Restaurant Row, the area along Sand Lake Drive in the Dr Phillips Area here in Orlando, is a food blog heaven. They have dozens of delicious restaurants from Pizza to Lebanese to Sushi to Steakhouses and everything in between.

I was lucky enough this evening to be invited by Morton the Steakhouse and the lovely people at Pierson Grant (Lesli!) for this sampling of the newly vamped bar menu items with special “Power Hour” pricing.

Morton’s Power Hour is the special budget pricing from Sunday to Friday from open to 6:30pm and 9pm to close at the Morton’s lounge area. Their bar bites range from $6-7 for Filet Mignon Sandwiches, Mini Prime Cheeseburgers, and the new Crab Cake BLTs and Smoked Salmon Pizza in addition to their specials on glass, beers, and cocktails.

My favorite was the mini prime burger, plump and tasty, so bite sized and ready to eat. As you can see below, there are alot of different mini bites and sandwiches to be enjoyed while sipping on your drinks after a long day of work, just relaxing in the lounge. Although it may not be the healthiest food on the list, it sure does the job in getting you full!

*Update: The prices were more than reasonable, the service was prompt and cordial thanks to our great server who had double-time as the waitress and the bartender, and the drinks were well made and mixed to our liking. I would definitely try it again, and maybe not eat so much cause it filled me up to the max. Thanks for the questions Mr T!

crab cake blt

full view

dessert!

for more info visit http://www.orlandojcc.org/events/event_details.asp?id=109009

Orlando, FL – The night air was alive with the music spinning from the dj booth, underneath the big white tent VIPs were sipping from champagne glasses, getting their nails down at a mini nail salon, and across the way the crowds lined up from the door out. It was like a scene from the reality tv show Platinum Weddings.

Alot of glam and glitz, but nothing less of course for the granddaddy of the frozen yogurt craze that has been hitting America, the opening of the first Pinkberry right here in Orlando Florida. This humble food blog was lucky enough to attend to get a sneak peak of the Pinkberry opening here in Doctor Phillips Marketplace in Orlando. Here are some scenes from the night:

we are giving out 20 free t-shirts and 2 VIP passes to the Pinkberry Grand Opening Party on Thursday August 19th. Find out more about the Grand Opening of Pinkberry in Orlando here

“Pinkberry Preview Party” will be held Thursday, Aug. 19, 6- 10 pm.
Pinkberry is located at The Marketplace at Dr. Phillips, 7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd. , on the corner of Dr. Phillips and Sandlake Rd.

To enter, all you have to do is “Like Us” on Facebook and then Re-tweet this post on Twitter and add @tastychomps to it so I know that its been posted.The first 20 to do so will win the shirts! And the 5th person to do so will get the 2 VIP passes. I will contact you for your email to send the shirt/pass info.

These shirts were provided to us here at Tasty Chomps by Pinkberry! Thanks Pinkberry!

Cafe 118 Degrees is a restaurant with a very unique theme: their entire menu is not only organic and vegetarian but all of their food is also prepared completely raw. Located on 153 E Morse Blvd off of Park Avenue in Winter Park, Florida just a few miles north of Orlando, Cafe 118 serves up some pretty interesting and innovative dishes.

Cafe 118 Degrees is named after the optimal temperature at which foods are “cooked” here, with the belief that food cooked above 118 degrees begin to break down their enzymes and minerals, resulting in diminished nutritional value.  Truly natural food.

As America’s waistlines continue to balloon and more and more people are being diagnosed with health problems related to obesity and heart disease each year, we must start looking into eating healthier and living healthier. Cafe 118 Degrees hopes to continue the promise of this movement to healthier lifestyles through eating food as natural as can be. This Orlando food blog hopes this movement continues strong.

On this evening, I am joined with Lily and her husband as well as old friends Jacques and Yvonne (who luckily has a restaurant.com gift certificate for our bill). As you can guess, eating healthy does come at a higher price as organic natural foods cost more since they are not mass produced like our every day processed foods.

Note, they also rotate their items in and out seasonally to ensure freshness.

For appetizer, we order the spiced macadamia hummus with sun-dried tomato flax crackers. The hummus is light and soft on the palate, almost airy and creamy. For my entree, I choose the ravioli made with macadamia ricotta and my partners choose the “pad thai” (made with zucchini and carrot noodles, pad thai sauce, drizzled with a sesame cashew glaze), the “lasagna” (made with sun dried tomatoes, herb pesto, and macadamia ricotta), and the mexican chopped salad (made with spinach, sweet corn, avocado,  corn chips, cherry tomato and a “queso blanco”). All in all I enjoyed my meal and thought it was quite ingenius to create such inventive dishes made entirely with vegetables and fruits and non-meat products and to make it entirely without cooking above 118 degrees. I would definitely try to bring friends here in the future especially if I have a gift certificate cause it can get really expensive…

Star Wars Celebration V 2010 in Orlando FL: Recap and Impressions

Jedis, Siths, Droids, Imperial Stormtroopers, Rebel forces and everything from a galaxy far far away all converged onto Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center this weekend for Star Wars Celebration V.

On Saturday, the main event included an interview of the granddaddy of the Force himself, George Lucas by Daily Show host Jon Stewart. During the interview George Lucas, said in response to some of the questions, “If only I could make another Star Wars film” to which the crowd began to cheer and Jon Stewart replied “You do realize that most of the people out there won’t be sleeping tonight, right?”

shout out to @jodi_kiely who i met up with there!

Here are some photos of the event!

Receive half off Eden Bar’s famous Margherita Pizza every Friday and Saturday starting at 10PM until 1AM!*

*Promotion ends 9/1/2010. Valid at Eden Bar only and does not apply to additional toppings.
Happy Hour specials and made-to-order entrees and appetizers will get you here early. Eden Bar’s one-of-a-kind ambiance and fantastic menu specials will keep you out late! With daily food and drink specials and a new late night menu, Central Florida’s most unique outdoor restaurant and bar just got even better.

Eden Bar Hours:
Sun-Thu 5PM–11PM
Fri-Sat 5PM–1AM

Click here to view entire Eden Bar menu

Discover an invigorating alfresco experience that elevates your spirit and mind only found at Eden Bar. Relax as you escape to an ambiance filled with flourishing, green gardens amid 400-year-old oaks and you warm your soul with our southern hospitality. Revitalize your energy with daily Happy Hour specials from 5pm – 7pm showcasing a mix of one-of-a-kind drink creations. Tantalize your palette and enjoy our casual, freshly prepared entree specialties. Afterwards, treat your mind to a fantastic film as you are only steps away from Enzian’s main entrance. So, come and leave your worries behind as we invite you to take pleasure in our exceptional drinks, great food and the company of good friends.

Come Early, Stay Late!
Enjoy great food, good times, and excellent drinks – even later.

$100 Gift Card Giveaway Contest!!!

Do you know any good recipes using a Dutch Oven? Dutch ovens are pretty old school, dating back hundreds of years and actually are used for slow cooking among other things.

Well, if you are interested in Dutch ovens and other such cookware, you may be interested in this:

TastyChomps.com is partnering up with Cookware.com and CSNStores for a $100 Gift Card giveaway to cookware.com !

How do you win this contest? If you already are a fan of Tasty Chomps on Facebook, you are already entered in the drawing! But if not, make sure you fan us today and also make sure to tell your friends or loved ones to fan us too! The contest will end August 31st 2010.

The winners of the contest will be notified via Facebook message and will be asked to prepare a nice dish for us here at Tasty chomps with their new cook wares! (if they want to)

Remember, enter by becoming a fan of
facebook.com/tastychomps by August 31 2010!

Chipotle Mexican Grill will take part in the tax “free” weekend by offering Food With Integrity for FREE.

Eat at any Orlando Chipotle on Tuesday, August 10, or Wednesday, August 11, and save the receipt. Then go back any time during tax “free” weekend, August 13 – 15 and receive a free burrito, salad, order of tacos or bowl with your receipt. No charge. No tax. No strings attached

The first time I heard about Firkin Kegler, I thought someone was cursing at me, are you firkin kidding?

But Firkin Kegler, located in Waterford Lakes on the east side of Orlando, is actually a great place to go for families and young adults in search for a place to go for fun after a long work week. As an alternative to Boardwalk Bowl in the area, they have a very upscale bowling alley decked with huge tv screens, with a soundtrack of pop music and a night club lounge feel. I love going here to hang out and bowl and they even have a small arcade room. Its great for families too, though it is a bit more pricey than the older Boardwalk bowl down the street.

The food here however is much less desired. To be honest the food was horrible. I ordered some chicken wings and some fries and they both were sub par, tasting over fried and lacking in any sort of good flavors. And I love my chicken wings. My burger and its bun were dry and flavorless.

Alas, if you are to come to Firkin Kegler, I would recommend eating dinner before…you have been forewarned. They should really get some new recipes over there.

so in short, come here for some firkin fun with bowling and games but forget the firkin food

FIRST PINKBERRY IN FLORIDA OPENS FRIDAY, AUGUST 20 IN ORLANDO
Public Invited to Sneak Peek Preview Party With
Free Pinkberry, Prizes and More on Thursday, Aug. 19

ORLANDO (Aug. 3, 2010) — Pinkberry, the number one tart frozen yogurt brand, will open its doors in Orlando on Friday, Aug. 20 at 11 am at the Marketplace at Dr. Phillips, 7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd., on the corner of Dr. Phillips and Sandlake Rd. The newest Pinkberry location marks the arrival of the first Pinkberry in Florida.

After hosting several events in the community at the Southwest JCC, Neiman Marcus, The Pink Chalet and many others where Pinkberry samples were served and donations collected for Give Kids The World, Pnkberry will be donating a portion of all opening weekend sales to assist the charity’s efforts in providing critically ill children and their families with a carefree Orlando vacation.

For those who can’t wait to get a taste of the most talked about tart frozen yogurt in the country, a “Pinkberry Preview Party” will be held Thursday, Aug. 19, 6- 10 pm. The party is open to the public and will feature free Pinkberry frozen yogurt and toppings, as well as music, prizes, games and more. The first 100 fans in line for the Thursday event and Friday grand opening will also receive Pinkberry t-shirts.

Orlando locations will be serving Pinkberry’s six distinctive flavors. From its signature Original flavor, a sweet and tangy yogurt with a refreshing finish to Pomegranate, a bold and tangy flavor made with 100% California-grown pure pomegranate juice, Orlando customers are in for a surprising and refreshing treat unlike anything they’ve ever tasted. In addition, Pinkberry serves an exceptional Coconut flavor, smooth and subtle, made with real coconut puree for a fresh and cool finish, a rich, indulgent Chocolate; and Mango, a fruity and light flavor made with authentic Alphonso mango puree for a soothing finish.

Local fans who want up-to-the minute news and discount offers should sign up to be a Pinkberry Groupie at www.pinkberry.com/groupie. The brand can also be found on Facebook and at Twitter @pinkberryswirl.

Pinkberry is located at The Marketplace at Dr. Phillips, 7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd. , on the corner of Dr. Phillips and Sandlake Rd. For additional information, contact Mary Deatrick at 407-332-5212 or mary@deatrickpr.com.

Mr. TastyChomps and I became friends a few years ago when he was the current SGA senator representing my club, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, at UCF.  As you all know, he is currently in Hong Kong on vacation.  As he wouldn’t be able to cover the Dunkin’ Donuts/KSC event (searchable on Twitter via #DDSpace), he instantly thought to ask me to cover for him because of my love and interest in the space community.  Naturally I leaped at the chance and that is what I am here to share to you all about.

Hosted by Dunkin’ Donuts of Central Florida @DDCentFla and Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex @ExploreSpaceKSC, on Thursday July 15th other food bloggers/fellow space tweeps @familyfoodie, @thelittlekitchn, and @jenvargas, myself @my_linh under the @TastyChomps account, and our friends kicked off the day by first heading to the Orlando Dunkin’ Donuts located at 10395 Narcoossee Road for a complimentary breakfast thanks to owners Larry and Sonia Lemos.

Inside, the location is quite roomy and takes a leaf out of Starbucks’ and Panera’s books by having a cozy nook with comfy chairs, where patrons can relax and lounge.  They are also equipped with free Wi-Fi so both students and entrepreneurs can get some work done in a refreshing environment.

Having only ever ordering a donut, a toasted bagel with cream cheese, and/or coffee, I decided to expand my Dunkin’ Donuts gastronomic experience by going with the Turkey, Cheddar, and Bacon Oven-Toasted Flatbread sandwich and a Coffee & Vanilla Bean mixed Coolatta.  Their website describes the sandwich as “a wonderful blend of tasty sliced turkey, crisp bacon and melted cheddar cheese.” and I would have to mostly agree.  Though the sandwich was quite tasty, I disagree that the bacon is “crisp” and more on the chewier side, most likely due to the heat and steam of the hot sandwich.  The Coolatta has been around since 1997 but I am sad to say that I have never had one up until now.  After trying one however, I have to say that I am now a huge fan as they are delicious, refreshing and just the thing in the hot Florida weather.  They come in a variety of flavors and you can even mix two flavors together for a more unique experience.  Coolattas come in Coffee, Vanilla Bean, Strawberry, Tropicana (orange), Watermelon and the brand new Blue Raspberry.  Recently Dunkin’ Donuts has embraced this mixology by officially adding the more popular combinations to their menu.  I cannot wait to try the other flavors and combinations!  I did notice that they had a very festive munchkin called the Beach Ball Munchkin — basically a yellow cake donut hole coated in chocolate and rolled in bright pink and orange sprinkles.

A lunch buffet of salad, rolls, wild rice, grilled chicken with a mushroom cream sauce, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and to everyone’s delight – corn dog nuggets was served.  For dessert, there was carrot cake, black forest cake and an assortment of cookies.  The rice and chicken were both excellent, tender and flavorful.  The macaroni and cheese was sub-par, equating to something found in the frozen food aisle.  The vegetables were decent enough and were seasoned rather than just steamed.  The corn dog nuggets were a hit with all the kids, as well as those young at heart.  The black forest cake was moist and delicious.

This event was sparked by the fact that Dunkin’ Donuts is celebrating it’s 60th birthday this year as well as that July 24th, 1950 marks the 60th anniversary of the first successful rocket launch from Cape Canaveral!  As such, all of July has been a birthday celebration for both Dunkin’ Donuts and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Center.  How so?  On Saturday July 24th at each participating non-Hess Dunkin’ Donuts location in Brevard County, one lucky person who enters DD between 10 AM – 1 PM will win a pack of four tickets to Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex and have lunch with an astronaut!

What’s more is that from now through Saturday July 31st, all Hess and non-Hess Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Brevard County will be distributing $5 off coupons (valid up to six guests per coupon) for Kennedy Space Center’s Visitor’s Complex.  On top of this, if a KSC Visitor’s Complex visitor brings their admission receipt to any Hess or non-Hess Dunkin’ Donuts in Brevard County and buys any beverage, they receive one FREE donut!  What’s not to love?

Go enjoy a space filled day with delicious donuts and snacks, refreshing beverages, and a happy family!

Check back for a post from the Kennedy Space Center this weekend from our guest blogger My Linh sponsored by Dunkin Donuts! It should be a blast! (har har)

until then, happy tasty chompin adventures!

Its that time again! Restaurant Week 2010 in NYC – New York City
If you are in NYC July 12-25

check out the list here:
http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek/

from about.com:
Twice a year, in January/February and June/July, there is a unique opportunity to experience some of New York City’s finest restaurants for a fraction of the usual price. Throughout the city, restaurants participate in “Restaurant Week” where they offer a three-course lunch for $24.07 (& some even offer dinner for $35). Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to try out a restaurant that may usually be out of your budget, or test some new restaurants with a little less financial risk. Check out my tips for enjoying Restaurant Week.

In January 2005, I had a great restaurant week experience at Gramercy Tavern. Service, food, and the atmosphere were outstanding. Similarly, we enjoyed a lovely time at Eleven Madison Park for restaurant week the next week — everything was delicious and served with a smile. We even left Eleven Madison Park with (free) gift certificates good for $20.00 off a future meal.

Reservations for Restaurant Week
You can make reservations for restaurant week (the earlier the better — many of the Best Choices for Restaurant Week sell out quickly) by calling the restaurants directly or on OpenTable.com. OpenTable has a list of participating restaurants that take reservations through OpenTable, as well as search functions to show you which participating restaurants have availabilities during on your requested date/time. About 1/2 of the restaurants participating in Restaurant Week allow you to make reservations through OpenTable, but if you’re making a reservation for dinner, be sure that your restaurant is participating, as their search tools show availabilities for dinner for restaurants that are only offering a Restaurant Week menu at lunch. That said, registration on OpenTable is easy, and you can collect points toward dining gift certificates by booking online.

Dear readers and friends,

I will be heading to Hong Kong soon for a brief vacation. Before I do however, I would like to ask you all to please invite as many of your friends on facebook especially in the Orlando area as possible to “Like” Tasty Chomps. If we reach 1000 Facebook Fans by Wednesday, I, Tasty Chomps, promise to eat stinky tofu in Hong Kong.

Like Tasty Chomps on Facebook now:
http://facebook.com/tastychomps

What is Stinky Tofu?

According to Wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinky_tofu), the traditional method for producing stinky tofu is to prepare a brine made from fermented milk, vegetables, and meat; the brine can also include dried shrimp, amaranth greens, mustard greens, bamboo shoots, and Chinese herbs. The brine fermentation can take as long as several months. Although stinky tofu is very popular in East and Southeast Asia, not many households prepare stinky tofu brine at home due to its strong odor, especially in metro-residential areas.

Additionally, Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods on Travel Channel appears to hate the stuff:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILexn0r6STg]

Like Tasty Chomps on Facebook now and invite your friends:
http://facebook.com/tastychomps

Papa Murphy’s Take N Bake Pizza is celebrating their GRAND OPENING!

July 15 – 18, 2010

450 S Hunt Club Blvd, The Shoppers at Hunt Club, Apopka

in the ROSS Center, next to Tijuana Flats

Papa Murphy’s is opening a store near you! Taste the great pizza that everyone has been talking about. John Morris is celebrating his grand opening at 450 S. Hunt Club Blvd, The Shoppers at Hunt Club. Thanks to Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza, a delicious, hot meal doesn’t take hours spent in the kitchen.

“Our pizzas are made fresh right in front of you so you know exactly what you’re getting; a very fresh, tasty pizza made just how you want,” said John. “It’s always hot when you’re ready to eat it because you bake it!”

John says that once customers try this fresh way of eating pizza they never go back to frozen or delivery. Could this be why Papa Murphy’s has been voted the “Best Pizza Chain in America” for the past seven years by consumers in a national survey?

“Success in the food business comes down to a simple equation: provide good food of high quality at a good price and your customers will see it as a good value,” adds John.

Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza is the perfect marriage of convenience and quality. Most people want a pizza that is as easy as a frozen or delivered pizza, but tastes as good as one ordered in a restaurant. That’s one of the big advantages of a Papa Murphy’s pizza – they make a product with the best ingredients; a product that customers can bake at their convenience.

“Many call and place their order early in the day and swing by after work. Some just swing in and pick it up when they’re running errands,” said John. “Because there’s no loss of quality, they can bake it when the time is right. There’s no rush.”

Consumer surveys have repeatedly shown that adults, by a significant margin, prefer the taste of fresh pizza to frozen. In addition, any pizza will begin to deteriorate five minutes after it’s taken out of the oven. Many times, a delivered pizza has been out of the oven for 30 minutes or more.

There are plenty of other advantages to Papa Murphy’s. Bake-at-home pizzas cost about 1/3 less than restaurant or delivered pizza. Because Papa Murphy’s doesn’t equip its stores with customer seating and all kinds of additional equipment, the company can pass the savings on to its customers. Also, Papa Murphy’s pizzas don’t take long to cook – only about 15 minutes.

Finally, Papa Murphy’s pizza is designed to compete with the finest pizzas available from any source. Fresh dough and fresh high-quality ingredients are deliciously combined to give customers 100% satisfaction.

Dear loyal readers,

I have some exciting news to post today: I am heading to Hong Kong in less than three days! I will be gone with my loved ones for a few weeks for a vacation. Very excited! Anyone have any tips of where to go, what to do, and especially, what to eat?? 🙂 I’ll give a report when I return!

Also, I was invited to a foodie-space-blogger extravaganza hosted by Dunkin Donuts of Central Florida (@ddcentfla on twitter) and Kennedy Space Center (@explorespaceksc) on this Thursday but seeing how I am going to be on the other side of the world that day, I have asked my good friend (@my_linh), space enthusiast and UCF engineering grad, to help me out by updating our twitter (@tastychomps) for a live tweeting of the festivities. It should be an awesome day of donuts, space rocket gardens, and meeting real live astronauts! Follow us on twitter this Thursday starting at 8:30am!

Keep it tasty,

Tasty Chomps
tastychomps.com

hellooo all, I made some updates to the page recently. hope you like it! new design courtesy of blogspot, new “about me” page and other things added including sponsorships and also a brand new translation tool that allows tastychomps.com to be viewed in over 20 languages! spanish, portuguese (brazilian), chinese, Vietnamese, whatever floats your boat! (just dont be too shocked that its not all together accurate though as it is a computer doing it) the option is on the left. enjoy ! CHOMP