An addictive alternative to a traditional American breakfast or brunch is dim sum. Like sushi, dim sum encompasses a wide variety of dishes; steamed or baked buns and dumplings are the most familiar branch of dim sum that have even made it onto large chain restaurant appetizer menus. Buns, dumplings, or flaky pastry pockets can […]
Restaurants
Shannon’s Casual Café on South Orange Avenue
South Orange Avenue is packed with interesting eateries — German, French, and Polish among others — but I never had the pleasure of stopping by Shannon’s Casual Café until last week on my way to Evil Dead: The Musical. This café is located in a corner suite of a medical plaza named Water’s Edge across […]
Foodspotting Eat-Up at Nile Ethiopian Restaurant
Nile Ethiopian Restaurant offers kind service and delicious food presented in the Ethiopian tradition with injera; e.g., a spongey, crepe-like bread. Injera is then used to eat the food from your plate without any other utensils. The injera itself is very filling, so keep in mind to tear off conservative pieces during the meal. The best […]
Pio Pio Latin Cuisine on South Semoran Boulevard
Hispanic cultures and flavors have flourished in Central Florida over the past twenty years. A delicious example of that explosion is Pio Pio Latin Cuisine, which specializes in pollo a la brasa or rotisserie chicken. Meat lovers aren’t left out in the cold either because Pio Pio also has grilled steak, pork belly, and even […]
Fortuna Bakery & Café on John Young Parkway
Fortuna Bakery & Cafe is tucked away in a small plaza on John Young Parkway beside a church. This cafe also happens to be my Puerto Rican mother’s favorite spot to have an after-mass cappuccino and pandebono, which is a roll made of cassava starch, eggs, cheese, and corn flour. The moment I walked into […]
Thai Island Orlando Restaurant
There are no Thai restaurants beside Orlando International Airport, and with weekday lunch rush traffic in full swing, I always think twice about a trek toward North Semoran Boulevard for lunch. Luckily, Thai Island Orlando Restaurant opened only several months ago and is about ten minutes from the airport. The restaurant is located in Conway […]
Garden Peppers, Oregano, Basils, and Tomatoes
Adam and I have left sprouting seeds to the pros after last year’s first garden crop didn’t last very long. We replaced all the failing seedlings with established plants, so this year’s garden was also started with established plants. The garden space itself is an above ground square foot garden where each plant has a […]
MetroWest Pour House Bar & Grill
This Pour House — there’s another location in Downtown Orlando — is done up in dark wood high-tops, booths, and regular tables. They have several large flat screen televisions with the latest in sports via Direct TV, and if that’s not enough, they also have a large digital projector streaming sports. Adam and I cozied […]
Shipyard Brew Pub in Winter Park
The high, wood-panelled ceilings and beams of Shipyard Emporium in Winter Park instantly relaxed me. The large windows daylight flood into the restaurant, so I was glad for a seat near the windows. To the left of the main doorway, there were racks of bottled and other Shipyard goods for sale, included stacks of Shipyard […]
Disney’s Wild Africa Trek: Taste of Africa
Adam and I recently went on the Africa Trek tour through the Harambe Reserve in Disney’s Animal Kingdom for his birthday. The animals were the main draw, but now I’m glad to say that the food should be too! After two hours of light hiking, crossing rope bridges over crocodile pits, and a brief safari […]