do you enjoy Indian food? ever want to try? Tasty Chomps is partnering with Eversave Orlando to give out a free voucher to Passage to India Restaurant near I-Drive!
want to win a free voucher for Passage to India from Eversave Orlando? e-mail tastychomps@gmail.com with your name and your reason why you want to go and you will be entered to win! winner will be announced Friday June 24 at 8pm so enter before then! http://eversave.com/go/4Lg0
Check out it out!
http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/engineer-ucf-alumnus-runs-renowned-food-blog-1.2601037
Last Sunday, on June 12 2011, TheDailyCity.com hosted the first of a series of Summer Food Truck Bazaars rotating almost from week to week at three locations throughout Central Florida.
The event was hosted at the Oviedo Marketplace Mall, with the next bazaars occurring at the Orlando Fashion Square Mall and Parliament House.
I headed over to the home of friends and fellow bloggers Pearleen and Al (of Megayummo.com) to carpool over to the Oviedo Marketplace for the Food truck bazaar. Food bloggers teaming up to fight hunger and highway tolls!
The Oviedo Marketplace, a shadow of its former self and a relic of our once national obsession with indoor malls, gained great exposure due to this event. Maybe it will bring renewed attention to the Oviedo Mall and Fashion Square Mall and bring new foot traffic to their shops.
On this particularly hot Florida summer afternoon, over 15 food trucks lined up in tow out in the Oviedo mall parking lot. The food trucks included Big Wheel Provisions, Red Eye BBQ, The Crooked Spoon, C&S; Brisket Bus (first time debut!), Arepas El Cacao, Firehouse BBQ, Mama’s Fixins (first time debut! – a soul food truck), Mobile Deli (also a first timer), Pupusas Truck, Sunset Italian Ice, The Traveling Gourmet, Treehouse Truck, The Winter Park Fish Co, The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck
Hundreds of foodie followers from all over Central Florida descended upon the bazaar, lining up with their fold-up tailgating chairs, and then chowing down on the latest and greatest mobile grubs. Families, friends, parents, children, grandparents, people of all backgrounds came together at this spot to relish and celebrate in the only thing that binds them all: a love for food.
I thought the scene was fascinating, a community alive again.
The following is a list of future event dates and locations for theDailyCity.com’s Food truck bazaars:
JUNE
June 12 Oviedo Mall
June 19 Fashion Square Mall 5pm-10pm
June 26 Parliament House 6pm-10pm
JULY
July 10 Oviedo Mall 6pm-10pm
July 17 Fashion Square Mall 5pm-10pm
July 24 Parliament House 6pm-10pm
AUGUST
Aug 14 Oviedo Mall 6pm-10pm
Aug 21 Fashion Square Mall 5pm-10pm
Aug 28 Parliament House 6pm-10pm
For more info, visit http://www.thedailycity.com/2011/05/thedailycitycom-food-truck-bazaar.html
C&S; Brisket Truck
Corned Beef Sandwich from the CS Brisket Bus via @eatlocalorlando
Pork and chicken bulgogi taco lettuce wraps from Mobile Deli
The Travelling Gourmet
Sunset Italian Ice
The Mango italian ice tasted “like they took a whole bunch of mangos and smashed it into the ice.” said Julius aka “Droolius“. It was fresh and definitely every bite tasted like biting into a fresh mango.
Megayummo enjoying her Italian ice
@ucfbiggie we finally meet!
Pork arepas from Arepas El Cacao were amazing: filled with cheese, pork slices, and more all wraped in an arepa or rice cake. This is a dish most popular in Venezuela.
I was recently invited to Anthony’s Special Media Blogger Event at Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza off of Turkey Lake Road and Sand Lake Road in Orlando. This was a special event as Anthony, the founder, was also present to show us how everything goes. The pizza here is made differently than most pizza places, using coal fired ovens to make their pizza causing the pizza to have a charred, ‘well done’ taste. check out the photos below!
Anthony, owner of Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza, also gave out a 25$ gift card to giveaway to our readers! This is all thanks to Anthony of Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza and Toby Srebnik of O’Connell & Goldberg.
Goto our Facebook and leave the comment, “TASTYCHOMPS Rocks,” for your chance to win! http://www.facebook.com/tastychomps We will announce the winner on May 23rd! GOOD LUCK!
check out their website at http://anthonyscoalfiredpizza.com
Orlando Sentinel is also hosting tonight a Meet up with Heather McPherson and Scott Maxwell at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza . Come enjoy some food and drinks with some of your favorite Sentinel personalities and meet the people behind the scenes at the best newspaper in Orlando. ORLANDO SENTINEL MEET UP
To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, all Orlando-area Chipotle Mexican Grill locations are offering a special for those who plan to throw a party at home or an office fiesta. On Thursday, May 5, those who place an order for 10 or more burritos through the restaurant’s Burritos by the Box program will receive half of their order for free. That’s at least five burritos, up to infinity, for free.
I recently traveled with my friend Sean over to Eatonville, home of Zora Neale Hurston and writer of Their Eyes were Watching God
Lowe’s Good Eaton was founded by Shea Lowe, 26 years old, just three years ago. A native of Ocoee, Shea has several relatives from the Eatonville area and decided to open up Lowe’s Good Eaton because of his love for food and also for the love of business and money making with his passion for food.
When you enter Lowe’s Good Eaton, you immediately notice that the place could use some TLC, maybe some new paint or new tables and decor. I think it would do well to add something to brighten up the place and freshen it up a bit. In this case though, the old adage holds true that it is quite often the holes in the wall that serve up the best foods. Along their walls they have several awards and recognition, including a check from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority an a certificate for Best Pie 2010 from Orlando Weekly for their Sweet Potato Pie.
On this Friday, I ordered their BBQ ribs with two sides ($11), grilled on site at Good Eaton’s and served only on Fridays and Saturdays. We were lucky to have arrived at just the right time because they ran out of ribs right after we made our order. You order up at the counter where all the side dishes and some of the oxtail, baked chicken, and fried chicken are ready to be scooped up into your plates, kind of like by the lunch lady at the school cafeteria. The side dishes I ordered were the Mac N Cheese and Collared greens as well as a slice of their sweet potato pie ($2.50).
The BBQ ribs were slightly charred from the grill, flaky pieces of meat falling off the bone with every bite. The mac and cheese was a homestyle rendition of the American classic and also an instant favorite. The collared greens were fresh and tasty with bits of pork included. The sweet potato pie was creamy and had all the lovely flavors of smashed sweet potatoes in pie form.
Overall I enjoyed Lowe’s Good Eaton and would recommend it to those soul food lovers out there who don’t mind going to a hole in the wall 😉
Visit Lowe’s Good Eaton Soulfood Website at:
goodeatonsoulfood.com
Baja Fresh sits inside a new plaza built across from UCF just south of Gemini Boulevard off of Alafaya Trail behind the BP gas station.
I had initially written off Baja Fresh as one of the many iterations of fast casual “Mexican Grills” that had come to Orlando in the past few years in the form of Chipotle, Moe’s, Qdoba, etc., and thought nothing of the place until recently when one of my friends invited me to join him for lunch there.
Although the place is a franchise based out of California, Baja Fresh is owned by a local family here in Orlando who still work the cash registers and handle the cooking in the open kitchen area. I could tell this place would be good upon entering, observing that most of the seats were already filled by local UCF students and business people on lunch break.
I ordered the Burrito ultimo with charbroiled steak, grilled peppers, chilies, onions, melted jack and cheddar cheese, roasted Salsa Baja, rice and sour cream. I also ordered a side of the mahi mahi fish tacos.
The good people at Baja Fresh don’t kid around when they say that their food is “fresh”: you can taste it immediately in the quality of the beef and ingredients, cooked to order, down to the salsa that is made fresh daily.
I personally feel that Baja Fresh beats out Chipotle, Moes, Qdoba etc in terms of taste and freshness and would not hesitate for the chance to go back the next time I have a hankering for a good burrito!
Baja Fresh’ CEO David Kim was recently on Undercover Boss as well, check it out here:
BAJA FRESH UNDERCOVER BOSS CBS VIDEO
Check it outt from the daily city
TRUCKS
Red Eye BBQ Website | Facebook | Twitter | Yelp
Korean BBQ Taco Box
CJ Jerk Shack Island BBQ Website | Yelp
Big Wheel Provisions Truck Twitter | Website
The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck Website | Facebook | Twitter | Email
The Taco Lady Facebook
Papusas
Winter Park Fish Company Facebook
The Crooked Spoon Facebook | Twitter | Website | Yelp
The Treehouse Truck Facebook | Twitter
The Traveling Gourmet MAKING ITS ORLANDO DEBUT!
The Wing Commander FROM MIAMI!
Sunset Ice Facebook
Country Chuck Wagon
SOME HARD FACTS:
This event can be tons of fun if you know what to expect before you arrive. So make sure you’re prepped and ready for a night of fun by reading this brief list of “hard facts.”
1. Expect to wait in long lines. While the food is delicious, it does not come fast. Why? Its not fast food. These are restaurants on wheels. Plan to wait.
2. We (The Daily City) have no control over the speed at which the lines move. The food trucks themselves control that.
3. Some trucks will run out of food. This can happen while you’re waiting in line.
4. Expect to experience 1 – 2 trucks. If you get to experience more, yay!
5. This event ends at midnight. If you’re in line and its midnight, your line will be cut off, whether you’ve ordered food or not. This is not our choosing.
6. If you want to sit down while in line or while eating, bring a chair.
7. Bring cash: ones and fives (not tens and twenties) are VERY welcome by the vendors. Some, not all, trucks accept credit.
Also in 2009, we took the idea of food trucks and thought, “If you can sell food from a vehicle, what else can you sell?” and launched TheDailyCity.com Mobile Art Show, a monthly show in downtown Orlando that takes place in a moving van.
In 2010, we read about the Hells Kitchen Food Truck Bazaar, loved the idea, but thought it was a bit too ambitious for us to tackle. So, we blogged about it and left it at that. In January 2011, the owner of Red Eye BBQ food truck suggested we were the ideal people to put on a food truck event like the gatherings happening in Miami and across the country. With his vote of confidence, we made an official announcement February 2, 2011 and watched it come to life March 29, 2011.
Hawkers Asian Street Fare – Mills 50 District – Orlando
Hawkers Asian Street Fare is a brand spanking new restaurant that opened recently on Mills Avenue in the Mills 50 district in the same building as the old Chinatown restaurant. Although I enjoyed the food from the former occupants, I think I enjoy Hawkers much more. I think what they are doing at Hawkers is one of the best things to happen to the Asian food scene in Orlando in a long time.
A hawker is a person who travels around selling goods, typically advertising them by shouting. Although you won’t see any yelling about here at Hawkers, the cuisine is heavily influence by the food peddled by street hawkers in Asia, particularly from Malaysia. The owners of Hawkers actually have family in Malaysia who are street hawkers. They brought these street hawker recipes over and adapted them for the Hawkers menu. The curry dishes, skewered beef, noodles, and more all show this influence.
If you look carefully at the Chinese-like symbol adorning the Hawker building, you can tell its made from the shape of a person carrying two baskets on a wooden pole stretched across his/her back. This is how street food is done in Asia with old ladies and men carrying their wares to market and plopping on the street to start selling their creations.
The decor at Hawkers is similar to the urban warehouse feel of Chipotle, with walls accented by corrugated metal sheets and high bar top stools. Photos of street food scenes from Vietnam to Malaysia decorate the walls. Chinese newspapers are laminated into the table tops, reminiscent of street stalls in Asia.
To start off, street food is often best eaten late at night with a round of beers and drinks. Hawkers has a impressive beer selection including some beers that come from local Orlando Brewing Company downtown. I’d recommend getting some beers to go along with the street food theme.
The roti canai is one of the signature dishes from southeast asia, a crispy crepe like roti that you dip in the curry sauce. It was pretty delicious and would taste even better if it came with 2 rotis instead of just one.
Another popular appetizer were the Hawker wings, made with Asian spices and served with a sweet chili Sriracha sauce.
Hawkers is best for their noodle dishes, noodle soups, and roast duck items. I thought their five spiced pork choppetes could use some work, maybe include a bowl of rice to balance the flavors.
One of my favorite items was the char kwa teo, a Malaysian dish from the teochiu people who immigrated from China, sort of like a Chinese influenced pad thai.
The curry chicken dish that I had was okay, I thought it needed some more hot pepper to bring the spices up a notch.
The roast duck in the roast duck banh mi sliders that we ordered was awesome, crispy and tasty to the bite. The roast duck udon noodle soup was another popular item; the broth was very light and mild tasting and went well with the flavors of the dish.
The fried fish with black bean sauce was a dish that was good, and would be better if served with a side bowl of freshly steamed rice.
My friend ordered the five spice fish tacos and he enjoyed it thoroughly.
On another occasion, I ordered the very spicy prawn mee noodle soup, a satisfying bowl made with a shrimp and pork based spicy soup, topped with slices of hard boiled egg, chinese vegetables, and shrimp. The curry laksa, a similar type of noodle soup, but with more curry flavors of course.
I thought the prices were reasonable, with most of the dishes under $6.00. Its important to note that the portions are much smaller than at traditional Chinese restaurants, but I think of it more like dim sum or tapas portions and prices that are meant to be shared. My friends and I ordered about 10 dishes and it came out to be about $15 per person for the meal.
Overall, I would definitely recommend checking out Hawkers, especially with a group of friends to share in good food and good times.
Click here for their menu!
HAWKERS MENU
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As a food blogger, we get invited to all sorts of fun food events, previews, and what not where the restaurants or establishments showcase their new goods for free. This is usually a part of their PR campaign push to let customers know what they are up to and what is new.
Dunkin Donuts recently held one of these events at their store on University Boulevard.
Known mostly for their breakfast items, coffee, and doughnuts, they are starting a new menu to meet their customer’s PM snack cravings with stuffed breadsticks (pepperoni and cheese or cheeseburger varieties), warm apple pie, bagel twists (cinnamon-raisin or cheddar cheese flavors), and the big and toasty sandwich. The snacks are priced from $1.29 to $1.59 and are available at participating Dunkin’s locations. The new foods will be available on the menu all day.
To be honest, I think the stuffed breadsticks reminded me of hot pockets hah. I think they can work on the taste of the fillings and use fresh and local ingredients rather than processed meats and cheeses. I’d pay more for better tasting and better for you food. I think the big and toasty was a favorite at the tasting, made with bacon eggs and a texas toast bun. In general, I think its a good idea for Dunkin Donuts to move into the PM market to widen their base. maybe they can make a donut sandwich, just saying? I think the new hearty snacks menu is good for those busy at work and want to grab a quick snack.
Something that I learned about this Dunkin Donut is that there is actually a Baskin Robins attached to it where you can order your birthday ice cream cakes and have them specially custom made for whatever occasion you have. They also have a special event coming up (see photos below)
One thing about this dunkin donut is its staffed with some genuinely nice people. Kudos to the management team !
they also have a food truck coming… http://www.dunkindonuts.com/DDBlog/2011/04/road_trip_alert_the.html
Big n Toasty
Pepperoni breadstick
CAKES!!!!
The management team at Dunkin Donuts!!
This is a guest post from Kha Duong! check it out! this review was from a recent media event put on by Morton’s to check out their bar bites menu, a happy hour menu at their bar.
If you would like to guest post, feel free to email me at tastychomps @ gmail (dot) com
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Morton’s Steakhouse – Bar Bites – by Kha Duong
Morton’s Steakhouse is a prime example of tradition. You are greeted at the front door by a host with a warm smile in a nice tuxeudo. While tonight I was not here for the prime aged steaks but rather to experience there “Bar Bites” Menu. But Morton’s is doing what younger restaurants have been doing for quite some time. Social Media, both Twitter and Facebook, are now being used by the restaurant not only for promotion but also to share about the history and the people working there. Trying to reach a younger more connected generation of clientle.
But we are here to talk about the food. We started with salmon pizza and steak sandwiches. The salmon pizza was by far my favorite itemof the night. The classic combination of salmon and capers was fantastic, the capers’ salty flavor accented the salmon very well, with the pizza twist. The steak sandwiches were only average, the bread was uninspiring and the steak was slightly over charred. The next food item was the Cobb Salad bites with very clever presentation. However. the blue cheese crumbles and dressing overwhelmed the tasteless circular iceburg lettuce cutouts. The BLT Crabcake sandwich were delicious, but I recommend only getting the crab cake bites instead of the whole sandwich. The last item tasted was the Blue Cheese French Fires, which. while good. I believe these are just an after thought. The blue cheese overpowered the fries and this dish could have benefited from a different cheese blend.
A very good part of the meal was the 4 specialty beverages. A Cosmo, Pineapple Vodka Mortini, Moijito and Pomegranate Martini. All these beverages were well made and had distinct bright flavors. The pineapple-infused vodka martini was the best out of the four by far and their mojito made me a convert for that beverage.
The ending carrot Cake was a very good dessert and would recommend it as a good way to end the meal.
I would give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars for their Power House.
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All the great Asian markets in Orlando are located either near downtown in the Mills Avenue / SR 50 area or on the west side at Pine Hills at the 1st Oriental Market. Although small Asian Markets have existed through out the east side of Orlando for a while now, the newly opened Eastside Asian Market is the largest one to open to date and is a welcomed addition for those living on the east side who need to buy their Asian goods without traveling far.
Eastside Asian Market sits just east of the 408 exit on Colonial Drive in a newly built plaza next to the BP gas station. They also operate under the name “Farm Fresh Produce” in the same building and are aptly named so as they have quite the selection of fresh vegetables and fruits both local and out of state. The market is sparkling clean and new, stocked with the essentials of Asian cooking from soy sauces, noodles, rice, dried mushrooms, and more. The even have a large selection of ramen for those of you who are on a tight budget or going to UCF. Though they are not as large as the ones downtown or on the west, their selection should be sufficient for most shopper’s everyday needs.
Eastside Asian Market is owned by a local family here in Orlando who are devout Buddhists and vegetarians. You will notice that they have a large variety of vegetarian items at this Asian market including the veggies and fruits, they have tofu products and “faux” meat items that spice up the typical vegetarian diet.
They also quartered off a section of the market into a cafe with a developing menu specializing in Taiwanese dishes and, all of course, vegetarian. At their cafe, they currently serve boba milk tea, taro slush, flavored black tea (passionfruit, mango, strawberry, lychee), shaved ice, fruit slush, fruit smoothies, special buns, egg rolls, dumplings, egg pancakes, and are still adding items as time goes on.
On a recent Friday afternoon, I had the chance to try the famous vegetarian “special buns” (2 for $4.99). The recipe is a secret and has been made by the owner Ronald’s father for over 20 years at home as a treat. The special buns were delicious, spicy flavored slices of tofu and mushroom in sweet “mantou” wheat buns. I also had the deep fried dumplings (6 for $3.95) and they were also vegetarian and pretty delicious, not unlike the korean mandoo dumplings that I have had served in New York. I washed everything down with a nice cool cup of flavored passionfruit black tea.
Overall, I think Eastside Asian Market is an awesome addition to the life on the east side of Orlando and hope they continue to bring fresh produce and food to Orlando.
Eastside Asian Market
12950 E Colonial Dr, Ste 106
Orlando, FL 32828
(407) 615-8881
www.eastsideasianmarket.com/
Florida Oranges!
Bittermelon!
Instant Ramen aisle!
The Eastside Asian Market’s Cafe
Menu 1
Menu 2
“Special Buns”
When I was in Hong Kong recently (okay it was a few months ago, maybe last summer?), I noticed a plethora of American fast food establishments around. Sadly these fast food joints were as prevalent as the regular old Hong Kong street food carts (check out the last post about Hong Kong’s Street Food extravaganza here). KFC, Pizza Hut (which has established itself as a fancy sit down restaurant in Hong Kong), and of course the mighty Golden Arches, McDonald’s, pretty much can be found everywhere you look.
McDonald’s is very popular in Hong Kong and is one of the few places that are open really late in the city near our hotel in Tsim Tsa Tsui, so on occasion we would frequent this place, like we do here in the States, out of convenience and familiarity.
Like in the US, the staples of McDonald’s are present here on the menus in Hong Kong, the Big Mac, Double Cheeseburger, Quarterpounder etc. But unlike any McDonald’s in the States, the ones here in Hong Kong serve food items such as “taro pie” in addition to “apple pie”, “seaweed flavored” french fries, and chicken wings, cause why the hell not?
The seasoned french fries were a big thing going on that summer, ads appeared on all the TV channels and in the city corners for these Hong Kong “Shake Shake Fries” from McDonald’s. Basically you take these little seasoning packets like “seaweed” or “spicy” and you add it to the fries inside the paper bag and shake shake shake it all around to get the seasoning on the fries and then, enjoy. I remember the flavors being heavy on the msg but other than that they were pretty good! Maybe they’ll bring this to the US one day. I hear it is also only a seasonal offering at the McDonalds in Hong Kong.
The taro pie was pretty good, the same crusty pastry shell used for apple pies but filled with the sweet purple starchy gooey taro cubes instead of apples. The chicken wings were my favorite though, fried to a crisp and a wonderful bite sized snack.
before you start eating shake shake fries, here is a instructional video with a “cool” dance teaching you how to properly shake it.
more from Hong Kong soon….
and on to the next adventure…
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26th Annual Taste of Winter Park presented by CenturyLink
by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce
WHEN: Wednesday, April 20 – 5:00-8:00 PM
WHERE: Winter Park Farmers’ Market (200 W. New England Avenue, Winter Park)
COST: $35 for Chamber members in advance / $40 for non-members / $40 at door / $300 corporate 10-pack.
Tickets may be purchased through PayPal or ticket order form at www.winterpark.org.
Purchase tickets in person at Winter Park Welcome Center
(Mon. – Fri., 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
MORE INFO: For more information, call the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce at (407) 644-8281 or visit www.winterpark.org.
DESCRIPTION: The 26th annual Taste of Winter Park presented by CenturyLink is an epicurean indulgence featuring mouthwatering selections from popular Winter Park dining destinations, as well as new eateries destined to become your favorite. Enjoy an evening sampling food and drink from 40 local participants and live entertainment by Johnny Mag Sax.
SPONSORS:
Presented by CenturyLink.
Sponsored by:
Barefoot Wine &Bubbly;, Central Florida Lifestyle Magazine, Ferrell Wealth Management, Florida Blue, Full Sail University, Massey Communications, Orlando Home & Leisure Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies/Orlando Health, WFTV Channel 9, Winter Park/Maitland Observer and 103.1 WLOQ
(321) 972-8650
Juancho’s Grill is a new food truck located on East Colonial Drive just west of Alafaya Trail, right next to the Bojangles chicken place in a small dirt lot. You’ll know it immediately from the hot red paint job on its truck trailer. The place is owned by Juancho, a young man who decided to strike it out on his own to provide for his family and newly born baby daughter.
The specialty here is the Colombian burger ($4.99) and Colombian hotdogs ($3.99), a unique food unlike their American counterparts. The ingredients of the Colombian burger and Colombian hot dog include potato chips, strips of bacon, lettuce, ketchup, mayo, fried queso cheese, and a special sweet pineapple sauce that lingers on after your first bite. My friend Daniel and I shared them together and loved the symphony of tastes that occurred in each item. We washed it down with some Colombiana soda and manzana apple flavored soda.
Juancho’s Grill also serves hawaiian quesadillas, arepas, salchipapas (frankfurters with potatos), pinchos (grilled meat on skewers), and more.
They are closed on Mondays but open every other day of the week. Tuesday- Thursday 12 noon till 11 pm and Friday and Saturday 4 pm till 4 am and Sunday 4 pm till 10 pm.
Check them out soon!
It was a long trip out to the Great American Pie Festival out in Celebration, FL but it was well worth it. My favorite pies were the coconut creme pie from Wick’s as well as the Key Lime pie dipped in chocolate from the Key West Key Lime pie company. A pleasant surprise about the event was the exotic car show that was going on at the same time, full of Ferraris, Lambourginis, Maseratis, Deloreans, and more all strutting their stuff in the beaming Central Florida sun.
This year, there were pies featured from Bakers Square Restaurants and Pies, Bonert’s Slice of Pie, California Raisin Marketing Board, J. Horner’s Desserts, Kroger’s Private Selection, Publix Super Markets, Inc., Rocky Mountain Pies, Smucker’s Toppings, The Folger Coffee Company, Village Inn and Wick’s Pies.
If you missed out today, you can still go tomorrow to the Pie Festival!
For more info about the event visit http://www.piecouncil.org/Events/GreatAmericanPieFestival/
A line started to form on a street corner as the sun began to beam down on the downtown Orlando pavement. Friday lunch time and it was about high noon for some afternoon delight. My carpool buddy Sean and I made our way over to the orange truck (on the corner of Washington Ave and Orange Ave) where everyone was gathering. This here was no ordinary truck but rather one of the first “gourmet” food trucks to hit Orlando, Big Wheel Provisions Food Truck headed by Chef Tony Adams.
Big Wheel Provisions isn’t new to the foodie scene in Central Florida, having a long established presence at the Audobon Park Farmer’s market and others, emphasizing fresh, local ingredients that change seasonally and taste great. Its a movement to take back our food from the processed, mass produced, and generally unnatural food product industry that is so prevalent in American diets today.
The Big Wheel Food truck is beautiful to look at; trimmed in oranges and eggshell whites, its large windows give you a peak into the kitchen area where you can see the chefs preparing your meal to order.
At the Big Wheel Provisions Food truck, their menu changes pretty much daily so you have to check out their twitter at twitter.com/bigwheeltruck for the most up to date information about whats going on for the day. On this day, I ordered the special hot lunch with succulent, locally raised beef meatloaf, with big wheel bacon (they make it, ham, charcuterie etc themselves!), and served with a side of delicious mashed Florida reds.
They also serve desserts and bakery items from local Bee’s Knees Sweet Treats (you can find them at the College Park and Audobon Park Farmer’s Market weekly). I got the Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookie with sea salt, one of the best cookies I have had in a while with just the right amount of sweetness and the perfect consistency, not too soft and not too hard, just right.
My friend Sean ordered the local pork pesto sausage (homemade by Big Wheel Provisions) on homemade pretzel bread (locally baked by the Olde Hearth Bread Company) with sweet onions and peppers as well as the Big Wheel fries with their home made ketchup sauce, both of which were “delicious”.
They are also opened late til 2/3 on certain days and have a separate night menu for dinner and after party tastes.
Overall, I loved this place. I hope Big Wheels keeps on turnin’, out some great local and fresh food for many years to come. Local is lovely indeed.
Tip: They are usually located off of Washington Ave and Orange Ave in downtown Orlando, but you never know when they may be at a new location. To be safe visit their twitter at twitter.com/bigwheeltruck
Fleming’s Steakhouse has one of my favorite happy hours in Orlando. With one location in Dr Phillips/Restaurant Row and the other in Winter Park, Fleming’s happy hour serves 5 items for $6.00 till 7pm in their bar area. I recently dropped by one Friday afternoon to scoop up some delicious items from their happy hour menu. One of my favorites include the Prime Sirloin Burger with bacon and cheddar served with a side of onion rings. This burger is positively divine, a succulent, juicy cut of medium cooked to perfection prime sirloin burger on a soft, tasty bun with lettuce, tomatoes, and of course bacon and cheddar. All of this makes for a great meal for a great deal at $6.00.
If you’re still hungry, try some of their sweet chili calamari, a battered fried rendition of the classic seafood dish with a decidedly Asian sweet and tangy chili sauce twist. Its a huge plate that will sure to fill you and your partner up while you enjoy a nice glass of white wine or beer.
Other items on their happy hour menu include: Roasted Mushroom Ravioli appetizer, Tenderloin Carpaccio, Seared Tuna and Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail.
for more information, visit http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/menu
What’s your favorite happy hour in Orlando? What do you usually get? post below!
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I had the chance to drop by quickly at the Treehouse Truck and try their sweet potato fries ($2.00) I hope to come back again next time and try more of their items mainly the Chimoo sandwich!! here are some photos:
The Treehouse truck!
Menu
Sweet potato fries, crispy and delicious
It was late Saturday afternoon downtown and the Pillowlando, the International Pillow Fight Day festivities organized by my friend Brian Feldman, just ended. In the midst of the rubble at the Dr Phillips art center on Orange Avenue stood a bright yellow and silver polished truck. It was the Yum Yum Cupcake Truck!
Founded by local couple Joey (UCF alumni and the head of the marketing, business side) and Alex (the baker man), this new bakery on wheels is sure to delight the sweet tooth in us all. Refurbished from a 1973 Chevy stepvan (a old state prison truck in its past life), it now is the mobile home to hundreds of cupcakes, running on sweetness fuel.
Joey and Alex have lived in San Francisco and Philadelphia where the food truck scene is already thriving. It only seemed natural to start one here on their own, something where they can put their passion into. With the help of the City of Orlando, they had their paperwork and licenses done in no time (compared to some of the lengthier processes in other cities) and were ready to roam the city beautiful, particular Audobon Park Farmer Market, Sanford Farmer Market, and this coming Wednesday at the Food Truck Pod event at Firestone on Orange Ave in downtown Orlando at 6pm!
On this day, they were just about to head out when I had the good fortune to catch their ear on twitter, and so they stayed just a little longer for me and my partner to arrive on the scene to pick up some fresh cupcakes: red velvet and chocolate ($2.50 each).
The chocolate cupcake was moist and sweet, soft and tasty, definitely a favorite. The red velvet cupcake though less moist was still a great piece of cupcake, probably giving other establishments in the area a call to pause and take heed of these young men and their beautiful Yum Yum truck.
This week they unveiled their newest flavor: peanut butter cupcakes (the winning flavor of the month in a vote off against carrot cake).
Can’t wait to open!
The Red Velvet Cupcake and the Chocolate cupcake from Yum Yum cupcake truck!
ps
X Factor is coming to audition in Miami this April 7! theyre looking for singers !
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This blog is from a trip I took a few months ago to Hong Kong…sorry for the delay! It will be featured in the upcoming edition of Asia Trend Magazine, so check it out next month if you are in Central Florida!
With all the recent buzz on street food, I thought it would be a good time to post this up!
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In Hong Kong, street food can be found on almost every corner. Some notable foods include skewered beef, curry fish balls, (even 7-11 sells fish balls by their cashier registers in Hong Kong!), stuffed peppers and mushrooms, and dim sum on a stick. Street side food vendors are called gaai bin dong (traditional Chinese: ???; literally “street side stalls”).
Egg Puffs (also called as Gei Dan Jai, Egg Waffles, Eggettes or in Chinese ???) is a famous Hong Kong style waffle usually made and sold by street hawkers and eaten warm on the street. They are best served fresh from the iron. These eggettes are crispy on the outside and taste like little, airy waffle bites. Egg, sugar and evaporated milk are used to make egg puff giving them a sweet flavor. They are made from a sweet batter that is cooked on a hot griddle, a special frying pan with small round “wells”. The egg batter is poured over the special frying pan and heated; the small ovals of eggettes are thus formed. If you’re in Hong Kong, you can pick some up at Lee Ken Egg Waffles located at (next to McDonald’s) at 78 Nathan Road, Jordan (heading towards Tsim Tsa Tsui).
Eggette waffles in Hong Kong, Jordan
Bak kwa, Sweet pork jerky meat is another popular street food in Hong Kong. The most popular is Bee Cheng Hiang ???, based out of Singapore but with dozens of shops located throughout Hong Kong. Bak kwa is smoked and roasted strips of pork with a consistency similar to jerky. It is often given as gifts during holidays and is a popular snack to eat on the streets. My favorite was the Gourmet Fusion style which was sweet and had the consistency of a Asian bacon. You can buy some online by visiting http://www.bch.com.sg/
see how they glisten!
sweet pork jerky always #winning.
In Hong Kong, stinky tofu or chòu dòufu, is a popular street food item. Stinky tofu is made through a fermentation process that lasts months long, resulting in a smell not unlike rotting flesh or the body odor of a man who hasn’t showered in a few years. You wonder what would compel someone hundreds of years ago to come up with this stuff, maybe it was out of a perverse foodie curiousity or desperation.
My first experience with this pungent fried tofu was on the northern end of Sai Yeung Choi Street ????, the popular electronics store street, in Mongkok at the corner with Dundas street across from Starbucks. I could tell something was wrong about two blocks away from the stinky tofu stall when people started to crinkle their noses and frown, pinching themselves on the nose to hold out the stench. I began to smell something rotting near by. To be honest the tofu, dashed with a little bit of hoisin sauce, tasted not unlike some fried tofu cubes that I enjoy at home. I actually would enjoy it if not for the smell of body odor exuding from the small cubes.
you’ll know from the smell, its stinky tofu!
Stinky tofu! with some sweet and spicy hoisin sauce
Tastes great! smells, not so great.
For dessert, some popular items are the tong but lut (sweet glutinous rice balls topped with ground peanuts and white sesame) and for summer time, mango pomelo sago soup. This dessert is made with fresh mango fruit, sweet sago cream, sour pomelo fruit and mango juice Honey Moon Dessert was one of the more prevalent places that could be found throughout Hong Kong where you can get some of these desserts. Visit http://www.honeymoon-dessert.com/en_us/
Tong but lut – sweet glutinous rice balls with sesame seeds and peanuts
Mango Pomelo Sago soup
Watch this video on Hong Kong Street Food Stalls
Have you been to Hong Kong before? What was your favorite street food items?
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Bonefish Grill on Sand Lake Road in the Dr Phillips area recently hosted a media event to spotlight their gluten free menu. A gluten-free diet is a diet free of gluten. According to Wikipedia, Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease. With over 3 million people in America who are diagnosed with celiac disease, a gluten-free menu is definitely a welcome addition to our restaurants. Also, with carbs from wheat and rye cut out, its also a healthier, lighter option for those who are looking for sensible items.
When customers arrive at Bonefish Grill and want to have the gluten free menu, they notify their “anglers” (or waiters) who proceed to go through the step by step process of ensuring the food preparation and menu is to gluten-free specifications with the store manager involved the entire process. This ensures that there is no contamination involved with any wheat products.
Surprisingly many of the items at Bonefish Grill are actually gluten free already such as their popular and famous gluten-free flourless chocolate macadamia nut brownie. For beer drinkers out there, they even have a sorghum based gluten-free beer called Redbridge which was pretty good. Fish, fruits, veggies, rice, seafood, pretty much everything with out wheat and rye are gluten-free items. Bonefish Grill even has gluten free bread and focaccia made from brown rice with hints of thyme.
to view the gluten free menu at Bonefish Grill, visit
http://media.bonefishgrill.com/menus/gluten_free.pdf
Redbridge, sorghum gluten free beer
Mussels Josephine
Bonefish House Salad
Edamame
Saucy shrimp
Lily’s Chicken, named after the founder’s daughter
Flourless chocolate macademia nut brownie
Espresso Martini
Had a great time tonight at the Orlando Food Truck Bazaar presented by TheDailyCity.com
Despite the huuuuge crowds, the weather was nice and the food trucks were fun. Next time hopefully the event will have more food trucks and more food so they don’t run out 😉 i know it was frustrating for some people to stand in lines for an hour and then find out the food is gone. everyone was great though c’est la vie
For more info on the trucks at the event tonight, visit
http://www.thedailycity.com/2011/02/thedailycitycom-orlando-food-truck.html
For a lovely map made by Chris R of all the food trucks in Orlando visit,
http://eatlocalorlando.blogspot.com/2011/03/orlando-food-truck-map.html
Mark Baratelli, proprietor of TheDailyCity.com and the proud father of the Orlando Food Truck Bazaar
The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck! – one of the first to sell out of their stuffs this night 🙁
The owners of the Yum Yum truck were still gracious enough to stay around and give out interviews to people though!
Shipyard Emporium and their Linda Bean Maine Lobster Rolls went out fast!
Pupusas, a Salvadorean stuffed Tortilla!
The Taco Lady truck
Winter Park Fish Company truck
passersby
The Crooked Spoon’s special bazaar menu : Mini Crooked Spoon Sliders and Asian Chicken sliders for $2.50
Tony Adams and Big Wheel Provisions Food truck
Tater tots with glazed kumquats
Whoopie pies from Bees Knees Sweets (theyre like giganto cakesters)
Whoopie Pie
Red Eye BBQ Truck
The Big Daddy burger smothered in mac n cheese
the mac n cheese….
the sampler!
Look out for the next event coming up soon! maybe fashion square mall in may?
Were you at the event? what do you think they should do to improve? post below in the comments section!
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Hello friends and family,
Want to win 2 tickets to the 2011 Great American Pie Festival on April 9 and 10 in Celebration Florida?
For more info about the event visit http://www.piecouncil.org/Events/GreatAmericanPieFestival/
For the tenth year in a row, the town of Celebration, Florida will become the Pie Capital of the World April 9th and 10th when thousands of pie lovers, tasters and bakers gather together the Great American Pie Festival sponsored by Crisco®. The highlight, as always, will be the Never-Ending Pie Buffet, featuring award-winning pie, ice cream, toppings and beverages from some of our fine sponsors!
This year, pie lovers from across the country will be treated to sweet offerings by Bakers Square Restaurants and Pies, Bonert’s Slice of Pie, California Raisin Marketing Board, J. Horner’s Desserts, Kroger’s Private Selection, Publix Super Markets, Inc., Rocky Mountain Pies, Smucker’s Toppings, The Folger Coffee Company, Village Inn and Wick’s Pies.
Thousands of children will make their own pies at the Crisco Kids Creation Station. There will be pie decorating, pie scaping, pie tin art and many more pie activities to enjoy. The Pietopia Demonstration Stage sponsored by Village Inn and Bakers Square Restaurants featured entertainment and baking demonstration by chefs from across the country. Of course, no pie festival would be complete without a Pie Eating Contest, sponsored by Private Selection.
RULES:
The first to answer both the two questions below correctly will win the tickets. Please include your email address to be entered into the contest as well.
QUESTION:
1. In “American Pie”, the folk song by Don Mclean, in what year was the “day that music died”, and who are the three people involved in this event?
2. The apple pie is traditionally considered the quintessential American pie. Who was the legendary figure who planted apple seeds through out the US and what was his real name?
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