In an issue that’s as deliciously overstuffed as the S’Mores doughnut from the Glass Knife pictured above, we profile 16 Orlando chefs working in widely varied cuisines; we name the second recipient of our annual BITE Award; and we cover the nooks and crannies of the dining scene, including features on: food halls, mocktails, over-the-top…
An appeals court Tuesday rejected a request to quickly send a major medical-marijuana case to the Florida Supreme Court. The case focuses on arguments about whether a 2017 law improperly bars patients from smoking medical marijuana. Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers last month ruled that the smoking ban violated a 2016 constitutional amendment that…
Orlando attorney John Morgan wants to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida through a ballot initiative in 2020. In a series of tweets Tuesday, Morgan says he’s looking at starting a fund to take donations on the effort to legalize pot. The attorney, who was behind the 2016 constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana in the state,…
College Park’s newest coffee shop is also the neighborhood’s homiest, which is probably not all too surprising seeing the place is called Café Linger. Sofas, bookcases, hutches and such lend to the café’s welcoming, stay-for-a-while aspect, and it’s all an effort by owners (and Johnson & Wales grads) Michael Brito and Christina Gribkowsky to endear…
Any conversation about the finest sushi restaurants in town will inevitably turn to the innovative cuts at Chau Trinh’s Sushi Pop. The talented itamae has carved out a niche in Oviedo with his spirited, anime-themed eatery, and will soon slice out his share of Winter Park at his outpost opening there later this summer. But growth, Trinh…
“The way I stay relevant is by cooking food that means something to me,” says chef Nat Russell of Sanford’s Tennessee Truffle. Given his experience with French, Italian, Japanese and Southern cuisine, there’s a lot that inspires him, and it’s what makes his restaurant one of the best in the Bokey. “If you put love…
Shaun Noonan, one of Orlando’s most well-known proponents of veganism and the man behind Dixie Dharma at Market on South, is poised to spread the gospel of plant-based eating even farther. Soon, another Dixie Dharma outpost will open inside Henry’s Depot, the food hall taking shape in Sanford, and his high-end veg resto/art gallery concept…
This sanguine Frenchman helming the kitchen of the Spanish steakhouse inside a Canadian luxury hotel chain wouldn’t have it any other way. Gabriel Massip has worked in eating establishments from Bora Bora to Sun Valley, Idaho, but it’s at Capa Steakhouse on the 17th floor of the Four Seasons Resort Orlando where the talented young gun…
Ever feel like the best choice is, well, a little bit of everything? Here are three places to indulge in the art of sampling. Because happiness is knowing you can have the labneh and the muhammara. And pickles. Maraya Restaurant If owner Violette Haddad is in the kitchen, she’ll fashion the best falafel in the…
While Lombardi’s Seafood has been around for 57 years, they’re a relative newcomer to the city’s restaurant scene. Their café, in fact, opened just three years ago serving fresh, sustainable, simply prepared seafood, much of it snagged from the market under the same roof. It’s a winning formula, but that doesn’t mean the Lombardi clan…
Grilled Artichokes, Hillstone Carbon footprint aside, these beautifully charred Red Label heirloom ‘chokes from Castroville, California, come served with a craving-inducing remoulade. Get ’em now before they’re gone (which will be soon). 8215 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-740-4005, hillstone.com Crispy Smoked Duck, Ravenous PigIt’s half a duck – breast with wing, and leg with…
If you’ve had the pleasure of popping by College Park’s Digress Wine, then you’ve likely experienced the genuine hospitality of owners Rob Chase and Brian Kerney. A friendlier pair of vino-isseurs you never will meet, and both have been in the game long enough to know that hospitality counts for everything in nurturing strong customer…
Some people never drink; some people just aren’t drinking this month (or nine?); some may have had too much to drink the night before – but whatever the reason or the timing, many find themselves in a festive or fine-dining environment without a proper beverage with which to toast the moment. A fancy tasting menu…
Sunny Corda has been responsible for some of the city’s finest Indian restaurants. His chefs at Saffron, Rasa, Southern Spice and Mynt – where Kartik Palapandi, above, mans the line – each offer their own unique takes on Desi cuisine, tinkering with everything from traditional Mughlai and South Indian fare to Indo-Chinese and contemporary Indian…
Food trucks had their big moment in Orlando (and we wouldn’t count them out anytime soon), but in our climate, a roof over some cooled air is a big plus when eating. Food halls satisfy the desire to flit from dish to dish like a honeybee in a garden, while protecting your precious banh mi…
Jimmy Nguyen and his wife Chau Vo are the delightful pair behind the wheel of one of the most popular, and cheekily named, food trucks in the city. Hot Asian Buns, as the name suggests, specializes in bao – handmade bao – which they make in small batches using all-natural ingredients free of preservatives. It’s…
When the Glass Knife opened in late 2017, the plush patisserie brought some high-class swank to South Orlando Avenue, thanks to the deep pockets and haute tastes of owner-founder-tech CEO Steve Brown. But beyond the 2,100-pound gold-hued light fixture, the diamond-patterned terrazzo floors, the 18-seat table carved from American walnut and the pricey porcelain cups…
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the local culinary community, Orlando Weekly is pleased to announce the recipient of our annual BITE Award: Chef Kathleen Blake. You can take the girl out of Iowa, but you can’t take the Iowa out of the girl. Kathleen Blake’s Midwestern roots run deep, but long before she…
Joe Roberti and pizza go way back. At the wizened age of 9 he sold his first pizza; then, a few months before Roberti started high school, Calogero “Charlie” Ciaccio gave the 14-year-old his first shot in the kitchen of an Avalon Park pie joint. Ciaccio, sadly, passed away at the age of 37, but…
Nazih Sebaali, the owner of the venerable Café Annie which stood in the heart of downtown Orlando for 29 years, is now serving Mediterranean fare in the heart of Baldwin Park. His restaurant, Meza, occupies a gleaming space on Jake Street. But, for all the spanking newness, Meza’s menu highlights enduring classics of Sebaali’s native…
The Pharmacy, a restaurant disguised as a throwback speakeasy disguised as an apothecary, is as fun as it is food-focused. For Dr. Phillippians looking for a change of pace from the pedestrian offerings along Sand Lake Road, there’s really no better place. Chef-owner Loren Falsone, who was named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New…
Executive chef Wendy Lopez, a child of restaurateur parents, has been messing around professional kitchens since she was 3 years old, and in all that time, not much has changed. Lopez helms the kitchen at one of the city’s finest Spanish restaurants, Tapa Toro, and as much as she wants to immerse paying customers in…
We have Joe Creech’s rebellious streak to thank for the chingón eats at Hunger Street Tacos. As the son of missionaries in Guadalajara, Joe paid heed to his father’s warnings about Mexican street food and its seeming intestinal dangers, but not so when he returned to Mexico City as an inquisitive 20-something. After reveling in those…
Edgar Massoni, owner and proprietor of Orlando Meats, isn’t one to let accolades, honors and titles go to his head. After he opened his nose-to-tail butcher house and restaurant on Virginia Drive last year, the praise started pouring in. Early-adopter patrons duly Instagrammed many of their favorite dishes, only to find them off the menu…
Over are the days of a single scoop atop a plain cone, or worse, plopped sadly in a dish. Today’s ice cream treats are rich with sprinkles and sparkles and incredible flavors. Here are some places to find the very best. The Greenery CreameryThey get a lot of attention for their black ice cream (including…
An undressed dog is a sad dog. Here are four places where you can get over-the-top toppings for your very good boy, er, snack. Cotton Candy Dog from Sausage ShackSometimes it’s all about coulda, not about shoulda. That had to be the case the first time the staff here wrapped a smoked kielbasa in blue…
