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...

Marlow's Tavern in Orlando, FL

Marlow's Tavern is a new restaurant that has recently opened in Pointe Orlando on International Drive. I was invited to their media preview to sample some of the food. Be prepared for a mass of food pictures from this new restaurant!

Various appetizers that Marlow's Tavern offers were sampled first. First up was J.T.'s Kettle Chips, consisting of potato chips with Gorgonzola cheese, bacon, roma tomato, and scallions. This was served alongside the Shrimp & Crab "Nacho" Plate, topped with rock shrimp, crab, pepper jack cheese, and jalapeno. 

Ahi Tuni Poke: Ahi tuna, Hawaiian style sauce, avocado, teriyaki sauce, scallion, and crispy wontons. This one had a very nifty presentation.

Asparagus Fries were served with a tasty citrus aioli sauce.

Marlow's Famous Hummus was topped with feta and served with toasted pita points, carrots, and celery.

Next up were a couple of burgers. The first was the Everything and the "Kitchen Sink" Burger. It was topped with apple-wood smoked bacon, caramelized onion, wild mushroom, chipotle BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and crispy onions. Entire pieces of fried okra were served on the side.

The Black and Blue Burger was next, topped with Gorgonzola and applewood smoked bacon. Fries and a pickle came with this one.

The "Infamous" Fish Tacos were filled with blackened tilapia, shredded romaine, black bean corn salsa, smoked chili cream, and served with a side of grits.

 

The Open Faced Tenderloin Steak consisted of a marinated bistro filet, garlic kale pesto, gorgonzola, caramelized onion confit, roma tomato, and a balsamic glaze on grilled ciabatta. Asparagus and a pickle were served on the side.

We also sampled the Seared Ahi Tuna Salad. The tuna was seared with a teriyaki glaze and served over field greens, Napa cabbage, avocado, cucumber, tomato, crispy wonton, carrots, scallion, and a soy ginger dressing.

Shrimp & Grits consisted of white cheddar grit cakes topped with shrimp, spinach, roma tomato, shallot and roast tomato Beurre Blanc.

After all that food, three desserts were served, including the Classic Creme Brulee, Warm Chocolate Tollhouse Pie, and my personal favorite, the Fried Apple Pie.

I enjoyed the food at Marlow's Tavern and it's definitely a nice addition to Pointe Orlando. I'd return...