Texas de Brazil is an authentic churrascaria featuring a continuous dining experience that blends the unique culture of Brazil with the generous hospitality of Texas. Founded as a family-owned business in 1998, Texas de Brazil now has 53 domestic and international locations.
The menu features a vast selection of grilled meats, a 50-item salad area and a la carte dessert selections.
Warm sides include baked cinnamon bananas, which taste like warm apple pie.
The pork parmesan is cooked well and has a nice flavor. In my opinion, the chicken parmesan is more salty than the pork.
The bacon wrapped chicken is cooked well as the bacon is crispy, while the chicken is tender. The fattiness of the bacon adds flavor and juices to the chicken.
Filet mignon wrapped in bacon has a nice texture all around, but the bacon makes this item super salty.
The garlic picanha has a nice crispy coat with a tender center.
The lamb shank is gamey when the outer layer is received. It is a different flavor from an inner layer cut, which tastes more mineral-like.
Filet mignon plain without bacon has great flavors and you can taste the smokiness.
The plain filet mignon is my absolute favorite dish at Texas de Brazil and would come back for this alone.
The Brazilian sausages had flavors similar to a New Orleans flavor. There were notes of salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes evenly blended.
The service at the Orlando Texas de Brazil was lovely as everyone was friendly and attentive. The servers make sure you enjoy the dishes cooked to your desired preference with how well you prefer your meats to be cooked. Everyone had a lighthearted smile and acted as a family at Texas de Brazil.
For more information to plan your visit, please check out the Texas de Brazil website: http://www.texasdebrazil.com.
On October 22nd, at 6:30pm, 7 Pastry Chefs from 11 Central Florida restaurants came together for a historic dessert tasting experience! Savory bites were provided by The Osprey Tavern, Seito Sushi, and Reyes Mezcaleria.
The participating chefs were:
Amanda McFall-Urbain 40
Gloriann Rivera-1921 by Norman Van Aken
Amy Gilbert-Canvas
Brian Cernell-Luma on Park/Prato/Luke’s
Michelle Hulbert-K Restaurant
Esther Rodriguez-The Ravenous Pig
Kristy Carlucci-The Osprey Tavern/Seito Sushi/Reyes Mezcaleria
Here are images from the first annual Pastry in the Park by Sue Chin of The Osprey Tavern/Seito Sushi/Reyes Mezcaleria
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is bringing back its popular fall treat, the Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed® doughnut, for a limited time in October, answering customers’ calls for more opportunities to enjoy this delicious fall indulgence.
On Friday, October 13 and 20, the Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed® doughnut will be available only after 6 p.m. for “Friday Night Spice.”
On Thursday, October 26, customers can enjoy the Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed® doughnut all day in celebration of National Pumpkin Day at participating Krispy Kreme shops across Central Florida:
Krispy Kreme Daytona Beach – Open 24 Hours
980 W International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Krispy Kreme Winter Park – Drive thru Open 24 Hours
1031 S. Orlando Avenue (17-92), Winter Park, FL32789
Krispy Kreme Millenia – Open 24 Hours
4080 Millenia Blvd., Orlando, FL 32939
Krispy Kreme Kissimmee – Open 24 Hours
5310 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway
(192 / Mile Marker 11.5), Kissimmee, FL 34746
“Guests were so enthusiastic about the Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed doughnut when we first brought it back for one day last month. But their enthusiasm on social media and at our shops has only intensified since then, so we’re pleased to bring it back – again,” said Jenny Bellanca, vice president of operations for Florida Family Foods LLC, an authorized franchisee of Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation.
The Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed doughnut is the same Original Glazed doughnut that Krispy Kreme customers know and love, but with a hint of cinnamon and pumpkin spice flavor, transforming the classic into the perfect fall treat. To find a participating shop in the U.S. or Canada, visit www.krispykreme.com/pumpkinspiceog.
Celebrate the return of the Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed doughnut by using the hashtag #PumpkinSpiceOG and tagging @krispykreme.
Not only were Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed doughnuts are making an appearance, but a few Halloween themed doughnuts have come out of the closet as well in these dark nights.
Reese’s join with Krispy Kreme on a peanut butter crunch of an adventure this season.
The Birthday Cake doughnut has a delicious filling similar to frosting on a birthday cake, but it is not overpoweringly sweet as you may think. Want to eat a birthday cake, but not interested in buying an entire cake? Take a bite of this doughnut instead.
Don’t forget to grab a Pumpkin Spice drink while you’re there for a doughnut. Krispy Kreme offers iced, frap, and hot versions of Pumpkin Spice coffee. Our favorites include the frap and iced versions…mostly because it is still 90 degrees in Central Florida.
Texas de Brazil partnered with The Fladgate Partnership and local chocolatiers in 22 cities to offer Port Wine & Chocolate Tasting events that help raise additional funds for the American Red Cross. The exclusive 90-minute tasting classes offered between October 17 – 26 begin at 6:30 p.m. in each location. Class size is limited to 25 participants and $40 of the $45 ticket price will be donated to the nonprofit.
“Port is a versatile, fortified wine that offers a variety of styles fitting nicely into the sweet-wine selection trends we’re experiencing in our restaurants nationwide,” says Rodrigo Davila, Texas de Brazil’s wine and spirits director. “Guests at these events will learn why ports can be the perfect appertif, after-dinner drink, or refined accompaniment to a decadent dessert,” he adds.
Guests are greeted with a Croft Port of Manhattan before joining the seated class led by port ambassadors who guide participants through tasting and pairing notes on several port categories and share a brief history of port wine.
This event had chocolates from local Orlando chocolatiers.
The Manhattan is strong and warms all the way down to your stomach.
Upper left chocolate is a 65% dark ganache paired with Bin ’27 from Portugal. The wine has berry and woodland notes. It is very sweet and smooth, which helps balance the smooth chocolate that coats the palate.
Upper right chocolate is a Port Wine cheesecake reduction chocolate is very sweet. It is paired with the Taylor Fladgate 2012 blend that spent 5-7 years in oak. The wine has a longer finish and is a favorite of mine.
Lower left chocolate is a salted caramel with a liquid center that is very sweet. It is paired with a Croft, which expresses itself with spices and was exposed to more oxygen for a longer time period.
Lower right chocolate is an apple pie chocolate. The chocolate has an apple pie crust at the bottom. This piece is very unique and delicious; it is not too sweet and has a smooth texture from the apple combined with the crunch of the crust and woody flavored chocolate shell. It is paired with the Taylor FLadgate 20 that has butterscotch notes. This wine is also great with walnuts alone.
Local chocolatiers will also share their tasting notes providing guests with a wealth of information and new experience.
Guests will enjoy passed appetizers including garlic picanha, Brazilian sausage, and chicken wrapped in bacon from the Texas de Brazil grills which complement other bites offered during the pairing session.
Featured ports and pairings will include: Fonseca BIN 27 Reserve Ruby Port with cheese; Taylor Fladgate Late Bottle Vintage Ruby Port with dark chocolate; Croft Reserve Tawny Port with dried fruits and nuts; and the Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Port with milk chocolate.
Event dates and locations:
Tuesday, Oct. 17: Orlando, FL
Wednesday, Oct. 18: Addison, TX and San Antonio, TX: Detroit, MI; Huntsville, AL; Memphis, TN; Richmond, VA; Tampa, FL; Yonkers, NY
Thursday, Oct. 19: Chicago and Schaumburg, IL; Columbus, OH; Fairfax, VA; Fort Worth, TX; Miami, FL; Rochester, NY
About Texas de Brazil Texas de Brazil is an authentic churrascaria featuring a continuous dining experience that blends the unique culture of Brazil with the generous hospitality of Texas. The menu features a vast selection of grilled meats, a 50-item salad area and a la carte dessert selections. Founded as a family-owned business in 1998, Texas de Brazil now has 53 domestic and international locations. For more information, visit http://www.texasdebrazil.com.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Visit Orlando released a poll to vote for Orlando’s signature dish.
Honey is the key ingredient, an important choice not only due to our region’s abundance of honey flavors, particularly orange blossom, but also because of the critical role bees play in our ecosystem in pollinating our local crops.
In 2016 alone, the state produced 17 million pounds of honey and 500 new beekeepers register every year — many in Central Florida.
In recent years, bee populations have decreased as much as 45 percent due to a mysterious disease called colony collapse disorder, caused by a combination of destruction of wild habitats, disease and widespread pesticide use.
There has been some critique that most signature dishes from cities evolve over time – think Chicago – style deep dish pizza or the Philly Cheesesteak. Some say this is an inorganic and forced measure – you just know it if it is Orlando’s signature dish.
I think with time, Orlando will find its signature dish on its own, certainly. When that might happen – who knows – but in the mean time, I think it is fine to have these competitions which brings much needed attention to our local growing food scene, particularly outside of the theme parks. We know it might not be “the” signature dish, but it’s a start.
The competition is open to all Orlando restaurant chefs with a license to serve food.
Vote for your favorite local Orlando “honey” themed dish by Nov. 3 at: Visitorlando.com/dish
The winner will be presented at the Visit Orlando luncheon on December 7th.
More than 10,000 baking professionals, industry buyers, pastry chefs, cake artists, retail bakers, hobbyists and everyday foodies from around the world are expected to attend the Cake Fair at the Orange County Convention Center from October 13-15, 2017. This delicious show is a feast for the eyes (not to mention nose and stomach)!
The Americas Cake Fair will have something for everyone: live theater main stage demonstrations by renowned cake designers and sweets-centric television personalities, including “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro; more than 100 hands-on classes, demonstrations and business seminars taught by the world’s most skilled cake decorators and industry professionals; a live global cake challenges; traditional cake competitions; and an exhibit hall overflowing with new products and services, including some items for cash and carry.
From the art of airbrushing to mastering chocolate modeling, all classes and demonstrations will provide instruction on the latest techniques. All classes are three hours in duration and must be booked in advance online.
Other Cake Fair features include:
The Sugar Art Fashion Show on Friday evening, October 13, with models strutting the runway adorned by cake costumes and edible ensembles, co-hosted by Celebrity Chef Emily Ellyn, best known as the Retro Rad Chef from Food Network & Fashion Stylist / On-Air Style Expert Melanie Pace, and benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
Emily Ellyn (right)
An exclusive VIP Meet & Greet on Saturday, October 14, where guests can meet and mingle with their favorite television personalities, headliners and cake artists
Live Global Cake and Chocolate Challenges, where international teams and individuals will battle for top honors
Traditional cake competitions offering cash prizes for contestants across all skill levels
Themed “zones” sprinkled around the show floor, including a Kids Zone for a yummy interactive experience for budding cake artists; and The ACD Magazine Cake Zone sponsored by American Cake Decorating Magazine for a delectable introduction to fondant and other skills
Ticket Prices
Attendees can enjoy sweet savings by purchasing tickets online, and can save even more when attending the show on multiple, consecutive days. Prices start from $30 for regular, single-day adult admission with advance online purchase.
Stay up to date on Cake Fair event updates, special offers, and exclusive contests by following the show on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@cakefair). For more information, visit www.cakefair.com.
(Source credit: Cake Fair)
UPDATED:
Retro Rad Chef from Food Network Star, Cupcake Wars, and Cutthroat Kitchen Winner Emily Ellyn and Celebrity Baker Mich Turner
The Chocolate Genius – Paul Joachim
Emilly Ellyn and Nancy Farmer
Food Network’s Farmhouse Rules Nancy Farmer, Elizabeth Townsend, and Emilly Ellyn
I am a Digital Ambassador for The Americas Cake Fair, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending the show and reporting my opinion within this blog, The Americas Cake Fair has provided me with complimentary tickets and other exclusive opportunities.
Orlando Chef-proprietor Sean “Sonny” Nguyen of Domu at East End Market has been chosen as a semi-finalist to compete this month in the New York qualifying competition for the Washoku World Challenge, a cooking contest in which Japanese cuisine chefs from all over the world compete in technical expertise and passion for Japanese food.
The contest, the 5th of its kind, is organized by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for non-Japanese chefs. Chefs must be of non-Japanese nationality with experience in cooking Japanese cuisine AND over 2 years of experience as a chef (current place of residence can be any country, including Japan).
Qualifying tournaments will be held in six cities worldwide (London, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Tokyo). The six chefs who pass the qualifiers will be invited to the final tournament, to be held in Tokyo on February 13th and 14th, 2018.
The number of Japanese restaurants located overseas has drastically increased by approximately 60% from an estimated 55,000 in 2013 to 89,000 by July 2015.
However, in some of these Japanese restaurants located overseas, there are some cases wherein chefs without appropriate knowledge and skills regarding Japanese cuisine engage in preparing meals.
The Washoku organizers, backed by the Japanese government, have created guidelines to make sure Japanese cuisine created by foreign chefs is prepared with the appropriate knowledge and skill.
Chef Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese descent, has been training with the help of a Japanese masterchef in New York as well as advisement from friend and fellow chef Mark Berdin of Kadence. He has been learning how to make soba noodles by hand and Japanese cuisine in general once or twice a month in New York along with a lot of personal practice and self training.
“The application process was tough and they only select a certain amount of chefs around the world based on their recipes and skill, in which I just found out yesterday that I was chosen to move forward to the NYC competition!” said Sonny Nguyen.
For the qualifying competition, Chef Nguyen had to create a recipe for his own unique dashi soup and a kaiseki appetizer box containing 5 specific Japanese techniques of cooking.
“I think this is a big deal for us here in Orlando, especially if I advance further (not holding my breathe lol) but also because I want to represent our city and put us on the map, even if I don’t place,” Sonny said.
The competition will be judged by Michelin rated Japanese kaiseki chefs with media and live tv coverage to Japan of the cooking competition events in New York.
“Kaiseki is focused on simple, clean, umami flavors and is very seasonal.”
The theme of this year’s competition is umami flavor. In Japan, the technique of extracting umami from kombu kelp and bonito flakes to create dashi broth was developed approximately 500 years ago. The basic dashi is made with kombu and bonito flakes. The combination of the glutamic acid in kombu and the inosinic acid in bonito flakes create a delicious umami taste.
For the competition, chefs had to create one suimono soup (with at least three ingredients) reflecting the UMAMI theme, made with fish or shellfish, vegetables, and citrus or sprout of an aromatic plant.
Chefs also had to create one fuchidaka mori (with at least five dishes) reflecting the UMAMI theme, including nimono (simmered foods), yakimono (grilled foods), agemono (deep-fried foods), aemono (marinated foods)/sunomono (foods dressed with vinegar), and arrange attractively in the fuchidaka. Fuchidaka is not the name of a dish or a meal, rather it is the name of the container itself (think bento box).
Contestants in the qualifying competition will compete on:
1. Test of cooking technique (basic knife skills) – 30 minutes Basic knife skills:
One 15cm long daikon radish Techniques tested:
– Daikon katsura muki 30cm
– Daikon ken for roughly three people
– Daikon wagiri, shikishi giri, tanzaku giri 2. Suimono (for five people) – 90 minutes
Contestants will be asked to cook the recipe they have submitted for the application screening. The soup must use dashi made from kombu kelp and bonito flakes.
Below are some photos from Chef Nguyen’s submission:
If he wins in the qualifying tournament, Chef Nguyen will:
– Be invited to the final tournament, to be held in Japan
– Be able to participate in Japanese cooking seminars in Japan
– Have the chance to apply for the Certification of Cooking Skills for Japanese Cuisine in Foreign Countries (Bronze)
– Be covered by international media
In the mean time, besides preparing for this tournament, Chef Nguyen is getting ready to open his second ramen shop, Domu in Jacksonville, and who knows what else is in the works.
Sonny Nguyen: “My end goal is to specialize in making noodles. Ramen, udon, soba, all by hand since the technique is rare nowadays and is really an art that goes beyond measurements. It’s about full body movement, feel, and smell.”
“The chef I’m training with has been making soba by hand for over 10 years and learned from his teacher in Tokyo who was 90 years old at the time, making him his last student.”
“We use high quality buckwheat flour that is stone milled by hand in Seattle to make the soba noodles. Pretty expensive stuff but smells great. Plus buckwheat is good for you.”
On October 22nd, at 6:30pm, 7 Pastry Chefs from 11 Central Florida restaurants will come together for a dessert tasting experience!
Savory bites will be provided by The Osprey Tavern, Seito Sushi, and Reyes Mezcaleria.
The participating chefs are:
Amanda McFall-Urbain 40
Gloriann Rivera-1921 by Norman Van Aken
Amy Gilbert-Canvas
Brian Cernell-Luma on Park/Prato/Luke’s
Michelle Hulbert-K Restaurant
Esther Rodriguez-The Ravenous Pig
Kristy Carlucci-The Osprey Tavern/Seito Sushi/Reyes Mezcaleria
Tickets can be obtained by calling The Osprey Tavern at 407-960-7700
We spoke with Kristy Carlucci, pastry chef for The Osprey Tavern/Seito Sushi/Reyes Mezcaleria, to gain more insight about the upcoming event, the first event featuring and highlighting some of Orlando’s finest pastry chefs.
TastyChomps: How did Pastry in the Park come about?
Pastry Chef Kristy Carlucci: I had heard of other cities doing a “pastry-centric” tasting menu where pastry chefs get together and create an amazing experience. I knew we have some extremely talented pastry chefs in Central Florida and felt certain that a great event could come together with their help.
To shine a light on the restaurants that have a dedicated pastry program. There’s many places that either buy in their desserts or it gets dumped off on one of the line cooks, but Central Florida has real pastry talent. There’s so many fantastic bakeries that get a lot of (well deserved) love, but it’s time for the ones in the restaurants to get their “just desserts”–pun intended!
What is something most people don’t know about the pastry chef profession?
That it’s intense! One misconception is that we are wearing cute aprons and baking cupcakes and cookies all day. It is a lot of time management, exact calculations, early mornings, trial and errors, organization, having an artistic eye, fighting for your own space in those tiny kitchens…
Restaurant pastry chefs also save the day–think of all those free desserts that are given out!
Tell us about your background and training and experience.
I graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in 2008. Since then, I have worked as a Teaching Assistant at the CIA, spent time with boutique chocolatiers and bakers, oversaw 2 restaurants at The Greenbrier Resort in WV, and was Pastry Chef de Cuisine at Cask & Larder. I’ve worked for some of the top chefs in America, and fortunate enough to create and present desserts for many celebrities, athletes, and politicians. In addition to being the Pastry Chef at The Osprey Tavern, Seito Sushi, and Reyes Mezcaleria, I also instruct at Valencia College in the Baking & Pastry program.
What are your favorite dishes to bake right now?
I’m in full fall mode! I love the warm spices associated with the season. Right now we have a warm apple cake with spiced caramel ice cream on our Osprey menu and it’s my favorite. My dessert for Pastry in the Park is an homage to the wonderful produce that autumn brings. At home, my 5 year old loves to bake, so we have been making banana bread and will be making pumpkin muffins soon.
What are the most popular pastries right now at your restaurants?
Chocolate is always king! Our chocolate almond torte is very decadent, and that’s what the chocolate lovers are looking for. For Sunday brunch, we have our Pastry Trolley, which features not just breakfast pastries, but also macarons, cakes, and other sweet treats. It’s very popular and we sell out almost every Sunday!
Pastry in the Park A Dessert Tasting Experience Menu
Esther Rodriguez – The Ravenous Pig
Goat Cheese Tart, Spent Grain Sablé, Seasonal Fruit
Pairing:
Gloriann Rivera – 1921 by Norman Van Aken
“Banana Foster Tart”
Pecan Tart Shell, Smoked Bourbon Chocolate Custard, Banana Semifreddo, Caramel, Candied Hazelnuts
Pairing:
Michelle Hulbert – K Restaurant
“Chunk of Love”
Layered Chocolate Chunk Cookie, Oreo Truffle, Dark Chocolate Brownie, Peanut Butter Mousse
Pairing:
Gloriann Rivera-1921 by Norman Van AkenMichelle Hulbert-K RestaurantAmy Gilbert-CanvasBrian Cernell-Luma on Park/Prato/Luke’sKristy Carlucci-The Osprey Tavern/Seito Sushi/Reyes Mezcaleria
An Open Letter to Anyone Applying for a Job at Kadence
You are at the office, killing time on social media, when Kadence’s latest Instagram post appears on your feed. The trio behind Kappo is looking to hire a kitchen helper for their new restaurant.
This puts an image in your head. One in which you are standing in a busy kitchen, wearing a white chef’s coat and tossing a pan full of sautéed mushrooms into the air with nothing more than a flick of the wrist.
You say to yourself, life is too short to be spending forty hours a week chained to a desk. Sure, you make a good living. But there are more important things in life than money.
I, like you, had romantic notions about working in a kitchen. That’s why, when I was given the opportunity to be a part of Kadence’s opening crew, I seized it.
I’m here to tell you, despite what the Food Network might’ve lead you to believe, stepping into the kitchen is nothing like playing lead guitar in a rock band. It’s more comparable to being drafted into the armed services.
Your day will start at 7am. If you are lucky, you will be home by 1am. But, usually, it’ll be closer to 2am. You will be working six days a week, for minimal wage. But, for every hour over 40, you will earn time and a half. This means, in order to make a living, you will have to work 80 to 90 hours a week.
You will have to learn to work on an empty stomach. In the kitchen, there’s no time to stop and eat.
On the odd occasion when the chefs do find time, they will prepare a family meal. Usually, fish scraps, which, in most restaurants, would’ve gone in the trash, marinated in soy sauce and served over rice. Or the same ingredients will be fried, along with an egg.
The chefs have spent their entire professional lives in the kitchen. They are trained to eat fast. In just minutes, they will deposit their empty bowls in the sink, for you to wash. They will tell you to take your time. But the first seating is rapidly approaching. So you throw most of your meal away and get back to work. But don’t let the chefs catch you. At Kadence, wasting food is an unforgivable crime.
Think of the job as a game of Tetris. As the blocks fall, you must organize them into neat rows. If you mislay a piece, or fall behind, your tower will reach an unmanageable height. Then the blocks will start dropping at an accelerated rate as you scramble to line them up and make them disappear before you get the game over screen.
The sink will be your home. You will have other responsibilities, which will take you away from your home. But, no matter what else is on your plate, you are expected to keep your home in order.
The chefs will give you small food chores. These are tests. If you pass, you will be given more opportunities, away from the sink. But every time you fail, you are further solidifying your role as dishwasher.
Be careful what you wish for. Each time you demonstrate competency in a new task, it will become a part of your daily routine. And your routine is already so demanding, you spend 15 hours a day racing around the kitchen and, still, there isn’t enough time to get everything done.
Since the stove is directly behind the sink, you will be asked to keep an eye on the chawanmushis, a savory Japanese egg custard, served at each seating. You will be told to take them off the stove the moment they set. If you do a good job, after service, the chefs will complement you. Then, from that moment forward, you will be in charge of cooking the chawanmushis.
You do up to three seatings a night, serving ten guests at a time. It would be ideal if you could pre-cooked all the chawanmushis. Then, during service, all you would have to do is get them up to temperature. But there are only twelve chawanmushi bowls. This means, after each chawanmushi course, you will have to wash the bowls. Then cook the next round.
This might seem simple enough. But during service, you are battling an already unmanageable list of things to do.
You, for instance, are in charge of shucking the oysters. Shucking oysters is not hard. It’s the timing that makes it difficult. The oysters are served as a first course, right after the guests are seated. This is the toughest part of the evening, especially if the first seating is running late and the next set of guests are arriving.
Kadence is a small restaurant, run by a small team, each of whom fill many roles. Jennifer Banagale, in addition to being part owner, is the pastry chef and one woman wait staff. After the savory courses, she must go behind the sushi bar to serve dessert, which means you get a temporary promotion from dishwasher to headwaiter.
You must go into the dining room, pick up everyone’s dirty plates and bring them to the sink in the service station. While you are doing this, you notice the water glasses are near empty. And two guests have asked you to select a sake to pair with their dessert.
The next seating, meanwhile, is standing at the bar in the adjacent room, waiting for someone to come pour drinks. No matter how rushed you may be, you must maintain a calm front. Greet each guest warmly. As you take their drink order, introduce yourself, ask them,
“Is this your first time dining with us?”
They will want to make small talk. There is an art to cutting off a conversation without offending the person you are talking to. You must become proficient in this art. Because Jen has poked her head into the room to tell you she has finished with the first dessert and needs you to pick up the plates before she can serve the final course. She reminds you, the water glasses need refilling and those two guests are still waiting for their sake.
You pour two glasses of sake and put them on a tray. Also, on the tray, you place a pitcher of water. The couple in front of you is telling you about their trip to Japan. You need to get out of this conversation. Tell them you have to go bring drinks to the dining room. Apologize for having to leave. Smooth things over with a generous taste of sake. “Try some of this. Let me know what you think.”
After the water glasses are filled, you drop the pitcher off at the bar. Then take the tray back into the dining room to collect the first round of dessert plates. By now, the sink and every available surface in the service station is filled with dirty dishes.
The guests have just been given their final plate. This gives you ten minutes to shuck the oysters for the next seating. But first you must go to the bar and see if anyone is ready for another drink.
You are happy to see Lordfer Lalicon, one of the chefs and owners, behind the bar, pouring drinks. He tells you, “I got this. Go do the oysters.”
You head back into the kitchen, get the oysters out of the fridge. That’s when you remember, it’s been too long since you last checked the bathroom.
Through a back door, you sneak into the dining room and slip into the bathroom, undetected. The toilet paper roll is almost empty. The seat is up and there is a collection of used paper towels on the floor around the trash bin.
You sneak back out the way you came in and get a fresh roll of toilet paper from the storage closet. You return to the bathroom, careful to conceal the toilet paper behind your back. If a guest were to see you, walking through the dining room with a roll of toilet paper, the chefs would, surely, not be happy.
You put the new roll in the toilet paper dispenser and fold the tip into a perfect triangle. You pick the paper towels up off the floor and put the toilet seat down. You wipe all surfaces with a sanitizing rag, light a new stick of incense. Then race back to the kitchen.
The head chef and owner, Mark Berdin, is standing over your oysters. “How long have these been out of the fridge?”
“I was just about to get to them. Then I remembered I had to check the bathroom.” Your response pisses him off. In the kitchen, mistakes can be forgiven. But there’s zero tolerance for excuses.
These are Shigoku oysters, from Washington. He tells you they are the most expensive oysters currently on the market. He can’t afford to be having his dishwasher ruin them. He orders you out of the kitchen.
That’s when you remember the chawanmushis. If you don’t get them started soon, they will not be ready in time. You fill the bottom of the steamer with water and put it on the stove.
You line up the ceramic bowls and begin ladling in the batter. This is a delicate process. Each ceramic needs the same level of batter, so they will cook at the same pace. And you must be careful not to spill any.
You have half the ceramics done when you hear chairs moving in the dining room. The guests are leaving.
At Kadence, they practice the Japanese custom of walking their guests out. Guest service, Mark will tell you when you first start working at Kadence, is the number one priority. Even the food ranks second under guest service.
You leave the chawanmushis and go to the front door. You stand with your hands folded behind your back. As each guest walks out, you look them in the eye, thank them for coming, and bow. When I say bow, I don’t mean simply lowering your head. You must bow at the waist. Don’t stop until your body is forming a 90 degree angle.
Now that the first guests are gone, the dining room needs to be cleaned and reset. Every guest will need chopsticks, a cloth napkin, which you need to make sure is folded the proper way, and a glass for water, each of which needs to be polished until it sparkles. The bathroom will, once again, need to be cleaned.
As the new guests are being seated, you have just enough time to get the chawanmushis in the steamer. But you must be quick about it. The moment the guest’s bottoms touch those seats, you are expected in the dining room with a pitcher of water. And, after their glasses are filled, you must get each of them an oshibori, a warm hand towel which, before service, you folded according to Japanese tradition, after soaking them in water infused with lemongrass.
You will spend the first part of this seating fighting to get caught up with the dishes. Kadence serves a set menu. The same dishes are used in each seating. You better prioritize your dishwashing. Find the ones that are used for the early courses. Get those cleaned first.
It’s still early but, just to be safe, you leave the sink to check on the guests. The man in seat nine is a camel. All the water glasses are nearly full, but for his. For the next couple of hours, you are going to be chained to this guest. Every few minutes, you will have to return to his side with a pitcher of water.
This is, also, the last seating. The moment it is over, the chefs are going to want to go home. But they can’t leave until the restaurant is clean and reset for the next day. During last service, you better find the time to mop the kitchen, polish the stainless steel, put the trash out and all the cookware must be washed and returned to its proper place.
*
You pull into your driveway at 2:30am. All day, you have been operating on adrenalin. All of a sudden, a switch is flipped. Slowly, the adrenaline leaks out of your body. It’s replaced with hunger and fatigue.
Your feet are so sore, all you want to do is sit on the couch and prop them up on the coffee table. But you are sweaty and smell of raw fish. You need a shower.
You put a frozen pizza in the oven, crack open a beer and take it into the bathroom. You swallow two Advil. Then take a hot shower.
After your shower, you eat your pizza in front of the television. You are careful to keep the volume down. You don’t want to wake your wife. She works normal hours. Tomorrow will mark a week since you’ve last seen each other awake.
By the time you get in bed, it’s past 3:30am. Tomorrow is Sunday. On Sundays, the first seating is at 11:30am. You have to be back at the restaurant by 7am.
There is so much adrenaline in the kitchen, it lingers for hours after you leave, making it hard to fall asleep. When Mark, Jen and Lordfer worked in New York City, they’d get out at 2am and go to a bar, where they’d drink with other cooks until 4am.
When you finally doze off, it’s worthless because, in your dreams, you are back in the service station, bent over the sink, scrubbing dishes.
Photo Courtesy of KADENCE
Michael Cuglietta is the author of the forthcoming fiction collection, The Feast of Jupiter (Little Island Press, 2018), and the chapbooks Vertigo (Gertrude Press, 2012) and Clams in White Wine (Paper Nautilus, 2017). His work has appeared in NOON, Gettysburg Review, Tampa Review and elsewhere. http://mcuglietta.bigcartel.com
Editor’s Note: Kadence is currently looking to hire a fulltime kitchen helper.
Come JOIN THE 5th Annual Taste of Nona at Marriott Courtyard Lake Nona Town Center, an annual signature event by the Lake Nona Regional Chamber of Commerce. Enjoy an evening out with a huge assortment of delectable dining options.
This year’s Taste will feature more than two dozen fantastic local restaurants, dessert makers, and catering services! Each vendor will be bringing a sampling of some of their most celebrated offerings, and all of this is included in every ticket purchased for the Taste.
?There will be live music and a silent auction benefiting the Ronald McDonald House, Nemours.
The Taste of Nona and the Lake Nona Regional Chamber of Commerce are not affiliated with or sponsored by, Lake Nona Property Holdings, LLC or its affiliated entities. We are an independent organization made up of business leaders, charity organizations, and individuals dedicating their time to the economic prosperity of the Lake Nona region of Orlando, FL.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic will celebrate its eighth year October 27 – 28, the largest event to date featuring more than 60 food and beverage stations and 11 educational seminars taught by members of the resort’s award-winning food and beverage team.
Guests will delight in numerous opportunities to sip and savor along the resort’s causeway, private lake and private beach all weekend while enjoying live entertainment.
Delectable culinary offerings headline the two-night event, featuring cuisine from the resort’s own award-winning restaurants: Il Mulino New York Trattoria, Shula’s Steak House, Todd English’s bluezoo, Kimonos and more, with wine and spirits samplings from around the globe.
“One of our favorite parts about this festival is showcasing our creativity and adding new experiences each year,” said Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Director of Food & Beverage Tony Porcellini. “Things that won’t change are the quality of our food and beverage selections and our vibrant street party atmosphere.”
New for 2017
A new seminar, the Grand Tasting Experience, will be presented by a master sommelier, highlighting the unique Nebbiolo grape of northern Italy. Master Sommelier Matthew Citriglia, one of only 149 master sommeliers in the Americas, will showcase several rare vintages from the Piedmont region. Tickets to this intimate experience will be extremely limited.
Also new this year is Bubbles Lounge, a secluded, whimsically themed area showcasing sparkling beverages including champagne and sparkling wine, inspired by Lawrence Welk and his champagne style. Guests will receive a special entrance ticket to the lounge upon check-in and can seek out the space to enjoy a light-hearted atmosphere and sweeping views of the festival while sipping champagne.
Bubbles Lounge joins the event’s other themed areas including: Carnival Corner, offering carnival food and games; Chinatown, featuring dishes and drinks inspired by San Francisco’s famed neighborhood; and a Beer Garden, offering a variety of local and seasonal brews from around the world alongside Oktoberfest-inspired cuisine. (Access to the Beer Garden requires an upgraded ticket.)
Featured Food
Highlights of this year’s menus include: Kobe beef mini burgers with truffle aioli, Applewood smoked bacon and roma tomato chutney from The Fountain; seared Yellowfin Tuna salad from Todd English’s bluezoo; ricotta gnocchi with wild mushrooms, baby spinach and fennel sausage from Il Mulino Trattoria and oven-roasted beef ribeye with mashed potatoes and sauce bordelaise from Shula’s Steakhouse.
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Executive Chef Robert Ciborowski brings back his signature barbecue at the Cib’s Smoke House station with his hand-crafted pork belly and smoked Spanish Iberico pork collar. Popular returning dishes include the dragon sushi roll from Kimonos and fish ‘n’ chips with sea salt and vinegar potato chips from Garden Grove.
World Champion Pastry Chef Laurent Branlard sweetens the evening with decadent desserts like the crunchy chocolate passion fruit truffle and key lime vanilla cream. The returning Sundae Action Station allows guests to choose their own toppings like caramelized hazelnuts and raspberry whipped cream.
Seminars and Brunch
Favorite hands-on educational seminars, taught by members of the resort’s award-winning food and beverage team, return for foodies who want to add a little something extra to their festival experience. Seminars offered this year include: wine blending, Italian wines, Argentinian wines, champagne, beer, Riesling, craft cocktails, pasta making, sushi and sake and wine and cheese pairing. All seminars require separate tickets, and space is limited.
Guests can extend the indulgence into Sunday morning with the Sunday Bubbles Brunch with J Vineyards and Winery at Il Mulino New York Trattoria, featuring a lavish menu of traditional and unconventional dishes like various cured meats and imported cheeses along with an array of sushi and trattoria-inspired entrees. The Sunday Bubbles Brunch is a separate ticket option and does not require an evening ticket or overnight accommodation to participate.
With 18 restaurants and lounges, a distinguished culinary and beverage team and unmatched customer service, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort continually receives national recognition for its food and beverage program. The culinary team has had the honor of presenting multiple dinners at the distinguished James Beard House. The resort boasts more than 70 certified wine sommeliers and 1,400 wine selections, including organic and rare vintages. The resort’s restaurants are annual winners of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence including Shula’s Steak House, a multiple-time recipient of the exclusive Best of Award of Excellence.
Tickets to the Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic are available as part of a resort package or individually. For more information or to book, please visit www.SwanDolphinFoodandWineClassic.com or call 1-800-227-1500.
Calendar Listing Information
What: Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic
Info: The Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort returns October 27 – 28, showcasing a vast array of food and beverage options and informative seminars conducted by members of the resort’s award-winning food and beverage team.
The Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic consists of 11 food and beverage seminars, live entertainment, a beer garden and more than 60 food and beverage stations, featuring appetizing selections from the resort’s signature restaurants: Shula’s Steak House, Il Mulino New York Trattoria and Todd English’s bluezoo, as well as wines, beers and cocktails from around the world.
When: Friday, October 27 and Saturday, October 28, 2016
5:30–9 p.m. (for seminar schedule, check www.SwanDolphinFoodandWineClassic.com)
Where: Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Causeway
1500 Epcot Resorts Blvd.
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830
407-934-4000
Ticket
Information: – Overnight packages and multiple-night package options are available for the eighth annual Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic starting at $424 and can be booked by phone at 1-888-828-8850
– Advance purchase unlimited food and beverage samples are $115 per person; upgraded ticket including the Beer Garden is $140 per person including taxes
– Interactive seminars start at $50 per person, per class including taxes
– Sunday Bubbles Brunch with J Vineyards and Winery is $94 per person including taxes
– For more information or to book, please visit www.SwanDolphinFoodandWineClassic.com or call 1-800-227-1500
HIGHBALL & HARVEST ANNOUNCES MENU AND SILENT AUCTION ITEMS FOR HOMESTEAD HARVEST AT WHISPER CREEK FARM ON OCTOBER 26
ORLANDO (October 1?2?, 2017) – On October 26, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Highball & Harvest will be hosting Homestead Harvest, the first chef-collaborative dinner at Grande Lakes Orlando’s on-site farm, Whisper Creek Farm. The evening will benefit Fleet Farming, a local non-profit organization whose goal is to assist in fostering a movement which moves towards a more sustainable farming and food production system in the region.
Highball & Harvest’s Chef Scott Pizzo and Peter Zampaglione, Executive Chef of The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes will be joined by an all-star line-up of local chefs who are donating their time and resources to creating a once in a lifetime culinary adventure.
Menu
Scott Pizzo, Highball & Harvest
Whiskey Shooter
Argentinian Roasted Suckling Pig, charred pumpkin
Kenny Gilbert (Top Chef), Gilbert’s Underground Kitchen/Gilbert’s Social
Smoked Alligator Ribs with SC BBQ Sauce
Field Peas with okra, smoked gator broth, radish, savory herbs and spices
Kathleen Blake, The Rusty Spoon
Deviled Eggs
Duck Mortadella
James Petrakis, The Ravenous Pig
Wood-Grilled Octopus, black garlic skordalia, roasted beets
Lamb Kofta, quince yogurt, dill pesto
Elek Kovacs, The Osprey Tavern
Pickled Shrimp, chili citrus marinade, fresh garden vegetables
Pheasant, local rice grits, corn succotash
Kevin Fonzo, Kevin Fonzo Foundation
Red Kuri Squash Soup, truffle, Brussels sprouts, pears, apple
Coonies: chocolate chip cookie/brownie bar, salted butter caramel ice cream, vanilla bean gel
Stephane Cheramy, The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes
Assorted Pastries
In addition to a feast from some of Florida’s star chefs, the event will also host a silent auction with a number of luxury items from local businesses. Items include a Spa Day for Two at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Omakase Dinner for Two at Seito Sushi, and A VIP Dinner for 10 Guests in Your Home with Chefs from Ritz-Carlton Properties. Homestead Harvest will offer a beverage selection from local vendors including craft cocktails from Highball & Harvest and there will be live music from Brocato Entertainment.
About Fleet Farming: Fleet Farming strives to reduce the environmental impact of food production through a pedal-powered, hyperlocal urban farming model that creates a culture of health and vibrant ecosystems by: teaching an intergenerational fleet of volunteers how to grow their own food, activating and re-engaging the community through biweekly Swarm Rides, and creating a breathe free and biodiverse environment through emissions-free, organic farming.
Tickets are $135 per person and can be purchased online here. For more information please visitHomesteadHarvestatWCF.com.
I recently was tasked by Universal Studios to do this article on the dining options during their annual Halloween Horror Nights. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time – getting scared out of my wits. It had been a long time since my last visit for Halloween Horror Nights – I was actually a scareactor for a season during college as a hillbilly zombie.
I must say, the haunted houses were superbly done this year – at times, I felt like I was walking into a horror film or some very real nightmare brought to life. My favorite was the Reaping maze, filled with creatures that put the “scare” in scarecrow.
Check out the article here and some photos from our visit:
Rumaku is a little new Japanese restaurant in East Orlando, just north of UCF on Alafaya. Most recently, it was Hawaiian Grindz, but was briefly home to many other restaurants before that.
Though they advertise their ramen, don’t get the ramen bowl here because it’s pretty much instant ramen noodles and broth with a few added ingredients in. Don’t. Do. It. Unless you like that kind of thing then go ahead and order it.
There are some other cool things to order here like Japanese burgers, sushi donut and the Korean beef bowl.
The Japanese burger’s buns are made with panko crusted fried bao buns and are quite delish.
Spider Burger – Soft shell crab
Salmon Glaze Sushi Donut – Pretty much what it sounds like, the rice forms a ring in the shape of a donut and the salmon is placed on top and torched with some eel sauce. Fun to eat but hard to hold up so you’ll be knife and forking or chopsticking this dish.
Sushi burritos and poke bowls are making a big splash in Central Florida lately. It’s easy to see why it’s a trend, especially with the fast casual chipotlification of the restaurant industry these past few years.
Lemon Shark Poke has opened in the former location of Pincho Factory in the Dr Phillips Marketplace, bringing the sushi burrito and poke craze to west Orlando. The decor is rather sparse and dark inside, but the food is fresh. I enjoyed my Maui heat wave pokerrito (that’s what they call their sushi burrito). It’s hard to pick out since they feature their bowls more prominently on the menu, but it’s there.
LEMONSHARK POKÉ
Address: 7600 Dr Phillips Blvd suite 102, Orlando, FL 32819
Menu: lemonsharkpoke.com
Phone: (407) 730-5201
On the east side of Orlando, there is a little market and food stall called Cedar’s Halal. It’s owned by a Lebanese family, serving up shawarmas, rice platters, gyros, hummus, falafel, sandwiches and more, in addition to the Middle Eastern Market they have going on.
I ordered the Cedar’s Mixed Grill which came with three types of kabab meats while my friend ordered the traditional gyro. Everything came out quite delicious, and the rice was quite good. They even have Turkish soft drinks, if you ever wanted to try. Don’t get the yogurt drink, though. It is not pleasant.
Giving The Gift of Pork
• This year, Sonny’s BBQ is donating 2,000 lbs. of pork to local food banks, churches, and soup kitchens across its entire footprint
Online Giveaways
• Win FREE Pulled Pork for a year
Sonny’s Pulled Pork Day Recipe
Recipe courtesy of Sonny’s
Head Pitmaster Bryan’s Pork Rub
•1 C brown sugar
•1 C raw sugar
•½ C kosher salt
•½ C seasoned salt
•½ C paprika
•4 Tbsps. chili powder
•1 Tbsp. cumin
•3 tsp. black pepper
•1 tsp. white pepper
•3 tsp. garlic
•3 tsp. onion
•1 Tbsp. coriander
•1 Tbsp. lemon pepper
•1 Tbsp. mustard
Head Pitmaster Bryan’sHog Injection
•3 C apricot juice
•5 C Apple juice
•2 C brown sugar
•2 C agave
•1/2 C sea salt
•1/4 C soy sauce
Directions
1.Mix apricot juice, apple juice, and soy sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once liquid is warm add the brown sugar, agave, and sea salt and keep over medium heat until all ingredients are dissolved. Cool hog injection then inject into the pork butt evenly.
2.Combine all pork rub ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Evenly coat the pork butt with the pork seasoning. Let rest 30 minutes before going on the smoker.
3.Set your smoker to 225 degrees and place the pork butt on the smoker with the fat cap down.
4.After the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (4-5 hours) wrap the pork butt in foil to help push through the stall. Return the wrapped pork butt to the smoker.
5.Once the internal temperature reaches 195-200 degree’s remove pork from the smoker and let rest for 15 minutes.
6.Remove the fat cap from the bottom of the pork butt and also remove the bone. Shred the rest of the pork butt.
7.Top with our Sonny’s Sweet BBQ Sauce for that perfect balance.
Red Neck Egg Rolls – Loaded with Pulled Pork, homemade coleslaw and Pepper Jack cheese with a side of smokey Ranch dip.Dry Rubbed WingsSweet Carolina™ – Pulled Pork topped with homemade coleslaw and Sonny’s Signature Carolina Sauce on a bun.Whole Hog Sliced Pork, Pulled Pork and Jalapeño Cheddar Hot Links topped with Sweet BBQ Sauce on a bun.
The founders of the wildly popular Kappo at East End Market have finally opened their newest project, Kadence, just a few blocks away from their original location in the heart of the Audubon Park District of Orlando.
Kadence is a nine-seat sushi and sake bar with a menu consisting of a multi-course sushi tasting focused on the highest-quality selection of seasonal fish. Their menu is all omakase, meaning chef’s choice of the day.
Photo Courtesy of KADENCE
From their website, Kadence owners Lordfer Lalicon, Jennifer Bañagale and Mark V. Berdin are University of Florida alum, who, after graduating, moved to New York City and then London to train in Michelin-starred restaurants.
Hours are currently by reservation only, on Tuesday – Saturday for dinner (6:00pm & 8:30pm seatings) and Sunday (11:30am, 2:00pm & 4:30pm) with lunch hours coming soon. Dinner prices range from $135 to $145 per person consisting of 18 courses.
“If you were to pick anywhere geographically in the world, Kadence would place among the best contenders. We are blessed to have them here in Orlando.”
“What makes it excel further is the synergy between Mark, Jennifer, and Lo that reinforces the dining and food experience. Their personalities and even the music enhance and play a large role in the ambience of Kadence.”
“It’s like having the best of traditional Japanese omakase in Japan with the delivery of a uniquely Asian-American experience.”
“There is less than a handful of restaurants in all of Florida where food is delivered as an experience at this level. As someone who has dined around the world, if Orlando had Michelin star ratings, Kadence would definitely make the list.”
National Taco Day is this Wednesday October 4! Check out the local deals and specials going on for this glorious day.
Americans ate more than 4.5 billion tacos last year, according to the National Taco Day website.
In honor of the foodie holiday, Rubio’s Coastal Grill will offer guests deals all day Tuesday, October 3 (in conjunction with Taco Tuesday) on the signature fish taco that helped put the company on the map, as well as a few newer selections. Special all day deals include:
$1.75 Original Fish Taco
$2 Original Fish Taco Especial
$2.25 Original Fish Taco with new Mango Salsa (available only on Oct. 3!)
$1 off all alcohol all day
Cocina 214 in Winter Park will be offering its new Rotisserie Chicken Tacos for $10 to celebrate National Taco Day. The achiote rubbed rotisserie chicken is served with veggie rice, queso fresco, roasted corn, sautéed poblano salsa on corn tortillas.
Tijuana Flats, a unique, fast-casual Tex-Mex dining experience, is celebrating National Taco Day with $2 tacos and $2 Mexican drafts at all locations on Wednesday, October 4th.
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina® will be celebrating the delicious holiday with unlimited 50-cent tacos, all day! There’s no limit on how many specially priced tacos a guest may purchase, so go ahead and go loco with any Beef, Chicken Tinga and Veggie Mini Crispy Tacos. Hand-prepared and made-to-order with only fresh ingredients, these tacos are nothing short of authentically delicious.
From Rockaway PR:
Did you know?
· Tacos were invented between 1,000 and 500 B.C. as a kind of edible spoon*
· The first mention of a taco in the United States can be found in 1905 in a newspaper**
· Americans consume more than 4 Billion Tacos Each Year ***
· The World’s Biggest Taco was made in 2011 and was 246 feet long***
*according to Tacopedia
** according to The Latin Kitchen
***according to Women.com
Food Lover’s Guide to Orlando’s Best Seafood Tacos
Seafood dishes, Cantonese stir fry noodles, dim sum – these are just some of the many staples at Chan’s Chinese Cuisine in the heart of Orlando.
Partners Tony Yeung and Annie Wong opened Chan’s Chinese Cuisine in late 1996 in Orlando, and have now been open for over 20 years here in Orlando serving authentic Cantonese Chinese cuisine. On June 5, 2017, the City of Orlando proclaimed it “Chan’s Chinese Cuisine Day” in honor of their anniversary.
Black Pepper Lamb Chops
Annie Wong’s uncle Chan opened Tom’s Chinese Cuisine in Daytona Beach many years ago. Annie, who operated her uncle’s restaurant, wanted to continue the success and opened an authentic Chinese cuisine in Orlando with Tony Yeung as a partner in 1996.
Chan’s Tony Yeung and Annie Wong
With over 45 years of experience, Chef Tony Yeung first started his chef career in Hong Kong at the very young age as 14. Prior to coming to Orlando, he worked as a managing chef in New York.
Special Roast Pork, Cucumber, and Dried Squid AppetizerSpecial Roast Pork, Cucumber, and Dried Squid Appetizer
20 years ago when Annie and Tony founded Chan’s, they discovered that many customers did not know what authentic Chinese Cuisine consisted of, with many more knowing just the Americanized Chinese take-out version of the cuisine.
When they first opened, Tony and Annie had to explain and educate the customers about dim sum and authentic Chinese cuisine. Other challenges they faced including sourcing.
Special Geoduck Sashimi
“We had a hard time to find the right ingredients and often needed to order from New York or even California. Now, it’s easier to have fresh and good ingredients as the Asian American population is growing together with Chinese tourists,” said Chef Tony Yeung.
Ginger Scallion Dungeness Crab
“Many customers were from out of states or tourists who looked for authentic Chinese Cuisines. But right now, there are more customers especially younger folks who know about Dim Sum and authentic Chinese cuisine,” said Annie.
Seafood Fish Maw Soup
Today, Chan’s still has many customers who are tourists and convention guests looking for a traditional style Chinese banquet meal. Chan’s is still one of the few restaurants in Orlando who can cater wedding and birthday banquet and can host around 18-22 big tables, for a total of 200 or so guests.
Pipa Tofu – shaped like Chinese pipa string instruments
Managing Chef Tony told us he can prepare pretty much anything authentic Chinese as long as he has the ingredients. Call ahead to find out and coordinate at least 24 hours. Some local favorites at Chan’s include Stir fried noodle – Hong Kong style and egg tart dim sum. Chef Tony likes his secret recipe Soy Sauce Stir Fried Lobster, made by special request many years ago on special request for VIP high rollers when he was still a chef in Hong Kong.
Steamed Fish with Chinese spinachv
Some Special Dishes found at Chan’s
Baked Dungeness Crab with fried rice in lotus leaf
Chicken & Shrimp Fried Rice in Cream & Tomato Sauce
Superior Soy Sauce Live Lobster – secret recipe
Superior Soy Sauce Live Lobster – secret recipeDessert – Osmanthus Flower Jelly with Wolfberries
Chan’s Chinese Cuisine
1901 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32803
Ocean Prime, a classic ocean liner supper club. Renowned for both their steak and seafood offerings, with their impeccable service has helped them established an ever growing popularity all over the Untied States.
Ocean Prime served a selection the pemequid oysters to commemorate National Oyster Day, these oysters from the cold pristine waters of the Northeast are truly some of the East Coast’s best.
Ocean Prime does regularly serve Blue Point Oysters from Connecticut and West Coast Oysters from Washington state (which do vary depending on the catch of the day). For Shake, Shuck & Pop, Ocean Prime uses James River Oysters from Virginia.
Chef Mattson, Executive Chef of Ocean Prime Orlando, gave a brief history of oysters that are chosen by Ocean Prime and what to key flavor notes that vary from different species of oysters. Also different ways oysters are prepared and demonstration on how to shuck them.
In addition to offering oysters raw, Ocean Prime serves them fried in a delectable batter, as well as a southern style preparation with aged Parmesan.
A pairing of Chandon champagne go very well with these fresh oysters, in addition with their selection of hand crafted cocktails.
With its great oysters, aged steaks, and other weekly offerings, Ocean Prime is a place to go for a casual dinner or celebrating a special anniversary.
Weekly Eats:
Wine Night – on Sundays – enjoy a half priced bottle of wine from the Wine Spectator award-winning wine list
Shake, Shuck & Pop – Fridays from 5-7 p.m., enjoy $1 oysters, $10 sushi rools, $10 glasses of Veuve Rosé & $10 featured cocktails shaken tableside
Happy Hour – seven days a week from 5-7 p.m. Enjoy $5 off small plates and sushi offerings in the lounge. Ask your server about Happy Hour beer, wine and cocktail feature
Live music – offered in the piano bar Thursday through Saturday from 6-10 p.m.
Ocean Prime https://www.ocean-prime.com/ 7339 W Sand Lake Rd Ste 400, Orlando, FL 32819 (407) 781-4880
About Chef Mattson
Garnering more than 17 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, including eight years as an executive chef, Mattson joined the Cameron Mitchell team in 2003. He held a variety of positions before joining the OCEAN PRIME culinary team in July 2011.
With experience from line cook to executive chef, he has trained more than 25 sous chefs and won several honors including Ruth’s Chris Hospitality Group’s “Executive Chef of the Year,” and a nomination for Cameron Mitchell Restaurants’ “Sous Chef of the Year.”
Originally from Lansing, Michigan, Mattson currently resides in Orlando with his wife and three sons. In his leisure time, he enjoys being with his family, playing hockey, discovering new music and collecting vinyl records.
James and Julie Petrakis are really committed to bourbon & barbecue. They own the popular gastropub Ravenous Pig and James Petrakis was voted Best Chef in Orlando ’17. On April 10, James & Julie Petrakis along with James’ brother Brian opened the doors to their newest project The Polite Pig, a fast-casual barbecue & bar joint located at Disney Springs.
James & Julie Petrakis cook book sold at The Polite Pig
James & Julie Petrakis believe that the best thing to go with barbecue is beer and bourbon so they built a bourbon bar.
Hop Salt Pretzel – with Beer Cheese Fondue and IPA Mustard
Clockwise:
– The Southern Pig Sandwich – with Fennel-apple Slaw, Tangy Mustard BBQ, Duke’s Mayo, and Smoked Pork. Served with a Pickle Spear
– Brisket Sandwich– with Pimento Cheese, Lil’ John’s BBQ, Picked Jalapeños and Crispy Onions. Served with a Pickle Spear
– Sweet Potato Tots – with Parmesan Cheese
– Crispy Brussel Sprouts– with Whiskey-Caramel
– BBQ Cauliflower – Paprika Sour Cream
– BBQ Sausage Hoagie – with IPA Mustard, Peppers and Onions, Cheddar Sauce, and Pickle Relish. Served with a Pickle Spear
This was the best meal that I have ever had at Disney Springs and I cannot wait to go back to The Polite Pig for more. The barbecue had the perfect balance of flavors, the brussel sprouts were the best brussel sprouts I’ve ever had in my entire life, the bbq cauliflower was surprisingly good, and the sweet potato tots were crisp and seasoned just right.
Double Layer Chocolate Cake
We got to chat it up with Dick & Marti Waters, owners of Palm Ridge Reserve. They are the suppliers of the whiskey for The Polite Pig and their distillery is an hour away north from the Polite Pig, near the Ocala National Forrest. What makes their business so special is that they have no employees, it basically just a husband and wife team giving it their all every single day since 2009. They produce a premium, handmade, micro-batch whiskey. From fermentation to distillation and barreling to bottling, it’s all done by them, by hand, on their farm.
Farm to table whiskey. They use small barrels because the sloshing in smaller barrel breaks down the whiskey faster. Dick Marti told us that the best place in the world to make whiskey is in Florida because the humidity helps the barrel sweat from condensation.
The four grains they use to make bourbon: Florida corn, barley malt, flake dry, & rye malt
Be sure to check out The Polite Pig for some delicious bourbon & bbq soon!
The Polite Pig 1536 Buena Vista Dr, Orlando, FL 32830 (407) 938-7444
politepig.com
Fast-casual chain Cafe Rio Mexican Grill will give a free meal and drink to the first 300 people that are at the ribbon cutting ceremony promptly at 10:30AM on Wednesday, October 4. Cafe Rio Mexican Grill will be opening its first Florida location at 1050 N. Orlando Ave. Winter Park, FL 32789, located in the same plaza as the new Whole Foods. The new Winter Park restaurant will mark the company’s 111th national location.
Cafe Rio and the Winter Park chamber welcomes the public and the media to join them for their grand opening. The restaurant will host their signature “giant burrito” and ribbon cutting. In keeping with their tradition of giving back to the community, Cafe Rio will give a $2,500 donation to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida during the grand opening festivities of events. “This demonstration of social responsibility on the part of Cafe Rio is a great indicator of their approach to service and to community-building,” said Greg Higgerson, Vice President of Development at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. “Because they care, more than ten thousand meals will reach the plates of low-income families, children, seniors, veterans, and others who are struggling,” he added.
Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, Inc., headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been serving its loyal customers fresh Mexican food since 1997. Their menu is inspired by the traditional Mexican cooking found in the Rio Grande region of Northern Mexico, Southern Texas, and New Mexico. Cafe Rio specializes in serving its customers the highest-quality, made from scratch Mexican meals, using only the freshest ingredients.
They are a scratch kitchen with a strict “no freezer and no microwaves” policy in all of their locations.
Each Cafe Rio restaurant features a wide-open kitchen.
Guests can clearly view sauces simmering, team members hand scooping avocados, chopping tomatoes, grilling meats and squeezing over 1000 fresh limes each and every day.
Fresh tortillas are made in house and are available in flour, corn, or wheat.
Nachos – Crispy handmade tortilla chips piled high with a blend of Mexican cheeses or chile con queso, your choice of beef, chicken, or pork, black or pinto beans, Pico de Gallo, sour cream, and fresh guacamole.
Tostada – A corn tortilla topped with your choice of meat, cilantro lime rice, black or pinto beans, fresh cut romaine lettuce, Pico de Gallo, crispy tortilla strips, cilantro, sour cream, and cotija cheese. Choose your dressing, but they recommend the house dressing.
Salad – A large freshmade flour tortilla, baked with cheese and filled with black or pinto beans, cilantro lime rice, your choice of chicken, pork, beef and romaine lettuce. Topped with Pico de Gallo, fresh guacamole, tortilla strips, cilantro, cotija cheese and your choice of insanely delicious dressing.
Enchilada – Fresh corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, sauce, and your choice of beef, chicken, or pork. Baked in an oven, served with black or pinto beans, and topped with additional cheese and sauce.
Tacos – Fresh flour tortillas, stuffed and overflowing with your choice of mouth-watering beef, chicken or pork, a blend of Mexican cheeses, crisp romaine lettuce, and Pico de Gallo. Homemade, handmade and handheld.
Burrito– A delicious, hand-made tortilla stuffed full with cilantro-lime rice, black or pinto beans, cheese and your choice of meat, then baked in an oven. Optional side of pico de gallo and shredded romaine lettuce. Get it Enchilada Style – baked with Cheese & Sauce.
Fresh Lime Pie – Fresh Squeezed Lime Mixed into a Creamy Blend, Baked in a Crumb Crust. Made fresh every morning with hand-squeezed limes and a graham cracker crust, this one’s a fan favorite.
Famous Tres Leches – A light, creamy, fluffy cake baked fresh every morning and soaked in three types of milk
The Horchata beverage is a must try!
Children six and under eat FREE!
Download the free CAFE RIO app and get a free $5 food credit.
Promo codes for $5 more food credit: wpflcp, wpfljb, wpflid. One code only. Expires October 22.
Be sure to make it out to the grand opening of Cafe Rio Mexican Grill in Winter Park on October 4 at 10:30am to snag your free meal and drink!
Cafe Rio Mexican Grill – Winter Park
1050 N. Orlando Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32789
(321) 422-2099 www.caferio.com
MAKE YOUR EVENT UNFORGETTABLE CUSTOM MENUS – STAFFING – EVENT RENTALS – BAR AND BEVERAGE
We were excited to be the first food blogger to be invited to check out the Cocktail Catering facility to learn more about what their catering company is all about and also enjoy a nice lunch prepared by the talented Chef Sharon. I enjoyed everything that she prepared for us! Really wish I had more of Chef Sharon’s steak in my life!
Food tastings are available to clients. If you are not satisfied with your initial food tasting, you just tell them what you want to change, they will tweak it, and you come back for a second tasting. Tastings are free.
Cocktails Catering is a “Best of Orlando” catering company for 2017 and many previous years. They are a scratch kitchen that prepares countless dishes from Caribbean food to Indian food and everything in between. They also take pride in their delicious signature cocktails and appetizers. They service in Orlando, Tampa, & St. Augustine area. From their award winning catering to their event rentals, they can help you with every detail for any event.
Linen appointments are available to help you paint a picture of your event and get your ideas flowing. You are more than welcome to bring your own decor to your linen appointment to help visualize your table setup. Rosetta fabrics and table runners are also available.
From galas, corporate events, quinceañeras – they do all types of events so they have a variety of plates to choose from.
Decorated television panels that play a slideshow during your event
Glamorous cake by Sprinkles Custom Cakes
They are currently running an offer of $20 off any service if you leave an initial review on Google, Wedding Wire, or The Knot and $5 off for any review after that. They also have a booking incentive of a FREE sangaria station for your next event.
Be sure to check out Cocktails Catering soon for any of your upcoming events!
I still remember those days in college, traveling up to visit friends at the University of Florida in Gainesville way back in 2003, with everyone excited to line up for this new restaurant called Bento Cafe. We called it Bento Blue even then because of its blue decor. We lined up to take our orders at the register and waited patiently for our bowls of Taiwanese beef noodle soup or teriyaki chicken bento boxes, with great delight.
Now based in Orlando, Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi, a quick-casual pan-Asian restaurant, enters its 15th year of business this fall.
To honor the benchmark and its customer base fueling the restaurant’s longevity, Bento Café kicked off a “15 Days of Bento” celebration starting on September 15, 2017.
Established in Gainesville during the fall of 2002, Bento Café’s original location opened at 3832 West Newberry Road. It is known as “Bento Blue” due to its vibrant use of blue neon décor, as reported by a Gainesville Sun article covering the opening.
To meet growing demand after the Newberry location launched, the second location on Archer Road (affectionately named by locals as “Bento Red” also due to its décor, and to differentiate between the two) opened in 2007.
Locations in Orlando, Jacksonville, and more recently, Davie and Tallahassee gradually popped up throughout the 15-year run.
“Fifteen years ago when we first opened, we never dreamed of expanding out of Gainesville, and now we have plans to expand out of Florida,” comments owners, Jimmy and Johnny.
The group plans to give back to the customers and community as reaching this anniversary wouldn’t be possible without the support of its loyal following. Bento Café will recognize promotions at participating locations, daily giveaways, and rotating specials from September 15th through September 29th.
Also for every check-in and tag on social media, the group will donate $1 to benefit local charities through the Bento Foundation. The total amount donated will be announced October 1st.
The 15 Days of Bento include:
DAY 1- FRIDAY Sept 15
Spend $20 to receive a free t-shirt while supplies last
DAY 2- SATURDAY Sept 16
Half off boba teas
DAY 3- SUNDAY Sept 17
Free combo upgrades
DAY 4- MONDAY Sept 18
Half off any classic roll
DAY 5- TUESDAY Sept 19
10% of all proceeds to benefit local charities through the Bento foundation at
www.bentofoundation.org
DAY 6- WEDNESDAY Sept 20
Half off Spicy Cream Chicken Rice Bowl
DAY 7- THURSDAY Sept 21
Gift card Giveaway
Purchase a $50 gift card, get a $10 gift card
DAY 8- FRIDAY Sept 22
Half off beer and sake
DAY 9- SATURDAY Sept 23
20% off call-in order – mention “bento turns 15” at checkout
DAY 10- SUNDAY Sept 24
Family Day – free kids box with purchase of any entree (roll, bowl or box)
DAY 11- MONDAY Sept 25
One free build-a-poke protein upgrade
DAY 12- TUESDAY Sept 26
BOGO appetizers
DAY 13- WEDNESDAY Sept 27
Half off catered lunch coupon
Must drop a business card to receive instant print coupon for half off catering order (limit
$500)
DAY 14- THURSDAY Sept 28
College Day
Bring your friend, get BOGO Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowls with student ID
DAY 15- FRIDAY Sept 29
Announcing winner of FREE BENTO FOR A YEAR
We spoke with the founders of Bento to get some more background about the history of the restaurant empire:
How did the story of Bento begin?
Bento began with a small Taiwanese family in Gainesville Florida that had a history of opening and operating traditional Chinese restaurants from small take out places to large Chinese buffets. While attending the University of Florida, the two brothers, Jimmy and Johnny, wanted to open something more modern and hip that could be a cool college hangout and quick place to grab a bite to eat being near the University of Florida.
Johnny Tung, Momma Tung, and Jimmy Tung of Bento
Quick service Asian restaurants then were pretty much non existent in 2002 so it would be a unique place that had more of a cool decor rather than hanging traditional Asian lanterns and golden dragons. Having been sushi trained we decided to make Bento more of a pan Asian cuisine adding some Thai Curry dishes and Korean dishes. Bento boxes were also already very common in Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Chinese cuisines. Lastly we had to wait for the perfect location that was small, convenient, and near UF and Bento was born at a 40 seat restaurant on Newberry Road.
The Original Bento Blue
What was it like in the first year?
The 1st year of opening started off very slow but ended with a line out the door for hours at a time. No one really knew what Bento was all about. People came in confused and looking for a hostess but soon realized the Bento can be a quick stop for good quality Asian food dine-in or takeout.
We started with a staff of 5 and quickly grew to 30 in the first year to meet the demand. We had to change our kitchen layout a few times and had to keep figuring out more ways to produce the food quickly and efficiently without sacrificing the quality.
Once the Gainesville Sun wrote about how unique Bento was, that’s when the lines started. It was challenging to double, triple, quadruple the volume out of such a small restaurant without disappointing our growing fan base.
In the past 15 years, what do you think has changed the most regarding the American palate towards Asian cuisine at Bento? Why?
In 15 years, our fan base has grown a lot and we have seen different items become popular. At first, it was more about the items that people were used to seeing at different Chinese restaurants such as shrimp fried rice and General Tso’s Chicken but have seen more of a shift to more customizable options with our Build a Poke bowls. People are starting to become more adventurous with eating and have started to appreciate more ethnic and fresh ingredients. Also, at Bento, having an open kitchen and sushi bar follows the trend of transparency and making everything in house.
What were some of your biggest challenges through the years?
In the last 15 years, the most common challenges are to continue to stay fresh and stay with the trends in our offerings and our marketing strategies as time passes. As we grow, challenges of product consistency will always be a priority. As we keep building new stores, we have to dedicate the same attention to the aging stores that have been around for 10+ years. Luckily, we have had the same passionate core management team in place for over 10 years now to keep Bento moving in the right direction.
Bento partners Jimmy Tung, Jurel Serrana, Johnny Tung, and David Yu
Where do you see Bento in the next 5, 10 years?
Our goal for the next 5 years is to continue to expand to major cities and universities throughout Florida. Tampa Bay has long been part of our expansion and we recently were pleased to announce our downtown St. Petersburg location. We are looking at some locations in Atlanta now as that is the next area we want to target in the Southeast. In 10 years, we would like to be in every major metropolitan city across the U.S
Bento Jacksonville
Bento is hugely popular in college areas, how do you think Bento can reach out to more of the mainstream American audience?
One of Bento’s biggest milestone was opening the 1st Bento outside of our Gainesville college town in downtown Orlando in 2008. It was a big test to see if Bento would do well in a non college market and it was an instant hit with the office professionals downtown. We then opened our Dr.Phillips location in 2009 which was a more residential and tourist area with no university nearby and that store was successful as well.
Once we opened Jacksonville late 2009 that was when we were confident enough that Bento was not just a college spot anymore and that this concept could be open in most markets. We have very recognizable menu items but also have many authentic items that would appeal to both a mainstream crowd and also for people that appreciate more of the hard to find authentic dishes such as Szechuan beef noodle soup and Ginger scallion chicken.
In times of disaster, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and its network of 550 nonprofit feeding partners represent a vital emergency food supply for the community.
They are are providing extended relief service to storm victims in Brevard, Volusia, Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake Counties.
Emergency Food Assistance
If you find yourself in need of food assistance, please call 407-295-1066 and we will help you locate an emergency food pantry near you. You can also click on the county below and find food pantries that are open around you this week (list is updated daily).
After the storm, ways for the local community to help Second Harvest help people in need are very specific:
Monetary Donations. Your $10 gift can help us provide 40 meals into our community during this time of need.
Food and cleaning supplies donations:
Non-perishable food donations and cleaning supplies can be delivered to our distribution center in Orlando at 411 Mercy Drive, Orlando, Florida 32805. (see attached list of needs).
Volunteer opportunities:
Wednesday, September 13, 2017. 8:15am-11:30am. Sign up here.
Friday, September 15, 2017. 8:15am-11:30am. Sign up here.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017 8:15am-11:30am. Sign up here.
Donation Drop-offs:
Tuesday – Friday 8am to 4pm
Second Harvest Food Bank, 411 Mercy Drive Orlando, Fla. 32805 Phone: 407-295-1066
Tuesday – Friday 7am to 3:30pm
Volusia County: 320 North Street, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Phone: 386-257-4499
Brevard County: 6928A Vickie Circle, West Melbourne, FL 32904 Phone: 321-733-1600
TYPES OF GOODS NEEDED:
Basic Categories:
Canned Goods
Cleaning Supplies
Cooking items
Personal Care
Bottled Goods
Charcoal/Sterno
First Aid Supplies
Paper Goods
Flashlights/Batteries
Dry Goods
Water & Ice
Infant Care items
Level 1 Priority (in addition to basic categories)
Peanut Butter
Assorted drinks
Cooking items
Jelly
Cereal
Paper Goods
Canned Meats
Canned Fruits & Veggies
Bread
Diapers
Baby Formula ? Food
Snacks
Bleach
Cleaning supplies
Level 2 Priority (in addition to other categories)
From the art of airbrushing to mastering chocolate modeling, all classes and demonstrations will provide instruction on the latest techniques. All classes are three hours in duration and must be booked in advance online.
Emily Ellyn (right)
The Horchata beverage is a must try!
