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The 20 local dishes we absolutely love right now
It’s an ambitious move, making a list of 20 things in Orlando that we think everyone needs to eat at least once. So first, let’s talk about what this list isn’t. It’s not a restaurant guide – we’re focusing in on the plate, not looking at the whole experience. It’s not a list of the…
Swine & Sons and the Ravenous Pig now open on Mondays
Mondays just got a bit easier, especially if you love pork and/or cocktails: All three Petrakis restaurants in Winter Park now offer Monday hours. Cask & Larder added Monday service more than a year ago, but Swine & Sons, the Southern cuisine café and provisions shop next door that’s officially been open for just a…
21 free concerts this week in Orlando (6/10-6/16)
Wednesday, June 10 Eugene Snowden’s Ten Pints of Truth 10 p.m. at Lil Indies The Imperial’s Acoustic Soundcheck with Beemo 9 p.m. at the Imperial Jeff Rupert & Richard Drexler – Live CD Session 7 p.m. at Timucua White House Reggae Night with Hor!zen and DJ Red I 10 p.m. at the Caboose The Shift…
Pirate’s Dinner Adventure to be featured on Craziest Restaurants in America
Ahoy, matey! Orlando’s own Pirate’s Dinner Adventure will be debuting on the small screen this month as one of Food Network’s Craziest Restaurants in America. Each week the show takes host Chef Graham Elliott around the country to find out-of-the-box eateries, with “Big, Bigger, Biggest” being the theme of the episode that Pirate’s Dinner Adventure will be…
New Frozen attraction coming to Disney World Epcot Center
Many Frozen fans might soon change the question, ‘Do you want to build a snowman?’ to ‘Do you want to go to Epcot?’ Disney’s smash-hit movie Frozen, along with Ana, Elsa, Arendelle and more, will be transported to Epcot next year in Disney’s latest ride “Frozen Ever After.” In hopes of attracting more people to…
A supposedly fun thing you can’t do at Disney: eating noodles on a roller coaster
Clearly, Koreans have more fun at their theme parks than we do. (But if you try this at an Orlando attraction, be sure to get video.) See more insanity from Korean hit TV show Infinity Challenge here. Related Stories
There’s a petition to stop Orlando City Soccer fans from chanting ‘retarded’
Orlando City Soccer fans are circulating a petition calling for the change of a common in-game chant that involves the word “retarded.” The petition started after numerous complaints were aimed at both officially recognized fan clubs, Iron Lion Firm and Ruckus, for using the offensive word. “For some time, some fan groups have used an approved…
Three men robbed a bank on John Young Parkway this morning
Armed and masked, three unidentified males robbed a SunTrust bank Tuesday morning. According to a statement released by Orlando Police, the robbers entered the South John Young Parkway bank at approximately 9:34 a.m. and left with an undisclosed amount of money from the bank’s safe. The three bank employees and one customer were bound with…
According to family, Victoria Siegel battled with prescription drug addiction
Victoria Siegel, the daughter of Queen of Versailles stars Jackie and David Siegel, struggled with a prescription drug problem, said a family spokesman on Monday. “The Siegel family is devastated and heartbroken by the loss of their beloved Victoria,” said family attorney and spokesman Michael Marder in a written statement. “They are hurt, deeply wounded and…
Chipotle to offer paid sick time, vacation time and tuition reimbursement to employees
Burrito-slinging just got a little bit better – Chipotle Mexican Grill has just announced that it will begin offering vacation time, sick time and tuition reimbursement to employees, beginning July 1. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, the company is extending benefits that used to be available only to full-time, salaried workers to part-time workers and…
Forecast the Facts launches website that pokes fun at Gov. Rick Scott’s climate-change denial
In March, environmental upstart project Forecast the Facts demanded an investigation into Gov. Rick Scott’s alleged ban on the use of the words “climate change” or “sustainability” in state memos related to the environment. The group, a project of Citizen Engagement Lab, an incubator for projects that want to change the world using the Internet,…
Let’s jam!: I-4 ramp closures are almost here
As we reported a bit ago, there is going to be a torrent of road-rage headaches in the nearest of futures, fist-clenching pains associated with the expansion of I-4 and all the screaming out of the window that implies. Today, we got news of some actual dates for the permanent closures of South Street and…
Vote for your favorite new Starbucks Frappuccino flavor starting today
Happy birthday, Frappuccino! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Starbucks frozen cup of joy, stores are releasing not one, not two, not three, but SIX new flavors of Frappuccino starting today, June 8, at all participating stores. Here are the six spanking-new sippers: Caramel Cocoa Cluster Cinnamon Roll Cotton Candy Cupcake Lemon Bar Red…
An 11-year-old boy was attacked by a shark at Cocoa Beach, airlifted to Orlando for treatment
After wading around in waist-deep water Sunday afternoon, June 7th, an 11-year-old boy from Winter Springs, Florida was bitten by a shark at Cocoa Beach. The boy, Lucas Vertullo, was bitten on the right calf at around 11 a.m. by what authorities believe was a juvenile bull shark. Luckily, the incident happened directly in front…
State kicks kids out of specialized program for medically fragile children
The state last month removed about 2,000 children from a specialized program that provides services to medically fragile kids, finding that they were no longer “clinically eligible” under a new screening process. But the move by the Department of Health to re-evaluate children in the Children’s Medical Services Network is drawing criticism from pediatricians and…
Victoria Siegel of ‘Queen of Versailles’ passed away over the weekend
Victoria Siegel, daughter of Queen of Versailles stars Jackie and David Siegel, was found unresponsive at her home in Windermere, Florida at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 6th. The 18-year-old was taken to the Health Central Hospital in Ocoee where she later passed away. According to the Orlando Sentinel, an autopsy has been completed, however…
New location of Lombardi’s Seafood opens in Winter Park
“It’s been an adjustment,” said one of the fishmongers behind the counter at the new Lombardi’s Seafood location when we asked him about their new digs. Not surprising. Lombardi’s Seafood was HQ’ed at the corner of Orange Avenue and 17-92 for more than 50 years, so adjusting to the new locale, at 1888 W. Fairbanks…
Watch this glorious 1987 commercial for the opening of Universal Studios Orlando
It’s been 25 years since Universal Studios Orlando opened its doors and currently, the theme park is celebrating this milestone with a series of live concerts including acts like Pitbull and Huey Lewis and The News. Without a doubt, 25 years is a big deal and so to help put it all into perspective, we…
This Little Underground: Turbo Fruits, Sol Cat, Plush Monsters, Dumber Bunnies (Will’s Pub)
Mysteriously, they’ve yet to receive their full due here so it’s a real blessing each time Nashville’s Turbo Fruits (June 5, Will”s Pub) come to town. They’ve always tried to groom their garage and punk hairs with some real craft and focus, tuning their sound into an increasingly honed thing. This time, they returned with…
Mike Huckabee is worried New Yorkers are ruining Florida
Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas and guy who would do anything to shower with women, is very concerned that New Yorkers are sullying the conservative paradise that is Florida, according to the Daily Beast. “I just hope they leave their New York attitude of high taxes and high regulation back in New York City,…
Star of Florida documentary Dawg Fight, is now broadcasting live backyard fights online
Dhafir Harris, aka Dada 5000, the fighter/promoter made famous by the Netflix documentary Dawg Fight, will now be broadcasting his bare-knuckled, backyard-style fights in a non-threatening and easy to use pay-per-view format. Broadcasting from his website., BYBExtreme.com, Harris already has 8 fights scheduled, each event costing $9.99. The first fight was June 5th. The pay-per-view fights promise to be just…
The Cloak and Blaster celebrates first anniversary with Funky Buddha tap takeover tomorrow, June 6
Whether you’re Team Trek or in the Star Wars Set, the self-proclaimed “gaming pub for geeks,” The The Cloak & Blaster, is celebrating its 12-month mark with the help of South Florida’s Funky Buddha Brewery tomorrow starting at 6 p.m. Expect nine kegs of FBB’s brews, including some top-shelf suds like: Last Snow Nib Smuggler I’m…
This Little Underground: Kristen Warren, Blueprint, Supastition (The Social)
One would’ve been enough to seal the deal, but this week I got two good looks at young local singer Kristen Warren in different projects. The first was at the latest edition of my favorite multi-genre serial the Grand Collab, where she was the easy diamond (May 31, Will’s Pub). The other was at the…
Discount vinyl and free literal doughnuts at Uncle Tony’s Donut Shoppe today
We’re a little late to the party, but all day today (June 5) until Uncle Tony’s Donut Shoppe closes (8 p.m.), they’re giving out free doughnuts (the kind from the bakery!) and tacking on a 10 percent discount on every record in the shop for National Donut Day. This is definitely the best deal I’ve…
Lift those heavy lids, metalheads: Obituary shreds at a Florida-exclusive date in Sanford
Forever shaking Central Florida metal heads to lift their heavy lids and rise up in the pit, Obituary unexpectedly shreds through Sanford’s West End Trading Co. this week. So wake up before you miss their 30-year thrash, because this is not part of any tour or multi-city experience. This is a Florida-only exclusive date. Serious…
Tonight through Sunday: Your last chance to celebrate Negroni Week; here’s where
Negroni Week runs through Sunday, so if you’ve been too busy during the week to go out and taste your talented local bartenders’ takes on God’s most perfect cocktail, this weekend is your chance. Negroni Week celebrates the fusion of Campari, vermouth and gin in all its many permutations, with bars donating a portion of…
Massive underage sex sting in Florida arrests Disney, Universal and SeaWorld employees
In a recent sex sting operation coined “Operation: L and P” conducted by Polk and Lake detectives, over 100 arrests were made for soliciting sex with minors and advertising for prostitution, some of which were Disney and other Orlando theme park employees. The Washington Post reports that this two phase operation, composed of cyber and…
More $$ for gas: Discounts on Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, the Deftones and more Tampa shows
While Orlando prepares for awesome acts like the Rolling freaking Stones, Tampa’s summer concert schedule at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre includes some stacked bills that will surely have many Orlando music fans headed to the coast in the coming months. For folks planning to hit up Tampa shows like Marilyn Manson and the Smashing Pumpkins…
Chef Jason Schofield to open new sandwich shop in Ivanhoe Village
At long last, Jason Schofield will open a sandwich shop in the former Alpine Cafe space at 1811 N. Orange Ave. It’s a return to Ivanhoe Village for Schofield, who helmed the kitchen of the acclaimed Wolfie’s Pizzamia offshoot of White Wolf Cafe in 2013. The chef is also behind the upcoming Maddey’s Craft &…
12 new Orlando restaurants, in order of “open now” to “opening soon” to “opening someday”
Over at the new Florida Mall Dining Pavilion, Puerto Rico’s El Meson Sandwiches has opened their first state-side sandwich shop. On Lee Road, La Gordita Loca has opened in the former Draft House Pub location. (No website or Facebook yet, but some intrepid Yelpers have been by.) The fifth Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant has opened on…
Enterprise Florida has finally retired their sexist logo
In a 2013 campaign titled “The Perfect Climate for Business.” Enterprise Florida targeted the Sunshine State’s vast opportunities for financial and economic success at everyone who wears full windsor neckties. Enterprise Florida is a public-private partnership heavily backed by Governor Rick Scott, intended to entice national businesses to expand to the Florida marketplace. “I am constantly…
SeaWorld announces new lineup of Summer Nights festivities
SeaWorld is trying to keep the party going well into the night. From June 20 to August 8, SeaWorld is inviting guests to come experience various events and festivities as part of the park’s “Summer Nights” series. According to SeaWorld’s press release, the events include: Celebrate America Concert Series – Taking place every Saturday and…
Jeb Bush told Face The Nation he thinks the retirement age should be raised
In a bold move that will surely capture all of the senior citizen votes in 2016, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush told CBS’s Face The Nation that the retirement age should be raised. “We need to look over the horizon and begin to phase in, over an extended period of time, going from 65 to 68…
You can now own a 7-Eleven in Orlando without a franchise fee, because no one wants to own a 7-Eleven
If you’ve every wanted to get into the lucrative Big Gulp industry, time is running out to apply for 7-Eleven’s Zero Franchise Fee Initiative, a program launched last February that waives their usual $80,000 franchise fee because, apparently, 7-Eleven is so damn thirsty for new owners. Why wouldn’t anyone want to own a 7-Eleven? Imagine…
New Chrome extension swaps every ‘Florida Man’ reference with ‘Jeb Bush’ or ‘Marco Rubio’ and vice versa
With the upcoming presidential election and candidacies being announced left and right, you may want to try spicing up your political news with a recently developed and hilariously habit-forming extension for Google Chrome. The Chrome extension, simply called “Florida Man”, replaces any mention of “Jeb Bush” or “Marco Rubio” with “Florida Man”, and vice versa. …
Lunchtime listening: 30 songs to psych you up for Bite 30
Seeing that we kicked off our annual Bite 30 celebration Monday, I thought I’d come up with a Top 30 list of my favorite food-related songs. Admittedly, it was tough to narrow the list down to just 30 tunes, but after a big breakfast and a heavy lunch, I did just that. [Ed. note: Faiyaz’s…
Uber will deliver free cupcakes to your door today
Uber has been operating in Orlando for a year now, according to an email the ride-sharing company sent to us today. And that year has been full of headaches for Uber, which has been under fire in multiple cities (including Orlando) because local governments can’t quite figure out how best to regulate it. But that’s…
Over 100 cats removed from foul smelling home in Daytona Beach
An overwhelming smell led animal control officers to a home filled with over a hundred cats in Daytona Beach. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Santiago Gonzalez and his wife Carmen Martinez, lived in their rental home along with 114 cats and one dog, until animal control officers from DeLand and Orange City removed the…
Celebrate 16 years of art at Stardust with a sweetly nostalgic show on Saturday
If you were to try and name Orlando’s longest-running gallery, chances are you might not guess Stardust Video & Coffee, the video store-turned-coffee joint-turned-sandwich spot-turned-music venue-turned-bar. As indicated by that clunky hyphenate, Stardust has always morphed into whatever it needs to be for the people who populate it, and as a lot of them are…
Toe the line between the skeeze and the sheen with Turbo Fruits at Will’s Pub
Is it possible Turbo Fruits accidentally gave their album the wrong name? Instead of the raging punk tremble of previous releases, No Control is almost bizarrely even-tempered and their most polished effort to date. The Nashville garage rockers swapped “Sweet Thang” (Butter) for No Control’s sweetheart/“Favorite Girl” amid the album’s other more straightforward discussion points.…
Where to score free doughnuts on National Doughnut Day
More sweet news from Orlando’s fast food chains: It’s National Donut Day on June 5th, so plan your morning commute accordingly and you’ll score free fried rounds slathered in sugar on your way to the office (bonus points if you bring enough for the whole class). Krispy Kreme, Winn-Dixie and Dunkin’ Donuts are handing out…
A Florida teen was knocked unconscious by a massive jumping sturgeon
Last Sunday, May 31, a Florida teen was knocked unconscious after a 6ft sturgeon jumped out of the Suwanee River. According to the Associated Press, Heavyn Nash, a 14-year-old resident of Fanning Springs, was enjoying a leisurely boat ride with family members in Manatee Springs State Park, when a sturgeon sprung into the boat, knocking her…
Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center announces new season of performers
Today the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts announced new shows and performers for the 2015-2016 season. Notables who will be gracing the stage at the newly constructed arts center in the next year include singers Tony Bennett and Patti LaBelle, chefs and TV personalities Emeril Lagasse and Ina Garten – aka the Barefoot Contessa – and Irish ensemble Celtic Woman.…
250 Walt Disney World tech employees replaced by contract workers brought in from other countries
All of this time people have been raising hell about the impact illegal immigrants have on the U.S. economy – they take our jobs, they say, they use our health system, they displace workers. There’s less noise being made about another new trend undermining U.S. workers that’s profiled in today’s New York Times: The replacement…
DQ rolls out “Jurassic World”-themed Blizzard in time for June 12 film release
In one of the weirder film/food partnerships of all time, Dairy Queen has just released a special edition of its signature frozen ice cream treat timed to coincide with the release of Jurassic World on June 12. The Jurassic Smash Blizzard is a vanilla soft-serve base with peanut butter, peanut butter cookies (never too much…
Curren$y brings even more car tunes and pilot talk to Venue 578
Although label drama in Curren$y’s past limited his early output, he’s made it up big time since his 2010 debut, Pilot Talk. Already this year, the saucy rapper has released a full-length, Pilot Talk III, as well as a new EP, Even More Saturday Night Car Tunes, attacking the game with alternate marketing strategies for…
18 free concerts in Orlando this week (6/3-6/9)
Wednesday, June 3 Eugene Snowden’s Ten Pints of Truth 10 p.m. at Lil Indies Herbie B and the Dangerman 9:30 p.m. at Little Fish Huge Pond, Sanford The Imperial’s Acoustic Soundcheck with Bobby Koeble 9 p.m. at the Imperial Reggae Night with Hor!zen and DJ Red I 10 p.m. at the Caboose Thursday, June 4…
Casey Anthony supposedly in talks with NBC for TV deal
Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter back in 2011, has reportedly been speaking with producers from NBC about a potential TV deal. According to the NYPost, Anthony was “flown first class by NBC to New York last Thursday. She was accompanied by Don Wood, a veteran news producer who works for NBC…
Watch this insane dashcam footage of a police chase in Tavares, Florida
Last Thursday, May 28th, Gene Blick was drunk enough to lead authorities on a wild car chase though Tavares, Florida, jumping curbs and attempting to shake the cops through a trailer park. After receiving multiple reports of a suspected drunk driver, police attempted to pull over Blick for a sobriety check. However, as you can…
This Modern World (6-3-15)
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Gimme Shelter (6-3-15)
Meet the adorable Sheba (Animal ID A278622). She’s a 5-year-old friendly dog who loves to get belly rubs. She’s also very smart – she knows how to sit and shake on command, and she loves to receive treats as a reward for her great listening skills. Sheba weighs in at 70 pounds, which makes her…
How to Remix a Negroni? Make it fizzy
Reviewers are people, too. (This may seem an inflammatory assertion in this world of uninformed online pushback to every expert opinion, but I assure you it’s true.) Despite a professional requirement to remain completely open to all kinds of experiences, dig deep enough and you might get a restaurant reviewer to admit she loathes bone…
Lulu Eightball (6-3-15)
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Royal Indian Cuisine brings straight-up Indian fare to the neighborhood – some fragrantly enticing, some confoundingly uninspired
The encouraging murmurs we heard about Royal Indian Cuisine had us eager to make the drive out to Casselberry, and it’s not very often one gets to say that. The standalone building on the corner of State Road 436 and Howell Branch Road has housed other restaurants – Las Margaritas; Brick & Fire – but…
A Pincho Factory is opening in Dr. Phillips, National Doughnut Day is coming and more in local foodie news
Orlando Weekly’s Bite 30 runs all month, with 27 different prix-fixe menus to try – one for every day left in June. Take advantage of the deal to audition new spots, or try novel tastes at old favorites. And in a fresh twist, restaurants that are licensed will also offer a Bite 30 cocktail menu.…
Ron Campbell, celebrated animator of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, raises his periscope in Orlando
Fifty years ago, Ron Campbell got an offer he couldn’t refuse. The first thing he did was refuse it. Campbell was kicking around his native Australia working as an animator on television commercials and cartoons when a call came in from New York asking him to direct a TV show about beetles. Campbell thought a…
There’s nothing else quite like the Republic, an innovative new interactive entertainment
It all began with the blindfold. A ribbon of cloth was tied across my face, and I was led stumbling into the blackness with only the shifting textures beneath my feet – from tile to cement to dirt and sticks – signifying my sightless progress. Finally, I was forced to sit on a low stool…
How does Valencia’s former use of student volunteers to practice transvaginal ultrasounds stack up to other schools in the state?
Editor’s Note: In the lawsuit filed against Valencia College, the school named is Valencia State College, so that’s how we referred to it in some references in this story. Some readers found that confusing, so we’ve altered the story to change all references to the school to Valencia College. We apologize for any confusion this…
Beach Boys biopic Love & Mercy explores the highs and lows of Brian Wilson
4 stars “Wouldn’t it be nice to live together in the kind of world where we belong?” the Beach Boys sang in 1966 on their iconic Pet Sounds album. But what the LP’s listeners didn’t realize was that beneath those upbeat lyrics lurked a musician struggling to find a world where he himself belonged. Love…
Opening in Orlando: Entourage, Gemma Bovery, Insidious: Chapter 3 and Spy
Entourage Once upon a time, an 11-year span between the launch of a TV show and the premiere of its spinoff film wasn’t a very big deal at all. But these days … well, let’s just say that the real Aquaman almost made it to the movies first. Coming in just under the wire, here…
Science (still) rules: Bill Nye makes his streaming debut
I had the worst seventh grade biology teacher in the history of education. Eight out of 10 classes, she’d hobble out with breakfast stains all over her shirt, mumble something science-y, and then wheel out a TV on a squeaky set of rollers to our class’ collective sighs. The rest of the hour would be…
Guantanamo Baywatch expertly perverts rock & roll to incarnate golden oldies vibes on their cleanest-sounding record yet
It used to be if you wanted to sell a record, you slapped a pretty girl on the cover, called it the band’s biggest hits (or named it after their biggest hit), then sat back and watched the albums fly off shelves. For Portland, Oregon’s Guantanamo Baywatch (who genuinely loves the rock & roll and…
Picks This Week: New Kids On The Block, Blueprint, Salt N Pepa and more
The Business British oi! punks the Business return for a rowdy party with Orlando ruckus-makers the Attack for guaranteed flailing fun. 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, at Backbooth, $10 Curren$y Already this year, the saucy rapper has released a full-length, Pilot Talk III, as well as a new EP, Even More Saturday Night Car Tunes,…
This Little Underground: Melt Banana still maximum as a duo
Although Japanese noise punks Melt Banana have a long history of playing Orlando, they don’t come too often. So each time they roll through, it’s like the warm excitation of seeing an old friend – a dear, volcanic old friend. We’re one of the lucky cities to regularly experience their legendary live shows, but they…
Rubio’s campaign has bigger issues than jokes about his days in an Osmond lip-syncing group
“The Osmonds were pretty popular back then, especially among Mormons, but I think among a lot of Americans. But we had a group called the Sunshine Cousins. It was me, my sister and my cousin and we, we would lip sync basically.” – U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, in a 2012 interview with ABC News…
Savage Love (6-3-15)
I’m a 35-year-old divorced man. I’ve been on plenty of dates since my marriage ended, but I invariably get asked this question on or before date No. 2: “Why did you get divorced?” This is where everything goes to shit. I’m honest: “We got divorced because I cheated on my wife. A lot.” This usually…
Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos could learn something from Orlando City’s new privately funded stadium
On May 29, after postponing a fantastic interview with us for unexplained reasons, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer (who did meet us the next day) and the Orlando City Soccer Club announced that the soccer club is no longer going to wait for the state to figure out whether it’ll provide any funding for the construction…
Free Will Astrology (6-3-15)
ARIES (March 21-April 19) The Persian scholar Avicenna was so well-rounded in his knowledge that he wrote two different encyclopedias. Even as a teenager he was obsessed with learning all he could. He got especially consumed with trying to master Aristotle’s Metaphysics, which did not easily yield its secrets to him. He read it 40…
