OT: Restaurant and Food Thread

I'm not a big Orlando Food guy....only a few garners my interest...Anything I-Drive is tourist-y...and waayyy overpriced...there are some Great places...but simply not enough...I realize I'm a Nit Picky MFer when I go out to eat...but I've earned that right after a 38yr career in the Culinary Profession...
What I hate about Orlando is just to many dam franchise type places. Where are the great diners and home style places. Where are the spots where people are serving you the food there moms and grand moms made. Wheres a dam place to go get legit chicken and dumplings. where can I go get some serious chicken fried chicken with white pepper gravy.
 
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What I hate about Orlando is just to many dam franchise type places. Where are the great diners and home style places. Where are the spots where people are serving you the food there moms and grand moms made. Wheres a dam place to go get legit chicken and dumplings. where can I go get some serious chicken fried chicken with white pepper gravy.
That's all Orlando is pretty much...Fast food...delapidated Strip Malls....and a Sprinkle of Good restaurants...I can name a dozen cities in Fl that absolutely destroy Orlando's food scene...For Fried Chicken I Love Lee's in Sanford...Crazy Good....I used to go Crazy for Mama Nem's Soul Food on Kirkman, (not open anymore) for the Pot Roast...Im talking stupid good...and the Corn Bread was Legendary....Steve Harvey was always there.
 
What I hate about Orlando is just to many dam franchise type places. Where are the great diners and home style places. Where are the spots where people are serving you the food there moms and grand moms made. Wheres a dam place to go get legit chicken and dumplings. where can I go get some serious chicken fried chicken with white pepper gravy.
For a Great Burger...and I mean Great...go to Teak in Metro West or Maitland....Burgers to die for....
 
I'll throw a few out there.


Best dining experience- Coque in Madrid
Best meal- L'affarie est Ketchup in Quebec City
South Florida Spots-PB Catch in downtown West Palm, Casa D'angelo in FTL, Prime 112.


Always down for Flanigan's.
 
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Back in the early 90s...Orlando had a MUCH better food scene...at that time..I was Executive Sous Chef at Lombardi's Italian Rest which was incredible...Garys Duck Inn and Le Coq Au Vin were insanely Good as well...Garys Duck Inn has been gone many yrs...Le Coq Au Vin is still there...but nothing like it was back in the day...
 
What I hate about Orlando is just to many dam franchise type places. Where are the great diners and home style places. Where are the spots where people are serving you the food there moms and grand moms made. Wheres a dam place to go get legit chicken and dumplings. where can I go get some serious chicken fried chicken with white pepper gravy.


Come on, man...yes, there are a ton of franchise places due to the tourism industry. But there are a TON of smaller places everywhere, staffed by people who learned how to cook and learned how to wait tables in the Orlando service industry.

I have a friend who I went to high school with, he retired from the Navy, he is constantly posting things on Facebook about diners he's hitting for breakfast. Maybe not downtown, but definitely places in the surrounding towns.

Go to OrlandoWeekly and start researching. There is also a Facebook group for Orlando foodies, and people swap info constantly.

If you are talking about southern-style places, try:

Coop (Winter Park)
Briarpatch (Park Ave, Winter Park)
The Southern Deli (436 and Wekiva-Piedmont, on the way to Apopka)
SoCo (Thornton Park)
Nikki's Place (Parramore)
Se7en Bites (Milk District)
Tibby's (Winter Park and Altamonte Springs locations, New Orleans food)
Ravenous Pig (Winter Park)
Git-N-Messy BBQ (in a Citgo gas station off of Aloma and Howell Branch)
Dixie Belle's Cafe (Belle Isle)
Brick & Spoon (Maitland)
Cook's (Deland)

and, per my HS friend:

Osteen Diner (Osteen)
Gram's Kitchen (Orange City)

If you need more ideas, PM me.

Oh, and hit up some places out in Plant City.
 
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Back in the early 90s...Orlando had a MUCH better food scene...at that time..I was Executive Sous Chef at Lombardi's Italian Rest which was incredible...Garys Duck Inn and Le Coq Au Vin were insanely Good as well...Garys Duck Inn has been gone many yrs...Le Coq Au Vin is still there...but nothing like it was back in the day...


Come on, man, you know I have mad love for you, but there are a ton of new spots. And I would never doubt you on quality, I just think you haven't found all the new spots yet.

Tastes are definitely changing, the whole "sit-down-multi-course-dinner" thing is not as big anymore, but there are a lot of small places that are doing innovative things. Teak, as you mentioned, is one of my favorites, been there many times. I went to Beth's last week, they had a weekly-special burger with mozzarella cheese sticks, provolone, bacon, and vodka sauce.

There's new places all over the place, lots of places you'd never think to go, like Winter Garden.
 
Come on, man, you know I have mad love for you, but there are a ton of new spots. And I would never doubt you on quality, I just think you haven't found all the new spots yet.

Tastes are definitely changing, the whole "sit-down-multi-course-dinner" thing is not as big anymore, but there are a lot of small places that are doing innovative things. Teak, as you mentioned, is one of my favorites, been there many times. I went to Beth's last week, they had a weekly-special burger with mozzarella cheese sticks, provolone, bacon, and vodka sauce.

There's new places all over the place, lots of places you'd never think to go, like Winter Garden.
Beth's is Garbage...Stop it.....I don't need any Culinary Lessons...I promise you...Orlando's food scene was 100X better 30yrs ago...Sure there is New Spots...but I stick with certain places....As far as Innovative...I was Tim Creehan's Sous Chef in Destin Fl at Marina Cafe from 88-89...and 92-93...He is the Father of Innovation in Fl....Won the Governor's Cup Challenge for 5 straight yrs...Best and most innovative Executive Chef I've ever worked side by side with...You can even Google about him...Dude was the Man...At that time...a very good friend was Executive Chef at Flamingo Cafe, also in Destin...(Angelo)...another Brilliant Chef....
Tim is the Father of Culinary Innovation in Fl....
 
Beth's is Garbage...Stop it.....I don't need any Culinary Lessons...I promise you...Orlando's food scene was 100X better 30yrs ago...Sure there is New Spots...but I stick with certain places....As far as Innovative...I was Tim Creehan's Sous Chef in Destin Fl at Marina Cafe from 88-89...and 92-93...He is the Father of Innovation in Fl....Won the Governor's Cup Challenge for 5 straight yrs...Best and most innovative Executive Chef I've ever worked side by side with...You can even Google about him...Dude was the Man...At that time...a very good friend was Executive Chef at Flamingo Cafe, also in Destin...(Angelo)...another Brilliant Chef....
Tim is the Father of Culinary Innovation in Fl....


Man, I'm not giving you "culinary lessons", no way could I do that.

Beth's in downtown declined (and has closed), I went to the one in Lake Mary and it is good.

I can respect the guy in Destin, but that's hours away.

Lots of good spots, my friend.
 
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Man, I'm not giving you "culinary lessons", no way could I do that.

Beth's in downtown declined (and has closed), I went to the one in Lake Mary and it is good.

I can respect the guy in Destin, but that's hours away.

Lots of good spots, my friend.
You know I love ya K.....I know Beth personally...they closed the one Downtown...and the one on S. Orange Ave...Both were in severe Decline....I had a Better Burger at ACE Cafe than I ever had at Beths.....and you were the one who turned me on to that place...
 
all this sushi talk, I’ll give some love to Sakura on US1 across from Taco Rico. The Moose Roll and the Leggo My Eggo Roll are amazing!

And shoutout to Taco Rico.
 
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Beth's is Garbage...Stop it.....I don't need any Culinary Lessons...I promise you...Orlando's food scene was 100X better 30yrs ago...Sure there is New Spots...but I stick with certain places....As far as Innovative...I was Tim Creehan's Sous Chef in Destin Fl at Marina Cafe from 88-89...and 92-93...He is the Father of Innovation in Fl....Won the Governor's Cup Challenge for 5 straight yrs...Best and most innovative Executive Chef I've ever worked side by side with...You can even Google about him...Dude was the Man...At that time...a very good friend was Executive Chef at Flamingo Cafe, also in Destin...(Angelo)...another Brilliant Chef....
Tim is the Father of Culinary Innovation in Fl....
I am sure this will be met with a very level headed discussion, but I am going to have to disagree on the father of culinary innovation in Florida. That was and is Norman Van Aken, and by extension the Mango Gang. They were really the first group to take the natural bounty of Florida and the Latin flair and show it through a progressive, fine dining lens.
 
You know I love ya K.....I know Beth personally...they closed the one Downtown...and the one on S. Orange Ave...Both were in severe Decline....I had a Better Burger at ACE Cafe than I ever had at Beths.....and you were the one who turned me on to that place...


Yeah, to be honest with you, I had skipped out on Beth's for a while. Last weekend in Lake Mary was probably my first Beth's burger in several years. I still love Beth's fries, they are on point.

I agree with you on Ace, I loved that place from when we scouted it for the Alumni Association event.

PS, I'm still a fan of Graffiti Junktion, they've got a Juicy Lucy that I kill for!
 
South Florida people, have any of you done any of the underground Cobaya dinners? Wondering if paths crossed at those. I did maybe 5-7 of them back when I lived in Miami. I don’t know when they will start back up post Covid, but you should definitely get on their mailing list and try to get in when they start back up. Serious, serious chef talent.

One of the guys who started it has a great IG follow and blog, Frodnesor on IG and foodforthoughtmiami.com for his blog. You can see some of their past dinners on the blog too. Really wanting to get to Ariete in the Grove when back down.
 
Yeah, to be honest with you, I had skipped out on Beth's for a while. Last weekend in Lake Mary was probably my first Beth's burger in several years. I still love Beth's fries, they are on point.

I agree with you on Ace, I loved that place from when we scouted it for the Alumni Association event.
Those Nachos we saw that guy eating night before the Gator UM game looked Righteous...as far as Fries...I dare you to find better Fries than at Hot Dog Heaven on E. Colonial....Insanely Good...and so are his Dogs (All from Vienna Beef) owner is from Chicago and his food is Spot on...
 
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