Cover Story
Best Of Orlando 2013
It’s that time of year again, when we break out the tiaras and the sashes and the spray-tanner and get ready to crown our beautiful winners in the pageant that is Best of Orlando. Our contenders have spent the past five weeks flashing their best toothy grins – and lobbying hard – to earn your…
Win Free Cupcakes for a Year!
Want to indulge with delicious cupcakes for a WHOLE year? Follow these easy steps to enter to win: 1. Go to Gigi’s Cupcakes Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GigisCupcakesOrlandoFlorida?fref=ts 2. Write on their wall "Orlando Weekly sent me for free cupcakes for the whole year" That’s it! Wasn’t that easy? 3 lucky winners will be…
Three More New Mickey Mouse shorts, “Gasp!” “Panda-monium” and “Stayin’ Cool”
In Stayin’ Cool Mickey, Donald and Goofy take up the mantle of the Three Stooges in their attempts to stay cool during a heat wave. In Panda-monium Mickey hits up the Beijing Zoo with his camera to take a picture of a shy panda cub. In Gasp! Mickey and his pet goldfish Gubbles runs into trouble with an…
For Reels Sunday Roundup — August 4th, 2013
It looks like there will be a new box office king in South Korea as Bong Joon-ho’s pan-cultural sci-fi blockbuster Snowpiercer has taken over the Korean box office this weekend, piling up over 3 million admissions and counting in the first five days of release. At that pace, it has a very good shot as surpassing the 13m admissions…
Watch Jay Z’s HBO special, “Picasso Baby” (Free)
For everyone without HBO, Jay Z’s 10 minute performance art short film is now available on his official YouTube channel for free. Directed by Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo and music videos for Weezer and Johnny Cash), the short finds Hova at MOMA in New York singing a piece from his latest album Magna Carta Holy…
First Photos from Inside Springfield USA’s Duff Gardens at Universal Studios Florida
As predicted, the bulk of Springfield USA opened to guests of Universal Studios Florida this morning. While the Kang & Kodos spinner ride remains under wraps for a few more days, construction walls in front of Duff Gardens overnight, revealing Bumblebee Man's taco truck, the Lard Lad donut shop, and several Simpsons surprises. Here's a…
The eloquence of the lambs: How to listen to the Cleveland women
Berry shows Charlie Sheen what “winning” looks like. I always wondered what happened to Catherine Martin. You remember Catherine: She’s the senator’s daughter who was kidnapped by Jame Gumb in The Silence of the Lambs. She’s an interesting character – plucky and determined to survive. At one point in the story, her mother appears on TV…
Short Film Friday: Short Films Masquerading as Music Videos Part II
“The Greeks” by Is Tropical Dir: Megaforce (Animation by Machine Molle) Runtime: 3.5m Album: Native To Watching kids getting shot in the face and having their throats slit during drug buys has never been more completely adorable than in Is Tropical’s live action-animation hybrid that substitutes little kids for gangsters and drug runners in a…
Universal Orlando’s Springfield Expansion Opening This Weekend
As I reported in a June installment of Live Active Cultures, Universal Orlando has been furiously working all season to finish their new Simpsons-themed expansion at Universal Studios Florida. While the “Fast Food Boulevard” section (featuring the infamous “Krustyburger”) has been open for several weeks, construction on the “Duff Gardens” waterfront and Kang & Kodos'…
Orlando Magic Mid-Summer Special to air on FOX Sports Florida
Let’s be honest: Last season wasn’t the best for the City Beautiful’s hometown basketball team, the Orlando Magic. While the team finished the season with fewer wins than any other NBA team, they did place second as “Best Local Sports Team” in this year’s Best of Orlando. And head coach Jacque Vaughn nabbed the second…
Best Taco Stand in a Grocery Store
Tienda Mexicana Jalisco 2021 N. Goldenrod Road 407-282-8339 The brightly colored grocery on Goldenrod Road is frequented as much for the taco stand inside as it is for Latin comestible staples. There, young ladies prepare some of the best and (at $1.50 each) cheapest tacos in the city. Sunday afternoons are popular with Mexican families,…
Best Weed Vendor
John Morgan unitedforcare.org If you’ve ever come across John Morgan (or videos of John Morgan) reveling in nightlife abandon, then it may not surprise you that the man who is “for the people” on your television screens all day is also for himself when he gets a spare minute. Still, Morgan’s surprise announcement earlier this…
Best Pet Supply Store
1. Pookie’s Pet Nutrition & Bow Wow Bakery, 1500 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 407-622-7387, pookiesbowwowbakery.com 2. Woof Gang Bakery, multiple locations, woofgangbakery.com 3. Gracie’s of Winter Garden, 220 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden, 407-654-6169, graciesofwintergarden.com
Best Singer-songwriter
1. Marc With a C, marcwithac.com 2. Kaleigh Baker, kaleighbaker.com 3. Lauren Carder and the Multiple Me, laurencarder.bandcamp.com
Best Country/Folk Act
1. The Mud Flappers, themudflappers.com 2. Tommy Treadway, tommytreadway.com (tie) 2. Thomas Wynn and the Believers, thomaswynnandthebelievers.com (tie) 3. Hindu Cowboys, hinducowboys.com
Best Thing They Did to Make Us Not Want to Go to Walt Disney World Any Time Soon
Jacked Magic Kingdom ticket prices to $95 3111 World Drive, Lake Buena Vista 407-934-7639 disneyworld.disney.go.com Congratulations, Magic Kingdom. You’re now the most expensive theme park in the region.
Best Headline That Tells You Everything You Need to Know
“Rubio currently opposes own immigration bill” If he weren’t such an obnoxious cipher, you’d almost feel bad for Marco Rubio. Trapped between the need for “outreach” to Hispanics and his party’s own nativist base, Rubio took part in the bipartisan Gang of Eight that drafted the immigration bill, then caught shit for it on AM…
Best Restaurant Relocation
Ethos Vegan Kitchen 601-B S. New York Ave., Winter Park 407-228-3898 ethosvegankitchen.com Sure, we miss enjoying our vegan Phillies on the patio in Ethos’ previous Ivanhoe home. Since relocating to Rollins’ domain, Ethos may have buttoned it up just a bit to suit a more commercial space, but with exceedingly convenient results in terms of…
Best Reason to Be a Kid Again
Artists in Wondercamp Misty Forest Enrichment Center 611 N. Hyer Ave. 407-455-1193 mistyforestcenter.wordpress.com Every day, we read local ceramist Jenn Benner’s Facebook updates from Artists in Wondercamp, the kids’ day camp she’s leading this summer, and we surrender to a jealousy that’s ugly to behold. “This morning at ‘Artists in Wondercamp: My Best Fiend, Exploring…
Best Expansion
Fringe Festival takes over Ivanhood orlandofringe.org Every day in every way, they’re getting better and better. OK, maybe the organizers of the annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival aren’t chanting 19th-century self-help guru Émile Coué’s famous autosuggestive mantra to themselves, but it’s working anyway. Each year they tackle a new area of the festival to…
U.S. Court of Appeals dismisses ACLU challenge to Florida voter purge
Democratic U.S. Reps urge Gov. Rick Scott not to renew last year’s flawed voter purge
Best Wakeup Juice
Café con leche at Zaza New Cuban Diner 3500 Curry Ford Road 407-228-0060 zazacubandiner.com There are precious few things that Miami gets right. South Beach is OK, we guess, if you’re into fake tits and fake people and overpriced espressotinis. Other than that, no thanks. Except for the food, that is – specifically, the wonderful,…
Best Health Food Store
1. Whole Foods, 8003 Turkey Lake Road, 407-355-7100; 1989 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, 407-673-8788, wholefoodsmarket.com 2. Chamberlin’s Natural Foods, multiple locations, chamberlins.com 3. Hoover’s Market, 1035 Academy Drive, Altamonte Springs, 407-869-0000, hooversmarket.com
Best Local Jewelry Impacting the Fashion World
Sea of Bees seaofbeesjewelry.com Sea of Bees may be local, but the fantasy warrior motifs the jewelry calls upon seem to be making big splashes elsewhere, too. Sea of Bees has recently made appearances in fashion catalogs like Anthropologie’s winter gift guide and adorable blogs like the Dainty Squid. Lucky for us, we can find…
Best Orlando Magic Decision
Rob Hennigan nba.com/magic When he traded Dwight Howard away for seemingly nothing, Bleacher Report called Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan a genius. Magic fans, who endured a brutal losing season and the NBA’s worst record, needed that sort of emotional security from the newly appointed boss, especially because they couldn’t get it from their…
Best Use of Taxpayer Money
1. Major league soccer stadium 2. Sunrail 3. Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Best Reason to Live in Orlando
1. Weather 2. A Comic Shop, 114 S. Semoran Blvd., 407-332-9636, acomicshop.com 3. Walt Disney World
Best Bakery
1. Blue Bird Bake Shop, 3122 Corrine Drive, 407-228-3822, bluebirdbakeshop.com 2. Charlie’s Gourmet Pastries, 3213 Curry Ford Road, 407-898-9561, charliesgourmetpastries.com 3. Raphsodic Bakery, 710 N. Mills Ave., 407-704-8615, raphsodic.com
Best Restaurant When Someone Else Is Paying
1. The Ravenous Pig, 1234 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park, 407-628-2333, theravenouspig.com 2. The Capital Grille, 9101 International Drive, 407-370-4392; 4200 Conroy Road, 407-351-2210, thecapitalgrille.com 3. Christner’s Prime Steak & Lobster, 729 Lee Road, 407-645-4443, christnersprimesteakandlobster.com (tie) 3. Luma on Park, 290 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-599-4111, lumaonpark.com (tie)
Best Local Author
1. Jodi Renee Thomas, jodireneethomas.com 2. David James (Jamie) Poissant 3. Nicole Antonia Carro (Carson), nicoleantoniacarson.wordpress.com
Best Local Twitter Feed
1. @amediocretime 2. @DanielDennis 3. @ELROSS
Best Local TV News Channel
1. WESH-2 News 2. WFTV-9 News 3. CFNews-13
Best Used Bookstore
1. The Book Worm, 422 N. Bumby Ave., 407-898-7888, thebookwormoforlando.com 2. Brightlight Books, 161 E. State Road 436, Fern Park, 407-622-6657, brightlightbooks.com 3. Maya Books and Music, 201 E. First St., Sanford, 407-321-6504
Best Religious Architecture
St. George Orthodox Church 24 N. Rosalind Ave. 407-422-3230 stgeorgeorlando.org Exotically Eastern European, St. George (a Greek Orthodox church) is entered through a diminutive door. Once you’re inside, the white-marbled lobby re-centers you with candles and tapestry, and while ascending the stair to the sanctuary, you can marvel at gorgeously painted murals, intricate gold-leaf decorative…
Best Twitter Meme
Florida Man Florida, as we all know, is a hot, humid petri dish of weird and dumb and terrible stuff, and it’s high time someone decided to catalog our parade of awful. And so we give you Florida Man, the “world’s worst superhero,” a Twitter handle (@_FloridaMan) chronicling headlines that begin with the words “Florida…
Best Sports Venue
1. Amway Center, 400 W. Church St., 407-440-7000, amwaycenter.com 2. Florida Citrus Bowl, 1 Citrus Bowl Place, 407-440-5700, cityoforlando.net 3. ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, 700 S. Victory Way, Kissimmee, 407-939-1500, espnwwos.disney.go.com
Best Radio Resurrection
Erica Lee, WLOQ 102.5 FM 1025wloq.com There’s only minor irony in the fact that one of Orlando’s harshest broadcast cackles would require the mannered Al Jarreau-isms of smooth jazz to bring her back to morning drive-time prominence. Erica Lee, who spent 19 years as the funnier half of Mix 105’s “Scott and Erica Show,” was…
Best New Local Showcase
Residents Showcase facebook.com/residentsshowcase We’re all about local music. But there’s just so much to sift through, and most of it’s not good. (Trust us on this; we do this professionally.) That’s why this new local music showcase is especially notable. It’s a series curated by Chandler Strang, a noted young musician who recently released nationally…
Best Coffeehouse
1. Drunken Monkey, 444 N. Bumby Ave., 407-893-4994, drunkenmonkeycoffee.com 2. Stardust Video & Coffee, 1842 E. Winter Park Road, 407-623-3393, stardustie.com 3. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 407-975-3364, austinscoffee.com
Best Spa
1. The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Orlando, 4012 Central Florida Parkway, 407-393-4200, ritzcarlton.com 2. The Beauty Spot Spa & Boutique, 2305 Edgewater Drive, Suite E, 407-481-1188, beautyspotinc.com 3. The Spa, 2626 Edgewater Drive, 407-898-7737, thespallc.com
Best Dog Walker
1. Animal Companion Pet Sitting Service, 321-396-7900, animalcompanionpetsitting.com 2. Big Paw Pet Care, 13506 Summer Port Village Parkway, Suite #759, Windermere, 321-345-7387, bigpawpets.com 3. Fetch! Pet Care, 407-545-8196, fetchpetcare.com
Best Club DJ
1. Jimmy Joslin, jimmyjoslin.com 2. DJ A-Rock, facebook.com/djarock1 3. Kittybat, soundcloud.com/kittybat
Best Sushi
1. Amura Japanese Restaurant, multiple locations, amura.com 2. Seito Sushi, 4898 New Broad St., 407-898-8801, 8031 Turkey Lake Road, 407-248-8888, seitosushi.com 3. Sushi Lola’s Japanese and Korean Restaurant, 2806 Corrine Drive, 407-898-5652, sushilolas.com
Best Ice Cream
1. Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, multiple locations, jeremiahsice.com 2. Twistee Treat, multiple locations, twisteetreatusa.com 3. Cold Stone Creamery, multiple locations, coldstonecreamery.com
Best Drunken Hookup Bar
1. Independent Bar, 70 N. Orange Ave., 407-839-0457, facebook.com/independentbarorlando 2. Bar BQ Bar, 64 N. Orange Ave., facebook.com/barbqbar 3. The Lodge, 49 N. Orange Ave., 407-650-8786, downtownlodge.com
Best Renegade Artist Turned Respectable Entrepreneur
Baby BlueStar When we first encountered choreographer/entrepreneur Baby BlueStar, she was presenting her genre- and gender-bending lip-sync show at Orlando’s finest gay bars and Fringe festivals. Half a decade later, Blue is not only the owner of her own theatrical venue (called the Venue), but also a respected Ivanhoe Village board member. Best of all,…
Best Craft Cocktail Bar
1. The Courtesy, 114 N. Orange Ave., 407-450-2041, thecourtesybar.com 2. Hanson’s Shoe Repair, 27 E. Pine St., 407-476-9446, facebook.com/hansonsshoerepair 3. The Woods, 49 N. Orange Ave., 407-203-1114, thewoodsorlando.com
Best Comic Book Based on a Visit to Central Florida
Breakers So What? Press sowhatpress.com/breakers The Atlantic Center for the Arts, our New Smyrna Beach gem of cutting-edge creativity-slash-Skinner box experiment in cultural deprivation for visiting artists, recently hosted an all-cartoonist residency. In October 2012, a group of comics creators got together for three weeks of imagination incubation, and this book is the record of…
Best Produce
1. Freshfields Farm, 400 E. Compton St., 407-423-3309, freshfieldsfarm.com 2. Eat More Produce, 1111 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-647-5292, eatmoreproduce.com 3. Clemons Produce, 3325 Curry Ford Road, 407-897-1413, clemonsproduce.com
Best Random Sample of Orlando Nightcrawlers
Paul McCartney and Bret Michaels perform downtown on the same night: Saturday, May 18, 2013 WMMO Downtown Concert Series featuring Bret Michaels Paul McCartney at the Amway Center Several dozen cops and Guardian Angels watched nervously as a sweaty tension began to permeate Orange Avenue late on the night of Saturday, May 18. The street…
Best Dog Daycare
1. Dog Day Afternoon, 1015 Sligh Blvd., 407-835-9200, dogdayafternoon.net 2. Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat, 1239 Minnesota Ave., Winter Park, 407-622-4884, rangerspetoutpost.com 3. Woof! Orlando, 3529 Edgewater Drive, 407-422-2206, wooforlando.com
Best Local Instructional Cartoonist
Dawn Schreiner dawnschreiner.com facebook.com/dawn.schreiner Showcasing her recent portrait series of U.S. vice presidents, along with quirky commemorations of noteworthy dates, Maitland artist Dawn Schreiner’s Facebook wall is full of miniature illustrated lessons on life and history. Did you know that soldiers assigned to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier “can never drink alcohol or swear…
Best Endangered Dining
Free-range food trucks and hot dog carts Remember how excited everyone was when the food truck trend finally hit Orlando? It was fun – we could pick up gourmet meals on the fly, get empanadas outside our favorite bars, stumble across new culinary delights around practically every corner. Naturally, though, the city just had to…
Best Local Big Shot
1. Aaron Haaland 2. John Morgan 3. Todd Fisher
Best Local Actor/Actress
1. Logan Donahoo 2. Croix Provence 3. Philip Nolen
Best Vintage Clothing Store
1. Dechoes Resale, 2110 Edgewater Drive, 407-648-7480; 2525 E. Colonial Drive, 407-894-6622, dechoesresale.com 2. Etoile Boutique, 2424 E. Robinson St., 407-895-6363, etoileboutique.com 3. The Owl’s Attic, 4031 Forsyth Road, Winter Park, 321-300-6957, theowlzattic.com
Best Sign of Life
New leadership at OMA and CFAM omart.org | cfam.rollins.edu Thus far it’s been business as usual, at least to the eyes of the general public. But behind the scenes, Glen Gentele, the new director of the Orlando Museum of Art, and Ena Heller, the new director of Rollins College’s Cornell Fine Arts Museum, are surely…
Best Beach
1. New Smyrna Beach 2. Cocoa Beach 3. Playalinda Beach
Best Reason to Pucker Up
Pickle shots at Ollie’s Public House 3400 Edgewater Drive 407-999-8934 olliespublichouse.com What’s better than taking a shooter of straight tequila or whiskey? Why, chasing said shot with some spicy pickle juice, of course! This College Park watering hole – sister bar to downtown’s Finnhenry’s – is known for its “dirty” pickle-backs: the Dirty Henry (Patrón…
Best Thing They Did to Make Us Want to Go to Universal Orlando Again
Opened a Simpsons-themed Springfield attraction Universal Orlando, 6000 Universal Blvd. 407-363-8000 universalorlando.com When we heard that Universal Orlando was expanding by theming part of the park to replicate the Simpsons hometown of Springfield, we were immediately excited. When we learned that, not only were they going to build a model town to walk around, but…
Best Fried Chicken (Chinese-Style)
Chuan Lu Garden 1101 E. Colonial Drive 407-896-8966 chuanlugarden.com It’s simple, it’s comforting, and it’ll leave you wanting more even as it tears a hole in your intestine. The wee nuggets of ridiculously fiery chicken make the chongqing lazi a must on any visit to downtown’s Chuan Lu Garden. The intense blast of Sichuan peppercorns…
Best Place to Shop That’ll Make You Feel Like You’re at Your Grandmother’s House
Adjectives Market 1215 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs 407-900-9825 adjectivesmarket.com You really never know what type of vintage and antique treasures you’ll find when you visit Adjectives Market. This 12,000-square-foot space is jam-packed with items from more than 85 dealers selling vintage clothing, handmade furniture, fine linens, collectible mementos, midcentury home decor, jewelry and lots…
Best Thrift Store (Not Just Clothes)
1. Goodwill, multiple locations, goodwill.org 2. Dechoes Resale, 2110 Edgewater Drive, 407-648-7480; 2525 E. Colonial Drive, 407-894-6622, dechoesresale.com 3. Community Thrift Store, 6015 Edgewater Drive, 407-295-2799
Best Indian
1. Gateway to India, 790 E. State Road 434, Longwood, 407-339-9996, gatewaytoindiarestaurant.biz 2. Moghul Indian Cuisine, 401 N. Semoran Blvd., Winter Park, 407-599-9001, moghulindiancuisine.com 3. Tamarind, 501 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 321-207-0760, tamarindfl.com
Best Pub Grub
1. Matilda’s on Park, 358 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-951-5790, facebook.com/matildasonpark 2. Oblivion Taproom, 5101 E. Colonial Drive., 407-802-4800, obliviontaproom.com 3. Fiddler’s Green, 544 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 407-645-2050, fiddlersgreenorlando.com
Best Reggae/Ska Act
1. I-Resolution, iresolutionvibez.com 2. Paddington Ambush, facebook.com/paddingtonambushband 3. The Supervillains, blog.thesupervillains.com
Best Gym
1. YMCA, multiple locations, ymcacentralflorida.com 2. Planet Fitness, multiple locations, planetfitness.com 3. LA Fitness, multiple locations, lafitness.com
Best Olive Bar
Cavallari Gourmet 1954 W. State Road 426, Oviedo 407-365-8000 cavallarigourmet.com If you can make it past the dozens of types of chicken rolls, gorgeous hand-cut meats, deli salads, prepared to-go entrees, wine racks and the artisan beer cooler, you’ll discover Cavallari Gourmet’s olive bar. There are other olive bars in Orlando, certainly, but we highly…
Best Pizza
1. Mellow Mushroom, 2015 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, 407-657-7755; 11680 E. Colonial Drive, 407-384-4455, mellowmushroom.com 2. Lazy Moon, 11551 University Blvd., 407-658-2396, www.lazymoonpizza.com 3. Anthony’s Pizzeria Restaurant, 100 N. Summerlin Ave., 407-648-0009, anthonyspizza.com
Best Gay Bar
1. Parliament House, 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail, 407-425-7571, parliamenthouse.com 2. Savoy, 1913 N. Orange Ave., 407-898-6766, savoyorlando.com 3. Pulse, 1912 S. Orange Ave., 407-649-3888, pulseorlandoclub.com
Best Place That’s Impossible to Google
The Venue 511 Virginia Drive 407-412-6895 thevenueorlando.com We don’t mind a little challenge when it comes to tracking down our city’s newest performance spaces, but the Venue, Ivanhoe’s latest gem, was a true Boolean search puzzle when it first opened. But it was worth the digging, because once you walk into the lobby, loop through…
Best Happy Hour
1. Matilda’s on Park, 358 N. Park Ave., 407-951-5790, matildasonpark.com 2. Dancers Royale, 5221 E. Colonial Drive, 407-281-0120, dancersroyaleorlando.com 3. Savoy, 1913 N. Orange Ave., 407-898-6766, savoyorlando.com
Creed singer Scott Stapp expresses his feelings on Trayvon Martin case
He also has feelings about President Obama, the IRS, civil rights and Edward Snowden
Best Karaoke
1. Korndogg’s Karaoke, rockbandkaraoke.com 2. Big Daddy’s, 3001 Corrine Drive, Winter Park, 407-644-2844, bigdaddysorlando.com 3. O’Shucks Pub and Billiards, 7467 International Drive, 407-352-7892, oshuckspub.com
Best Radio Show
1. A Mediocre Time With Tom and Dan, tomanddan.com 2. The Philips Phile, Real Radio 104.1 FM 3. Johnny’s House, XL 106.7 FM
Best Electronic Act
1. Moon Jelly, facebook.com/moonjellyband 2. Saskatchewan, ssktchwn.com 3. XXYYXX, xxyyxx.bandcamp.com (tie) 3. Tideup, tideup.bandcamp.com (tie) 3. Fearpassage, facebook.com/fearpassage (tie)
Best Place to Camp
1. Wekiwa Springs State Park, 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, 407-884-2008, floridastateparks.org/wekiwasprings 2. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, 4510 N. Fort Wilderness Trail, Lake Buena Vista, 407-939-6244, disneyworld.disney.go.com 3. Moss Park, 12901 Moss Park Road, 407-254-6840, orangecountyfl.net
Best Local Sports Coach
1. Adrian Heath, Orlando City Soccer 2. Jacque Vaughn, Orlando Magic 3. George O’Leary, UCF Knights football
Best Billiards Hall
1. Sportstown Billiards, 2414 E. Robinson St., 407-894-6258, sportstownbilliards.com 2. Backstage Billiards, 8516 Palm Parkway, 407-465-0123, backstagebilliardslbv.com 3. Trick Shots Billiards, multiple locations, trickshotsbilliards.com
Best Bike Rentals
West Orange Trail Bikes &Blades Co. 17914 State Road 438, Winter Garden 407-877-0600 orlandobikerental.com We’d consider the West Orange Trail one of our top Central Florida cycling destinations for a couple of reasons: The trail has both great distance (22 miles in total) for the hard-core cyclists, and for the cruisers, safe and scenic routes…
Best New Roommate
Ace Metric Cycles 1844 E. Winter Park Road 407-790-7802 facebook.com/ace.metric We knew everything was gonna be cool when we saw the Starbucks posters go up in the window of the sad, empty shell of the Bold Hype gallery that sits between caffeine/cocktail mainstay Stardust Video & Coffee and bustling newish hair salon Shag’d. It was…
Best Place to Adopt a Pet
1. Orlando Humane Society/SPCA of Central Florida, 2727 Conroy Road, 407-351-7722, ohs-spca.org 2. Pet Rescue by Judy, 2620 Iroquois Ave., Sanford, 407-302-4497, petrescuebyjudy.com 3. Orange County Animal Services, 2769 Conroy Road, 407-836-3111, ocnetpets.com
Best Bartender
1. Mariel Olcoz at Redlight Redlight, 2810 Corrine Drive, 407-893-9832, facebook.com/redlightredlight 2. Aaron Hardy at Tier Nightclub, 20 E. Central Blvd., 407-317-9129, tiernightclub.com 3. Tammy at Dancers Royale, 5221 E. Colonial Drive, 407-281-0120, dancersroyaleorlando.com
Best Movie Theater
1. Enzian Theater, 1300 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland, 407-629-0054, enzian.org 2. Cobb Plaza Cinema Café, 155 S. Orange Ave., 407-982-5444, cobbtheatres.com 3. AMC Downtown Disney, 1500 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, 407-827-1308, amctheatres.com
Best Bike Shop
1. Orange Cycle, 2204 Edgewater Drive, 407-422-5552, orangecycleorlando.com 2. Ace Metric Cycles, 1844 E. Winter Park Road, Suite A, 407-790-7802, facebook.com/ace.metric 3. Kyle’s Bike Shop, 203 N. Primrose Drive, 407-228-7088, kylesbikeshop.net
Best Late Night Restaurant (serving after 11 p.m.)
1. Tako Cheena, 932 N. Mills Ave., 321-236-7457, takocheena.com 2. Bananas Modern American Diner, 924 N. Mills Ave., 407-480-2200, bananasdiner.com 3. Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria, 67 N. Bumby Ave., 407-894-0865, pompomsteahouse.com
Best New Thing
1. Orlando City Soccer, orlandocitysoccer.com 2. The Danger Room at Acme Superstore, 905 N. State Road 434, Longwood, 407-331-0433, acme-superstore.com 3. Central Florida Community Arts, cfcarts.com
Best TV Newsperson
1. Martha Sugalski, WESH-2 News 2. Bob Opsahl, WFTV-9 3. Danny Treanor, CFNews-13
Best Sandwiches/Subs
1. Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria, 67 N. Bumby Ave., 407-894-0865, pompomsteahouse.com 2. Jersey Mike’s, multiple locations, jerseymikes.com (tie) 2. Jimmy Johns, multiple locations, jimmyjohns.com (tie) 3. 903 Mills Market, 903 S. Mills Ave., 407-898-4392, 903millsmarketcafe.com
Best Local Publication
1. Orlando Weekly, orlandoweekly.com 2. A Comic Book, acomicshop.com 3. Orlando Sentinel, orlandosentinel.com
Best Pho
1. Pho 88 Vietnamese Restaurant, 730 N. Mills Ave., 407-897-3488, pho88orlando.com 2. Little Saigon, 1106 E. Colonial Drive, 407-423-8539, littlesaigonrestaurant.com 3. Pho Hoa, 649 N. Primrose Drive, 407-895-6098, facebook.com/phohoaorlando
Best Local Artist
1. Andrew Spear, spearlife.com 2. George Perez, perez.comicbookseries.info 3. Karen Russell, solaceincolor.com
Best Latin
1. Black Bean Deli, 325 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-628-0294, blackbeandeli.yolasite.com 2. Zaza New Cuban Diner, 3500 Curry Ford Road, 407-228-0060, zazacubandiner.com 3. La Fogata Latin Eatery & Bistro, 767 S. State Road 434, Altamonte Springs, 407-517-4661
Best Farmers Market
1. Winter Park Farmers Market, 200 W. New England Ave., Winter Park, 407-599-3397, cityofwinterpark.org 2. Orlando Farmers Market, Lake Eola Park, corner of East Central Boulevard and North Eola Drive, orlandofarmersmarket.com 3. Winter Garden Farmers Market, 104 S. Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden, wintergardenfarmersmarket.com
Restaurant That Best Replicates Dining on Mumbai’s Streets
Chaat House 9472 S. Orange Blossom Trail 407-240-4922 chaathouseorlando.com Chaat House’s savory South Asian street food is just as animated as its bold, over-the-top Bollywood-style decor. It’s not uncommon to see patrons seated with their feet up, yakking away in assorted Desi dialects while munching on plates of chaat – the cool, sometimes creamy, sometimes…
Best Treat Yo Self Dish
Louis Vuitton roll at Kabooki Sushi 3122 E. Colonial Drive 407-228-3839 kabookisushi.com Treat. Yo. Self. It started as a throwaway Tom-and-Donna subplot on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, but blew up into a memefest/Tumblr avalanche/life philosophy/excuse for doing or buying just about anything you can’t really afford but will make you feel goooood. And in the…
Best Hair Salon
1. Alchemy Hair Salon, 2812 Edgewater Drive, 407-650-8022, alchemyorlando.com 2. Halo Salon & Spa, 1910 Alden Road, 407-898-4256, haloorlando.com 3. J. Bauman Salon, 1043 N. Mills Ave., 407-898-9044, jbaumansalon.com
Best Liquor Store
1. Total Wine & More, 2712 E. Colonial Drive, 407-894-6553; 4625 Millenia Plaza Way, 407-352-6330, totalwine.com 2. ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, multiple locations, abcfws.com 3. Wally’s Mills Avenue Liquors, 1001 N. Mills Ave., 407-896-6975, wallysonmills.com
Best Development in Local Music
Rabbitfoot Records 3548 Hopkins Ave., Titusville 321-362-8153 rabbitfootrecords.com Countless local musicians could’ve wept (from joy) when Rabbitfoot Records announced earlier this year that they were starting an affordable record-cutting service, using a German-imported lathe. The icing on the cake, though, was their next bold steps: becoming an independent record label; signing Palm Bay’s Gillian Carter,…
Best Burgers
1. Graffiti Junktion, multiple locations, graffitijunktion.com 2. Matilda’s on Park, 358 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-951-5790, facebook.com/matildasonpark 3. Beth’s Burger Bar, 24 E. Washington St., 407-650-4950, bethsburgerbar.com
Best One-Hit Wonder
Orlando Solar Bears Coach Drake Berehowsky leaves after one season We were smitten when we heard that Drake Berehowsky would be leading the new Orlando Solar Bears as head coach for their inaugural 2012-2013 ECHL hockey season. No, not just because we couldn’t help but drool over Berehowsky’s hunky good looks; hockey fans all over…
Best Rock Act
1. Random Encounter, randomencounter.com 2. The Passenger, thepassenger.me 3. Thomas Wynn and the Believers, thomaswynnandthebelievers.com
Best New Old-Fashioned Thrill on I-Drive
White Lightning at Fun Spot America – Orlando 5700 Fun Spot Way 407-363-3867 funspotattractions.com Orlando’s big attractions are racing against each other to deliver the latest in ride technology, from 4K 3-D to trackless vehicles, but I-Drive’s Fun Spot built this year’s top new roller coaster by looking backward. Retro-styled and suitable for the whole…
Best Recent Theme Park Addition
1. Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort, 6000 Universal Blvd., 407-363-8000, universalorlando.com 2. Transformers: The Ride-3D, Universal Studios at Universal Orlando Resort, 6000 Universal Blvd., 407-363-8000, universalorlando.com 3. New Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, 407-939-5277, disneyworld.disney.go.com
Best Place to Buy 69-cent Avocados and Other Cheap and Exotic Produce
Fancy Fruit & Produce 2211 S. Goldenrod Road 407-249-7998 Trust us, you’ll feel a little guilty stuffing the trunk of your car with bags and bags of fruit, vegetables, meats and assorted sundries from Fancy Fruit & Produce, ’cuz the prices at this Latin supermercado are just plain loco. Not only are ready-to-eat Hass avocados…
Best Activist
Best Theme Park 1. Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando Resort, 6000 Universal Blvd., 407-363-8000, universalorlando.com 2. Universal Studios, Universal Orlando Resort, 6000 Universal Blvd., 407-363-8000, universalorlando.com 3. Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, 407-939-6244, disneyworld.disney.go.com
Best Booster Bludgeoning
Florida Theatrical Association forces Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts into a deal The daggers and sneers of the pearl-clutching chattering class surrounding Buddy Dyer’s performing arts center dream have been hilariously evident to those in the know since the project’s inception. But back in December, one of DPAC’s largest wounds was paraded in…
Best Pub/Taproom
1. Oblivion Taproom, 5101 E. Colonial Drive, 407-802-4800, obliviontaproom.com 2. Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave., willspub.org 3. Redlight Redlight, 2810 Corrine Drive, 407-893-9832, facebook.com/redlightredlight
Best Seafood
1. Big Fin Seafood Kitchen, 8046 Via Dellagio Way, 407-615-8888, bigfinseafood.com 2. Winter Park Fish Co., 761 Orange Ave., Winter Park, 407-622-6112, thewinterparkfishco.com 3. Boston Fish House, 6860 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, 407-678-2107; 1133 Rinehart Road, Sanford, 407-878-5874, bostonsfishhouse.com
Best Buddy Dyer Pickup Line
Propositioning the Attorney General to undress for the Undie Run In a typical public relations junket that summoned the hollow echoes of City Hall’s gaping rotunda, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi – otherwise known as Legally Blonde, because she squeaks self-righteously and on cue – floated into town to talk about all the hard work…
Best People Watching
1. Lake Eola 2. Winter Park/Park Avenue 3. Downtown Orlando/Orange Avenue
Best Adorable Brunch Dish
Mini biscuits & gravy at Cask & Larder 565 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park 321-280-4200 caskandlarder.com The Ravenous Pig chef-owners Julie and James Petrakis opened sister restaurant Cask & Larder right down the street in Winter Park last year, to rapturous foodie acclaim. We heard tons of positives about the “Southern Public House”: tasty locally…
Best Arts Advocate
1. Frankie Messina, Apartment E, apartmente.com 2. Patrick Greene, Gallery at Avalon Island, avalongallery.org 3. Parker Sketch, local artist, parkersketch.blogspot.com
Best Pub Grub
Spanish-style mac & cheese at Mi Tomatina’s BARcelona 433 W. New England Ave., Winter Park 321-972-4881 mitomatina.com We were first drawn to this Spanish gem in Hannibal Square during an Another Round pub crawl, when we were looking for a booze-absorbing type of meal. One look at BARcelona’s vegetarian tapas menu and we knew the…
Best Sugar-Based Time Travel
Sassafras Sweet Shoppe 115 E. Morse Blvd., Winter Park 407-388-0101 sassafrassweetshoppe.com Don’t get us wrong, Sassafras isn’t just a nostalgia trip. No matter your age – 6 years old or 60 years old – Sassafras will have your favorite childhood candy. Those of mature years will get a rush from the shelves stuffed with Abba-Zaba,…
Best Soul Act
1. The Sh-Booms, theshbooms.com 2. The Legendary JC’s, myspace.com/thelegendaryjcs 3. Fat Night, facebook.com/fatnightmusic
Best Local Sports Team
1. Orlando City Soccer, orlandocitysoccer.com 2. Orlando Magic, orlandomagic.com 3. Orlando Solar Bears, orlandosolarbearshockey.com
Best Liquid Road Trip
Miller’s Hardware Store 143 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park 407-647-3316 millers.doitbest.com There are many reasons to sing the praises of Miller’s Hardware Store – the deep inventory, the fact that it’s locally owned and has served the area for more than 65 years, the fact that it was once known as “The Woman’s Hardware Store”…
Best Pop Act
1. Claire and the Potatoes, facebook.com/claireandthepotatoes 2. Beebs and Her Money Makers, bahmm.com 3. Saskatchewan, ssktchwn.com
Best Feeling of Anticipation
Waiting for East End Market to open 3201 Corrine Drive 321-236-3316 eastendmkt.com We’ve been looking forward to Audubon Park’s “neighborhood market and cultural food hub” since it was announced in early 2012, and anxiously eyeballing construction progress on every trip down Corrine since. Developer John Rife (of Winter Park Harvest Festival renown) and organizers from the…
Best Yoga Studio
1. Orlando Power Yoga, 2415 E. South St., 407-719-0101, orlandopoweryoga.com 2. College Park Yoga, 3029 Edgewater Drive, 407-999-7871, collegeparkyoga.com 3. Full Circle Yoga, 972B Orange Ave., Winter Park, 407-644-3288, fullcircleyoga.com
Best Wine Bar
1. Eola Wine Co., 136 Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-647-9103; 430 E. Central Blvd., 407-481-9100, eolawinecompany.com 2. The Wine Room on Park Avenue, 270 Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-696-9463, thewineroomonline.com 3. The Imperial, 1800 N. Orange Ave., 407-228-4992; 116 E. First St., Sanford, 407-332-1449, imperialwinebar.com
Best Summer Hang
Banana Hammock Republic hammocks bananahammockrepublic.net or etsy.com/shop/chairsareforchumps Artist Brendan O’Connor has a dream: No one should ever go without a place to sit. Or, perhaps, lie down and take a nap. Building on the success of his SIT project (thesitproject.com), which installed decorated chairs at local LYNX bus stops that lack seating, O’Connor founded the…
Best Smoke Shop
1. Climax, multiple locations, orlandosmokeshop.com 2. Corona Cigar Co., multiple locations, coronacigar.com 3. Kathmandu, 23 S. Court Ave., 407-316-0026; 352 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-647-7071, tribalasia.com
Best Barbecue
1. 4 Rivers Smokehouse, multiple locations, 4rsmokehouse.com 2. Bubbalou’s Bodacious Barbecue, multiple locations, bubbalous.com 3. Cecil’s Texas Style Bar-B-Q, 2800 S. Orange Ave., 407-423-9871, cecilsbbq.com
Best Teahouse
1. Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria, 67 N. Bumby Ave., 407-894-0865, pompomsteahouse.com 2. Dandelion Communitea Café, 618 N. Thornton Ave., 407-362-1864, dandelioncommunitea.com 3. Infusion Tea, 1600 Edgewater Drive, 407-999-5255, infusionorlando.com
Best Hip-hop Act
1. Sollillaquists of Sound, solilla.com 2. Luscious Lisa, facebook.com/lusciouslisamusic 3. E-Turn and DJ SPS, eturnmusic.com (tie) 3. Swamburger, facebook.com/swamburger (tie)
Best Tiny Baklava
Mediterranean Blue 435 E. Michigan St. 407-422-2583 mediterraneanblue.net Perhaps it’s a testament to how much we love virtually everything on the menu at South Orlando Greek eatery Mediterranean Blue, but there’s something about the super sweet-and-flaky homemade baklava – most notably, its size – that really sticks to our ribs. Actually, it’s not really tiny…
Best Vietnamese
1. Pho 88, 730 N. Mills Ave., 407-897-3488, pho88orlando.com 2. Little Saigon, 1106 E. Colonial Drive, 407-423-8539, littlesaigonrestaurant.com 3. Saigon Flavors, 3573 Aloma Ave., Oviedo, 407-951-8818, saigonflavors.net
Best Urban Planning Fail
Drinking hours With all due hilarity, the Orlando city government sneakily resurrected its decade-old plan to expand downtown drinking hours to 3 a.m. earlier this year, something it swore it was doing with both transparency and economic development in mind. Except much of what the city was attempting to do – via private meetings among…
Best Mexican
1. Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant, 929 N. Semoran Blvd., 407-275-5035 2. Gringos Locos, 20 E. Washington St., 407-841-5626, eatgringos.com 3. Tijuana Flats, multiple locations, tijuanaflats.com Related Stories
Best Radio Personality
1. Jim Philips, The Philips Phile, Real Radio 104.1 FM 2. Johnny Magic, Johnny’s House, XL 106.7 FM 3. Daniel Dennis, A Mediocre Time With Tom and Dan, tomanddan.com
Best Czech Point
Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens 633 Osceola Ave., Winter Park 407-647-6294 polasek.org This Czech émigré’s waterfront home is a gorgeous setting for his monumental expressionistic sculptures, dating back to the 1940s. While its current programming suits the Sunday painter more than the serious artist, it is still a beautiful setting for events, and a…
Best Bar (smoking)
1. Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave., willspub.org 2. Dancers Royale, 5221 E. Colonial Drive, 407-281-0120, dancersroyaleorlando.com 3. Sportstown Billiards, 2414 E. Robinson St., 407-894-6258, sportstownbilliards.com
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Best Local Politician in Need of a Reality Check
1. Mayor Buddy Dyer 2. Gov. Rick Scott 3. Mayor Teresa Jacobs Related Stories
Best Punk Act
1. The Attack, theattack.us 2. Tef London, teflondonska.com 3. Awesome and the Ass Kickers, myspace.com/awesomeandtheasskickers
Best Hummus
1. Dandelion Communitea Café, 618 N. Thornton Ave., 407-362-1864, dandelioncommunitea.com 2. Falafel Café, 12140 Collegiate Way, 407-382-6600, falafelcafe.com 3. Hummus House Pitas and Salads, 11565 University Blvd., 407-282-7482, hummushouse.com
Best Latin Act
1. Rico Monaco Band, ricomonaco.com 2. Urbe Prima, urbeprima.com 3. Abdias Ernesto Garcia, abdiasernestogarcia.com
Best Craft Beer Bar
1. Redlight Redlight, 2810 Corrine Drive, 407-893-9832, facebook.com/redlightredlight 2. The Gnarly Barley, 7431 S. Orange Ave., 407-854-4999, thegnarlybarley.com 3. Oblivion Taproom, 5101 E. Colonial Drive, 407-802-4800, obliviontaproom.com
Best Place to Buy Furniture
1. IKEA, 4092 Eastgate Drive, 407-355-3155, ikea.com 2. 1618 Something Different, 1618 N. Orange Ave., 407-897-6707, somethingdifferentretro.com 3. Washburn Imports, 1800 N. Orange Ave., 407-228-4403; 116 E. First St., Sanford, 407-898-4230, washburnimports.com
Best Neighborhood
1. College Park 2. Winter Park 3. Thornton Park
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) To add zest to mealtime, you might choose food that has been seasoned with red chili peppers, cumin or other piquant flavors. Some chimpanzees have a similar inclination, which is why they like to snack on red fire ants. Judging from the astrological omens, I’m guessing you are currently in a…
Best World-Class Collection of Modern Architecture
Walt Disney World From the 1970 Contemporary Hotel and Epcot’s geodesic dome designed by the Imagineers, to Arata Isozaki’s Human Resources Building (aka “the cooling tower”), to Michael Graves’ Swan and Dolphin hotels and Gwathmey Siegel’s convention center, Disney has been a patron of high modern architecture since the beginning. Unlike most of Disney’s other…
Best Place to Relax Outdoors
1. Lake Eola Park, 195 N. Rosalind Ave., 407-246-4485, cityoforlando.net 2. the beach 3. Wekiwa Springs State Park, 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, 407-884-2008, floridastateparks.org/wekiwasprings
Best Metal Act
1. Sci-Fried, sci-friedband.com 2. Gargamel!, gargamel.net 3. Meka Nism, meka-nism.com
Best Local Public Facebook Feed
1. A Mediocre Time With Tom and Dan 2. Orlando Hipsters 3. Orlando City Soccer
Worst Use of Taxpayer Money
1. Amway Center 2. Sunrail 3. Toll roads
Best Tiny Tasting Room
The Hourglass Brewery 255 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd., Longwood 407-262-0056 thehourglassbrewery.com Hourglass Brewery is one of the new kids on the Orlando craft-beer block, but thousands of drinkers flocked to the grand opening of the locally owned brewery last year. We’re not sure how all those people fit into the humble tasting room (it’s itty-bitty,…
Best Radio Station
1. Real Radio 104.1 FM, WTKS 2. WPRK 91.5 FM 3. XL 106.7 FM
Best Rebirth
Gallery at Avalon Island 39 S. Magnolia Ave. avalongallery.org The intimate space on the ground floor of the historic Rogers Building has been an art-lover’s downtown destination for years, and its absence has been felt during its recent shuttering. The good news is that the gallery has reopened; the better news is that there’s a…
Best Juice/Smoothies
1. Planet Smoothie, multiple locations, planetsmoothie.com 2. Juice Bar, 23 E. South St., 407-446-9257, juicebarorlando.com 3. Tropical Smoothie, multiple locations, tropicalsmoothie.com
Best Rolling Tastemaker
Rydes Pedicab Co. facebook.com/rydespedicab You never truly get a sense of somebody until you’ve seen them at their worst. Not only does Luke McHenry, owner of downtown rickshaw roadsters Rydes Pedicab Co., see some of the best late-night pedestrian horrors – girl-drink drunks stumbling through alleyways with smears of tears and regret; juiced-up jocks punching…
Best Jazz Act
1. Bernie Lee Trio 2. Absinthe Trio, myspace.com/acidjazztheabsinthe 3. The Cook Trio, thecooktrio.com
Best Place to Canoe/Kayak/Paddleboard
1. Wekiwa Springs State Park, 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, 407-884-2008, floridastateparks.org/wekiwasprings 2. Wekiva Island, 1014 Miami Springs Drive, Longwood, 407-862-1500, wekivaisland.com 3. Lake Ivanhoe Park, 57 S. Ivanhoe Blvd., 407-246-2283, cityoforlando.net
Best Middle Eastern
1. Falafel Café, 12140 Collegiate Way, 407-382-6600, falafelcafe.com 2. Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine, 108 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-644-8609; 7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd., 407-352-6766, bosphorousrestaurant.com 3. Tony’s Deli, 1323 N. Mills Ave., 407-898-6689, facebook.com/tonysdelis
Best Blood Equality
Banned4Life banned4life.org Seminole State College student Blake Lynch was denied the ability to donate blood earlier this year to help his friend Emmy, who suffers from sickle cell anemia and requires transfusions frequently. The reason Lynch was denied is because he is gay, and since 1983, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has refused the…
Best Reason to Leave Orlando
1. Weather 2. Traffic 3. Tourists
Best Locally Made Bag to Hold Your iPad
Farm satchel from Makr Carry Goods makr.com Yay, you got an iPad! Now if only you had something decent to carry it around in – your purse is too small, your laptop bag is too big, everything you see in the mall is the opposite of attractive. We are about to let you in on a…
Best Open Mic
Best Open Mic 1. Austin’s Coffee and Film, 929 W. Fairbanks Ave., 407-975-3364, austinscoffee.com 2. Natura Coffee and Tea, 12078 Collegiate Way, 407-482-5000, naturaorlando.com 3. The Hammered Lamb, 1235 N. Orange Ave., 407-704-3200, hammeredlamb.com
Best Meat
1. Meat House, 669 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park, 407-629-6328, themeathouse.com 2. Freshfields Farm, 400 E. Compton St., 407-423-3309, freshfieldsfarm.com 3. Petty’s Meats, 2141 W. State Road 434, Longwood, 407-862-0400, pettysmeats.com
Best Old Thing That Hasn’t Changed and Never Should
Lee & Rick’s Oyster Bar 5621 Old Winter Garden Road 407-293-3587 leeandricksoysterbar.com Things change. Time rolls on. And there are many vestiges of Florida’s past (hell, and present) we could do without. But there’s one thing, as old and rundown as it is, that we hope never changes: Lee & Rick’s, the absolute best oyster…
Best Pageant-Ready Wig Pick Even When You’re Not a Queen
Chris Martin, Copperhead Salon 1235 N. Orange Ave., #201 407-898-6636 copperheadsalon.com Copperhead owner Chris Martin is not only responsible for nearly all of the flying hair you see in this dolled-out issue, he also – full disclosure – rats and chops and bleaches the heads of Orlando Weekly news hounds Erin Sullivan and Billy Manes…
Savage Love
I am a 28-year-old gay man living in a major East Coast city. I recently connected with a guy on a vanilla dating website, and we are quickly developing a real interest in each other. After talking online for a bit, we exchanged numbers. Our first conversation was through text messages for the better part…
Best Record Store
1. Park Ave CDs, 2916 Corrine Drive, 407-447-7275, parkavecds.com 2. Rock & Roll Heaven, 1814 N. Orange Ave., 407-896-1952, rock-n-rollheaven.com 3. East West Music & More, 4895 S. Orange Ave., 407-859-8991
Best Local Poet/Spoken Word Artist
1. Tod Caviness, @wiggystarbucks 2. Curtis Meyer, facebook.com/curtismeyerwinterpark 3. Shawn Welcome, shawnwelcome.bandzoogle.com
Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners
1. Park Avenue in Winter Park 2. Walt Disney World 3. Acme Superstore, 905 N. State Road 434, Longwood, 407-331-0433, acme-superstore.com
Best Cupcake
1. Blue Bird Bake Shop, 3122 Corrine Drive, 407-228-3822, bluebirdbakeshop.com 2. The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck, 407-494-9336, theyumyumcupcaketruck.com 3. Sweet! by Good Golly Miss Holly, 711 N. Alafaya Trail, 407-277-7746, sweetbyholly.com
Best Facebook Window Shopping
Chic Boutique 2818 Corrine Drive 407-286-2949 facebook.com/chicboutiqueorlando We love consignment shopping, especially when we can shop at a designer-focused resale store like Chic Boutique in Audubon Park. Not only does this shop have an ever-changing inventory – BCBG sandals, Prada handbags, Lilly Pulitzer dresses, among other trendy women’s fashions – but if you follow them…
Best Cute Animals in Real Life
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Facebook page facebook.com/MyFWC From pictures of baby sea turtles (awwww) to tales of lobster poachers (boooo) to explanations of ant lions (yuck?), the Florida Wildlife Commission’s Facebook page offers a controlled dose of wildness to consume with your morning coffee every day. MyFWC, the department’s official Facebook page, streams…
Best Activist
1. Stephanie Porta 2. Timothy Murray 3. Billy Manes
Best Comic Book Store
1. A Comic Shop, 114 S. Semoran Blvd., Suite 6, Winter Park, 407-332-9636, acomicshop.com 2. Acme Superstore, 905 E. State Road 434, Longwood, 407-331-0433, acme-superstore.com 3. Coliseum of Comics, multiple locations, coliseumofcomics.com
Best Boutique
1. Etoile Boutique, 2424 E. Robinson St., 407-895-6363, etoileboutique.com 2. Zou Zou Boutique, 2 N. Summerlin Ave., 407-843-3373; 7988 Via Dellagio Way, Suite 100, 407-601-7727, zouzouboutique.com 3. Dear Prudence Shop, 2912 Corrine Drive, 407-894-8941, dresssweet.com
Best French
1. Le Coq au Vin, 4800 S. Orange Ave., 407-851-6980, lecoqauvinrestaurant.com 2. Chez Vincent, 533 W. New England Ave., Winter Park, 407-599-2929, chezvincent.com 3. Paris Bistro, 216 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-671-4424, parisbistroparkave.com
Best Adult Entertainment Store
1. Fairvilla Megastore, 1740 N. Orange Blossom Trail, 407-425-6005, fairvilla.com 2. Premier Couples Superstore, 5009 S. Orange Blossom Trail, 407-857-2050, premiercouples.net
Best Activist Group
1. Food Not Bombs, foodnotbombs.net 2. Organize Now!, orgnow.org 3. Equality Florida, eqfl.org
Best Wings
1. Gator’s Dockside, multiple locations, gatorsdockside.com 2. Buffalo Wild Wings, multiple locations, buffalowildwings.com 3. Wing House, multiple locations, winghouse.com
Best Unintentionally Hilarious Job Posting
SeaWorld is hiring a sushi cook On June 12, we tweeted a job posting for partner site OrlandoJobs.com. It read: “Orlando SeaWorld is hiring a sushi cook. Apply now!” Our Twitter followers, always on the ball, were quick to respond: “Look at that beautiful creature! I bet it’s delicious,” replied @XFadedGloryX. “Um, you don’t cook…
Best Making of Something From Nothing
Cardboard Art Festival Jan. 25-27, 2013 cardboardartfestival.com First it was a jam-packed art opening featuring seven talented Orlando artists, then it became a pop-up dinner featuring chef Bryce Balluff and the Orlando Symphony Youth Orchestra. Then it was a daytime kids matinee that later became a music and puppetry performance by Dog Powered Robot and…
Most Improved Music Room
The Peacock Room 1321 N. Mills Ave. 407-228-0048 thepeacockroom.com The now non-smoking Peacock has recently undergone general renovation, but the upgrades to the music room are what matter most to us. The more open space now has a proper stage, better sound system, taller ceiling height, visual connection with the street (for now) and no…
Best Cheese
Mr. Belding at Mac & Cheese facebook.com/independentbarorlando Early-’90s teen sitcom Saved by the Bell isn’t your garden-variety bad. It’s uniquely, spectacularly bad. That’s why bringing Mr. Belding in to host a special celebrity edition of a dance night dedicated to cheese is just about the pinnacle of stupid perfection. Just ask the 900 people who…
Best Caribbean
1. Bahama Breeze, multiple locations, bahamabreeze.com 2. Mark’s Caribbean Cuisine, 10034 University Blvd., 407-699-8800, healthyjamaicanfood.com (tie) 2. Caribbean Sunshine Bakery, multiple locations, caribbeansunshinebakery.net (tie) 3. Singh’s Roti Shop, 5244 Old Winter Garden Road, 407-253-2900, singhsrotishop.com
Best New (Mostly) Free Music Room
Lil Indies 1036 N. Mills Ave. willspub.org This little secret has become arguably the best new craft brew hideaway on Mills Avenue. But because it’s the sister spot to Will’s Pub, it only took a short while for the music strand deep in its DNA to show. Now, it’s host to a vibrant carousel of…
Best Public Art
1. Painted utility boxes in various locations around town 2. Murals by Andrew Spear 3. Paint the Trail in Seminole County
Best Artist With Guts
Boy Kong Play Nice, Die Young at Peacock Room, May 2013 900 Lives at CityArts Factory, June 2013 facebook.com/boy.kong Orlando artist Boy Kong first wowed us with his spectacular 3-D painted-wood works displayed at Tako Cheena last October (Anti-Happy Story Time), and that was before we found out that he’s only 19 years old. Following…
Best Greek
B 1. Mediterranean Blue, 435 E. Michigan St., 407-422-2583, mediterraneanblue.net 2. The Greek Corner, 1600 N. Orange Ave., 407-228-0303, thegreekcorner.net 3. Cypriana, 505 Semoran Blvd., Casselberry, 407-834-8088; 12309 E. Colonial Drive, 407-286-4051, cyprianausa.com
Best Extended Programming
Daytime hours and docent tours at Snap! 2013 snaporlando.com Art parties are great, but are they great for art? Whether it’s Art Basel Miami Beach or Snap! Orlando, the work is surrounded, almost obscured, by crowds of people – who, as is to be expected at a fabulous social event, are paying more attention to…
Best Sports Bar
1. Sportstown Billiards, 2414 E. Robinson St., 407-894-6258, sportstownbilliards.com 2. The Hideaway Bar, 516 Virginia Drive, 407-898-5892, thehideawaybar.net 3. Gator’s Dockside, 12448 Lake Underhill Road, 407-249-9444; 5142 Dr. Phillips Blvd., 407-770-6049, gatorsdockside.com
Best Live Music Club
1. The Social, 54 N. Orange Ave., 407-246-1419, thesocial.org 2. Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave., willspub.org 3. House of Blues Orlando, 1490 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, hob.com
Best Local Label That’s Not Local
Father/Daughter Records fatherdaughterrecords.com and facebook.com/fatherdaughterrecords Father/Daughter Records may be dually based out of San Francisco and Miami, but they’re clearly keeping tabs on what’s happening in Central Florida, including releasing local dream-pop band Saskatchewan’s long-awaited debut LP Occasion, as well as a 7-inch from Levek in 2010. Literally a father-daughter label, they’ve proven to be…
Best Literary Reading Series
1. There Will Be Words, twbw.tumblr.com 2. Functionally Literate, functionallyliterate.org 3. Parcels: MFAs in Progress at Urban ReThink, urbanrethink.com (tie) 3. Winter With the Writers, rollins.edu/winterwiththewriters (tie)
Best Charitable Group
1. MAP Foundation, facebook.com/findyourmap 2. Mustard Seed, mustardseedfla.org 3. Pet Rescue by Judy, petrescuebyjudy.com
Best Bar Theming
Lot1433 lot1433.com and facebook.com/lot1433 Stepping into the Courtesy feels like wandering into an old-fashioned space (worthy of serving the classic drink by the same name) through a Narnia-esque portal – it’s that big a shift from downtown’s otherwise downtrodden curb appeal. The most immediate impact comes by savoring the theming and details executed so rustically…
Best Bar (non-smoking)
1. Lil Indies, 1036 N. Mills Ave., willspub.org 2. The Geek Easy, 114 S. Semoran Blvd., 407-332-9636, facebook.com/thegeekeasy 3. The Peacock Room, 1321 N. Mills Ave., 407-228-0048, thepeacockroom.com
Best Local Politician
1. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer 2. Congressman Alan Grayson (tie) 2. Commissioner Patty Sheehan (tie) 3. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs
Best Neighborhood to Walk Around That We Never Thought We’d Want to Walk Around
Baldwin Park neighborhood New Broad Street and its environs on Lake Baldwin OK, we admit it: We were haters. We tend to turn our noses up at the Stepford Wifery of planned communities, so it took us a while to come around on Baldwin Park. But once we started finding ourselves wandering its paved footpaths,…
Best Dog Park
1. Fleet Peeples Park, 2000 S. Lakemont Ave., Winter Park, 407-599-3334, cityofwinterpark.org 2. Paw Park, 427 French Ave., Sanford, sanfordfl.gov 3. Dr. P. Phillips Community Park, 8249 Buenavista Woods Blvd., 407-254-9045, drphillips.org
Best Biergarten in the Woods
German-American Society of Central Florida’s annual Oktoberfest 381 Orange Lane, Casselberry 407-834-0574 gasocf.com So you heard there was this authentic Oktoberfest thing happening in Casselberry, and you had nothing to do that night anyway. You didn’t expect much, until you drove up Orange Lane and saw the German Alps-style lodge down this middle-of-nowhere road. Whoa. You…
Best-Kept Secret
1. Geek Easy (A Comic Shop), 114 S. Semoran Blvd., 407-332-9636, acomicshop.com 2. A Mediocre Time With Tom and Dan podcast, tomanddan.com 3. The Danger Room at ACME Superstore, 905 N. State Road 434, Longwood, 407-331-0433, acme-superstore.com
Best Downtown
Sanford Poor Sanford’s reputation has taken a beating over the last year and a half, and the merchants of the city’s super-cute historic downtown are the ones who’ve felt the brunt of it. We’ve heard from several that business was depressed as the city tried to get out from behind the shadow of the Zimmerman…
Best Waterfront Lunch Spot
Lake Minneola Inn and Tiki Bar 508 S. Main Ave., Minneola 352-394-2232 Located off the beaten path, just to the northeast of Clermont, this outdoor tiki bar adjacent to the tiny Lake Minneola Inn offers a prime sip-and-nosh setup. It’s entirely outdoors, save for the bar area, and it’s the kind of casual place where…
Best Climbing Thing for Children Under 7
Denning Park Community Playground 255 S. Denning Drive, Winter Park 407-599-3397 Climbing is hard in flat-as-a-pancake Orlando – children resort to bookshelves, countertops, grandparents. Of all the playground equipment around the city, Denning Park’s Community Playground offers a grandly huge, labyrinthine wooden contraption on soft, non-ouchy mulch. It’s custom-designed, rather than a brand-name prefab made…
Best Comfort Food With a Kick
Jalapeño mashed potatoes from Cecil’s Texas Style Bar-B-Q 2800 S. Orange Ave. 407-423-9871 cecilsbbq.com We guarantee your office holiday party is nothing compared to an OW holiday party. That’s mainly because, besides the annual trip to Wally’s (after the official party), every year we stuff ourselves with grub from Cecil’s Bar-B-Q, and that includes an…
Best Kids’ Consignment Shop
Klassy Kidz 232 State Road 436, Casselberry 407-260-5439 klassykidz.com Unlike other resale shops, where you can’t find anything good because the stuff is all piled up (and often all ragged-out and nasty), at Klassy Kidz you can actually see the merchandise. The shop has recently been redone; it’s well-lit and offers a good shopping experience.…
Best Water Park
1. Wet ’n Wild, 6200 International Drive, 407-351-1800, wetnwildorlando.com 2. Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark, 5800 Water Play Way, 407-351-3600, aquaticabyseaworld.com 3. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, 407-939-6244, disneyworld.disney.go.com
Best Local News Writer
1. Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel 2. Billy Manes, Orlando Weekly 3. Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel
Best Mini Golf
1. Congo River Golf, multiple locations, congoriver.com 2. Hollywood Drive-In Golf, CityWalk at Universal Orlando, 407-802-4848, hollywooddriveingolf.com 3. Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf, 8501 International Drive, 407-352-7378; 12545 State Road 535, Lake Buena Vista, 407-827-1242, piratescove.net
Best Place to Drink Sangria From a Chicken
The Garlic 556 E. Third Ave., New Smyrna Beach 386-424-6660 thegarlic.net We won’t go into the cozy courtyard ambience or executive chef Michael Perri’s rustic-yet-refined menu of Italian dishes. It’s no matter that one step inside the Garlic has you feeling like you’re at home – if you’re from a big, welcoming Tuscan family, that…
Best Dive Bar
1. The Hideaway Bar, 516 Virginia Drive, 407-898-5892, thehideawaybar.net 2. Dive Bar, 63 N. Orange Ave., 407-425-9908, facebook.com/dive.bar.orlando 3. Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave., willspub.org
Best Local Lake for Watersports
1. Lake Conway, two public boat ramps: Fern Creek and Waterwitch Drive; Randolph Street and Hoffner Avenue 2. Lake Butler/Butler Chain of Lakes, public access at R.D. Keene Park and Boat Ramp, 10900 Chase Road, Windermere, 407-836-6200, ocfl.net 3. Lake Ivanhoe Park, 57 S. Ivanhoe Blvd., 407-246-2283, cityoforlando.net
Best Steakhouse
1. Christner’s Prime Steak & Lobster, 729 Lee Road, 407-645-4443, christnersprimesteakandlobster.com 2. The Capital Grille, 9101 International Drive, 407-370-4392; 4200 Conroy Road, 407-351-2210, thecapitalgrille.com 3. Linda’s La Cantina Steak House, 4721 E. Colonial Drive, 407-894-4491, lindaslacantinasteakhouse.com
Best Return on Investment
Orlando Predators 407-648-4444 orlandopredators.com It’s the thought that counts, and although the Orlando Predators didn’t win at least 10 of their 18 games last season, they’re still fulfilling their half of the “losing is unacceptable” performance guarantee bargain by crediting season ticketholders to make up for games they blew. So, heads up: Next year could…
Best Music Festival
1. Nerdapalooza, nerdapalooza.org 2. Florida Music Festival, floridamusicfestival.com 3. Orange You Glad Music Festival, orangeyougladfest.com
Best Theater Company
1. Skill Focus Burlesque, skillfocusburlesque.com 2. Mad Cow Theatre, 54 W. Church St., 407-297-8788, madcowtheatre.com (tie) 2. Orlando Shakespeare Theater, 812 E. Rollins St., 407-447-1700, orlandoshakes.org (tie) 3. SAK Comedy Lab, 29 S. Orange Ave., 407-648-0001, sak.com
Best Museum
1. Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 N. Mills Ave., 407-896-4231, omart.org 2. Orlando Science Center, 777 E. Princeton St., 407-514-2000, osc.org 3. Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, 445 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-645-5311, morsemuseum.org
Best Art Event/Festival
1. The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, orlandofringe.org 2. Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, wpsaf.org 3. Nerdapalooza, nerdapalooza.org
Best Local Pinterest Feed
1. Yum Yum Cupcake Truck 2. Devin Dominguez (/devinshaircut)
Best Repurposed Snopes Idiocy
David Siegel emails threat to staff We really didn’t need many more reasons to doubt the worth in human weight of Westgate billionaire noisemaker David Siegel – he has, after all, been courting scandal forever, and was made to look a total fool in that Queen of Versailles docu-takedown – but when he, like other…
Best T-shirts
1. Mother Falcon, 819 E. Washington St., 407-423-3060, motherfalconclothing.com 2. Impress Ink, 1720 N. Goldenrod Road, Unit 2, 407-982-5646, impressink.com 3. Enemy Ink, 1500 Alden Road, 407-788-7865, enemyink.com
Best City Park
1. Lake Eola Park, 195 N. Rosalind Ave., 407-246-4485, cityoforlando.net 2. Central Park, 251 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-599-3334, cityofwinterpark.org 3. Dickson Azalea Park, 100 Rosearden Drive, 407-246-2283, cityoforlando.net
Best Cheap Eats
1. Tako Cheena, 932 N. Mills Ave., 321-236-7457, takocheena.com 2. Gringos Locos, 20 E. Washington St., 407-841-5626, eatgringos.com 3. Tijuana Flats, multiple locations, tijuanaflats.com
Best Girl Talk
Orange County Commissioner Jennifer Thompson and the glory of textgate Not that any of us were under the illusion that Orange County government wasn’t a well-lit one-stop shop for development, lobbyist and big business concerns – “sprawl” is practically our middle name – but few could have expected the brazen cluelessness with which the county’s…
Best Music Release Event
The Sh-Booms at Independent Bar theshbooms.com For their release parties, most bands just get up on the stage of whatever bar they haunt most and play their usual set. But not these Orlando soul revivalists. Befitting their grand, dazzling style, they filmed a professional video for their single (“123”), took over the city’s best indie…
Best Diner
1. Bananas Modern American Diner, 924 N. Mills Ave., 407-480-2200, bananasdiner.com 2. Christo’s Café, 1815 Edgewater Drive, 407-425-8136 3. Junior’s Diner, 2920 Corrine Drive, 407-894-8871
Best Club Night
1. Grits & Gravy at Independent Bar, 70 N. Orange Ave., 407-839-0457, facebook.com/independentbarorlando 2. Shotspitality Tuesdays at Vintage Lounge, 114 S. Orange Ave., 407-649-0000, thevintagelounge.com 3. Takeovr at Roxy, 740 Bennett Road, 407-898-4004, roxyorlando.com
Best Outdoor Dining
1. Hillstone Restaurant, 215 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-740-4005, hillstone.com/hillstone 2. 903 Mills Market, 903 S. Mills Ave., 407-898-4392, 903millsmarketcafe.com 3. Relax Grill, 211 Eola Parkway, 407-425-8440, relaxgrill.com
Best Tattoo/Piercing Studio
1. Black Chapel Tattoo Studio, 693 N. Orange Ave. #200, 407-420-9636, blackchapeltattoos.com 2. Orlando Tattoo Company, 11229 E. Colonial Drive, 407-412-5922, orlandotattoocompany.com 3. Ascension Custom Dermagraphics, 832 N. Mills Ave., 407-898-2013, ascensiontattoo.com
Best Wine Shop
1. Total Wine & More, 2712 E. Colonial Drive, 407-894-6553; 4625 Millenia Plaza Way, 407-352-6330, totalwine.com 2. Tim’s Wine Market, multiple locations, timswine.com 3. Cavanaugh’s Fine Wines, 1215 Edgewater Drive, 407-426-7510, cavwines.com
Best Have-It-Your-Way Customization
Private Island Ice Cream 14650 Gatorland Drive 407-433-9545 privateislandicecream.com Hunter Creek’s Private Island Ice Cream uses technology to ensure you won’t have to share with anyone – each serving is frozen to order using liquid nitrogen, and customers can choose from a vast array of ingredients for an ice cream built to their exact specifications.…
Best Chinese
1. Hawkers, 1103 N. Mills Ave., 407-237-0606, facebook.com/hawkersstreetfare 2. Imperial Dynasty Chinese Restaurant, 2045 W. State Road 434, Longwood, 407-786-2266, imperialdynasty.com 3. Lam’s Garden, 2505 E. Colonial Drive, 407-896-0370
Best Freak Music Derby
Pedal Challenge facebook.com/pedalchallengehq This is not the talent-show lameness or corporate shilling of your typical band battle. It’s a wildly left-field individual music challenge imagined by some of the freakiest minds of the local underground, and it’s won by whoever best combines the ability to work effects pedals and the talent for inspired extemporaneous experimentalism.…
Best Art Night
1. Acme Ferox Art Night, acme-superstore.com 2. Third Thursday Arts Walk and gallery hop, downtown Orlando, cityartsfactory.com 3. 1st Thursdays at Orlando Museum of Art, omart.org
Best Case Studies to Stop Indoor Smoking
The success of Peacock Room and Lil Indies The Peacock Room 1321 N. Mills Ave. 407-228-0048 thepeacockroom.com Lil Indies 1036 N. Mills Ave. willspub.org Tobacco use kills more people annually than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. This fact makes indoor smoking particularly distressing for live music fans who cannot escape the stench of premature death…
Best Bowling Alley
1. Colonial Lanes, 400 N. Primrose Drive, 407-894-0361, coloniallanes.net 2. Boardwalk Bowl Entertainment Center, 10749 E. Colonial Drive, 407-384-0003, alomabowlingcenters.com 3. Splitsville, Downtown Disney West Side, 1494 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, 407-938-7467, splitsvillelanes.com
Best Theater Venue
1. Mad Cow Theatre, 54 W. Church St., 407-297-8788, madcowtheatre.com 2. Orlando Shakespeare Theater, 812 E. Rollins St., 407-447-1700, orlandoshakes.org 3. Theatre Downtown, 2113 N. Orange Ave., 407-841-0083, theatredowntown.net
Best Breakfast
1. Keke’s Breakfast Café, multiple locations, kekesbreakfastcafe.com 2. First Watch, multiple locations, firstwatch.com 3. Matilda’s on Park, 358 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-951-5790, facebook.com/matildasonpark
Best Strip Club
1. Dancers Royale, 5221 E. Colonial Drive, 407-281-0120, dancersroyaleorlando.com 2. Rachel’s, 8701 S. Orange Ave., 407-965-0992, rachelsorlando.com 3. Diamond Club, 527 N. Semoran Blvd., 407-737-2130
Best Gallery
1. Acme Danger Room, 905 N. State Road 434, Longwood, 407-331-0433, acme-superstore.com 2. City Arts Factory, 29 S. Orange Ave., 407-648-7060, cityartsfactory.org 3. Gallery at Avalon Island, 39 S. Magnolia Ave., 407-913-1426, avalongallery.org
Best Theme Park Ride
1. The Incredible Hulk, Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort, 6000 Universal Blvd., 407-363-8000, universalorlando.com 2. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort, 6000 Universal Blvd., 407-363-8000, universalorlando.com 3. Soarin’, Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, 407-939-6244, disneyworld.disney.go.com
Best Florida Insight by an Outsider
Monica Wendel The Kerouac House kerouacproject.org When Brooklyn poet Monica Wendel became the Kerouac House’s latest writer in residence in March, she didn’t waste time discovering our neck of the woods. Besides stealing the show from literary lights Philip Deaver and John King during May’s Functionally Literate reading at the Timucua Arts White House, Wendel…
Best Local Time Traveler
Old Florida on Facebook facebook.com/oldflorida1 Perhaps the best reason to stay on Facebook lately is the sun-soaked nostalgia presented by communities like Old Florida. We love their galleries full of black-and-white vintage photography, interspersed with colorful postcards and other Florida ghosts we don’t mind haunting us on social media. For longtime residents, it’s a trip…
Best Place to Consistently Find Otoro
Sushi Tomi 8463 S. John Young Parkway 407-352-8635 Many of the finest sushi restaurants in town advertise otoro, but very few actually serve the wondrously fatty cut of tuna prized by sushi enthusiasts. More often than not, you’ll be informed that they’re all out, but not at Sushi Tomi. They always seem to have otoro…
Best Local Blog
1. The Daily City, thedailycity.com 2. Geek Rest, geekrest.com 3. The Orlandoan, theorlandoan.com
Best Place to Bike
1. West Orange Trail, 407-654-1108, parks.onetgov.net 2. Cady Way Trail, 407-254-9025, parks.onetgov.net 3. Cross Seminole Trail, 407-665-2001, seminolecountyfl.gov
Best Thai
1. SEA Thai Restaurant, 3812 E. Colonial Drive, 407-895-0985, seaorlando.com 2. Thai House of Orlando, 2117 E. Colonial Drive, 407-898-0820, thaihouseoforlando.net 3. Royal Thai Restaurant, 1202 N. Semoran Blvd., 407-275-0776, royalthai-orlando.com
Best Local Website
1. tomanddan.com 2. nerdyshow.com 3. thedailycity.com
Best Vegan
1. Ethos Vegan Kitchen, 601 S. New York Ave., Winter Park, 407-228-3898, ethosvegankitchen.com 2. Dandelion Communitea Café, 618 N. Thornton Ave., 407-362-1864, dandelioncommunitea.com 3. Loving Hut, 2101 E. Colonial Drive, 407-894-5673, lovinghut.us/florida
Best Food Truck
1. Fish out of Water Sushi Truck, @FishOutOfWater8 2. The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck, 407-494-9336, theyumyumcupcaketruck.com 3. Korean BBQ Taco Box, 407-453-2250, facebook.com/kbbqbox
Best Public Golf Course
1. Dubsdread, 549 W. Par St., 407-246-2551, historicaldubsdread.com 2. Winter Park Pines Golf Club, 950 S. Ranger Blvd., Winter Park, 407-671-3172, winterpinesgc.com 3. Waldorf Astoria Golf Club, 14224 Bonnet Creek Resort Lane, 407-597-3738, waldorfastoriaorlando.com/golf (tie) 3. Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge, 16301 Phil Ritson Way, Winter Garden, 407-656-2626, ocngolf.com (tie)
Best Locavore Love
Field to Feast: Recipes Celebrating Florida Farmers, Chefs, and Artisans fieldtofeastfl.com When we first picked up this cookbook late last year, we were impressed by how co-authors Pam Brandon, Katie Farmand and Heather McPherson not only showcased a collection of in-depth profiles of Florida-based farms, but also how they were able to pry detailed recipes…
Best Dance Company
1. Orlando Ballet, orlandoballet.org 2. Skill Focus Burlesque, skillfocusburlesque.com 3. Voci Dance, vocidance.org
Best Nail Salon
1. Koi Nail Spa, 2025 W.P. Ball Blvd., Sanford, 407-302-3655 2. Parlour Salon and Spa, 904 S. Bumby Ave., 407-228-9827, parloursalonandspa.com 3. In Style Hair Nails & Day Spa, multiple locations, instylehairorlando.com
Best Summer Pastime
Florida Collegiate Summer League floridaleague.com This Central Florida-based collegiate wood-bat baseball league is considered a breeding ground for major league hopefuls: This year alone, 27 current and former Florida League players were taken in the 2013 MLB draft. And for Orlando baseball fans looking to catch a game at the ballpark, every summer the Florida…
Best Mural
1. Murals on Sam Flax building by Andrew Spear, Charles Marklin, Swamburger 2. Mural on Mills Avenue by Andrew Spear 3. Mural on side of Hideaway Bar by Andrew Spear
Best Italian
1. Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant, multiple locations, giovannisrestaurant.com 2. Il Pescatore, 651 N. Primrose Drive, 407-896-6763, ilpescatoreonline.com 3. Prato, 124 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-262-0050, prato-wp.com
Best Public Breakup
HYPER-Bolic Friday, April 19, 2013, at the Venue Interpreting the stages of a breakup through performance art sounds painful in more ways than one, but the exceptional imagination that local artist Jessica Earley brought to this production translated that emotional scarring so well, the show managed to equally brand our memory. Clever choreography, an Internet…
Best Bar Rebirth
The Matador 724 Virginia Drive facebook.com/thematadorbarorlando A bar’s atmosphere is a mystical thing. If one’s lucky enough to capture a special mood in the first place, seldom does that magic survive a change in space and neighborhood. But the Matador is one of the most successful transplants in recent history. From staff to furnishings to…
Best Experimental Act
1. Bellows, bandcalledbellows.com 2. Moon Jelly, facebook.com/moonjellyband 3. Gargamel!, gargamel.net (tie) 3. The Mud Flappers, themudflappers.com (tie)
Best Cocktail That Looks Like a Science Experiment
Berries & Bubbles at Ocean Prime 7339 W. Sand Lake Road 407-781-4880 oceanprimeorlando.com Restaurant Row’s Ocean Prime specializes in seafood, but the swanky restaurant’s “all-time best selling cocktail,” the Berries & Bubbles ($14), packs a little something not found underwater. The ingredients don’t sound so unusual – Belvedere Citrus vodka, marinated blackberries, house-made sour mix…
Best Dry Cleaner
1. Acme Cleaners, 600 N. Westmoreland Drive, 407-841-2301; 204 E. Ridgewood St., 407-872-1040, acmecleaners.com 2. Best Cleaners, multiple locations, bestcleanersorlando.com 3. Parisian Cleaners, 701 Virginia Drive, 407-894-2655 (tie) 3. Jon’s Dry Cleaner & Laundry, 337 E. Michigan St., 407-540-1030 (tie)
Warlocks rising or Discovery Channel sinking to a new low?
In my original post about the first episode of Discovery Channel’s epic failure of a miniseries Warlocks Rising, I claimed the show was required viewing for Floridians, and my reasoning for this was, “the more you know, right?” Well, it turns out that if Discovery Channel learned anything about the underground subculture of Florida biker…
Fresh Market opens in Orlando on July 31
Hey, so that giant construction zone at the corner of N. Mills and Virginia Drive – the one that we kinda thought might never house anything good because it’s been “coming soon” for so damn long – is finally about to bear fruit. Tomorrow morning, a new Fresh Market grocery store opens its doors, and…
Grumpy Cat gets her own drink: Grumpuccino
Can coffee make you happy? Studies say yes. The real test, though: Can it make a confirmed grouch like Grumpy Cat perk up? We are all about to find out, when Grumpy Cat-branded bottled coffee drink called Grumpuccino (slogan: “It’s Awfully Good”) goes on sale. Sign up here to learn more about the bottled coffee…
TorrentFreak: Grooveshark put on Google’s piracy blacklist
It’s been a while since we’ve seen any interesting news about Grooveshark, the Gainesville-based online music-streaming service that’s been under fire for allegedly infringing on the copyrights of untold numbers of artists for allegedly distributing music it doesn’t own the rights to. The site allows its users to upload songs directly to its servers. The…
“Blackfish” tickets on sale today
The Enzian announced today that tickets for Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Blackfish, the controversial documentary about orcas in captivity at marine parks like SeaWorld, go on sale at 1pm today for all shows on their website or at their box office. It tells the story of SeaWorld’s largest orca, Tilikum, and trainer Dawn Brancheau who died during an…
On sale this week: Ghost Town at the Social
On sale: Friday, Aug. 2 Ghost Town 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24 The Social 54 N. Orange Ave. 407-246-1419 thesocial.org $10-$12 Down the road: The Great Americana & Folk Fest, Aug. 8 at Backbooth Saigon Kick, Aug. 9 at The Social Tommie Sunshine, Aug. 10 at Firestone Live Tony Lucca, Aug. 11…
