Website discusses the future of Dandelion Communitea Café UPDATE
Tonight, Julie Norris, founder of the beloved Dandelion Communitea Café, posted up a new website called #resolutionnotdissolution. In it, she goes public about a legal dispute she’s been engaged in with Chris Blanc, a co-owner of the cafe who filed to have the company dissolved earlier this year due to what court documents say were…
Orlando City supporter group the Ruckus sends open letter to team’s management
Things have been a little rocky between management of the Orlando City Soccer Club and the team’s supporters groups, ever since four unruly fans were arrested at a Tampa Bay Rowdies match against Orlando City in early July. First, Orlando City suspended both of its supporter groups – the Iron Lion firm and the Ruckus…
This Little Underground: Royal Thunder, O’Brother, Europa, Leisure Chief
This Little Underground is Orlando Weekly’s music column providing perspective, live reviews and news on the city’s music scene. Read the latest column here. Europa at Backbooth I arrived for a show headlined by a couple Atlanta touring acts (July 31, Backbooth) just in time to catch local opener Europa, who do an agonized but…
LeakyCon casts a spell on Orlando
A massive banner with the LeakyCon tagline animated the check-in area. “Let’s geek out” is the tagline for LeakyCon — a magical fan conference that graced the Orange County Convention Center last week. The convention originated as a bookworm and film fanatic haven for Harry Potter enthusiasts, but has grown to encompass more than the…
Developing: Orange County (voter) files lawsuit to stop “transparency” ballot initiative
OOOOH, OOOOOH, OOOOOOOOH, were you reading along as we liveblogged last week’s Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting? Do you remember all of the weirdness and seeming secrecy that was passing from dais-place to dais-place? Did you catch the revisiting of the maligned Brummer amendments, some weird strategy move by Commissioner Scott Boyd, the…
Orlando City Soccer Club stadium shifts away from church site; city drops lawsuit (UPDATED)
You know that thing the city does when it doesn’t get its way? How it screams “eminent domain” and waits for you to cower beneath the weight of its legal team, eventually allowing the city to buy you out at a cut rate? Well, that didn’t quite work out when Faith Deliverance Temple – which…
This is what will replace Bar-BQ Bar, Eye Spy and Sky Sixty
We were just as shocked as the rest of you when news got around that Bar-BQ Bar, Eye Spy and Sky Sixty would all close by the end of August. So we put a call out to Gerard Mitchell at the Social/Beacham to see if he could shed light on what was going on. Mitchell…
Florida legislators have two weeks to create new redistricting map
Leon County Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis told Florida legislators today that they have until Aug. 15 to submit a new redistricting map showing fairly drawn congressional districts. The state’s previous redistricting map was thrown out after Lewis declared on July 10 that Republicans conspired “to manipulate and influence the redistricting process” and that two…
Caution: Tires slashed on Mills Avenue
via ProLiteracy If you’re planning to spend time tonight in Mills 50, use caution when parking your car. Word around town (and on this thread) is that there’s a vandal hitting the neighborhoods around Mills Avenue, slashing tires of parked cars. According to the thread, police have been notified, and individuals attested that there were…
Thank you, Internet: Chocolate Tequila Sauce and Shark Week
Best Of Orlando 2014 week was a whirlwind, and we’re sure you’re ready to call it a day. But you’ve still got some time left before you can neaten the piles on your desk, turn off the lights and get your ass out to experience all the awesomeness Orlando has to offer. Here are some links that should…
UCF begins planning for a new downtown campus
via A few months ago, we told you about UCF’s tentative plan to create a downtown Orlando campus. Today, a UCF committee voted on adding a new downtown campus to UCF’s 5-year-plan and a board of trustees officially approved the possible construction plans. The new campus, which would cost approximately $75 million to build with another…
Roxy nightclub has closed
What is happening with Orlando bars lately? First, Parliament House – perennial winner of Best Gay Bar in our Best of Orlando readers poll – files for bankruptcy (chapter 11, so they’ll try to reorganize and keep things afloat, but it’s still sad to see), then we learn that Bar-BQ Bar, Eye Spy and Sky…
Bar-BQ Bar, Eye Spy and Sky Sixty set to close at the end of this month
Yesterday, we got word that downtown stalwarts Bar-BQ Bar, Sky Sixty and Eye Spy would be closing for business within 30 days. Overnight, said news spread like wildfire(ball) following a staff meeting in which the news was revealed. For now, here’s a statement from proprietor Ashley Mccammon Dishman as a sort of thank you for…
Richard Linklater’s ‘Boyhood’ is refreshingly unique
Richard Linklater filmed actors for more than 12 years
Movies opening in Orlando this week
Find out what’s playing in local theaters this week
Lawsuit accuses former Orlando Predators owner of sabotaging team’s website
Last week, we posted a link on Facebook to what used to be the Orlando Predators website: orlandopredators.com. The site redirected not to the arena-football team’s page, though, but to the FDLE’s Florida Sexual Offenders and Predators database. We were a little baffled (as was Deadspin, which reported on the change in the URL’s direction…
Martha Sugalski is leaving WESH-2 News
Image via WESH WESH-2 News announced today that Martha Sugalski, Best of Orlando 2014 winner for Best TV Newsperson, has left the station. Today WESH posted this on its Facebook page: “As a loyal viewer of WESH 2 News, we want you to know that Martha Sugalski is leaving the station. Martha has been an important member of…
Fresh in Winter Park is closing
Fresh: Intimate café offers an antidote to Hannibal Square’s trendy restaurant scene. This week Fresh Cafe announced on its Facebook page that it would no longer remain open in its current location. Chef-owner Gina Bugayong wrote: “Today it’s been decided that fresh will no longer be open in its current location. I know this is sudden…
The Nutella food truck is in Orlando today. Go visit it!
Image via Nutella If you’re a fan of the hazelnutty-chocolatey deliciousness that is Nutella spread, you’ll want to head over to Heritage Square for elevenses today. As part of their “Spread the Happy” tour, a Nutella food truck is giving out Nutella samples, sharing Nutella food pairings/recipes and engaging visitors in Nutella-focused games right in front of…
You Blew It! got robbed; here’s how you can help
via You Blew It! on Facebook This week in The World Is Really Unfair news, local band You Blew It! got robbed in San Antonio. The thieves made off with gear, electronics, personal items and necessary stuff like passports, basically everything but the shirts off their backs. While you can tell the band feels uncomfortable…
10 free things to do in the Orlando area this weekend (Aug. 1-3)
Even though summer is coming to a close, you can still soak in summer fun with free events in the Orlando area this weekend. You can kick back at an outdoor movie, attend a masquerade ball, or take a plunge with an open mic; pick your poison and don’t worry about your pocket book. 24 fun things…
A Florida Man web series coming soon to an Internet machine near you
via Spaceship Florida Spaceship Florida is a new web series premiering in 2014 and, as Floridians, you’re gonna wanna watch it. Taking crazy Florida Man stories (Florida men flee from police … in a canoe, Florida Man: the world’s worst superhero) directly from the headlines, this new series puts a (fictional) PhD student on the hunt for what…
Best Family-Friendly Tech Incubator
FamiLab 1355 Bennett Drive, Longwood, 407-406-5946, familab.org For MineCon addicts, steampunks and hackers of all types, FamiLab is the unofficial local meeting space. It’s in a crappy old warehouse near Lyman High, full of strange, buzzing machines and guys muttering over a tangle of wires and parts from Skycraft. But it is getting national attention…
Best Proof That You Don’t Need a City Government
Transformation Village in Bithlo 18415 11th Ave., Bithlo; ugo2.org Bithlo started out as a planned community, but instead of becoming an early version of Baldwin Park, the municipality defaulted on some loans and then was hit hard by the Great Depression. Cue losing your city government and being kicked out of the county by scared…
Best Place to Hear a Restaurateur Sing
Maxine’s on Shine 337 N. Shine Ave., 407-674-6841, maxinesonshine.com Sultry proprietress Shelly “Maxine” Broadwell has been known to purr a few tunes at her always fun and boisterous neighborhood restaurant, but don’t expect the animal-print-loving chanteuse to belt out any old song at any old time. There are conditions: 1) the musician must be attuned…
Cardboard controversy
Letters to the editor and reader comments
Temporary injunction hobbles Kissimmee Planned Parenthood office
Judge rules that health center violates building restrictions
Best Overall Venue Improvement
Will’s Pub 1042 N. Mills Ave., 407-748-8256, willspub.org As if being one of the city’s longest-standing prime venues weren’t enough, Will’s Pub has undergone an unprecedented blitz of improvements this year that have upped the experience of the space as both live venue and hangout. Widened doorways to the music room have increased sightlines immensely,…
Best Inventive Pub Crawls
Orlando Pub Crawls orlandopubcrawl.com One does not just attend an Orlando Pub Crawl – one must live up to the group’s expectations for what makes a pub crawl special. Sometimes, that means dressing up like a zombie, or pulling your old ’80s gear out of the closet, or going out in a full masquerade ensemble.…
Best Local Showing on National TV
Roadkill Ghost Choir on Late Show With David Letterman roadkillghostchoir.com We told you these DeLand kids were gonna go places. Well, this year, one of those places was national TV as the musical feature on the Late Show With David Letterman. Not bad for a band that hasn’t even released a full album yet. Fundamentally…
Best Help With Last-Minute Hair Emergencies
Cherry Blow Dry Bar 1430 N. Mills Ave., 407-250-5808, cherryblowdrybar.com Just because you’ve got two X chromosomes doesn’t automatically make you a wizard with a flat-iron, curling wand or hair dryer. (Seriously, it’s like you’d have to be an octopus to wrangle all those tools.) But even if you don’t know the difference between shine…
Best Music Star Crushing on Orlando
Talib Kweli talibkweli.com With four DJ dates, Questlove graced Orlando plenty this year, but those nights were the fortunate windfall of bigger scheduling coincidences. Hip-hop royalty Talib Kweli, however, has notched a surprisingly deep association with our city. He spins here frequently thanks to Bullitt Bar, shot his latest music video (“What’s Real”) in public…
Best Way to Drunk-bike Home Without Getting a BUI Fine or Getting Run Over
Orlando Urban Trail Magnolia to Princeton, cityoforlando.net Following the old Dinky Line rail, this bike path cuts from Magnolia behind the old OUC Ivanhoe Building at Lake Ivanhoe all the way over to Loch Haven Park on Princeton. During the day you can spot joggers and commuters shortcutting their way through the Ivanhoe neighborhood, but…
Best Place to Prepare for the Inevitable Undead Apocalypse
Zombie Survival Army Navy Supply 6203 W. Sand Lake Road, 407-351-4470, zombiesurvivalorlando.com With The Walking Dead shuffling back to AMC and Halloween Horror Nights coming to town in a matter of months, now is the time to stock up on the essentials you’ll need to endure the zombie Armageddon we all know is just around…
Best Do-Gooders Doing Good
Pawsitive Shelter Photography facebook.com/pawsitiveshelterphotography Every day of the week, Orange County Animal Services in Orlando is slammed. The open-admission shelter, which serves all of Orange County, receives a flood of new animals who have no place to go. They’re either picked up as strays, surrendered by owners or confiscated by the authorities, and a lot…
Rick Scott’s latest round of scandals
A private passenger rail line and a natural gas pipeline create another ethics conundrum
Best Way to Discover the History of the City Beautiful From the Comfort of Your Chair
Historic Orlando groups on Facebook facebook.com/groups/historic.orlando facebook.com/groups/historic.orlando.ii While there are plenty of places to get a decent view of local history, from the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour to the Orange County Regional History Center, sometimes you just want to soak it all up from the comfort of your own home. Which is why the…
Best New Band to Rep Orlando Hard
ButterQueen facebook.com/butterqueenfl ButterQueen guitarist-vocalist Phil Longo has been a fixture of Orlando music as part of much-loved bands like Country Slashers and Basements of Florida, so it comes as no surprise that his newest project references familiar settings on songs like “Dinner at Wally’s” and “U.F.Pho88.” Their song “Speaking Of” introduces ButterQueen’s members, describes a…
Best Bike Ride
Critical Mass Orlando Loch Haven Park, 900 E. Princeton St., facebook.com/orlandocriticalmass Critical Mass is a monthly community bike ride meant to promote awareness of alternative means of transportation. Hundreds of people meet at 6 p.m. every last Friday of the month at Loch Haven Park, then fill the streets with cyclists, riding around Orlando en…
Best Immersive Concert Experience
John Vanderslice at the Acre 4421 Edgewater Drive, theacreorlando.com Despite – or perhaps because of – his lack of concert-organizing experience, local culture prod Dave Plotkin set a new standard for special musical engagements when his favorite musician returned to play Orlando. Experimental popsmith John Vanderslice usually has his pick of the top indie clubs…
Best Customer Fulfillment Specialists
The Sweet Shop at 4 Rivers Smokehouse multiple locations, 4rsmokehouse.com/sweet-shop For some, drooling over the rows of bar cookies, chocolate-covered Oreos, mile-high cakes, pudding parfaits and generously frosted cupcakes at the 4 Rivers dessert enclave is enough. For others, all that excess sugar is just the beginning. It’s yours for the asking – if you…
Best Abandoned Building
Old power station/historic Ivanhoe building 1111 N. Orange Ave.; ouc.com Orlando Ballet recently fled this gorgeous historic building when they cried “mold!” and were turned out onto the curb. Once an OUC power plant, the former Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts is now nothing but an empty shell, with the newly renovated “Happy New…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) If a farmer plants the same crop in the same field year after year, the earth’s nutrients get exhausted. For instance, lettuce sucks up a lot of nitrogen. It’s better to plant beans or peas in that location the next season, since they add nitrogen back into the soil. Meanwhile, lettuce…
Best Ladyparts Servicing, Despite Political Pressure
Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando in Kissimmee 610 Oak Commons Blvd., Kissimmee, 407-246-1788, ppgo.org It may have been a long time coming – Osceola County has never had a clinic that performs abortions before – but this May, Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando accomplished the unfathomable and cut the ribbon on its long-in-the-works Kissimmee health…
Best Papaya Salad
Saigon Noodle & Grill 710 S. Goldenrod Road, 407-658-1967, saigonnoodleandgrill.com This salad offers a perfect balance of all the things we love about Southeast Asian food – all at once sweet, spicy, salty, crunchy, earthy, herbaceous. A pile of freshly shaved green papaya is topped with carrot, peanuts, mint, basil, dried shrimp and perfectly dressed…
Best Place Where Someone Did the Right Thing
East End Market 3201 Corrine Drive, 321-236-3316, eastendmkt.com It would’ve been easy to get a dead mall somewhere, throw a bunch of booths into it, and call it a “market.” Cheaper, too. Instead, the East End team – John and Kamrin Rife, Gabby Othon Lothrop and Heather Grove – did it the hard way: They…
Best Little Bit of Old Florida Left in South Orlando
Red Hill Groves 3725 S. Conway Road, 800-654-5562, redhillgroves.com There was a time when Conway wasn’t known primarily as a suburban community near the airport, but more as the area south of the city that was full of open space and orange groves. Red Hill Groves is one of the last visible references to Conway’s…
Best Way to Prove Locally That Medicaid Expansion Was Actually Important
The nationally recognized death of Orlando resident Charlene Dill Prior to the passing of local resident and 32-year-old mother of three Charlene Dill, most discussions of the Florida Legislature’s refusal to accept $51 billion in federal funds to expand the state’s Medicaid program lived in the realm of the political and the abstract. Florida, like…
Best Backyard Crate-Digging
Garry Postell’s semi-regular all-vinyl garage sales 46 E. Steele St., dkpostell@att.net While Park Ave CDs, Rock and Roll Heaven, East West Music and all of our local record stores do a pretty fine job of keeping the vinyl flowing, real crate-diggers know that when you see the “Record Sale” sign at the corner of Princeton…
Best Fish Tacos
Smoked grouper tacos at Cress Restaurant 103 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand, 386-734-3740, cressrestaurant.com Trust us: These tacos are worth the trip. You won’t find a better fish taco than the one Hari Pulapaka fashions at Cress. Seriously. You won’t. Fresh Florida grouper is marinated in a Creole blend, smoked over hickory wood chips, then loaded…
Best Upset Locals Ain’t Mad About
UCF Knights at the Fiesta Bowl 407-823-1000, ucfknights.com In a landmark year for the University of Central Florida, the UCF Knights football team became champions of the American Athletic Conference and, thus, pitted against the Baylor Bears in the Fiesta Bowl. The Knights dominated most of the game, but the Bears tied it up just…
Best Vintage Antique Mall in Ivanhoe Village
The Carousel Emporium 2000 Alden Road, 407-228-2791, carouselemporium.net Ivanhoe Village is known for its abundance of antique shops, but this unassuming newcomer is a real standout. More than 6,000 square feet of vintage awesomeness awaits you in a pretty little building overlooking Lake Formosa. The store features multiple vendors and manages diverse offerings without feeling…
Best Marketing Campaign for a Local Sports Organization
Orlando City Soccer Club’s #paintthecitypurple With the Citrus Bowl undergoing renovation, and the professional soccer stadium that will eventually be home to Orlando’s soon-to-be MLS team still in its planning phase, Orlando City Soccer has had to play their 2014 season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista – quite…
Best Pop-up Shop
Big Box of Orlando Holiday Pop-up Shop thedailycity.com It’s about time somebody made holiday shopping fun again. The Daily City’s Big Box of Orlando transformed the Orange Studio in Mills 50 into a cross between a party, an artisan’s market and an indoor mall full of local goods. With festive tunes spun by DJ Nigel,…
Best Place to Get Drunk and Play Video Games
Player 1 Video Game Bar 8562 Palm Parkway, Lake Buena Vista, 407-504-7521, player1orlando.com The amount of nerd-themed bars in this city continues to blow minds, but the reigning king is without a doubt Player 1 Video Game Bar. Whether you’re kicking your friend’s ass in Street Fighter or pwning punks while dominating the newest Call…
Best Cheese Ball
Burrata mozzarella at Santiago’s Bodega 802 Virginia Drive, 407-412-6979, santiagosbodega.com It doesn’t break any new culinary ground, but the plump, creamy sphere of burrata on Santiago’s cold tapas menu is simply, perfectly satisfying. Sitting in a tiny pool of walnut pesto, drizzled with balsamic and served with crispy-soft grilled pita triangles, this is an ideal…
Best Proof That the Orlando Expressway Authority Was Insanely Corrupt
Insane corruption at Orlando Expressway Authority As if you had any doubt that the long-embattled Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority had serious issues, this year the board of the organization went out of its way to make sure everybody knew just how troubled it was. In May, State Attorney Jeff Ashton released more than 500 pages…
Best Landing on Pointed Toe
Orlando Ballet Loch Haven Community Center, 610 N. Lake Formosa Drive, 407-426-1733, orlandoballet.org The Orlando Ballet, our area’s leading professional classical dance company, navigated some tricky choreography over the past year. First they were evicted from their Orange Avenue home, the 113-year-old OUC power plant that had been their base of operations since 1992. Then…
Best Reason to Put a Fence Around Your Organic Garden
Feral cats 407-836-3111; orangecountyfl.net/animalspets/feralcats.aspx There are an estimated 100 million feral cats in this country. Animal rights advocates want to treat them as urban wildlife and public pets – feed them, neuter them and leave them be – but a lot of environmentalists want them gone. The problem is that both sides are outspoken, and…
Best Tiny Sandwiches
100 Montaditos 417 N. Alafaya Trail, 407-384-9040, us.100montaditos.com The Spaniards may have gotten knocked out of the World Cup early (boo-effing-hoo), but their most popular tapas chain has made a big difference in East Orlando’s dining scene. We’ll credit it to the flocks of broke-ass UCF students who recognize that these diminutive montadito sandwiches are…
Best Unexpected Sellout
UFC sells out the Amway Center In April, the UFC held its first-ever fight in Orlando. It had been two years since the UFC had held a match in Florida at all, and the last time it tried – in Fort Lauderdale in 2012 – the organization struggled to sell tickets. Disheartened by the lackluster…
Best Theater Trend
Unconventional venues and site-specific shows Most theater productions ensconce their patrons in comfy chairs, allowing them to observe the action at a safe remove, but an increasing number of site-specific shows in unconventional venues shattered Orlando’s fourth wall in 2014. The experimental art-music experience Caress of Progress at the Space, director Scott Browning’s environmental take…
Best Tailgating
New Year’s Eve, parking lot of Linda’s La Cantina 4721 E. Colonial Drive, 407-894-4491, lindaslacantinasteakhouse.com They don’t take reservations on New Year’s Eve at Linda’s La Cantina – you put your name on the list when you arrive and you wait. At most places, that would mean enduring a nightmarishly crowded bar while you wait…
Best Place to Have a Beer in a Theme Park
Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room United Kingdom Pavilion, Epcot, Walt Disney World, 407-939-3463, disneyworld.disney.go.com Drinking around the world is becoming a cultural phenomenon; people fly here from all over the globe to see how many countries they can drink through without passing out in the bushes by Canada. But the best place to…
Best Pizza Crust
Wolfies Pizzamia 1905 N. Orange Ave., 407-237-0921, wolfiespizzamia.com Perhaps the pride of Wolfies is their cured meats, but we hope the establishment’s chest is equally puffed over the irresistible crust at the foundation of their exquisite pies. The doughy fringes of their pizzas are neither bland nor overpowering, neither too chewy nor too crispy, and…
Best Possible Resolution to a Local Music Tragedy
Ralphfest III occurs within days of Ralph Ameduri’s killer’s guilty verdict ralphameduri.com Ralph Ameduri Jr. was one of Orlando’s most unassuming yet most beloved musicians, so when he was murdered in a botched robbery of $25 in 2011 while subbing for a friend at a Winter Haven gig, the local music community, at first devastated,…
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Best Entrance
Smoked duck under glass Scratch, 223 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 407-325-5165, scratchtapas.com The waiter approaches, bearing a white plate topped with a glass cloche filled with an opaque white cloud. The cloche is removed, the smoke shimmies above the plate for a moment in a fragrant swirl, and then as it disperses, all heads…
Best Forced Conditional Support of Equality by a Politician
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs at Come Out With Pride It was hard to criticize Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs for making an appearance at the 2013 Come Out With Pride festivities last fall. Jacobs had not exactly been friendly to LGBT causes in the past – she notoriously voted in favor of the gay…
Best Local TV Breakout
Jessy Lynn Martens as Cherlene on Archer America doesn’t know her face yet, but after this season of FX’s Archer, they know her big voice. Local songbird Jessy Lynn Martens was the mighty wind that powered the country-star persona of Cheryl Tunt on the animated show. And under the direction of Drivin’ N Cryin’s Kevn…
Best Pet Care for Those Who Need It Most
Dolly’s Foundation dollysfoundation.org OK, so technically most people hopefully won’t need to take advantage of the services of this organization. But residents in low-income communities and pet owners who need assistance finding affordable health care for their animals have found an invaluable service in Dolly’s Foundation, a little nonprofit with a big mission to help…
Best Puzzling Sports Mascot
Tommy the Tar, Rollins College 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park, 407-646-2000, rollins.edu Somehow, despite the school’s landlocked locale, the Rollins College mascot is a burly sailor named Tommy the Tar. The school spins a tale about how the “tar” (slang for a super-tough and aggressive open-sea sailor) became the school mascot because Rollins, although not…
Best Random Person to Run Into
Pops on Mills In the Mills 50 district Witnessing a rainbow on an overcast day is the equivalent of running into “Pops” around the Mills 50 district. Pops, as he tells people to call him, washes windows for the businesses along Mills (particularly Will’s Pub), and happens to spin some of the best conversational webs.…
Best Reason to Hang Out in a Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery moonlight walking tours 1603 Greenwood St., 407-246-2616; greenwood-cemetery.net Remember when all the cool kids would bring their English textbooks, Cure tapes and bottles of amaretto to the cemetery to, like, hang out or whatever? Yeah, we don’t either. But on Greenwood Cemetery’s moonlight walking tours, you can kind of get that experience, plus…
Best Venue Rescue
Backbooth under Norse Korea’s Kyle Raker 37 W. Pine St., 407-999-2570, backbooth.com This year, longtime downtown club Backbooth returned from the brink of irrelevance as a concert venue after a couple of dismal years, and it’s all because of Kyle Raker. The boss of pace-setting indie promoter Norse Korea Presents was officially brought aboard as…
Best New Reason to Trek to Sanford
Rabbitfoot Records Coffee Lounge 309 E. First St., Sanford, 321-926-3417, rabbitfootrecords.com Anyone who’s ever romanticized record stores as hangouts after watching cult movies like High Fidelity and Empire Records should make sure to stop in at Rabbitfoot Records Coffee Lounge, where you can flip through their gently used selection of vinyl, request to play any…
Best Recurring House Parties (if you can find them)
Cloud 9 Shhh … it’s a secret This DIY venue, located in a mysterious, dimly lit alleyway, is Orlando’s most secretive party site. Located on a grungy brick corner behind a few local haunts in Mills 50, Cloud 9 is an updated version of the parking lots you might have lingered in as a disillusioned…
Best Dumplings
Sichuan wontons at Chuan Lu Garden 1101 E. Colonial Drive, 407-896-8966, chuanlugardenorlando.com The love affair continues. Among the list of excellent dishes at our only local true Sichuan resto, like the dan dan noodles and “mouthwatering” chicken, there are these little gems. It’s fun to order something different every time you visit Chuan Lu Garden,…
Best Wet Explosion
The demolition of the lower bowl at Citrus Bowl Though it has spent most of its time since 2007 as the unwanted third child of the $1.1 billion venues trifecta, the $200 million Citrus Bowl renovation – in which the entire lower bowl would be demolished and re-created like magic with fewer seats – gained…
Best Punk Show Pit
Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall 1016 N. Mills Ave., 407-898-0009, facebook.com/lous.lgma Light a cigarette and step into a flashback of the ’80s punk scene from the moment you walk into Uncle Lou’s. The decor is deteriorating and covered with graffiti. There’s a small bar and there’s one line of benches along the back wall for seating.…
Best Gang War
Orlando Ingress community ingress.com Whether you’re on the side of the heroic Resistance or the stupid, stupid Enlightened, Ingress, the mobile game from Google’s Niantic Labs, is probably the first thing you pull up on your phone when you go someplace new. Accurately described as “weaponized Google Maps,” players choose a team and try to…
Best Mani-Pedi at a Price That Won’t Break the Bank
Delight Nails & Spa 6735 Conroy Windermere Road, 407-313-8820 We feel like royalty when we check into Delight Nails & Spa, partly because the space looks ridiculously upscale, with its jeweled chandeliers and immaculate massage chairs, but also because of the star-quality service we get whenever we visit. This local gem offers gel and acrylic…
Best New Art Venue
Snap Space 1013 E. Colonial Drive, snaporlando.com The old Cameo Theater, a vintage Art Deco moviehouse, now houses Patrick and Holly Kahn’s Snap Space gallery. The couple’s reputation for bringing world-class artists to Orlando through their annual Snap Orlando photography show is solid; now they have a brick-and-mortar space in which to do the same…
Best Place to Take a Hike
Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area 3365 Taylor Creek Road, Christmas, 407-568-5893, myfwc.com Head east on Colonial Drive until the road forks, then steer right to take State Road 520 until you see the small brown sign beckoning you to turn left and discover Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area. It’s off the beaten path, but its many trails…
Best Record Label to Draw Attention to Orlando Music
Relief in Abstract reliefinabstract.com It’s a rare occasion when a record label brings an entire community together, but Relief in Abstract has done just that. Created by two ambitious teens in the suburbs of Orlando in 2011, RIA has grown to an unexpectedly monumental size. Releasing music from artists such as XXYYXX, Fortune Howl and…
Best Making the Best of a Bad Situation
Orlando Philharmonic buys the Plaza Live One of Central Florida’s most confusing development conundrums over the past few years has revolved around the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and the local arts groups that the center was originally intended to house. In the ensuing seven years since the ink dried on the venues…
Best Heavy Metal Visual Artist
Brandon Geurts brandongeurts.com Brandon Geurts’ work is part Ralph Bakshi scenic art and part hand-biting Necronomicon – ripe with cow skulls and bloody-kneed virgin sacrifices, floating in subterranean caverns full of whispered secrets. Which is probably why his art was chosen to grace the cover of one copy of Black Sabbath’s limited-edition “Age of Reason”…
Best Tree to Hug
The Mayor at Mennello Museum 900 E. Princeton St.; 407-246-2283; cityoforlando.net/parks Nestled between the Mennello Museum of American Art and Princeton Street stands a giant squid of an oak tree more than 200 years old. Its branches, huge swooping arches, are so long that they actually reach 200 feet into the sky and back down…
Best Mimosa Deal
$12 all-you-can-drink mimosas at Orlando Farmers Market Lake Eola Park, corner of East Central Boulevard and North Eola Drive; orlandofarmersmarket.com Most schlubs would be suckered into the common trap of $3-$5 mimosa deals at their local watering hole or brunch spot, but the select few mimosa fiends in the know head to the farmers market…
Best Weird Empanada Fillings
La Empanada Truck laempanadatruck.com It seems like empanadas are becoming as ubiquitous a pastry as sriracha is a condiment, with nearly everyone from Casa de las Empanadas to Tako Cheena offering up their own takes on the cute-and-tasty hand pies. One thing you can count on, though, is that La Empanada food truck will have…
Best New Reason to Go to the Library
The Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for Technology, Innovation and Creativity 101 E. Central Blvd., 407-835-7323, tic.ocls.info The downtown library took a public stance against going out of style by dedicating 26,000 square feet of its second floor to fostering creativity within its walls through public access to innovative technologies. Thanks to a massive donation to…
Best Caffeine-and-Sugar Buzz
Soy mocha with lavender syrup at Stardust Video & Coffee 1842 E. Winter Park Road, 407-623-3393, stardustie.com There are rows of flavored simple syrups lining the walls at Stardust, and they’re not just for show. It might sound nutso, but stay with us here: The lavender syrup is totally worth adding to your soy mocha…
Best Literal Bar
Thirsty Topher’s big, thick plank 1609 Alden Road, 407-491-4342, thethirstytopher.tumblr.com The Thirsty Topher’s gimmick is simple: a clean, well-lit bar with plenty of seating and a good selection of beer and wine. The ostentation-free setting serves to highlight the beauty of the real centerpiece of the bar: the actual bar. Made from three huge, solid…
Best Grand Exit
Daisy Lynum calling Patty Sheehan “asinine” at her last City Council meeting In her 16 years as the sometimes unintelligible mouthpiece of the Orlando City Hall dais – one that liked to ramble on about wayward chickens in the streets – the city had grown accustomed to the commissioner’s bouts with irreverence. But come May,…
Best Grassroots Venue
The Space 1206 E. Colonial Drive, 407-205-7572, thespaceistheplace.com If you’ve never been to the Space, it can sound a little like a hipster clubhouse, but the informal venue run on donations has evolved to become an artsier alternative to Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall. Whatever your weird idea is, it’s accepted, as the stairs leading up…
Best Urban Sketcher
Thomas Thorspecken analogartistdigitalworld.com When former Disney animator Thomas Thorspecken started blogging daily sketches of Orlando’s arts scene back in 2009, it was a lark that looked to last for a year at most. Half a decade later, “Thor” and his watercolor kit are fixtures at every important area entertainment event, and his renderings have reached…
Best Reason to Hit Your Friend in the Face
Pillowlando twitter.com/pillowlando Once hosted by eclectic performance artist Brian Feldman – who has since moved on – and now run by the über-dorable Tony Bolante, Pillowlando is a part of the international Pillow Fight Day effort. This is more than just hitting strangers with a sack of feathers, though. It’s a part of something bigger…
Best Live Resurrection
The music of Sam Rivers rivbea.com Of the music legends who’ve called Orlando home, few are as brilliant and important as jazz master Sam Rivers. Once a frequent scene presence with exciting public performances of varying scale and formality, his spirit was reduced to a revered memory with his 2011 passing. However, after the enthusiastic…
Best Biergarten to Spend a Sunday Funday
Barley and Vine Biergarten 2406 E. Washington St., 407-930-0960, barleyandvineorlando.com When Barley and Vine Biergarten opened their doors, we were eager to invade their patio, littered with long picnic tables that encourage communal carousing. Typically open at 4 p.m., the bar extends their hours on the weekends to welcome day drinkers at noon, and on…
Best Vegan Test Lab
Artichoke Red 2808 Edgewater Drive, 407-898-3353, artichokered.com If you read about some new vegan product in VegNews or on Isa Chandra’s Twitter feed that you’re just dying to try, no need to special-order it from Abe’s Market or Food Fight Grocery – chances are you’ll find it in College Park at Artichoke Red. Owner Sam…
Best Way to Taste It All
Bite30 bite30.com It may be a teensy bit self-serving for us to put an Orlando Weekly-produced event in our Best of Orlando, but even if this were someone else’s event, we’d pick it. An entire month for adventurous diners to eat their way through some of Orlando’s most creative restaurants, ordering from incredibly reasonably priced…
Best New Old Hardware Store
Hinge 1506 N. Orange Blossom Trail, 407-401-9112, hingevintagehardware.com When obsessed hardware man George Baker sold his antique inventory to Rick Bosserman, Bosserman promptly saw precious metal. One man’s OCD is another man’s treasure, right? And Hinge, sited in College Park near the Fairvilla Megastore, has aisle after aisle of gleaming brass, copper and iron stuff.…
Best Comedy Trend
Local comedy showcases Spacebar, 2428 E. Robinson St., 407-228-0804, facebook.com/spacebarcomedy Bull and Bush, 2408 E. Robinson St., 407-896-7546, bullandbushorlando.com The Peacock Room, 1321 N. Mills Ave., 407-228-0048, thepeacockroom.com No longer relegated to opening for touring comedians at clubs like the Improv or networks like Bonkerz, Orlando comedians have harnessed their punk-rock DIY spirit and created…
Best Crazy Run
Savage Race Oct. 25-26, Little Everglades Ranch, 17951 Hamilton Road, Dade City, savagerace.com Are you a savage? If so, check out this 7-mile obstacle course returning to Florida this fall. From ice baths to barbed wire, Savage Race is the big leagues of fun runs. Instead of getting showered with paint or glitter or some…
Best BBQ Side Dish
Jalapeño cheese grits at the East Orlando Bubbalou’s Bodacious Bar-B-Q 12100 Challenger Parkway, 407-423-1212, alafaya.bubbalous.com These cheese grits are ridic. Choose them over the pedestrian fries and coleslaw and you’ll never look back. Creamy, cheesy, spicy – a dish of the stuff is full up with every flavor and texture that’s a perfect foil to…
Best Little Debbie Impersonators
Se7en Bites 207 N. Primrose Drive, 407-203-0727, se7enbites.com OK, admittedly, Little Debbie didn’t invent the classic snack cakes most kids grow up either eyeballing or inhaling. But when you encounter the Swiss rolls and nutty bars behind the glass at Se7en Bites, we’ll be shocked if you aren’t transported back in time to feel that…
Best Indoor Challenge
Aiguille Rock Climbing Center 999 Charles St., Longwood, 407-332-1430, aiguille.com We may live in one of the flattest states in the nation, but don’t let that stop you from spicing up your workout routine with some vertical challenges. Aiguille Rock Climbing Center has 10,000 square feet of rock-climbing walls up to 36 feet high. The…
Best Viral Video for a Good Cause
Rethink Homelessness’ “Cardboard Stories” YouTube video rethinkhomelessness.org Earlier this summer an interesting video project made the rounds on social media. The footage, filmed in downtown Orlando, featured members of our city’s homeless population holding signs that said something unique about their lives. One woman holds a sign indicating that she was once a figure skater.…
Best Republican Marionette
Orange County Commissioner Fred Brummer Over the past eight years, most of Commissioner Fred Brummer’s grumbled musings have been easily dismissed as noxious exhaust from a grumpy old man. In 2014, though, sensing his final chance at relevance, Brummer – via local Republican operatives – lashed out in very specific terms at an imagined liberal…
Best Local Nerdy Artist
Jaime Margary margary.net Jaime Margary is a local multimedia artist whose pop-culture-focused work is gaining attention outside our city limits. His video game sculptures (“Pakku Rotundus, aka Realistic Pac-Man,” “Piranha Plant” and “Super Mario Mushroom”) blazed through Kotaku.com a couple of years ago; since then, he’s kept busy making an animated music video for Roadkill…
Best Squirrel
Tie the SunRail mascot He’s shifty and nervous, with big bug eyes and a bandaged, broken tail (which, you’ll learn if you watch enough of his YouTube videos, is the result of some careless behavior on the train tracks). We think he might be suffering from PTSD, and he spends his time yelling at people…
Best Sport You Didn’t Think Was Physically Possible
Orlando Bicycle Polo 1890 E. Church St., facebook.com/orlandobicyclepolo We all know how to ride a bike (or if you don’t, you at least understand the concept). But have you ever tried to ride a bike with a mallet in one hand while someone else rides right at you and a ball rolls between your wheels?…
Best New (to Us) Supermarket
Trader Joe’s 131 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-622-0874, traderjoes.com People gave us a lot of static for our enthusiasm about the entry of Trader Joe’s into our market. For years, we found ourselves making monthly treks to Gainesville or Sarasota to get our fix of habañero-lime tortillas, simmer sauces and roasted seaweed snacks. Now…
Best Use of a Steamroller
“Culture Pop: Roll, Repeat,” March 14, 2014 Art & History Museums – Maitland, 231 W. Packwood Ave., Maitland, 407-539-2181, artandhistory.org March 2014 was an art-lover’s dream, thanks to Art31, the monthlong multifaceted celebration of creativity produced by Maitland’s Art & History Museums. Each day of the month brought at least one way to express our…
Best Special Occasion Buffet
Fiorenzo Italian Steakhouse at Hyatt Regency Orlando 9801 International Drive, 407-284-1234, orlando.regency.hyatt.com What we might have lost by the closing of La Coquina at the Hyatt Grand Cypress a few years ago is made up for a few times a year at Fiorenzo at the former Peabody, now the Hyatt Regency Orlando. A sparkling raw…
Best, Bitterest Feelings
Daughters & Co. 1036 N. Mills Ave. We were thrilled to learn in March that Daughters & Co. bitters maven Kaitlin McGavock would take over Lil Indies, rebranding the already charming beer bar as a haven of craft cocktails, complete with an English garden-themed patio, a custom-poured cement bar and a rooftop herb garden. And…
Best Local Brew
Lineage Roasting East End Market, 3201 Corrine Drive, lineageroasting.com The gleaming white tiles and the row of shiny silver coffee drippers lend Lineage, snugged into the back corner of East End Market, a laboratory atmosphere – which, given the seriousness of purpose displayed by owner Jarrett Johnson, is not far from the truth. Johnson and…
Best Amish Deli
Clemons Produce 3325 Curry Ford Road, 407-897-1413, clemonsproduce.com If you’ve driven past this produce stand in a strip mall on Curry Ford Road (next to the Daybreak Diner) and you haven’t stopped, do yourself a favor and get in there. This huge space is dedicated not just to fresh fruits and veggies, many sourced from…
Best Hidden Vintage Gem
The Owl’s Attic 4031 Forsyth Road, Winter Park, 321-300-6957, theowlzattic.com If you don’t know to look for it, it’s easy to miss the Owl’s Attic, situated in front of a car repair shop and sharing the same lot. But keep an eye out for the darling owl insignia as your hoot signal that you’re headed…
Best Noshfest in Orlando Festival Park
Orlando Chili Cookoff 2911 E. Robinson St., 407-777-8309, orlandochilicookoff.com You might think 10 itty-bitty sample cups of chili wouldn’t fill you up, but you’d be wrong. From guilt-free vegan, paleo and gluten-free chilis to kicked-up classic versions packed with beans, brisket, even smoked duck, it’s not a food festival meant to celebrate finesse – it’s…
Best Place to Make Your Kitchen Look Like Downton Abbey
Whisk and Bowl 3201 Corrine Drive, 888-388-3785, whiskandbowl.com Whisk and Bowl isn’t the shop to dash into for a cheap spatula when you accidentally melt yours – it’s more of an heirloom, tools-to-last-forever kind of place. Owner Karen Manfredi specializes in the kind of equipment that gives bakers a feeling of tradition – like footed…
Best New Theme Park Thrill
Diagon Alley and Gringotts at Universal Orlando 6000 Universal Blvd., 407-363-8000, universalorlando.com While Escape From Gringotts, the signature E-Ticket attraction at Universal Studios Florida’s new Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley area, is far from the wildest ride in town, there’s no denying that this roller-coaster/simulator hybrid is Orlando’s most innovative thrill since…
The Best Local Haunt With Actual Haunts
Legends: A Haunting at Old Town 5770 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, 407-883-0859, legendsoldtown.com If you’re getting sick of the same old slog through Halloween Horror Nights, it’s time to graduate to a new level of fear. The year-round scares at Legends: A Haunting at Old Town are like a horrific home-cooked meal compared…
Best Place to Dance in the Rain
Sky Sixty 60 N. Orange Ave., skysixty.com There are a lot of ways to enjoy Sky Sixty in downtown Orlando, many of which involve making terrible decisions and vomiting your life story all over your designated driver. But if you happen to get caught in the rain during a raging high-rise party, you might find…
Best New Trend in Orlando Music Events
Commemorative tickets Is anyone still collecting tickets in this increasingly paperless world? Maybe less and less, but for a few Orlando shows, promoters gave us good reason to revive old keepsake tendencies. Leading the resurgence of event-tickets-as-art was the Civic Minded 5, whose 3-D pyramid design for Sun Araw at Will’s Pub literally stood for…
Best Drop-Dead Deadline
Nov. 6, 2014 Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 455 S. Magnolia Ave., 407-839-0119, drphillipscenter.org After many delays, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts finally announced its opening date: Nov. 6, 2014. “They’ve thrown down the gauntlet,” Mayor Buddy Dyer said, rather ominously. “That date is set in stone,” Dr. Phillips Center…
Best Whale Wail
Blackfish We knew Blackfish was going to be big as soon as we got the pre-emptive strike against it from SeaWorld. The marine park sent an email to movie critics telling them not to take the film (which questions whether it’s humane to keep killer whales in captivity) seriously – before it was even released.…
Best New Bookstore
Bookmark It 3201 Corrine Drive, bookmarkitorlando.com Sometimes “best” means “only.” Orlando, like a lot of cities, has faced the slow decline of independent bookstores, whittling down readers’ choices for unused books to the bare minimum of Barnes & Noble or Amazon – neither a choice that gives those who prefer to support local business much…
Best Way to Ruin the Orange County Democratic Party
Be Val Demings and drop out of the Orange County mayoral race Former Orlando police chief and congressional candidate Val Demings’ delayed entry into the 2014 Orange County mayoral race against incumbent Teresa Jacobs was supposed to be the kick in the pants that local Democrats needed in a midterm election year. Demings’ brand, after…
Best Local-ish TV Star
Eddie Huang Your boy Eddie Huang? This is his year. Yeah, we’ve said it before, but for real – the Rollins grad/restaurateur/sneaker pimp/memoirist/based FOB has finally cracked the big big time by breaking into the wide-beam, lowest-common-denominator bastion of mediocrity that is network TV. The trailer for ABC’s series based on Fresh off the Boat,…
Best Analog Dating Service
The Falcon 819 E. Washington St., 407-423-3060, thefalconbar.com Tired of kissing all those frogs you meet online? Bitch, we all are. Screw you, Tinder. Created by the much-missed artist and beer slinger Karen Russell, this completely analog dating service brings the fun back into the actual Orlando dating scene, and we approve of all the…
Best Warm Welcome
Hanson’s Shoe Repair 27 E. Pine St., 407-476-9446, facebook.com/hansonsshoerepair Much has been written about this speakeasy’s many charms: the hand-crafted vintage-recipe cocktails, the captivating low-lit decor, the illicit thrill of making your party’s reservation and then, at the appointed hour, whispering the password through the door. All of that is good, sure. But it’s our…
Best Vegan Breakfast Burrito
Sausage gravy burrito at Ethos Vegan Kitchen 601 S. New York Ave, 407-228-3898, ethosvegankitchen.com Ethos is known for its innovative vegan creations, but this breakfast burrito really takes the dairy-free cake. Smothered in “sausage” gravy and packed with a flavorful sausage, potato and tofu scramble, Ethos’ brunch creation is the heartiest meat-free meal you’ll eat…
Best Breadbasket
Lavas at Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine 108 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 406-644-8609, bosphorousrestaurant.com Comfortably ensconced on Park Avenue in Winter Park, Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine produces quality dishes, but it’s a simple yet show-stopping appetizer that blows the rest of the menu out of the water: their version of the Mediterranean bread called lavas, aka hollow…
Best Political Wig
Maria Ragen’s Patty Sheehan-do in Escape From Baldwin Park There were plenty of Orlando in-jokes to snicker at in the 2014 Fringe show written by our former A&C editor, Steve Schneider, which transposed the cult B-movie Escape From New York into the tale of a Baldwin Park ravaged by disaster: stabs at Bright House sales…
Best Place to Get Someone Else to Sew for You
Grace + Murk Custom Conceptual Garments 805 Virginia Drive, 407-203-0959, graceandmurk.com Fashion design company Grace + Murk can make anything. Custom-designed bathing suits for Gay Days, stilt-walking lion men for a street party, a sweater with that fabric you’ve had in your closet for years – if you have an idea, they can sew it…
Savage Love
I am wondering when the best time is to mention being in an open relationship to new girls. I’m a 27-year-old straight guy who’s been in an open relationship for six years. I often seek out extracurricular activities, but I am unsure of how to bring up my situation without doors closing. I wrote to…
Best Place to Pray, Then Do a Fireball Shot
St. Dorothy Catholic Community Sunday mass at St. Matthew’s Tavern 1300 N. Mills Ave., orlandobeergarden.com All jokes aside, the advent of the St. Dorothy Catholic Community Sunday mass in what used to be a neighborhood gay bar, St. Matthews Tavern, was something of a divine intervention. The bar’s new owner, Matthew Fassl, happened to be…
Best Locally Made Hot Sauce
Chairman Meow’s Revenge by Fat Cat Foods fatcatfoods.com Writer-cum-hot sauce magnate Eyal Goldshmid has crafted one of the finest all-purpose hot sauces we’ve sampled and, what’s more, it’s locally made. The scorpion and habañero peppers that go into the aromatic (and seriously stinging) Chairman Meow’s Revenge are grown in Ocoee and Brooksville, while many of…
Best Stage Upgrade
Firestone Live 578 N. Orange Ave., 407-872-0066, firestonelive.net Though Firestone invested in becoming a live venue several years ago, as the brand overhaul that inserted “live” into its name attests, the spot was constantly panned for operational and infrastructural issues. But even though it’s returned to its club roots, its stage recently underwent a whopping…
Best Crash Course in Contemporary Art
The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art The Alfond Inn, 300 E. New England Ave., Winter Park, 407-998-8090, thealfondinn.com Conceived as a “visual syllabus” by its donors, Barbara and Ted Alfond, the art at Rollins College’s new on-site hotel continues the school’s mission of education. Works by established masters such as Mel Bochner and Philip-Lorca diCorcia…
This Little Underground: Black Pussy @ Will’s Pub
This Little Underground is Orlando Weekly’s music column providing perspective, live reviews and news on the city’s music scene. Read the latest column here. Black Pussy at Will’s Pub Like wolf, bear and deer before it, pussy is now the new black in the music world. And though these dudes are a little more Nashville…
VIDEO: Watch DMX freak out on the Sling Shot on International Drive
Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. We can thank TMZ for this video of rapper DMX screaming in sheer panic before being skyrocketed on the Sling Shot ride on International Drive. I guess that’s how Ruff Ryders roll? DMX performs at Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park Aug. 9. via dmxtour.com Unfortunately your…
Shows I Go To: Chris Carrabba is “truly playing what he loves” with Twin Forks
I was sitting in my girlfriend’s car and I shushed her. “My gut don’t lie to me!” We both screamed before bursting out into laughter. Those are lyrics to “Something We Just Know,” the first song I fell in love with by Twin Forks. It’s also the first track on their debut EP Twin Forks which…
Crayola to open new attraction at Florida Mall
Renderings of some of the offerings at the Crayola Experience in Easton, Pa., via the Crayola company’s website. Crayola sent us a crayon last week – it was a dandelion-colored one – to serve as a press pass to its big announcement that it would be opening a new 70,000-square-foot Crayola Experience attraction at the…
Out of commission: Liveblogging today’s attack on democracy in Orange County
This morning, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners (starring Teresa Jacobs) will convene to discuss whether or not you deserve a voice in your government. There’s some background on all of this mess, courtesy Commissioner Fred Brummer, here and here, but there’s also this Sentinel op-ed from this morning. At issue today, however, is…
Kevin Dundon to host Irish Supper Club at Raglan Road
via Kevin Dundon On Thursday, Aug. 14, celebrity chef Kevin Dundon hosts an Irish Supper Club (with co-host food blogger Scott Joseph) at Raglan Road, which he opened at Downtown Disney in 2005. The four-course Irish meal will feature dishes such as pale-ale-battered Atlantic monkfish and spit-roasted baby lamb, each paired with a wine or beer. The dining…
Best Of Orlando 2014
Best Superhero We Can Call Our Own Master Legend
