuba-de-cuba-orlando
63 Orange Ave Orlando, FL 32801

Mediterranean Deli and Gyros http://www.yelp.com/biz/mediterranean-deli-and-gyros-orlando
9430 E Colonial Dr Orlando, FL 32825
(407) 271-8937

Junior Parrilla columbian burgers on vineland http://www.yelp.com/biz/junior-parrilla-orlando

Matteos - Idrive: http://www.yelp.com/biz/matteos-of-orlando-orlando

Sleeping Moon Cafe - 436 and Aloma: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sleeping-moon-cafe-winter-park

Roddy's Deli on East Colonial at Lake Pickett - http://www.yelp.com/biz/roddys-deli-orlando

Food Truck Heaven Tuesday, May 3 · 5:00pm-Midnight Plaza Theater on Bumby

Wow! another great food truck event.

Tuesday, May 3 · 5:00pm - 11:30pm

The Plaza Theatre
425 N. Bumby Ave Orlando, FL 32803 (Map)

Orlando's finest Food Trucks, Live Music, Beer and even a Kids area! Tuesday May 3rd from 5pm - 12am sample eats from over 15 of Orlando's top culturally diverse food trucks! Free admission! Live Entertainment! Great Brews in the Beer Garden! Fun for the Kids! Get to The Plaza Live to discover Food Truck Heaven!

RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142603755807922

RSVP on Yelp:http://www.yelp.com/events/orlando-food-truck-heaven

PRESS RELEASE JUST ADDED! 4/26

A great night of Orlando's finest Food Trucks, Live Music, Beer and even a Kids area! Tuesday May 3rd from 5pm - 12am sample eats from over 15 of Orlando's top culturally diverse food trucks! Free admission! Live Entertainment! Great Brews in the Beer Garden! Fun for the Kids! Get to The Plaza Live to discover Food Truck Heaven!

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
...
Food Truck Event Celebrates Cultural Diversity

ORLANDO, Fla. – April 26, 2011 – The Plaza 'Live' Theater, Orlando's premiere live concert venue, has teamed up with Kenny and Denny’s BBQ to put on a food truck event like no other: Food Truck Heaven! Starting at 5 p.m. on May 3, 2011, The Plaza will be hosting Food Truck Heaven, a 'mobile food court' of sorts, where hungry patrons can sample a variety of culturally diverse culinary delights all in one location.

"If you love ethnic cuisine, food trucks, and beer, this is the event for you," says Ken Cornell of Kenny and Denny's BBQ. "Come and try food truck fare from around the world."

Food Truck Heaven will feature Peruvian, Southern BBQ, Jamaican, Mexican, Columbian, Venezuelan, New England-style, and All-American cuisine. It will be great to see all the different food trucks from the diverse cultures of Orlando come together like a culinary United Nations

Local food trucks participating in the event include Las 4 Estaciones Orlando, CK Jerk Shack, Taco Loco, Jauncho’s Grill, Arepas el Cacao, Shipyard, Jazzydog, and Mr. Softee Ice Cream, to name a few. The beer garden will feature Corona, Heineken, Stella, and a variety of other beers and wines. "This is a great opportunity for food trucks who have been in business around Central Florida for years to serve the mainstream, so people can taste the cuisine and learn about their culture," says blogger Julius Mayo Jr.of Droolius.com

Other local vendors who will be participating in Food Truck Heaven include: Tia’s Plantain Chips; Demeter’s Harvest (selling fresh salsas and dips); Luther’s Produce (local produce farmer); Universal Spiritual Elements (selling empowering Quartz Crystals/ precious stones & jewelry); Pleasant Earth Soap Co. (selling handmade healthy soaps); and De la Cruz (featuring amazing artwork).

Face painting, caricature drawings, and a drum circle will provide entertainment for the entire family. Giving World Percussion's Jason Isla will be available starting at 8 p.m. to lead the drum circle, provide additional drums, and encourage children of all ages to join the fun. Local musicians Jared Goldberg, TBA, Legacy, and Everyday Ghosts will also perform.
"I expect an evening of great culinary and musical diversity, and a shared community experience," says DJ Jessica Pawli of WPRK 91.5.

The Plaza is located at 425 N. Bumby Ave., in Orlando. Admission to Food Truck Heaven is free, and there will be plenty of 8-foot tables for customers. However, chairs will be limited, so patrons are encouraged to bring their own folding chairs.

For more information about this expanding event, to offer suggestions, or to see the latest food trucks added to the lineup, visit Food Truck Heaven on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/foodtruckheaven-fb Food truck vendors interested in participating can contact Ken Cornell at 407-923-6152.

About The Plaza 'Live' Theater
The Plaza 'Live' Theater is Orlando's premiere live concert venue, offering a wide range of concerts, comedians, and cultural events. The Plaza has been making renovations in all aspects, which include replacing the seating in the main hall with removable seating, allowing for a wider range of talent. A newly revamped concession area also features hot sandwiches and arepas made to order by Kenny & Denny's BBQ.

Contact:
Ken Cornell
Co-owner Kenny and Denny's BBQ
spacejamerzs@yahoo.com
407-923-6152

Rangetsu Japanese Restaurant in Maitland

Last friday Ran-Getsu of Maitland had a sneak preview cocktail party. I stopped by and sampled some of their appetizers. They are having a soft opening with a limited menu today for locals if you call you may be able to get a reservation. They don't open formally until later this month.

One of the tastier and more interesting appetizers was sweet potato wedges in a sweet tamari type sauce. Also the beef skewers were magnificent, the beef was super tender and you could just tell this was top notch meat.

Some of the more interesting things I see on the menu are:

French Bread Cheese Gratin - Gorgonzola and Gruyère sauce baked over french bread
Cajun Edamame
Kimchi Tofu
Wagyu Kobe Steak

It'll be great to have another find dining choice in Maitland, now if we could just find something to fill the old Steak and Ale spot across the street.

901 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, Fl 32789
407-345-0044
Lunch Daily 11:30am-2:30pm
Dinner 4:30pm-9:30pm
Orchid Lounge 11pm-2am

Parking is behind the restaurant, turn into the circle on lake lily and valet or pass that area and parking is in the lot just past the circle.

Their website rangetsu.com is sparse on the details right now so here is the menu: