Space Coast State Fair

During the first weekend in November, I found myself at the Space Coast State Fair in Cocoa. If you're reading about a fair here, it means I consumed some fair food while I was there!

I had some freshly cut french fries. There was a scary amount of oil dripping off these...

For something a bit less greasy, I also had an ear of hot roasted corn! I love how they grill these still in the husk.

I also came across a taco truck in a camper called Authenticos Tacos Mexicanos. These fairs generally don't have taco trucks serving stuff like tongue tacos...

Marti's Deli & Cafe in Boca Raton, FL

During an early morning visit to Boca Raton, I stopped for breakfast at Marti's Deli & Cafe (or as the sign reads from the road: Bagel & Deli). I ordered an egg & cheese sandwich on an everything bagel. The sandwich had a nice portion of egg with plenty of melted cheddar. The bagel was nicely toasted, although it could have used some more seeds on top.

Overall, this was a satisfying breakfast sandwich for a good price. No major complaints here!

Sizzler in Orlando, FL (International Drive)

Sizzler is a buffet chain that has several locations in Orlando. Originally, they were spread all over the area, but now they are limited to the touristy sections of town. To me, this implies that if you aren't a tourist, you probably won't be going to Sizzler. And yet, one evening, I ended up at the Sizzler across from Pointe Orlando on International Drive...

I started with a plate of salad. It was okay, but it can't compare to larger salad bars like Sweet Tomatoes.

Tacos...

This is the type of food that comes from Sizzler's hot food section. Mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, fried foods, and sausages.

Dessert.

After this visit, my opinion of Sizzler remains the same. If you live locally, you probably know that you shouldn't be going to Sizzler, but if you're like me, you may have eaten there on a few rare occasions and are probably in no rush to return...

Third Annual Orlando Food & Wine Fest, Nov 13-14

Third Annual Orlando Food & Wine Fest

Treat for the Senses at Lake Eola on November 13-14, 2010

Featuring Top Chef'Testant Kenny Gilbert & National Entertainment War and Fourplay 

Presented and produced by 103.1 WLOQ and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, this signature event  features mouth-watering dishes from 36 Central Florida restaurants and more than 50 domestic and international wines.  Lincoln Mercury is the presenting sponsor of the Fest, a top three Community Best Event award winner by the Orlando Sentinel.  

WHERE:          
Downtown Orlando on Robinson Street along Lake Eola from Rosalind to Eola Drive

WHEN:           
Saturday, Nov. 13, 1 p.m. - 9 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 14, 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. 

More than 16,000 guests enjoy cooking demonstrations by local and celebrity chefs on the Bright House Network Chef's Stage; world-class entertainment including national recording artists WAR, Fourplay and Marc Antoine performing live on the Widmer Main Stage, and collegiate and professional sports games airing in the outdoor sports bar.

Saturday

2  p.m.                         Entertainment: Lori Brothers

2 p.m.                          Chef Demo: Warren Caterson, Table for Two - The Cookbook for Couples

3 p.m.                          Chef Demo: John Zimmerman, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

3:30 p.m.                     Entertainment: The Redcoats (Beatles tribute band)

4 p.m.                          Chef Demo: Dionna Hurt, Best In Show, Crisco National Pie Making Championship

5 p.m.                          Entertainment: Jose Valentino

5 p.m.                          Chef Demo: Ian Hollman, Dexter's Thorton Park

7:30 p.m.                    Entertainment: WAR

Sunday

1 p.m.                          Chef Demo: Tyler McMahan, Tommy Bahama

1 p.m.                          Entertainment: Lyman High School Jazz Band

2 p.m.                          Chef Demo: Top Chef'Testant Kenny Gilbert 

2:30 p.m.                    Entertainment: Marc Antoine

3 p.m.                          Chef Demo: Stuart Borton, Yellow Dog Café

4 p.m.                          Chef Demo: Dustin White, CRAVE

5 p.m.                          Entertainment: Fourplay

ADMISSION/TICKET PRICES:  

Limited advance tickets can be purchased online at www.OrlandoFoodAndWineFest.com and at local Trustco Banks and Lincoln Mercury dealers (through November 12).

• Advance weekend pass:        $15
• Advance one-day pass:          $10
• At the gate:                              $15
• Children:                                  Free (12 years of age and under)

Tasting samples cost $2 to $6 and may only be purchased with food and beverage tickets. Tickets, in $2 increments, will be available for cash purchase on site.

The Orlando Food and Wine Fest benefits the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association Educational Foundation and the Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS) and Central Florida Jazz Society.

Schlotzsky's Deli in Florence, SC

We don't have any in Orlando anymore, but Schlotzsky's Deli is still one of the best sandwich chains around in my opinion. I recently stopped in a Schlotzsky's in Florence, SC and had one of their Turkey Original sandwiches. Good bread and lots of tasty stuff on the sandwich. This beats Subway or Quiznos anytime!

Panchero's in Orlando, FL

I had dinner at Panchero's on Church Street in Downtown Orlando. They are a fast food Mexican restaurant, following the same format as Chipotle/Qdoba. The main difference I noticed at Panchero's was the freshly made tortillas. Dough was pressed out, then cooked on a grill before being stuffed with fillings.

I ended up getting a chicken burrito with rice, black beans, lettuce, corn, jalapenos, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Overall, this was a pretty good burrito. There was a couple of fillings (like roasted peppers) that I would have also liked in the burrito, but they looked like they had been sitting out for far too long so I passed.

My meal at Panchero's was the first time I had been to Church Street since the new Amway Center opened. There was a Magic game going on at the time and I haven't seen Church Street so crowded since the days of Church Street Station. Unfortunately, very few of the people walking here were actually stopping into any of the businesses on Church Street. It seemed everyone was leaving the Amway Center and going elsewhere in Downtown. We were the only customers for the time I was eating, and there is no way Panchero's was making any money that night with all of the employees they had. The Amway Center was supposed to revitalize Church Street, but I'm not seeing it. With the exception of Hamburger Mary's and Ceviche, all the other bars and restaurants on Church Street were completely deserted. Sad really...

Happy Halloween

What's better on Halloween than a home-grown Seminole Pumpkin?

Desert Grill at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL

I went to Busch Gardens for Howl-O-Scream this October. Eventually, I started to feel hungry so I ventured to the Desert Grill in the Timbuktu section of the park. The restaurant doubled as the theater for their Blood Relations show, so I was able to watch the show during my meal.

Mix Frozen Yogurt in Orlando, FL

Mix Frozen Yogurt is one of the newest self-serve yogurt shops in Orlando. They are located near UCF in a shopping center at the corner of Colonial and Alafaya. They are sort of hidden back there and I never noticed Mix until they were kind enough to invite me to try their yogurt! Now that I know where they are, I'll definitely be back!

They had a very nice selection of sixteen different flavors of frozen yogurt.  

They also had a large topping bar filled with fresh fruit, candies, cookies, and everything else imaginable that you could possibly want on yogurt.



I tried four different flavors of yogurt. I had pumpkin, red velvet cake, strawberry, and tart yogurt. Pumpkin was my favorite out of the bunch, tasting like pumpkin pie.

I topped my yogurt with kiwi, raspberries, strawberry flavored boba, and some candy corn. With Halloween coming up soon, I had to add the candy corn to go with the pumpkin yogurt...

Mix Frozen Yogurt is a great addition to Orlando's collection of places serving frozen yogurt. With the large selection of yogurt, big topping bar, and only costing $0.39/oz, how can you go wrong?

Vegfest in Orlando, FL

I'm not a vegetarian, but that didn't stop me from ending up at the Central Florida Vegfest in Lock Haven Park to check out the food choices! Most of the local vegetarian/vegan restaurants had booths set up, along with a few more that were new to me. Places to try I suppose...






Was I inspired to eat a vegan diet after my trip to the Vegfest? Later on, I ended up eating dinner at Keller's BBQ if that answers your question...

Oasis Cuban Cafe in Longwood, FL

I had dinner at Oasis Cuban Cafe in Longwood. Everyone's meal here started with a choice of soup or salad. I choose the salad, topped with beets, beans, and tomatoes.

I had the Pechuga a la Plancha for my main course. This was a tender chicken breast topped with grilled onions. The chicken came with congri rice (black beans & rice) and plantains on the side. Everything was good and was a whole lot of food!

Perhaps next time I'll try the pork...

Tacoberfest at Del Taco

The Del Taco restaurants in Oviedo and Orlando are putting a spin on one of Germany’s most famous events – Oktoberfest. From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Oct. 20, both restaurants will be offering 29-cent tacos (limit of 10) at a “celebration worthy of tacos” – Tacoberfest.

The Oviedo Del Taco is located at 3551 Dovera Drive, and the Orlando Del Taco is located at 12025 Collegiate Way.

I recently stopped into the Orlando Del Taco near UCF. Putting aside the twenty minute wait for my so called fast food, I sampled two different tacos. I had a Shrimp Taco and a Chicken Taco del Carmen. The shrimp taco was average and was about what I would expect from a fast food restaurant. The Taco del Carmen was better than I was expecting with lots of onions and cilantro with really flavorful chicken on a corn tortilla. I'd definitely get it again.

The Restaurant at Mayfair in Sanford, FL

The Restaurant at Mayfair is located inside of the Mayfair Country Club in Sanford. The restaurant provided a great view to watch the golfers, or in my case, look for the fox squirrels and sandhill cranes that hang out on the golf course.

The restaurant was advertised as a buffet, but that wasn't quite the case. The food was all you can eat for $10, but it definitely wasn't a buffet. You ordered off a menu through the wait staff, who then went to the kitchen and picked up your food from the hidden buffet and then served it to your table.

Plate #1 consisted of a shrimp croquette, polish sausage, and mashed potatoes.

Plate #2 came with beans and macaroni & cheese.

Finally, plate #3 was a piece of fried catfish.

In concept, this restaurant could have worked. The problem was it took a while for the food to be brought out, even though I got the feeling that it was all pre-cooked and microwaveable. The food itself also reminded me a bit too much of what is served at a Ponderosa or Sizzler. I think The Restaurant at Mayfair would be much improved if they got rid of the kind-of buffet concept and switched to a menu serving better quality food that's cooked to order.