Josh Oakley, the sausage maestro behind the Smiling Bison food cart, plans to open the Smiling Bison Restaurant and Bar in the former Redlight Redlight space on Bennett Road. Opening date is Aug. 1, and the menu promises more than just hand-crafted weenies.
Taverna Yamas opens soon on I-Drive, catering to those who like their souvlaki with pumping dance music and gyrating dancers. The Greek restaurant, sure to give Taverna Opa a run for their drachma, takes over the old Salt Island Chop House space and features a hookah bar as well.
Dinner pairings, coming right up:
Cigar City is the featured brewer at Jake’s Beer Dinner July 19 at 7 p.m. at the Royal Pacific Hotel. Cost for the four-course meal is $45 per person (plus tax and tip) … Rocco’s Italian Grille hosts a five-courser with Banfi wines July 25 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person (plus tax and tip) … On July 28, Bram and Geraldine Fowler (you may remember their now-closed Journeys Restaurant) team up with Hari Pulapaka for a food and wine event celebrating the cuisine of India, South Africa and Southern hemisphere at Cress. Price is TBA; call Cress for reservations … Finally, Peperoncino’s five-course wine dinner Aug. 8 features dishes like fried risotto balls made with spicy anchovies, and lamb lollipops with parsnip puree and mint chutney, paired with five wines from Veneto, Umbria, Sicily and Tuscany. Cost is $79 per person (plus tax and tip).
Looking for a food-themed summer camp for your kid? The 4-H Garden Explorers at the Orange County Extension Education Center ($50, July 22-26) teaches kids about hydroponic vegetable gardening, vermacomposting and more through hands-on horticultural activities.
BRIEFLY:
Sara Moulton will be a guest speaker at the Food & Wine Conference July 19-21 at Rosen Shingle Creek … Through July 15, Italio will donate 100 percent of its profits to the Florida Hospital Diabetes Institute … Winter Park’s Peterbrooke Chocolatier celebrates National Milk Chocolate Day July 28 by giving away chocolate-covered popcorn and chocolate-covered bacon … Krispy Kreme offers Caramel Chocolate Chip Cake, Caramel Chocolate Pretzel and Dark Chocolate Caramel Kreme doughnuts through Sept. 1. Sweet.
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