OPENINGS
A new Vietnamese restaurant is coming to the pho-starved Central Business District. LePho plans to open in the downtown Chase Plaza building in early September … Teak Neighborhood Grill is really, truly, for-reals open in Maitland. At last, a Spicy Veronica burger without the drive to Metrowest. BTW, ask for the “password-only underground burger menu” … Mo-Chica Ceviche Peruvian Grill has opened on International Drive … The old Coffee Garden space on Fern Creek Road and Kaley Avenue will be home to a second outpost of Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream sometime in November … The Pharmacy in Dr. Phillips has reopened after closing temporarily, thanks to an injection of cash from new owners.
CLOSINGS
Wild Rice Buffet on Lee Road has closed. There’s a new sign reading “El Palacio” on the space, but no word yet on whether it will be another location of the South OBT Latin buffet.
EVENTS
Wild Ocean Seafood hosts a shrimp boil at Redlight Redlight from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 – chomp local shrimp, clams, sausage, corn and potatoes, with the option to add blue crab for an extra $2 … Bulla Gastrobar celebrates one year here with a First Birthday Bash all day Thursday, Sept. 28, offering happy hour prices all day and a paella tasting from 5 to 8 p.m. … Millenia 106 may not technically be a part of Magical Dining Month, but chef Bruno Fonseca is offering a $35 prix fixe menu for the month of September, along with wine pairings for just $15 more.
NEWS
Denver-based national chain Smashburger, which recently opened a third Orlando-area location, has been smacked with a lawsuit by In-N-Out Burger. The Californian cult-favorite claims trademark infringement over Smashburger’s “Triple Double,” saying it’s too similar to their own trademarked Double-Double and Triple Triple burgers. Get it while you can, meat-lovers – it’s on Orlando menus, but who knows for how long.
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This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2017.
