OPENINGS + CLOSINGS: So her "She's back ... xoxo" sign is in questionable taste but, nevertheless, she is back. Chelsie DiPaolo — aka Chelsie Savage, who, along with ex-husband Jamie Savage, ran Sanctum Cafe and Proper & Wild until they closed amid a storm of sexual harassment and hostile workplace accusations — is opening a new concept in the old Marlow's Tavern space across from Krispy Kreme in Winter Park ... Dochi, makers of fine Japanese mochi donuts, will move from their second-floor perch at East End Market to the downstairs space formerly occupied by Olde Hearth Bread Co. this summer ... Z Asian owners Hien Pham and Huong Nguyen will open a pho ga concept appropriately called Pho Ga Hien Vuong in the Zero Degrees space at 5282 W. Colonial Drive. In addition to the eponymous Vietnamese chicken soup, com ga hai nam (Hainanese-style chicken and rice), goi ga (chicken salad) and other chicken dishes will also be offered. Pho Ga will open this summer ... Sunshine Diner by chef Art Smith will join Wine Bar George and a second location of Cask & Larder at Orlando Airport's new Terminal C this July ... V's Diner will open this April just a few doors down from Wa Sushi in the Ollie's Bargain Outlet plaza in Casselberry. V's will offer scratch-made, 100 percent vegan diner classics ...
Thai Farm Kitchen, with locations in Brooklyn and Bangkok, has opened in the old RusTeak space in College Park ... Colombian restaurant Oh Que Bueno will open a second location at 8128 S. Orange Blossom Trail ... Loading Zone Philly Steaks will open in the same plaza as Donut King and Mei Garden on Howell Branch Road in Winter Park ... Look for a second location of the Doghouse/Soda Fountain to open at 4722 E. Michigan St. next month ... Kung Fu Dumpling, offering everything from xiao long bao to seafood dumplings, has opened at Alafaya Square in Oviedo.
EVENTS: FusionFest continues its series of monthly "Diversitastic!" dinners by celebrating the flavors of West Africa Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Serengeti Restaurant inside the Bronze Kingdom Museum on I-Drive. Tickets for the four-course meals are $49.95. Visit fusionfest.org for more ... Orlando Weekly's Whiskey Business event pours again this year at the Cheyenne Saloon on Church Street. Try more than a dozen brands of whiskey, scotch and bourbon, with live entertainment, dancing, and chef's tastings on Feb. 25, for $55-$90. Visit whiskeybusinessorlando.com for more details.
Got restaurant dish? Send tips to [email protected]