Tapa Toro Sunday Brunch in Orlando, FL

I was invited to come along to Tapa Toro to sample some of their brunch items. They are located on International Drive in I-Drive 360. Tapa Toro's Sunday Brunch happens weekly from 11am - 3pm.

Apple Pie Sangria: Made with the Tapa Toro Housemade apple juice syrup spiked with nutmeg, cinnamon and fresh ginger.

House Made Focaccia Sandwich: Ham, chorizo, serrano, olive spread, and olive oil. This was one of the tastiest sandwiches I've had in a while!

Poached Egg Toast: House alioli on on ciabatta bread with pickled shallots.

Tapa Toro Chicken n Pancakes: Fried chicken milanese, fried eggs, and a house honey glaze.

Three Little Pigs: Cheese grits, pork belly, chicharrones, and chorizo.

Pretty much everything I tried from Tapa Toro's brunch menu was delicious! The flamenco dancing that was also happening in the restaurant was a nice touch as well!

Tin Roof New Menu in Orlando, FL

I was recently invited to come sample some of the selections off the new menu at Tin Roof Orlando. They are located on International Drive at I-Drive 360. I've visited Tin Roof several times in the past, once to try the menu when they first opened. I've always enjoyed the food here, so I was looking forward to trying Tin Roof's new menu. Here's what Tin Roof has to say about the changes to their food:

ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2016) - Tin Roof, Orlando's favorite live music joint, has rolled out a new menu featuring a slew of new dishes.

But this isn't your average run-of-the-mill bar grub; these are house-made, slow-smoked, hand-rolled additions that you'll only find at the 'Roof. The new offerings include:

Pub BoardsStep one: choose from Tin Roof's new House Smoked Brisket, signature Nashville Hot Chicken, Candy Pig Mac & Cheese (includes brown sugar bacon and jalapeno queso), BBQ Pulled Pork, or Voodoo Shrimp.

Step two: choose a couple sides, including new Street Corn, Fried Pickles, Tots, Squash Casserole, Spicy Giardiniera and more.

Step three: enjoy the heck out of it all. All Pub Boards are served on - you guessed it - a wooden board.

Street TacosPerfect with a cold beer, Tin Roof's new Street Tacos include Carnitas, Chicken Tinga, Pepper Beef (featuring the house smoked brisket), Left Coast (vegetarian, featuring tempura avocado) and Loco Pez (Korean battered grouper).

Starters and Small Plates
In the mood to share? Try Tin Roof's new Poppers (bacon-wrapped peppadew & pimento cheese croquettes), Chili-Brown Wings or Dixie Biscuits (there's that brisket again, slider-style on biscuits with bacon, peach jam and cheddar cheese).

Room for dessert?
Those who have saved room can finish it off with the new Cast Iron Cookie, a salted caramel-pretzel-chocolate deep dish cookie topped with ice cream.

In addition to the new menu items, Tin Roof Orlando is still serving up the best local and regional bands and musicians on the Tin Roof stage.

On this visit, I started out by sampling the Chicken N Waffles - Buttermilk fried chicken nuggets, waffle pieces, bacon-maple glaze, and ancho chili chocolate. There was a change in the presentation from the last time I tried these, with the Chicken N Waffles now being served in a waffle cone. I liked the continuation of the waffle theme.

 

Candy Pig Mac & Cheese - Elbow pasta, brown sugar bacon, jalepeno queso, aged cheddar, herb bread crumbs, and scallions. 

 

Street Corn:

Nashville Hot Chicken - Buttermilk fried chicken rubbed with cayenne, served on texas toast with ranch potato salad and fried pickles.

BnC Medley - House smoked brisket, carmalized onions, cheddar cheese, and spicy pickles

House Smoked Brisket - served with pickeled red onion and hot sauce

Shake Shack (International Drive) in Orlando, FL - New Summer Menu

Shake Shack recently launched several new summer menu items. This blog was invited to attend a Blogger Meet-Up at Shake Shack's International Drive location to sample the new foods. The following is some of the food highlights from their new summer menu:

Bacon CheddarShack Burger & Fries:

Chick'n Stack: Crispy chicken breast with lettuce, pickles, and buttermilk herb mayo.

Raspberry Lemonade:

Shack Sandy: A blend of Shake Shack's ShackMeister Ale and Shack-made Lemonade.

Chocolate Cookies & Cream Shake: Chocolate frozen custard blended with chocolate cookie Crumbles and topped with whipped cream.

Sugar Factory Media Preview in Orlando, FL

I was recently invited to the media preview of Sugar Factory in I-Drive 360. With the Sugar Factory name, I didn't exactly know what this restaurant would be serving. Would the menu consist of all sorts of sugar filled desserts, or would the sugar be more of a name? The answer would be yes to both. Sugar Factory did serve plenty of sweets, but there were savory food items as well. To quote Sugar Factory's press release, "Upscale dining classics are served all day long from brunch to late-night, ranging from decadent crepes to flavorful milkshakes and gourmet burgers to ice cream sandwiches and more." Sugar Factory has several other locations throughout the country and has pictures of various celebrities dining in their restaurants hanging on the walls. This was the first I've heard of the chain.

The media preview event started with us sampling some Meatballs:

Fried Mac & Cheese Pops: Homemade macaroni and cheese, battered and deep fried and served with creamy tomato-herb sauce.

Red Velvet Pancakes: Fluffy pancakes, white chocolate chunk, orange zest, whipped cream, and warm maple syrup.

Bolognese Rigatoni: Rigatoni in a slow simmered ground beef and sausage meat sauce.

Four Cheese Pizza: Mozzarella, feta chese, gryere, swiss cheese, garlic, and fresh basil.

Here's a couple other menu items that we didn't get to taste. There was chicken and waffles and crepes that looked tasty.

For the featured drinks, there was the Ocean Blue (filled with gummi sharks), the Lollipop Passion, Mai Tai, and White Gummi. These 60 ounce drinks were all available with or without alcohol.

On to dessert, we tried three milkshakes. There was the Very Berry Blast, the Make a Wish, and Chocolate.

World Famous Sugar Factory King Kong Sundae: 24 scoops of ice cream covered with hot fudge, caramel, and strawberry sauce, sliced bananas, toasted marshmallows, Reeses's Pieces, chocolate chip cookies, crushed waffle cones, gummi bears, white chocolate strawberry shavings, and toasted walnuts with whipped cream, giant lollipops, and sparklers on top! Serves twelve people.

Strawberry Cheesecake Overload: Three scoops of strawberry ice cream with New York cheesecake chunks and fresh strawberries topped with strawberry sauce, vanilla bean whipped creame, and white chocolate straberry shavings.

Sugar Factory had an attached candy store and ice cream shop separate from the dining area.

I helped myself to a little too much candy...

I'm going to have to go back to Sugar Factory soon and dine there as a regular customer. With the addition of Sugar Factory, I-Drive 360 is getting a nice collection of restaurants. Hopefully that trend continues!

Cowgirls Rockbar Orlando Grand Opening in Orlando, FL

I was invited to the grand opening of Cowgirls Rockbar at I-Drive 360. This is a new bar/restaurant located on International Drive in the same complex as the Orlando Eye ferris wheel. The theme of Cowgirls Rockbar seems pretty self-explanatory by the name. They feature Orlando's only mechanical bull, bartenders who stand on the bar and dance, and potentially very elusive southern-style food (keep reading for more on that).

Here's the menu for the grand opening. Because I was limited on time and Cowgirls was very crowded, I didn't actually get a chance to try any of the food on this visit. I'm in the International Drive area pretty often so I figured I'd try their food on another day.

I found myself back on I-Drive a little less than two weeks later at dinner time and decided to try the food at Cowgirls. No such luck. We walked into a completely empty Cowgirls and were told that they only serve food on weekends. I know they're mostly a bar, but there were no people drinking here on a weeknight. With the lack of customers, I wish Cowgirls luck with not serving food during the week. I double checked their press release just to make sure the food wasn't just a grand opening thing, and it looks like the original plan was to serve food for lunch and dinner every day. I guess things change...

Cowgirls Rockbar Orlando is NOW OPEN

Boots, beers, and Orlando's only mechanical bull bring a new vibe to I-Drive 360  

ORLANDO, Fla. - (Nov. 19, 2015) - Time to cowboy up Orlando - Cowgirls Rockbar Orlando is now open!

The Cowgirls guarantee a good time The new restaurant and bar at I-Drive 360 features Orlando's only mechanical bull and is the perfect place to kick up some dust, enjoy a cold longneck, sip a whiskey or grab some BBQ.

Cowgirls Rockbar is quickly becoming known for its beautiful Cowgirls who serve up Southern-style dishes and cold drinks along with plenty of banter. Getting to know the servers and bartenders is all part of the experience. So is dancing on top of the bar at any moment.

At the center of it all is the mechanical bull. It's ready and willing for anyone who wants to go for a ride; speeds range from super-slow to hang-on-for-your-life. It's the star of the show, whether you're on top of the bull or just watching from a bar stool.

Cowgirls piled-high BBQ pulled pork sandwich Cowgirls is open for both lunch and dinner. Signature dishes include BBQ platters piled high with smoked brisket, pulled pork and smoked turkey, along with southern-style sides like mac 'n cheese, baked beans, coleslaw and cornbread. Guests can also get a bowl of Cowgirls Almost Famous Gumbo, filled with smoked chicken, andouille sausage, crawfish, okra, peppers and more - slowly simmered in a dark Louisiana roux. Finish it off with an old-fashioned root beer float or banana pudding.

Cowgirls is quickly becoming one of Orlando's top spots for a wild night out for birthdays, bachelorette parties or other special events. DJ's will keep the party going all night long with a mix of country, pop and rock hits. And there's no better location, as it's just steps from the Orlando Eye.

Outback Steakhouse in Orlando, FL (International Drive)

I was invited to a menu tasting at the new Outback Steakhouse that recently opened on International Drive. This Outback is located in the I-Drive 360 complex, anchored by the currently half built Orlando Eye ferris wheel.

I attended one of their lunch tasting events. These menu tasting events were used to train Outback's staff in exchange for free food. The meal started with Signature Baked Potato Soup - Creamy potato soup topped with melted cheese, bacon, and green onions.

I had the Baby Back Ribs - Smoked, wood-fire grilled and brushed with a tangy BBQ sauce. Served with Aussie Fries.

Sirloin and Grilled Shrimp. Served with a baked potato and asparagus as sides.

I had their homemade watermelon soda made from ginger ale, watermelon, and lime for my drink.

Sangria:

Outback Steakhouse was fun. This new Outback Steakhouse was pretty much exactly what I was expecting. Like most chains, the food here was pretty much equivalent to what can be had at any other Outback. Still, I think Outback Steakhouse should fully embrace their Australian theme and start serving kangaroo meat. I'd totally try kangaroo if it started being served at Outback. It could be a place for people on kangatarian diets to go eat!