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Food Truck T-Shirts at the Avalon Park Food Truck Bazaar

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Brand spanking new t-shirt designs for theDailyCity’s Food Truck Bazaar this Sunday July 24th 2011 at Avalon Park ! Pre-order yours today by emailing shop@impressink.com with your shirt choice and shirt size! If we run out, you can pick it up at their shop on Goldenrod next week or have it sent via shopping at http://tastychomps.storenvy.com !

There are limited quantities available so make sure you get there early!

Its from 6pm-10pm at Avalon Park. The big park with the bandshell. Just drive into Avalon Park and keep going till you see the park (and the chaos) on the right hand side.

http://www.thedailycity.com/2011/05/thedailycitycom-food-truck-bazaar.html

Applebee’s three new Stacked Stuffed & Topped dishes

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Applebee’s recently came out with a few stacked stuffed and topped dishes to their menu. They sent me a gift card to try out their items. I will go check it out later this week and report back! Below is some more information on the new dishes! check it out



Applebee’s(r) Three New Stacked Stuffed & Topped Dishes Treat Guests to New Twists on Steaks, Pastas and Salads Starting at $9.99

LENEXA, Kan. – (July 11, 2011) -Applebee’s new Stacked Stuffed & Topped entrees take the neighborhood’s tried and true favorites – sirloin, chicken, pasta and salad – and pair them with unexpected twists like mozzarella scoops, fresh roasted vegetables and bruschetta.

The latest dishes include Florentine Topped House Sirloin with fresh roasted red peppers and sliced mushrooms, Chicken Parmesan Stack featuring country fried chicken atop a bed of fettuccine with roasted garlic Alfredo and Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs with Fettuccine.

“Steaks and pastas are our best-selling items so we know guests love them,” said Chef Shannon Johnson, executive director – culinary innovation & development at Applebee’s. “We are taking these tried and true favorites and literally stacking, stuffing and topping them with new flavors.”

Today’s guests want to try new foods but are skeptical at spending their hard-earned money on something they might not like. In fact, 66 percent of consumers report they enjoy trying new flavors from time to time while 20 percent said they prefer to stick to tried and true options according to Technomic’s Flavor Consumer Trend Report.

The Applebee’s culinary team experimented with dozens of concepts before choosing the following Stacked Stuffed & Topped dishes, all of which scored well among focus groups:

*       Florentine Topped House Sirloin – Applebee’s classic 7 oz. signature sirloin grilled to order with roasted red peppers, sliced mushrooms, onion, fresh spinach and bruschetta, topped with garlic and herbs and served over fried red potatoes; a 9 oz. signature sirloin is available as well.
*       Chicken Parmesan Stack – Country-fried chicken stuffed with Italian cheeses, smothered in Applebee’s spicy marinara and served atop a bed of fettuccine with roasted garlic Alfredo, onions and peppers, topped with parsley and shredded Parmesan cheese and served with toasted garlic bread.
*       Bruschetta Topped Chicken Salad – Grilled chicken breast and warm fried mozzarella scoops served on a bed of crisp romaine tossed with champagne vinaigrette and topped with juicy tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, basil and garlic, sprinkled with Asiago cheese and finished with a balsalmic glaze.

And this isn’t the first time Applebee’s has stuffed a popular item with greater flavor. The new items join Applebee’s Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs with Fettuccine on the menu.

Applebee’s is also having some fun with those Stuffed Meatballs, this time in an appetizer. Applebee’s Stuffed Meatballs & Mozzarella Scoops features two meatballs paired up with crispy scoops of golden fried mozzarella, topped with zesty marinara, parsley and Parmesan cheese.

“We’re putting excitement back into the casual dining experience and being almost irreverent in our approach,” said Johnson. “People thought we were nuts when we took a perfectly good meatball and stuffed it with Provolone but our guests have eaten 30 million of those meatballs in less than a year, so we’re definitely onto something.”






Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs with Fettuccine 
 
 Bruschetta Topped Chicken Salad

 Chicken Parmesan Stack
Bruschetta Topped Chicken Salad

TastyChomps! Interviews: Kalbi Hau5 Food Truck Owners Herbert Tinjaca and Henry Lai

Exclusive Interview: Kalbi Hau5 Food Truck Owners Herbert Tinjaca and Henry Lai



The food truck scene in Orlando is on full blast! A new Asian BBQ food truck has arrived on the scene by the name of Kalbi Hau5. Kalbi is the Korean bbq short rib popular in Korean cuisine. It’s personally one of my favorite dishes and I am looking forward to trying this place out once it’s ready. I had the opportunity to interview the Food Truck owners Herbert Tinjaca and Henry Lai, both Orlando natives, about their recent venture kalbi hau5 (hau5 is pronounced as house, so kalbi house) Asian BBQ food truck

Tasty Chomps: Why did you decide to start a food truck?
Herbert Tinjaca: We are very proud of our product and are excited to be able to provide Orlando with a new twist on Asian food. I lived in Manhattan for grad school, and in LA for almost half a year, and got to experience the latest and trendiest in food. We combined all those flavors and experiences into one, and created kalbi hau5.

TC: What will be on the menu at Kalbi Hau5?
KH: We offer short rib (kalbi), chicken, pork, shrimp, and tofu. You can get them in a taco, burrito, or rice bowl. We offer specialized quesadillas such as the kimchi, citrus-jalapeno pork, and sesame-chili chicken quesadillas, and truffle fries. We carry water and lychee lemonade to drink, and frozen hot chocolate for dessert.

Every week we plan on having a different weekly special, a new menu item for that week only. So make sure to stay updated and not miss out.

When will you begin serving as a fully operational food truck?
We hope to be serving no later than the beginning of August

Where can people find you?
They can find us on facebook: facebook.com/kalbihau5
on twitter: twitter.com/kalbihau5
website: http://www.kalbihau5.com
email: kalbihau5@gmail.com
or call/text: 407-403-0115

Exact locations will be posted a week in advance on the website in a couple of months, once we learn the ins and outs of the business/law regulations and develop relationships/contacts with land owners. We plan to be at different locations around Orlando for every lunch & dinner, just like the trucks in LA, and San Fran. In the meantime, daily locations will be on twitter, which is instantly posted/updated onto our website. For the first couple months, we will most likely be at a stationary location until these contacts are developed. Most likely we will be on Colonial Drive, very close to Fashion Square Mall. Currently in negotiation with a land owner.

Below are some photos from Kalbi Hau5 with some concept designs from their facebook.com/kalbihau5:


Kalbi BBQ Short Ribs







Sesame chili chicken quesadilla





Spicy Pork Tacos







Sweet Mandarin Chicken Tacos





Truffle Fries 


for more photos visit http://www.facebook.com/kalbihau5

Orlando’s Rosen Shingle Creek Announces Mouthwatering Menu for Second of Three-Part “Summer Spirits” Dining Series

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This is a press release I recieved regarding the Rosen Shingle Creek resort located on Universal Blvd by  International Drive right by the UCF Rosen School of Hospitality.

ORLANDO (June 28, 2011) – Summertime is cause for celebration, and the award-winning Rosen Shingle Creek is helping patrons celebrate good times throughout the summer with its first-ever “Rosen Shingle Creek Summer Spirits Series.” The second in the three-part dining series, “Craft Beer and Gourmet Burgers” takes place Saturday, July 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the hotel’s classic steakhouse, A Land Remembered, and features five courses of burgers grilled to perfection and accompanied by a variety of craft beers.
The series concludes on Saturday, Aug. 13 with “Andiamo Italia” at Cala Bella Italian bistro, featuring six courses of Italian cuisines and wines. Each Summer Spirits event is $55 plus tax and gratuity per person. Guest rooms are available at a discounted rate of $99 plus tax on the night of each dinner only for event guests, based on availability. Guests receive complimentary valet parking when dining at any Rosen Shingle Creek restaurant.  For more information, call (407) 996-FOOD (3663). 
The “Craft Beer and Gourmet Burgers” night begins with a Black Angus Classic Burger topped with Vermont White Cheddar, Vidalia Onions, Slab Bacon and House Ketchup on a Classic Kaiser Roll. The second course offers a more exotic choice   ?  the Peppercorn Crusted Bison Burger, prepared with Smoky Rogue Blue Cheese, Truffle Fried Onions and Dijoinnaise on a Ciabatta Roll. Next is a sweet and spicy combination  ?  Barbeque Angus Short Rib Sliders topped with Fried Jalapenos, Sweet Summer Slaw and Queso Fresca served on a Mini Broiche. But that’s not all. The fourth burger course consists of an All Natural Herbed Turkey Burger generously layered with Avocado, Heirloom Tomato, Baby Arugula and Lavender Honey Mustard on a Five Grain Roll. The grill-fest concludes with a Flat Seared Portabella Burger topped with Goat Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato Hummus and Organic Romaine served on Tandoori Flatbread.
Of course, what would gourmet burgers be without gourmet fries? Guests may choose from the following side item to complement their five course feast: Shoe String Fries, Sweet Potato Sticks, Seasoned Wedges or House Made Truffled Potato Chips. Each burger course will be accompanied by a different style of craft brew, including Rosen Hotels & Resorts‘ own home-brew, Alligator Drool.
On Saturday, Aug. 13, the Summer Spirits Series concludes with “Andiamo Italia” meaning “Let’s go to Italy!” at Cala Bella Italian bistro. The six-course Italian meal will be paired with six premium Italian wines.
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Award-Winning Rosen Centre’s Everglades Restaurant Introduces “One Price. Endless Options.” Promotion to Celebrate New Summer Menu

Now Through Aug. 31, Guests Enjoy a Three-Course Dinner Including a Choice of Any Entrée on the Menu and a Glass of Wine for  

  

Just $35 Per Person

ORLANDO (July 20, 2011) — Rosen Centre‘s Everglades restaurant is inviting patrons to dive into its award-winning fare this summer at just a fraction of the retail price.  A special “One Price. Endless Options.” three-course dinner features seasonal Summer items, as well as all of the traditional favorites, for just $35 per person, plus tax and gratuity, any evening through Aug. 31, 2011. Many of the restaurant’s entrees are priced at $35 or more alone, with the three-course dinner normally priced at as much as $60 per person.
Guests may choose from any one of the restaurant’s tempting entrees including new Summer offerings, all made from fresh, seasonal ingredients, such as the Pan Seared Snapper with Roasted Tomato Nage, Beluga Lentils and Herb Risotto or Grilled Swordfish with Rosemary Aioli, Arugula in Lemon and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Fingerling Potatoes.  Or they can opt for a traditional favorite such as the Grilled Angus Filet with Pinot Noir Demi, Baby Vegetables and Fingerling Potatoes; Tenderloin of Buffalo with Wild Mushrooms and Zinfandel Sauce; Free Range Chicken with Sweet Plantains stuffing and Coconut Key Lime Sauce.
The dinner also features a choice of any soup or salad starter.  New Summer seasonal saladsinclude a refreshing Watermelon & Pistachio-Crusted Goat Cheese Salad drizzled with Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing and the George Barley Salad with Rock Shrimp Tempura Croutons, Cashews and Grilled Pineapple with Sesame Ginger Dressing as tribute to a man that dedicated his life to the preservation of Florida’s Everglades.

The meal is topped off with a choice of two Miniature Dessert Shots from a variety of selections that changes daily such as Strawberry Shortcake, Berry Bread Pudding, Guava Flan, German Chocolate, Key Lime Pie, Tropical Fruit Sushi Roll, Mocha Cappuccino and Chocolate Coconut.
A glass of house wine from a choice of nine options including Indaba Chenin Blanc, Brancott Sauvignon Blanc, Castle Rock Pinot Noir and De Loach Zinfandel completes the dinner. This limited-time offer is not valid with other offers, discounts or specials. Guests receive complimentary valet parking when dining in the Everglades restaurant. For reservations, call 407 996-8560. For more information, visit www.evergladesrestaurant.com or www.rosencentre.com.


part of the Orlando Magical Dining Month!

The Capital Grille presents The Generous Pour event thru September 4

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I was recently invited by the folks at The Capital Grille (located near the Orange County Convention Center on International Drive) for an exclusive media preview event showcasing the new summer wine event that they are presenting called “The Generous Pour”. From July 12 through September 4th, guests can enjoy 9 world-class wines for $25 with dinner during The Capital Grille’s Generous Pour Summer Wine Event. Each featured wine was specially chosen from unique vineyards around the world by The Capital Grille’s Master Sommelier, George Miliotes, one of only 173 Master Sommeliers in the world.

We were able to tweet to George @thewineexpert and the conversation could be followed with the hashtag #tcgpour11 on twitter.com . You can actually tweet George @thewineexpert throughout the event till September 4th regarding any questions if you so choose.

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Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella with Vine Ripe Tomatoes
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Pan-Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers
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The Generous Pour Wine Event
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Kona crusted Dry Aged Sirloin with Shallot butter
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Lobster Mac n Cheese (a favorite of the evening)
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Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake paired with the 
port wine from RL Buller, The Portly Gentlemen
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The Generous Pour Wine Event introduces guests to some of the season’s newest wine trends, while also offering hard-to-find varietals as well as known favorites. Highlights from this summer’s chic collection of choice whites and reds are:

· Tarima Hill Monastrell, 2009 – Making its U.S. debut at The Capital Grille this summer, this spectacular varietal is setting a new standard for Spanish medium-bodied red wine.

· Chalk Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 – Named for the volcanic chalk under the vineyard’s hillside surface, which gives a delightfully unique quality to the wine’s flavor, this rich, dense wine is one of Sonoma Valley’s best.

· Marquis de la Tour, NV – This sparkling “bubbly” hails from a vineyard in France’s Loire Valley, which has been producing excellence since 1885.

· Conte Brandolini Vistorta Merlot, 2006 – Harvested from 100-year-old vines in a small vineyard in Northeast Italy, this merlot epitomizes powerful elegance.

The full list of wine are as follows:

White Wines 
– Marquis de la Tour, Cremant de Loire Brut, Sparkling Wine
– La Cana Albarino, 2010
– Chateau St. Jean Belle Terre Chardonnay, 2008

California Reds
– Fremark Abbey, Cabernet Bosche, 2003
– Chalk Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006
– Byron Pinot Noir, 2009

International Reds
– Conte Brandolini, Vistorta Merlot, 2006
– Tarima Hill Monastrell, Alicante, 2009

For Dessert
RL Buller, The Portly Gentleman, Port

Special Thank you to Managing Partner Randy Cook, Executive Chef Matthew Price, Master Sommelier George Miliotes, Marketing Manager Shannon Niedenthal, our awesome servers Kerrie (my fave!) and Anthony, and especially Samantha Bruno of Janine Gordon Associates for this truly wonderful evening filled with sweet memories of amazing wine and food. Executive Chef Matthew Price will also be at this year’s Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation Orlando at the Marriott World Center on August 6, 2011. Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation is a great cause which helps end childhood hunger in America. 100% of ticket sales support Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger. For more information visit http://www.strength.org/orlando/

For more information on The Generous Pour Wine Event at The Capital Grille, visit http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/videos/TheGenerousPour/main.asp

New Food Truck in Orlando : THE BATTER BOWL!

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The Batter Bowl is a brand new food truck in Orlando serving up delicious dessert treats. I recently saw them for the first time at The Daily City’s Orlando Food Truck Bazaar at the Orlando Fashion Square Mall.

I got their chocolate and peanut butter push pop cake, a unique dessert as its container is a plastic push pop tube like the old popsicle push pops you would get as a kid. I thought that was very creative and charming to put their dessert in a container like that. The chocolate cake was moist and scrumptious and the peanut butter filling was delicious. I think they should increase the cake to filling ratio though to balance the sweetness. Thumbs up!

The menu includes goat cheese brownie, mojito (vanilla cake infused with mint leaves and topped with lime/rum glaze and a party umbrella), Red Velvet Push Pop, Chocolate and peanut butter push pop, Chocoholic, Creme Brulee, and Tiramisu.

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Follow them on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/batterbowltruck

The next Food Truck Bazaar will be held at Avalon Park this Sunday July 24th 2011

The Batter Bowl Food Truck on Urbanspoon

Vietnam – Summer 2011 – Street food in Sa déc, Vietnam

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River in Sa déc, Vietnam – This is the river my father swam in as a child during the hot summer months. My grandfather would always give him a good smacking when he got back from swimming though. Back then, it was a pretty fast moving and dangerous river.

Sa déc is a provincial city in Dong Thap province in southern Vietnam about 2-3 hours away from Saigon (Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh nowadays). My father’s family is from this area, having lived here since his father immigrated from China in the 1920s. They still have a house on the main street in Sa ?éc even though most of our family has moved over to the United States. We still have a few aunts and uncles in the area though, and we stayed with one of my aunts Cuc Cua at her home during our stay. Even though she would home cook meals for us all day ( I literally just ate and slept in Sa Dec), in the morning before everyone in the house awoke, my mom and I would venture out of the house into Sa Dec to explore the markets and get some breakfast and coffee.

At the heart of each town, there is a “Cho” or market. Cho Sa ?éc is a huge building built over 20 years ago housing different clothing, shoes, jewelry and electronics shops. It reminded me of a large flea market similar to Magic Mall found in Orlando. Beside the Cho Sa ?éc is a open air street food market with many different food vendors that sell everything from pho, hu tieu, rice dishes, coffee, rice paste noodles, and even vegetarian dishes. My mom and I would frequent this place often in the mornings, ordering bun thit nuong (rice vermicelli noodles with grilled pork) and banh cuon (rice paste with pork roll) and Vietnamese coffee. There is also a Cho Thuc Pham that is basically a meat market with cuts of meat hanging out at their stalls.

I enjoyed eating at these small food stalls as you can tell everything is home made and fresh. They get their products from the local market and make it fresh each morning.

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Cho Sa Dec – Sa Dec’s market. Every city has one!
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Old woman walking along the street in Sa Dec

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Food market stalls

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Pots and pans from this street food vendor

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Large pots of soup for pho and hu tieu

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Hanging out with mom at the street food market

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Bun Thit Nuong – Rice Vermicelli Noodles with grilled pork, topped with mint, fried shallots, green onions. about 15000VND or 75 cents US

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Caphe sua da – Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk

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Caphe sua da – Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk

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Hu Tieu Chay  – Vegetarian noodle soup made with tofu and bean curd skin

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Banh Cuon with Cha lua – rice paste noodles with pork rolls




Here is a video about Sa Dec from youtube!

Tastes and Sounds of Downtown at Club Firestone

This is an awesome weekly event at the Club Firestone parking lot off of Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando. It features local food trucks, musicians, artists and more. They usually occur every Wednesday from 6pm-12am so check it out soon! Here is their facebook page for more info http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tastes-and-Sounds-of-Downtown/110821802339880

Here are a few photos from the event!


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Treehouse Truck!

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Korean BBQ Taco Box II

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A Happy Camper



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Orange Blossom Pilsner mobile



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The Stage



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Melissa’s Chicken and Waffles Truck



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Droolius and Megayummo!




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Mobile Deli Food truck – specializing in Ssam Korean tacos

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Pork Bulgogi Taco ($3.20)

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Megalo burger from Treehouse Truck



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Big Wheel’s Crispy tater tots with spicy pimento cheese $5



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Soft Shell Crab sandwich from Big Wheel Truck

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Crispy flatbread with home made smoked duck from Big Wheel


om nom nom


Tastes and Sounds of Downtown on Urbanspoon

Orlando Weekly Best of Orlando 2011 Party at The Beacham

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Orlando Weekly Best of Orlando 2011 Party at The Beacham


Congratulations to all the winners! If you haven’t had the chance to get your copy of the Orlando Weekly, pick it up today or visit online at http://orlandoweekly.com/boo


Here are a few photos from the event this evening’s events at The Beacham (formerly Tabu Nightclub).


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Brian Feldman Projects – Brian Feldman is handing out this week’s Best Of Orlando paper from the Orlando Weekly box

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Julius of Droolius, Orlando Weekly Arts and Dining Editor Jessica Young, and Pearleen of Megayummo


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Billy Manes (Right) and a friend 

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Colleen Burns of Yelp, Chris Roberts of Eat Local Orlando, and Megayummo

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Vietnam – Summer 2011 – Banh Mi Bread man

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This man sells banh mi (french baguette style bread) early in the mornings in Sa Dec, Vietnam. He sells them for 5000 dong for 3 loaves, or roughly 25 cents for 3 loaves.

A leftover remnant of the French who had once colonized Vietnam over 100 years ago.

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Vietnam – Summer 2011 – Travelling to Kinh Nuoc Man and Binh Dai, Vietnam

In Vietnam, I spent several days trekking out to the rice field laden countryside to visit the ancestral homes (que huong) of my grandparents: the rural villages of Kinh Nuoc Man and Binh Dai. These villages have pretty much stayed the same for hundreds of years, located in the sleepy, balmy Mekong Delta of Vietnam where people grow coconuts, rice, durians, chom chom, fisheries, shrimp and more. In these villages, I could trace ancestors going back hundreds of years in these towns.

Here are some photos of my trip:

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Rice fields upon rice fields: its hard work out here in the sun
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Ricefields on the road to the country.
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Wood pillars from a restaurant in My Tho, Vietnam
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Ancestral temple in Kinh Nuoc Man, with the founder of the temple tracing back to my family’s matriarch hundreds of years ago…
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A View from Kinh at the river. 

My mother escaped Vietnam on a rickety fishing boat at this very same spot 30 years ago. She was a boat refugee who spent weeks out at sea, months in a refugee camp in Malaysia and the Philipines, and finally sponsored to America. Many others who tried to escape were not as fortunate: strong storms capsizing boats, thai pirate attacks, capture from the communist police, countless millions lost at sea after the fall of Saigon in 1975.

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Sugar cane fields at my granduncle’s in Binh Dai. 

I never met my grandfather on my mom’s side, both grandparents passing away by the time my mom was 12. They say that my granduncle (my grandfather’s brother) resembles them so I have an idea of what he may have looked like.

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Sugarcane fields in Binh Dai, Vietnam

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A Simple meal in the village of Binh Dai at my granduncle’s: fresh farm raised chicken, fish, herbs, crabs and rice 

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Rice fed chicken


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Fish from the rivers

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Congee rice porridge

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Fresh river crabs

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Shrimp farming in Vietnam is much more profitable than rice farming. A lot of the fields are being converted to shrimp farms. 

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The Ice Cream man. Cause it’s hot as hell in the Vietnamese countryside in the summer time. 

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Sweet, cool surrender. 

Vietnam – Summer 2011 – Prosperity and Poverty

No doubt in these past ten years, Vietnam has enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity as their government has moved towards a market economy, while maintaining communist party rule. Despite the rampant corruption (bureaucratic red tape or traffic violation citations solved by the slip of a few dollars), there seems to be a great level of stability in the country where people are able to make money and carry out their businesses peaceably. There are still reports of bag snatching and thievery in the streets (someone got mugged outside of my uncle’s house the other day) so travelers should be wary of flashing too much bling around.

I believe if Vietnam keeps at its current pace, it could rise to the standard of living found in places like Hong Kong in the next 20 years or so. Indeed there are many places in Vietnam, particularly in Ho Chi Minh City which appear to have already arrived at this point. (see below)

Despite these advances, there is still much to be done in terms of sanitation (polluted streets and waterways) and poverty levels. Right along side the richest streets in Ho Chi Minh City, beggars and children and elders selling lottery tickets still are prevalent. Indeed, many of the places in the rural countryside scattered with rice field farms still live the same way they did for hundreds of years.

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A beautiful Audi R8 I found on the streets of Downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Ten years ago it was rare to see a Toyota Camry on the street.

Vietnamese Street food – Banh Bot Chien

Banh Bot Chien is actually a food with Chinese roots (Chiuchow or Trieu Chau). It literally means fried powder cake, a rice flour cake that is fried with eggs . It’s popular with school children and the stalls serving this fast food concoction are usually found near schools where children walk to and from.

My uncle picked some up for me this morning near a local school. I wanted to try it out since it sounded great but I thought this batch was a bit bland and too greasy for breakfast. I got tired of it after eating about half the box.

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Banh bot chien

Vietnam – Summer 2011 – Day 1

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I woke up to a nice hot styrofoam box of com tam bi suon cha (broken rice with shredded pork, pork chop, and pork casserole) bought down the street from my uncle’s house. We stayed in Quan Tan Phu about 15 minutes to the west of Tan Son Nhut International Airport.

Outside, I could see my aunt picking various fruits such as “chom chom” (rambutan), “sau rieng” (durian), and purple mangosteen from a fruit cart vendor that rolled up outside the house.

This day, we made a trip out to the country side to visit the hometown of my ancestors in Kinh Nuoc Man, about a 2 hour trip outside of the City (Ho Chi Minh City).  

This is where my mom’s mom’s family have lived for hundreds of years, with a initial ancestor being a member of the Teochiu people of China who came to Vietnam who knows when.

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com tam bi suon cha (broken rice with shredded pork, pork chop, and pork casserole)
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a kitten awakens in the house
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meow!

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bear the guard dog!

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My aunt checking out the fruit cart

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Durian checking

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Mangosteen, a bit of a sour fruit

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On the roadside throughout Vietnam, there are durian stalls like this one seen here. Summer is fruit season in Vietnam!

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A few years ago, they mandated that all motorcycle riders must wear helmets or face penalties. A great law to make the roads a litttle safer!

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On the way to the country, you could see the large cranes around the City building new apartments and office building. Ho Chi Minh City is changing and growing every day.

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Letter Y Bridge in Saigon, Vietnam



Vietnam – Summer 2011

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Its been over 12 years since I’d last been to Vietnam. In the summer of 1999, right before high school, I made the trip with my family to visit the homeland of my parents and ancestors. The trip was a memorable one that left deep imprints in my mind.

From the first moment I stepped off the airplane in Ho Chi Minh City, a distinct whiff of air infiltrated my nostrils, a mixture of durian and gasoline that I fondly grew to love for it was the smell of Saigon. I wondered if it would still smell the same this time around after so many years?

My flight would take me from Orlando to Dallas-Fort Worth and then onto Tokyo’s Narita Airport and finally stopping at Tan Son Nhut International Airport (SGN). Originally built by the French almost 100 years ago, Tan Son Nhut is the famous airport used as a airbase for the air force and American military during the Vietnam War. Its code SGN still recalls the city’s old name of Saigon before changing to Ho Chi Minh City after 1975 when the South fell and the country was united again.

In Dallas, I tried some of Cousin’s Bar B Q at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. I ordered the beef brisket with mac n cheese and some casserole dish. I’ve had better, I thought the beef was a bit too “soggy”

After almost 30 hours of flight, lay overs, and waiting in terminals, I finally arrive at Tan Son Nhut International Airport. A frowning customs officer checking my passport, valets pushing carts with cardboard boxes filled with gifts from returning travellers, throngs of people outside the airport waiting for loved ones just beyond the metal gates. Familiar faces and a short moped ride. I have my first meal in Vietnam: bun bo hue, surrounded by family members on all sides.


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In Tokyo’s Narita Airport, there was this restaurant that displayed its food in the display case. Similar to the displays in Hong Kong that I’ve seen, the food was actually plastic models…pretty cool !

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I wasn’t feeling too well so I ordered some chow mein noodles. The “Chinese Noodles” soup is actually ramen but I guess they call it chinese noodles here ! Maybe to advertise to the burgeoning Chinese traveller population?
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The Capital Grille – Summer Plates Menu

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From time to time, I am lucky enough on this blog to be invited out to media previews and special events to showcase upcoming openings or menu items. This time I was invited to visit The Capital Grille on International Drive to check out the recent arrival of their new Summer Plates menu. The Summer plates menu is kind of like a “you pick two” deal (you actually get to pick three) for lunch.

Summer Lunch Plates Special
Summer Plates 
Choose 1 of each 

Soup or Salad. 
Roasted Corn Bisque, Clam Chowder, Field Greens
Sandwich
Mini Tenderloin, Lobster Roll, Annato Rubbed Mahi with House made corn tortillas (2)
Side
Seasonal Vegetable (baby carrots), Truffle Fries, Watermelon and Tomato with Feta
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Mini Tenderloin at The Capital Grille – Summer Plates menu

One of my favorite items on the menu was the mini tenderloin sandwiches made with fresh, juicy cuts of tenderloin steak and snuggled inside a delicious bun. Another favorite was the lobster roll, a hoagie filled with lobster meat and romaine lettuce. The best side was the truffle fries topped with parmesan cheese. I thought the roasted corn bisque could use improving, as I enjoyed that dish the least out of the group.

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Roasted Corn Bisque at the Capital Grille – Summer Plates Menu

All in all, I thought the summer plate specials were a great, reasonably priced addition to the Capital Grille’s menu and is definitely recommended to check out. Though the Capital Grille is known for serving to high end clientele and conventioneers at the local Orange County Convention down the street on International Drive, I think The Capital Grille can also be a great place to try out some great dishes for locals as well, especially considering the new summer plates menu.

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Field Greens
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Lobster Roll


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Stoli Doli
Capital Grille’s Signature Martini made with Stolichnaya Vodka infused with fresh pineapple, chilled and served straight up.
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The Capital Grille Cobb Salad with Sliced Tenderloin $18
an interesting twist to the traditional Cobb salad.
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Watermelon and Feta with Tomato 


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Seasonal Carrots






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Annato Rubbed Mahi with House made corn tortillas (2)


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Round out the lunch with some strawberry dessert



Tasty Chomps partnering with EverSave!

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do you enjoy Indian food? ever want to try? Tasty Chomps is partnering with Eversave Orlando to give out a free voucher to Passage to India Restaurant near I-Drive!

want to win a free voucher for Passage to India from Eversave Orlando? e-mail tastychomps@gmail.com with your name and your reason why you want to go and you will be entered to win! winner will be announced Friday June 24 at 8pm so enter before then! http://eversave.com/go/4Lg0

Tasty Chomps Interview in the Central Florida Future newspaper!

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Check out it out!

Engineer, UCF alumnus runs renowned food blog

The world of food blogging is one that may contract your wallet while expanding your waistline, according to UCF alumnus Ricky Ly. Ly runs a food blog called Tasty Chomps, where he lets his mind unwind after a day of work at a civil engineering firm in Oviedo. The Central Florida Future had the opportunity to speak with Ly about his adventures as a food blogger in the City Beautiful.

http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/engineer-ucf-alumnus-runs-renowned-food-blog-1.2601037

Oviedo Food Truck Bazaar at the Oviedo Marketplace Mall 2011

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Last Sunday, on June 12 2011, TheDailyCity.com hosted the first of a series of Summer Food Truck Bazaars rotating almost from week to week at three locations throughout Central Florida.

The event was hosted at the Oviedo Marketplace Mall, with the next bazaars occurring at the Orlando Fashion Square Mall and Parliament House.

I headed over to the home of friends and fellow bloggers Pearleen and Al (of Megayummo.com) to carpool over to the Oviedo Marketplace for the Food truck bazaar. Food bloggers teaming up to fight hunger and highway tolls!

The Oviedo Marketplace, a shadow of its former self and a relic of our once national obsession with indoor malls, gained great exposure due to this event. Maybe it will bring renewed attention to the Oviedo Mall and Fashion Square Mall and bring new foot traffic to their shops.

On this particularly hot Florida summer afternoon, over 15 food trucks lined up in tow out in the Oviedo mall parking lot. The food trucks included Big Wheel Provisions, Red Eye BBQ, The Crooked Spoon, C&S; Brisket Bus (first time debut!), Arepas El Cacao, Firehouse BBQ, Mama’s Fixins (first time debut! – a soul food truck), Mobile Deli (also a first timer), Pupusas Truck, Sunset Italian Ice, The Traveling Gourmet, Treehouse Truck, The Winter Park Fish Co, The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck

Hundreds of foodie followers from all over Central Florida descended upon the bazaar, lining up with their fold-up tailgating chairs, and then chowing down on the latest and greatest mobile grubs. Families, friends, parents, children, grandparents, people of all backgrounds came together at this spot to relish and celebrate in the only thing that binds them all: a love for food.

I thought the scene was fascinating, a community alive again.

The following is a list of future event dates and locations for theDailyCity.com’s Food truck bazaars:

JUNE
June 12 Oviedo Mall
June 19 Fashion Square Mall 5pm-10pm
June 26 Parliament House 6pm-10pm

JULY
July 10 Oviedo Mall 6pm-10pm
July 17 Fashion Square Mall 5pm-10pm
July 24 Parliament House 6pm-10pm

AUGUST
Aug 14 Oviedo Mall 6pm-10pm
Aug 21 Fashion Square Mall 5pm-10pm
Aug 28 Parliament House 6pm-10pm

For more info, visit http://www.thedailycity.com/2011/05/thedailycitycom-food-truck-bazaar.html


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Mark Baratelli, organizer of theDailyCity.com Food truck Bazaars

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C&S; Brisket Truck

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Corned Beef Sandwich from the CS Brisket Bus via @eatlocalorlando

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Pork and chicken bulgogi taco lettuce wraps from Mobile Deli

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@eatlocalorlando




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The Travelling Gourmet

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Sunset Italian Ice

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The Mango italian ice tasted “like they took a whole bunch of mangos and smashed it into the ice.” said Julius aka “Droolius“. It was fresh and definitely every bite tasted like biting into a fresh mango.

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Megayummo enjoying her Italian ice

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@ucfbiggie we finally meet!

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Pork arepas from Arepas El Cacao were amazing: filled with cheese, pork slices, and more all wraped in an arepa or rice cake. This is a dish most popular in Venezuela.

 

Arepas El Cacao on Urbanspoon

Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza – Social Media event recap

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I was recently invited to Anthony’s Special Media Blogger Event at Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza off of Turkey Lake Road and Sand Lake Road in Orlando. This was a special event as Anthony, the founder, was also present to show us how everything goes. The pizza here is made differently than most pizza places, using coal fired ovens to make their pizza causing the pizza to have a charred, ‘well done’ taste. check out the photos below!

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a look inside Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza
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Making the pizza! 
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Anthony’s Classic Italian Salad
mozarellatomatoes
Fresh Mozzarella & Tomato Salad

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Meatballs & Ricotta Cheese


anthonyschickenwings
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Coal Oven Roasted Chicken Wings
with caramelized onions 

eggplant marino

Eggplant Marino
Thinly sliced Eggplant, battered and pan fried, served with out fresh tomato sauce and Romano Cheese (named after the founder Anthony’s good friend and investor football legend Dan Marino)


meatball

Broccoli Rabe & Sausage
Bitter Italian greens sautéed in garlic and olive oil served with our Italian Sausage.

cheesepizza
Cheese pizza

mozarellapizza

Margarita Pizza

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Meat Lovers Pizza

Anthony, owner of Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza, also gave out a 25$ gift card to giveaway to our readers! This is all thanks to Anthony of Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza and Toby Srebnik of O’Connell & Goldberg.

Goto our Facebook and leave the comment, “TASTYCHOMPS Rocks,” for your chance to win! http://www.facebook.com/tastychomps We will announce the winner on May 23rd! GOOD LUCK!

check out their website at http://anthonyscoalfiredpizza.com

Orlando Sentinel is also hosting tonight a Meet up with Heather McPherson and Scott Maxwell at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza . Come enjoy some food and drinks with some of your favorite Sentinel personalities and meet the people behind the scenes at the best newspaper in Orlando. ORLANDO SENTINEL MEET UP

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza on Urbanspoon

Cinco de mayo specials! Press Release from CHIPOTLE

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To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, all Orlando-area Chipotle Mexican Grill locations are offering a special for those who plan to throw a party at home or an office fiesta. On Thursday, May 5, those who place an order for 10 or more burritos through the restaurant’s Burritos by the Box program will receive half of their order for free. That’s at least five burritos, up to infinity, for free. 

Press Release: Del Taco Celebrates Cinco de Mayo in Orlando with 29-cent Soft Tacos

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Ole! Ole! Ole!
Del Taco Celebrates Cinco de Mayo in Orlando with 29-cent Soft Tacos 
 
 
 
(Lake Forest, CA) May 3, 2011 –  Mexican food lovers will enjoy repeating history when Del Taco celebrates Cinco de Mayo in Orlando by offering popular chicken soft tacos for the historically low price 29-cent tacos. On May 5th all Del Taco restaurants in the Orlando area will be offering 29-cent regular soft or crunchy tacos during from 3 PM – 8 PM. (Limit per customer, please!)
 
Del Taco’s tacos feature seasoned taco meat, crisp lettuce and grated cheddar cheese, in either a soft tortilla or crunchy shell.
 
Del Taco has three locations in the Orlando area.

Del Taco menu items are made fresh to order, and are prepared with many quality ingredients including lard-free beans made from scratch daily, real cheddar cheese grated daily, chicken grilled fresh every hour, hand-made salsa and fresh produce. For more information visit www.deltaco.com.

Del Taco fans can receive coupons for free menu items when they “like” Del Taco on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/deltaco. Fans can also join Del Taco’s Raving Fan eClub at http://www.deltaco.com/ravingfan for free food and exclusive offers.

Lowe’s Good Eaton Soul Food – Eatonville, FL

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I recently traveled  with my friend Sean over to Eatonville, home of Zora Neale Hurston and writer of Their Eyes were Watching God. Eatonville is the first African American community to be incorporated as a municipality in the United States (founded circa 1887). Today the city of Eatonville is very tiny, surrounded by Maitland and Edgewater and other suburbs on all sides. The main thoroughfare is Kennedy Boulevard, a street with churches, barber shops, a museum dedicated to Zora Neale Hurston, and most notably, Lowe’s Good Eaton Soul Food restaurant.

Lowe’s Good Eaton was founded by Shea Lowe, 26 years old, just three years ago. A native of Ocoee, Shea has several relatives from the Eatonville area and decided to open up Lowe’s Good Eaton because of his love for food and also for the love of business and money making with his passion for food.

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When you enter Lowe’s Good Eaton, you immediately notice that the place could use some TLC, maybe some new paint or new tables and decor. I think it would do well to add something to brighten up the place and freshen it up a bit. In this case though, the old adage holds true that it is quite often the holes in the wall that serve up the best foods. Along their walls they have several awards and recognition, including a check from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority an a certificate for Best Pie 2010 from Orlando Weekly for their Sweet Potato Pie.

On this Friday, I ordered their BBQ ribs with two sides ($11), grilled on site at Good Eaton’s and served only on Fridays and Saturdays. We were lucky to have arrived at just the right time because they ran out of ribs right after we made our order. You order up at the counter where all the side dishes and some of the oxtail, baked chicken, and fried chicken are ready to be scooped up into your plates, kind of like by the lunch lady at the school cafeteria. The side dishes I ordered were the Mac N Cheese and Collared greens as well as a slice of their sweet potato pie ($2.50).

The BBQ ribs were slightly charred from the grill, flaky pieces of meat falling off the bone with every bite. The mac and cheese was a homestyle rendition of the American classic and also an instant favorite. The collared greens were fresh and tasty with bits of pork included. The sweet potato pie was creamy and had all the lovely flavors of smashed sweet potatoes in pie form.

Overall I enjoyed Lowe’s Good Eaton and would recommend it to those soul food lovers out there who don’t mind going to a hole in the wall 😉

Visit Lowe’s Good Eaton Soulfood Website at:
goodeatonsoulfood.com

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The counter for orders at Lowe’s Good Eaton Soul Food

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The famous Sweet Potato Pie


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 BBQ Ribs, Corn bread, collard greens, and mac n cheese…


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Lowe's Good Eaton Soulfood on Urbanspoon

Baja Fresh – Mexican Grill – Orlando

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Baja Fresh sits inside a new plaza built across from UCF just south of Gemini Boulevard off of Alafaya Trail behind the BP gas station.

I had initially written off Baja Fresh as one of the many iterations of fast casual “Mexican Grills” that had come to Orlando in the past few years in the form of Chipotle, Moe’s, Qdoba, etc., and thought nothing of the place until recently when one of my friends invited me to join him for lunch there.

Although the place is a franchise based out of California, Baja Fresh is owned by a local family here in Orlando who still work the cash registers and handle the cooking in the open kitchen area. I could tell this place would be good upon entering, observing that most of the seats were already filled by local UCF students and business people on lunch break.

I ordered the Burrito ultimo with charbroiled steak, grilled peppers, chilies, onions, melted jack and cheddar cheese, roasted Salsa Baja, rice and sour cream. I also ordered a side of the mahi mahi fish tacos.

The good people at Baja Fresh don’t kid around when they say that their food is “fresh”: you can taste it immediately in the quality of the beef and ingredients, cooked to order, down to the salsa that is made fresh daily.

I personally feel that Baja Fresh beats out Chipotle, Moes, Qdoba etc in terms of taste and freshness and would not hesitate for the chance to go back the next time I have a hankering for a good burrito!

Baja Fresh’ CEO David Kim was recently on Undercover Boss as well, check it out here:
BAJA FRESH UNDERCOVER BOSS CBS VIDEO

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Burrito Ultimo at Baja Fresh



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Burrito Ultimo with chargrilled steak


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Mahi mahi fish tacos


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Baja Fresh Mexican Grill on Urbanspoon

TheDailyCity.com Orlando Food Truck Bazaar #2

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Check it outt from the daily city


CONTACT
Mark Baratelli, 407-310-5905, Mark@TheDailyCity.com

THEDAILYCITY.COM ORLANDO FOOD TRUCK BAZAAR #2New date: Sunday May 1st, 2011
New time: 7pm – 12am
New location: Dillards parking lot at Fashion Square Mall, Colonial Drive
Admission: Admission is free, the food is not. 

TRUCKS
Red Eye BBQ  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Yelp
Korean BBQ Taco Box
CJ Jerk Shack Island BBQ Website | Yelp
Big Wheel Provisions Truck  Twitter | Website
The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Email
The Taco Lady Facebook 
Papusas
Winter Park Fish Company  Facebook
The Crooked Spoon   Facebook | Twitter | Website | Yelp
The Treehouse Truck  Facebook | Twitter 
The Traveling Gourmet MAKING ITS ORLANDO DEBUT!
The Wing Commander FROM MIAMI!
Sunset Ice Facebook
Country Chuck Wagon


ENTERTAINMENT
Daniel Dennis and Tom Vann, hosts of A Mediocre Time, (TwitterFacebook) will be roaming the bazaar doing interviews with folks in line, interviews with the truck owners and anyone else who wanders up and says hello. 
ORLANDO FOOD BLOGGER TABLE

Meet the folks behind some of the best known food blogs in Orlando including TastyChompsEat Local Orlando,Droolius and DaFoodie. They’ll be at one table answering your questions about food trucks and the local food scene. 

CHARITY
A portion of the funds from this bazaar will go to the Childrens Home Society of Florida

SOME HARD FACTS: 
This event can be tons of fun if you know what to expect before you arrive. So make sure you’re prepped and ready for a night of fun by reading this brief list of “hard facts.”

1. Expect to wait in long lines. While the food is delicious, it does not come fast. Why? Its not fast food. These are restaurants on wheels. Plan to wait.

2. We (The Daily City) have no control over the speed at which the lines move. The food trucks themselves control that.

3. Some trucks will run out of food. This can happen while you’re waiting in line.

4. Expect to experience 1 – 2 trucks. If you get to experience more, yay!

5. This event ends at midnight. If you’re in line and its midnight, your line will be cut off, whether you’ve ordered food or not. This is not our choosing.

6. If you want to sit down while in line or while eating, bring a chair.

7. Bring cash: ones and fives (not tens and twenties) are VERY welcome by the vendors. Some, not all, trucks accept credit.

HISTORY
TheDailyCity.com has been a supporter of food trucks dating back to 2009 when we started hosting food truck meetups called Taco Truck Taste Tests. We’d ask readers to meet us at trucks all over the city, one truck at a time, and try the food, explore new parts of the city, support small businesses The goal was to raise awareness of our city’s food trucks.

Also in 2009, we took the idea of food trucks and thought, “If you can sell food from a vehicle, what else can you sell?” and launched TheDailyCity.com Mobile Art Show, a monthly show in downtown Orlando that takes place in a moving van. 

In 2010, we read about the Hells Kitchen Food Truck Bazaar, loved the idea, but thought it was a bit too ambitious for us to tackle. So, we blogged about it and left it at that. In January 2011, the owner of Red Eye BBQ food truck suggested we were the ideal people to put on a food truck event like the gatherings happening in Miami and across the country. With his vote of confidence, we made an official announcement February 2, 2011 and watched it come to life March 29, 2011.