J Alexander’s Restaurant
Dr Phillips Area -Restaurant Row / Sand Turkey – Orlando FL

J Alexander’s Restaurant is a relatively new, higher end American style dining restaurant chain in the Rialto plaza on Sand Lake Road at Turkey Lake Road also known as Restaurant Row / Sand Turkey District in the Dr Phillips area.

Stepping into J Alexander’s, I could feel money just exuding, permeating from the place (at least, I could feel it exuding out of my wallet). Inside, J Alexander’s is a darkly lit, very modern, almost romantic place. The design is sophisticated and sleek with the centerpiece being a tower of a wine glass display. You can also see the kitchen working away in the back. Our server is very friendly and very accommodating.

Inside J Alexander’s

A Look towards The Kitchen of J Alexander’s

For the price of it though, this place is all bark and very little bite. Its like meeting a pretty model only to realize there is nothing inside but the shiny exterior. The food wasn’t bad by all means, but definitely not worth the price for it all, with many of the dishes ranging from the mid to upper $20s.

For starters, we ordered the overpriced creamy chicken-pasta soup ($6), with very littly chicken and very little pasta. The soup itself tasted like it came from a can, with processed cheese added in. Not a good start to the meal.

J Alexander’s creamy chicken-pasta soup…blaise blaise

Crystal ordered the Rotisserie Chicken ($16), one-half of a seasoned chicken with a heaping of “smashed potatoes”. The chicken was spiced pretty well, but I found it to be a bit dry. The mashed potatoes were ridiculously portioned, the size was basically larger than my head. Is it over compensation? I think so. The presentation wasn’t all the great either as it looked like the chicken was getting eaten by the mashed potato monster.

J Alexander’s Rotisserie Chicken

My partner and I shared the extra thick 16 oz cut of the slow roasted Prime Rib ($28). The prime rib was actually pretty decent, tender, juicy and savory. Yummy.

J Alexander’s Slow Roasted Prime Rib

Overall, the meal was okay but with the prices and all the pomp, it was just so-so. I would skip everything and just go straight for the prime rib or steaks!

Tasty Chomps
Rating 3 out of 5 Tasty Chomps!!!

WHAT: First Watch recently opened its sixth Orlando location and they’re celebrating in a huge way. On the early morning of the first day of Fall 2009 classes — Monday, August 24 — First Watch’s new UCF-area restaurant will offer one lucky customer the chance to win free breakfast for one year. Students will literally be camping outside for a chance to win big!

WHEN: Monday, August 24, 2009

Beginning at 6:00 a.m.

Grand prize drawing to be held at 7:00 a.m.

WHERE: First Watch Restaurant at UCF
UCF Foundation Shopping Center
3402 Technological Avenue
Orlando, FL 32817

– First Watch had a soft opening a few weeks ago, and is open now! if you go, check out their grand opening this Monday!

Millie’s Jamaican Cafe sits in a global village of a strip mall right in front of UCF’s main entrance on the Northeast corner of University Blvd and Alafaya Trail, sharing the plaza with neighbors purveying Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Italian cuisines among the prerequisite college pubs/bars. It seems cheap food, global tastes, and college students go hand in hand all over the United States, and to that extent, the UCF area is no exception.

Millie’s is the owner,a happy, grandma-like lady from Jamaica who tells it as it is. Inside, posters from Jamaica line the walls as well as wise sayings from the old country. The service here is absolutely no frills and you order up at the counter. The food here however, is pretty good for the price you pay.

I actually love their Jamaican beef patties, filled to the max with spicy beef filling. Sadly on this day at Millie’s Jamaican Cafe, they had run out and only had curry chicken beef patties left. I took one of those anyway.

I also ordered the jerk chicken with peas and rice to go as well as some coconut juice. Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meats are dry-rubbed or marinated with a hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. All in all the meal at Millie’s Jamaican Cafe came around $8 and it was delicious.

I brought the food back to a chapter meeting on campus and munched on it while I listened to the talks and plans for the coming school year.

Inside Millie’s Jamaican Cafe

Millie’s Jamaican Cafe: The curry chicken patty, up close and personal

Tasty chicken filling

Millie’s Jamaican Cafe: coconut water/ juice: the ultimate thirst quencher

Millie’s Jamaican Cafe: the jerk chicken over rice: spicy and tasty

you’re a jerk! you’re a jerk, jerk, jerk…chicken.

Tasty Chomps Rating!!!
3.5 out of 5 Tasty Chomps!!!!

Pars Mediterranean Cuisine – Oviedo Florida

Pars Mediterranean Cuisine located in sunny Oviedo, Florida on Aloma Ave just northeast of Dean Road, sits on the corner of a tiny, if-you-blink-you’ll-miss-it, strip mall and housed in an old Chinese takeout place. They recently opened up and still are putting the place together, with some of typical signs from the Chinese take out menu still inside, taped over with theirown menu items.

Pars is not really a Mediterranean restaurant, they actually are more of Persian / Iranian cuisine, but Mediterranean is a more popularly known cuisine. They serve the typical dishes that come from that region in the Near East including gyros and shish kabob platters atop of yellow Persian basmati-like rice. The first time I had this type of food was when I lived in Washington DC for an internship and nearby our apartment was Kabob Palace, a 24 hour restaurant that served some of the best kabob meat and rice dishes I have ever had.

The owner, a kind, short Persian lady, is the hostess, as well as waitress and cashier at Pars. She walks around to each table with genuine care to check up on us as we dine throughout the visit. Despite being located in a hole-in-the-wall joint, they have tried modestly to spiffy the place up with a few touches from their native Iran, from paintings to traditional garb on the walls, making the place all in all quite quaint.

For lunch, they bring out a tasty bread similar to the Indian naan with an intoxicatingly delicious and sweet garlic butter spread. I really liked the butter dip, so sweet and creamy and perfect with the soft fluffy bread.

Bread and butter dip

After looking through the menu, I decided on the beef and chicken kabob platter on mixed rice, replete with fire roasted tomatoes and a salad of my choice. I chose to have the small, slightly bitter rice-stuffed grape leaves for my salad choice. I enjoyed the beef and chicken in the dish as they were fresh and also had that hot, fire grill taste to them, going quite well on the soft pillowy grains of the yellow and white mixed rice.

Combo Number 1: Beef and Chicken Kabob platter on yellow basmati rice and stuffed grape leaves

For dessert, I tried their own home made Persian ice cream made right here at Pars. It is a unique tasting ice cream made with vanilla bean, saffron, rosewater (used heavily in Iranian cuisine for sweets), pistachios and other various Persian spices. It had a yellow color to it and tasted just wonderful.

Sweet Persian Ice Cream with rosemary, saffron, and pistachios

Overall I had a great experience at Pars and enjoyed their cuisine and would definitely be back for more. I now know where to go when I am in the mood for good kabobs and Persian cuisine here in Orlando.

Note: the chef also makes chocolate cake, key lime pie, and sweet baklava home made and fresh on the premises for desserts.

Tasty Chomps rating
4.5 out of 5 tasty chomps!!!

Pars Mediterranean Cuisine
(407) 657-2357
2960 W State Road 426
Oviedo, FL 32765

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, Orlando
Sand Turkey District and/or Dr Phillips Area and/or Restaurant Row

I was in the area recently for dinner and my partner and I decided to head over to Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt for dessert in Orlando. Located in the newly built Rialto Plaza on the northwest corner of Sand Lake Road and Turkey Lake Road (henceforth named Sand Turkey District via Mark Baratalli and The Daily City LOL, previously Dr Phillips Area and/or Restaurant Row). Menchie’s is among good company in a plaza with classy Ocean Prime, J Alexanders, and quick-casual Bento Red next door.

Open only 4 weeks ago, Menchie’s business is booming. When we first arrived, there was literally a crowd of local prepubescent teenage girls chattering outside, no doubt there to idle away the last days of summer. I think there was a pop star or something there because in the crowd was one scrawny, tall teenage boy (I found out who it is! Joey Page from Radio Disney, he twittered about meeting up there all day on Monday, wow) , surrounded by adoring fans taking pictures with him and chatting. It was kind of a hassle to work our way through the throngs of fawning teens, but it was worth it.

Inside, Menchie’s is bright purply-pink and green colors with a long wall of yogurt flavors and toppings in the back with the register in the middle. There were a few seats indoor and outdoors.

Based out of California, this franchise here in Orlando offers 12 different types of yogurts, changing about 3 of them every week with new flavors. On this visit they recently came out with Pineapple Dole Whip, a flavor from Hawaii, Irish mist, and New York Cheesecake.

According to the friendly owner Rod, there are four popular flavors that never change: chocolate, vanilla, cake batter, and original tart.

The first step is to take a cup or waffle bowl, then bring them to the yogurt bar to dispense your desired frozen yogurt flavors. After that, you head to the toppings area which includes chocolates, candies, cereal, and a entire fruit bar with mango, kiwi, pineapple, raspberries, and more. If you so choose, you can top it all off with some syrup as well.

After you are finished with your frozen yogurt concoction, you bring it to the register where they charge you depending on its weight. The heavier it is the more it costs. Ours was a pretty medium filled cup and only cost us around $3.50. Score!

I think the appeal of Menchie’s lies within the great variety and choices for the consumer. At most places, like Cefiore’s in college park, the employees make the frozen yogurts for you and there’s probably like 4 flavors to choose from. On top of that, the employees usually are really light on the fruits and toppings. At Menchie’s, you can choose how much or how little you want each of the toppings, adding your own individuality to each cup. It doesn’t hurt that there are so many flavors and toppings to make combinations from either!

If you are in the area, I definitely would recommend you to drop by and check it out, just make sure to keep an eye out for the herd of teenagers in the midst. (They need to find a place to go, like the library to read the latest Twilight book or something LOL)

Note: all the flavors at Menchie’s are also kosher!

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt
(407) 601-7792
7339 W. Sand Lake Rd., Suite #406
Orlando, FL 32819
www.menchies.com

Holy Crapsicles, Batman! its packed here at Menchies!

Choose your destiny at the yogurt bar

Butterfingers, nerds, cereal and more candy toppings!

Chocolate and Fruit toppings!! so fresh

Chocolate syrup, and more!

Weigh it and then pay it

enjoy!

farewell crowd! you can see Joey Page (visit his myspace) in the hat towards the back

A shot of the ugly Mcdonald’s across the street in the Sand Turkey district, By Night
its not any prettier at night…looks like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland lol
or a devil…

Tasty Chomps RATING!!
4.5 out of 5 variety packed chomps!

As part of the new downtown arts initiatives, the City of Orlando has decided to plop a movie theater in the middle of downtown via The Plaza Cinema Cafe. My partner and I decided to drop by especially since there was a 50% of ticket deal with the Buy Local Orlando (get your free card here at http://www.buylocalorlando.net/) and brought my little sister as well to check it out.

This place is located right above the Bento cafe restaurant and we actually enjoyed a meal there before heading upstairs. Thankfully both Bento and Plaza Cinema offer parking validation for the attached garage.

We headed up the escalator and stood in line for our tickets. I noticed that students and seniors were the same price at $4.75 per ticket! What a deal compared to the $8.00 and up rip offs the other movie theaters dish out for student pricing, I thought.

I think the Plaza Cinema Cafe needs to look at their management here as the staff looks really untrained. There are no roped off area for collecting tickets, just one of their guys in black standing inside in the middle. I can imagine it can get frustrating when there’s a rush.

The cafe line is right in the front of the theater inside. The lines are a bit confusing and the employees are even more confused. They seem like they just got off from school or something. The place is brand new and really classy but it sucks the whole experience when the staff has no concept of service. I think they need to get new management and leadership here to train everyone.

I ordered a chocolate brownie sundae for our dessert and it was actually pretty huge. The ice cream was similar to ice cream from the grocery store and so was the brownie but that was fine.

The hallways inside the theatre are elegant and modern, similar to a 21st century hotel hallway or office hallway. There is a special art gallery exhibit area as well featuring spotlighted artists.

The seats at the theatre are big and the arm rests are huge! The theatre filled up pretty quick and we were lucky to be there early because some people had to leave since they couldn’t find enough seats for their party. At first I thought the sound was going to be horrible from the pre-preview commercials, but as the movie started it wasn’t bad.

Overall this theatre is pretty sweet, located downtown for a quick movie and clubbing night afterwards. There is even a bar towards the back near theatre 10 with beer and liquor for our adult friends.

I really want to see it succeed but they need to step up on their management and staff training and things will be fine. They also need a better website.

They also serve sandwiches in addition to the standard movie theatre popcorn and candy fare but I don’t know if I am ready to trust them with sandwiches yet.

The Plaza Cinema Cafe – Downtown Orlando
(321) 558-2878
155 S Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32801
http://www.plazacinemacafe.com/

One of the songs that played this past weekend in Atlanta at the UNAVSA conference is an old favorite, reminding me why Vietnam is one of my favorite places on Earth:

Tell me about this name so strange and difficult to pronounce
That I carry since I was born.
Tell me about the ancient empire and the feature of my “attached eyes”
Which say better than me what you don’t dare saying.
Of you I only know images of the war, a film of Coppola, [and] helicopters in anger…

One day, I will go there to say hello to your soul.
One day, I will go there to say hello to you, Vietnam.

Tell me about the color of my skin, my hair and my small feet,
Which carry me since I was born.

Tell me about your house, your street, tell me about this unknown,
The floating markets and the wood sampans.
Of you I only know images of the war, a film of Coppola, [and] helicopters in anger…

One day, I will go there, to say hello to my soul.
One day, I will go there, to say hello to you, Vietnam.

Temples and stone Buddhas for my fathers
Curved women in the rice plantations for my mothers
In the prayer, in the light, retrieve my brothers,
Touch my heart, my roots, my land…

One day, I will go there to say hello to my soul.
One day, I will go there to say hello to you, Vietnam

Headed to Atlanta today for a conference and also tastychompin’ on the side

Here are a list of places I will try to go to!

	Tasty China Tasty China 585 Franklin Rd SE # 215 Marietta, GA 30067-7760 (770) 419-9849
	Flip Burger Boutique Flip Burger Boutique 1587 Howell Mill Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30318-7648 (404) 343-1609 flipburgerboutique.com
	Pho Dai Loi Restaurant II Pho Dai Loi Restaurant II 4186 Buford Hwy NE # G Atlanta, GA 30345-1067 (404) 633-2111
	Quoc Huong Banh Mi Fast Food Quoc Huong Banh Mi Fast Food 4 reviews 5150 Buford Hwy NE Doraville, GA 30340-1153 (770) 936-0605
	Ann’s Snack Bar Ann’s Snack Bar 1615 Memorial Dr Atlanta, GA 30317 (404) 687-9207
	Cho Wan Restaurant Cho Wan Restaurant 6 reviews 3635 Satellite Blvd Duluth, GA 30096-4591 (770) 476-0458
	Pung Mie Chinese Restaurant Pung Mie Chinese Restaurant 5145 Buford Hwy NE Doraville, GA 30340-6115 (770) 455-0370
	Fat Matt’s Rib Shack Fat Matt’s Rib Shack 1811 Piedmont Ave. Atlanta, GA 30324 (404) 607-1622 fatmattsribshack.com
	Six Feet Under Six Feet Under 437 Memorial Dr SE Atlanta, GA 30312 (404) 523-6664 sixfeetunderatlanta.com
	The Vortex Bar and Grill The Vortex Bar and Grill 878 Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30309 (404) 875-1667 thevortexbarandgrill.com
	Atlanta Marriott Century Center Atlanta Marriott Century Center 2000 Century Blvd NE Atlanta, GA 30345 (404) 325-0000 marriott.com/vsstart/mktcmp…
	Colonnade Restaurant

This past Saturday, local performance artist Brian Feldman (visit http://www.brianfeldman.com ), in honor of Loving Hut’s win as best vendor at this year’s Orlando Fringe Festival, has decided to award them by doing a performance piece at their humble hut and also to celebrate his 10th anniversary since turning away from eating meat products. The performance act: to eat all the items off of the Loving Hut Menu!

This formidable feat is no joke as there were over 64 items of food on their menu each made, as David the kindly, jovial owner of Loving Hut reminded us, by vegans with care and made with love.

Loving Hut is a relatively new establishment here in Central Florida, having only opened earlier this year in the space formerly occupied by Vietnamese restaurants Thanh Thanh and Tay do a little bit west of Bumby Ave on Colonial Dr. Loving Hut’s concept is simple: Be Veg. Go Green. Save the Planet. The owners and workers and chefs at Loving Hut have one not so simple mission: to save the world by starting here in Orlando.

I thought that was a pretty cool idea, and harmless enough as it seems. I did think it was a bit odd how the television playing in the background was “Supreme Master TV” with pervasive notes from the blond-haired Supreme Master Ching Hai, on the good in the world and the goodness of vegetarianism. Even the fortune cookies here had special notes about living from our Supreme Master Ching Hai. A bit too much like Big Brother a la 1984 for me.

Inside the hut, all the chairs and tables are pure white, everything white and pure like a doctor’s office or something. On the walls are photos of Leonardo Davinchi, Albert Einstein, and other figures with the saying “These smart, beautiful people are vegetarian, why aren’t you?” Good point. I think I love meat just too much to let it go for enlightenment just yet.

Looking over their menu, I saw that most of the items were pretty standard Vietnamese/Chinese fare with vegan twists, but some of them had strange names like happy dog and noble rice?

I ordered the small golden tofu and a glass of lemon juice drink (da chanh – a Vietnamese form of lemonade). A small soup made with carrots and chayot ( I think its a type of melon), complimentary of the house arrived first. The golden tofu was fried with a tasty breading, similar to that found for fish sticks, oh so crunchy and good. The lemonade was refreshing and sweetly sour. Its also noted that the dishes are all arranged beautifully, which David chimes in is not unintentional in order to encourage more people to try it, because they might just like it afterwards.

The food is pretty cheap and also pretty good here, minus the sometimes overly strong messages to convert to the Loving Hut religion and/or cult. Some people call it a cult but I don’t see much diference between this and any other religion, they’re just people trying to do good in the world.

As Brian Feldman begins his conquest of the Loving Hut Menu, I watch on and wish him good luck. The items on there do look delicious, especially when you know you are saving the world one step at a time.

Supreme Master Ching Hai watches over us like a mother, a all seeing all powerful supreme mother

I always thought Sweet Tomatoes was a buffet for wussies because who goes to a all you can eat place to eat healthy and to eat greens, and do they only sell tomatoes? My perception changed however after my first experience at the salad buffet restaurant on the NE corner of International Drive and Kirkman Road.

When you first enter Sweet Tomatoes, you will notice the long salad bar in front of you with a sign above showing you the pricing. For $8.19 the price is pretty good for all you can eat for an adult and even cheaper for children, making it an ideal healthy family friendly place to go. After you go through the line picking up your items, you pay at the register at the end.

I put a lot of pasta in my salad.

The salad bar itself has a mind boggling variety of assorted salad toppings and greens and it was kept pretty fresh that day because of the crowd of people there (I assume they were tourists visiting Orlando).

In addition to salads, Sweet Tomatoes also has soups and a bakery filled with baked goodies. I particularly enjoyed their meatball soup, a rich savory soup with rice, veggies, and small succulent balls of meat that just burst with tender goodness. They also have vegan soups for the vegetarians out there.

Fettucini pasta and tomato based pasta

I tried the chicken soup and it was kind of bland, a little too watery and the chicken was a little too tasteless.

Cornbread was fresh out of the oven!

Dessert at Sweet Tomatoes was also delicious, they had chocolate brownies and a unique tasty muffin top, complete with self serve soft serve ice cream.

The service was good as well and the elderly man who took care of us was kind. He asked us if we wanted to get discounts next time and free food by signing up for their email program too.

Overall I was satisfied with my experience with Sweet Tomatoes and I know where to go if I am in a salad mood, but also for a place with endless soups, pastas, and desserts for cheap!

Tasty Chomps rating!!!!
4 out of 5 TASTY CHOMPS!!!!

Sweet Tomatoes
(407) 363-1690
6877 S Kirkman Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
www.souplantation.com

Ichi Umi is a few blacks past Korea town on West 32nd Street. It is an all you can eat sushi and assorted Asian dish buffet. I would rank this place among the best buffets that I have been to due to the sheer vastness of their menu and the decent quality of their food. As we know, buffets are a bit of a bastardized form of dining where the waitresses are only there to clean your empty plates and refill your drinks and all the food that you want is already sitting there, waiting. The food is good only if it gets busy because its guaranteed to be fresh, and packed it was at Ichi Umi.

It was about 6:30 pm at this point and when I entered the sushi restaurant i had very little recollection of Ichi Umi except:

-Good company with alumni brothers from all over the East Coast, if its one thing bros love, its food and lots of it, usually via buffet format
-Wow this place is huge
-Wow this place got packed quick after 8
-Wow lobster fried rice?? is that allowed??
-Our waitress is pretty kewl, but she is engaged she tells us…

haha….

shumai dumplings, a cousin of the chinese shu mai of the same name

lobster fried rice …??

no more food please i must rest

Overall, Ichi Umi was a good buffet.

Tasty Chomps!!!
4 out of 5 Tasty Chomps!!!

Casey’s Grill
Winter Springs, FL

I drove by Casey’s Grill for lunch the other day and decided to try out their ribs, proclaimed as the best ribs in Winter Springs. Are they? we shall see…

Inside, Casey’s is a minimal alehouse-like sports bar joint, a dive for wings and beers most likely.

I order the half rack of ribs with cole slaw and mashed potatos!

The slaw was ok not the greatest, not the most fresh and had too much pepper?

I did not like the mashed potatoes as they tasted powdery

The ribs here however were really good, tangy and falling right off the bone. Succulent and moist.

Overall the ribs were good but the sides were disappointingly in need of improvement.

Tasty chomps rating!!!
3 out of 5 tasty chompsss

Casey’s Grill
(407) 696-0533
1335 Tuskawilla Rd
Winter Springs, FL 32708