OPENINGS: There's a new player in the "authentic" Chinese restaurant game. Shining Spice has opened in the old Denny's/Sumo Japanese Steakhouse space on the corner of Aloma Avenue and State Road 436 in Winter Park ... Hungry Pants, the "plant-curious" fast-fine eatery from the Yum Yum Cupcake Truck guys, has soft-opened at 3421 S. Orange Ave. in the old Carol's Diner space. Expect "normal" operating hours to commence Nov. 4 ... The Kitty Beautiful, a café where you can purchase coffee, fresh-pressed juices, kombucha, beer, wine and pastries, then go into a separate room to pet cats, has opened downtown next to the Bank of America building ...
Cucina Pizza & Bar, by the same folks who run Cucina Pizza by Design in West Palm Beach, will move into the space recently vacated by California Tortilla at 55 W. Church St. ... Mecatos Bakery & Cafe will open downtown at 20 N. Orange Ave. The Colombian beanery and pastry shop has locations in Waterford Lakes and Lake Underhill ...
Look for Nékter Juice Bar to open next to Shake Shack sometime next month in the Trader Joe's plaza in Winter Park ... BomBiscuit, a breakfast and lunch food truck, has opened on Lee Road near Edgewater Drive.
EVENTS
Downtown Credo founder Ben Hoyer joins Rollins College professor Keith Whittingham, Ricardo Medina from Mexican chain restaurant Toks, and Jose Verdugo from Café Tacaná to talk "conscious consumption" and the various stages of the coffee supply chain at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in Rollins' SunTrust Auditorium. Admission is free ...
American Kitchen Bar & Grill and Tastychomps food blog host a multicourse "Amerikase" tasting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, at the B Resort & Spa. Cost is $125 ...
The sixth annual Armenian Food Fest and Bazaar goes 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Soorp Haroutiun Church on Winter Garden-Vineland Road ...The Imperial Winter Park and the Ravenous Pig are no longer hosting their "Pop Goes the Pig" cocktail dinner in November, pulling the plug and refocusing instead on a grand-opening event for their Winter Park location. ... The 10th annual Walt Disney World Food & Wine Classic happens Nov. 8-9 at the Swan & Dolphin Resort. Cost for the food and drink walk-around is $145.
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– This story appeared in the Oct. 30, 2019, print issue of Orlando Weekly. Stay on top of Central Florida news and views with our weekly Headlines newsletter.
