Ginther's Swirls Ice Cream in Orlando, FL

Today is apparently National Ice Cream Day. Hurray for made up food holidays! To celebrate, here's a Dole Whip from Ginther's Swirls located on International Drive near Sea World. Pineapple soft serve ice cream floating on a pool of pineapple juice. It's was just like getting the must overhyped Dole Whips at Disney without dealing with the Disney crowds!

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!

Shake Shack Holiday Menu (International Drive)

I was invited to visit the Shake Shack on International Drive in Orlando to taste some of their new menu items for the holiday season this year.

The visit started out with a sampling of the standard Shake Shake foods including ShackBurgers and Cheese Fries.

The first of the holiday menu items was a cup of Brownie-Batter Hot Chocolate. This very thick and rich hot chocolate was topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

There were three Holiday Shakes to sample. The Chocolate Peppermint shake was my favorite with a strong minty flavor. The Pumpkin Pie shake tasted just like pumpkin pie, and was almost like drinking liquefied pie in a cup. The Christmas Cookie shake was also good, tasting the most like a traditional vanilla shake. These seasonal milkshakes are on the menu until December 31.

These aren't new for the holidays, but they were new to me. Shake Shake also sells Shack Burger Dog Biscuits for your pets. I brought a bag of these to a few dogs I know who quickly scarfed them down.

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

Pizza@ Artegon in Orlando, FL

When Artegon Marketplace opened as a renovated version of Festival Bay Mall on International Drive, I had very low expectations of them being successful. Yet here we are, almost two years after their opening and they seem to be doing well. Recent news is that they are working on opening a food hall in some of the unoccupied space in the mall. Before that happens though, I recently had lunch at Artegon at a restaurant called Pizza@. This is a small chain with locations around Florida, with the other Orlando location near Lake Eola. They are set up like a Subway/Chipotle where you pick what you want on your pizza at a counter. I ordered one of the pre-picked topping selections called the Artegon Ana. This had a whole wheat crust topped with alfredo ricotta sauce, fresh mozzarella, sausage, artichokes, chickpeas, red onions, olives, feta cheese, and truffle oil. When they offered to add additional toppings, I went with the green peppers and capers.

For a fast food pizza cooked on a conveyor belt oven in a mall, I enjoyed this. I don't think I've ever had chickpeas on a pizza before. They were generous with the toppings, but everything held together nicely. I'd go back to Pizza@.

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.

Copper Canyon Grill in Orlando, FL

Copper Canyon Grill has been located in Pointe Orlando on International Drive for years now. I had been warned multiple times from different people about how horrible the restaurant is and to avoid Copper Canyon at all costs. I finally decided to ignore those warnings and give the restaurant a try. 

I was there for lunch on a Sunday. These lunch specials were advertised outside the restaurant and it must have worked. I ordered the Korean Pork Belly Tacos.

The food took quite a while to be served. The restaurant was mostly empty. They had an open kitchen and the guy cooking was getting loudly upset at something and yelling at some of the servers. If you have angry cooks, don't put them in an open kitchen where the guests can see and hear them. Once the food did come out, I had no complaints. The tacos were delicious. The pork belly was tender rather than rubbery (I've been served rubbery pork belly one too many times at other restaurants). The sauces were delicious. The side of kimchi was unexpected, but I graciously devoured it.

Prices at Copper Canyon Grill were a bit too high for most of the food which was served, but I suppose most of their business is from the convention center with people with expense accounts. Besides the high price point and the angry cook, I have no complaints about the food itself. Copper Canyon definitely didn't live up to their reputation as a horrible restaurant...

Oreganatta in Orlando, FL

I tried an Italian buffet on International Drive called Oreganatta. They are located in a new building near Wet n' Wild. There was another Italian buffet nearby on International Drive several years ago that was above average. They ended up closing and a CiCi's Pizza took over the space. Perhaps my memory of this long gone buffet gave me hopes for Oreganatta that were slightly too high.

Oreganatta was almost completely empty except for another couple eating there. That's a bad sign for a buffet, but it was still early for the lunch hour so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I started out by trying their pasta. The pasta was custom made by a cook where you picked out sauce, type of pasta, and a choice of BBQ or spicy chicken. I had penne with pesto and spicy chicken. The pesto was okay. The chicken had a weird, slimy consistency and I didn't eat most of the meat. The option to add vegetables into the pasta as well would have been a big improvement.

I tried some of Oreganatta's salads next. I had some Caesar salad, pasta salad, and a chickpea salad. No complaints here. The salads were the best tasting food I found on the buffet.

The pizza was similar to what could be found at CiCi's, only without the big selection of pies. It was cheap conveyor belt pizza. There was a cheese and pepperoni pie on the buffet table. One of the employees offered to make another with my choice of toppings, but I passed.

They had lots of mini dessert cups on the buffet as well. I tried some sort of chocolate dessert, rice pudding, and a custard. I liked the rice pudding the best, but the desserts were mostly forgettable.

I don't think I'd return to Oreganatta any time soon. I was not impressed overall. The salad was okay. The pasta bar has room for improvement, and CiCi's would be a better option for the pizza, just based on ready made buffet selection (and I wouldn't recommend CiCi's). I personally don't see Oreganatta surviving long...