tommyvee's Profile
Viet Garden ?
No, you didn't break any Vietnamese rules. Unfortunately, you will find subpar service in a lot of Vietnamese restaurants...Viet Garden being one of them.
We go to Pho Vinh on Primrose. They have the best service of the bunch and the food is fantastic. These are the original owners of Vinh's (next to Viet Garden) before they sold it off a few years back.
lunch in orlando area on sat.
Five Guys. Not sure where you are coming from, but there are a few of these in the area and their burgers and fries are made fresh.
Best Cuban Restaurant in Orlando / Central Florida?
Haha...I'm not Cuban, but I do love Cuban food. Rolando's good, but it just doesn't have enough umph to it for my taste.
I do cook with a lot of chicken bouillon and chicken tomato bouillon base which adds both salt and msg. You can find it in the Spanish section of the supermarket. I also make a mean ahi sauce that goes great with Cuban food. Basically it's made with pickled jalapenos, cilantro, onions, garlic, lime juice, and salt. It's kinda like a hot fresh green salsa that goes great with Cuban food.
Best Cuban Restaurant in Orlando / Central Florida?
Thanks, JayDubya and glowworm...will definitely check it out the next time I'm craving some Cuban food.
Orlando Recomendations for non-hounds
My first thought was Rain Forest Cafe in Downtown Disney. Great atmosphere and safe food. Make sure you get reservations well in advance.
Another option would be one of the buffet / all-you-can-eat places within Disney. Here's a list of all of them: http://allears.net/din/buffet.htm
Best Cuban Restaurant in Orlando / Central Florida?
We've been to a few Cuban restaurants in the Orlando / Central Florida area in search of good authentic Cuban food. So far, nothing really stands out at this point.
We saw some suggestions for Padrinos that we need to try. Any other suggestions? Here's our current list...
1. Alex's (Casselberry) - Our current favorite. Just a hole in the wall with warm service and good food
2. Oasis (Casselberry) - live entertainment on weekends, solid...nothing spectacular
3. Rolandos (Casselberry) - food needs more salt
4. Don Pepe's Havana Grill (Altamonte Springs) - good atmosphere, decent food.
5. Black Bean Deli - nothing too memorable. We expected more from the recommendations on the web
6. Cubans on the Run (Casselberry) - decent
7. Vega's (Near Downtown) - not impressed
8. Bongos (Disney) - decent atmosphere. but is the food even Cuban (seems fusion)? A little too commercial
9. Coconuts (Lake Mary) - not good. Food was not fresh when we went
Cheap Eats in Orlando
Rick, I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. Believe it or not, Orlando has five pho places ...well five with "Pho" in their names signifying that it's their specialty, since many of the Vietnamese restaurants serve this dish as well.
The best two by far is Pho 88 and Pho Hoa. The rest should be ashamed of themselves for putting "Pho" in their names.
1. Pho 88
2. Pho Hoa
.....
Pho 97
Pho Saigon
Pho Pasteur
Craving Indian Food in Orlando
Herbert, how is the food of Tabla compared to Memories of India in your opinion?
Orlando Recommendations - Universal Studios Visit
There are two great ethnic restaurants in the Universal Studios area (same plaza as well)...
1. Memories of India - delicious...made an Indian food fan out of me.
2. Rice Paper - fusion Vietnamese, great atmosphere, good food
Need recs in downtown Orlando please!
If you like Thai food, Napasorn is in Downtown Orlando. In my opinion, it's the best Thai food in the area.
Any new restaurants in Orlando???
Not that new (maybe a year or so), but Corkscrew Grill in Lake Mary has great food and a good atmosphere.
Vietnamese in Orlando
Sarah, I'm Vietnamese and Orlando has great Vietnamese food. We go to Pho 88 for the beef or chicken rice noodle soup (pho). I haven't found another place that has better beef soup outside of California. For everything else Vietnamese, we go to Vinh's. Their grilled pork spring roll appetizers are to die for.
If you like dim sum, go to Ming's Bistro in the same area. If you like ordering from the push carts, come during the weekends. This is as authentic as they get and the food is fantastic.
Sichuan Hot Pot/Florida
That sounds delicious. I'm wondering where the nearest one is from Orlando as well.
Current 2-fer deals in Orlando?
Check out Ruth's Chris's Summer Celebration special where you can get 2 three-course meals for $89. I'm not sure when the promotion ends, but here's the link:
http://www.ruthschris.com/Menu/SummerCelebration
Any good shabu-shabu places in Orlando?
Thanks, we'll check it out maybe this weekend if we can get a babysitter for our 2 year old. I'm not sure shabu and toddlers mix too well. :)
Recommendations between Winter Park and Orange City
We haven't tried The Ravenous Pig and have heard lots of great things about it. If you find yourself on Park Avenue in Winter Park, check out 310 Park South. It's a nice relaxed and romantic restaurant with outside seating. Their filet mignon as it's one of the best around.
Lunch at Urban Flats - Disappointing
We were not impressed with our visit to Urban Flats in Waterford Lakes. The service was fine, but the food was not good. We got an Asian salad which was substandard and flatbreads that were extremely dry. We figured it was done on purpose to sell more wine. I'm sure the wine tasting event would be fine, but as a sit down restaurant, it's not so good.
What are your personal faves in the Tampa/St Pete/Clearwater area?
We recently went to Queen of Sheba and left impressed with the experience as well. We ordered the big platter with various dishes to try and were quite happy with our meal and our bottle of Ethiopian wine. The flavors weren't as strange as we concocted in our minds and the service and atmosphere were great. Although the food wasn't that memorable, the dining experience was. Thumbs up.
Orlando: Ethnic w/o throngs of tourists?
Not sure about local pizza restaurants, but the best of what you mentioned in the area are:
Thai - Napasorn in Downtown Orlando. The finesse and complexity of the flavors are amazing as they do all of their sauces from scratch. We've eaten at quite a few Thai restaurants (probably double digits in number as it's our favorite cuisine) and Napasorn is the best.
Indian - Memories of India. By far the best restaurant in the area in my opinion. This restaurant got me hooked on Indian cuisine after years of eating Indian food. The flavors are amazing and is a must try when in the area in my opinion. Get the chicken kada masala and the garlic nan. You will be impressed.
Pizza - What the heck, I'll throw out a few...although these are chains, we like Mellow Mushroom in Winter Park and Red Brick Pizza. Good crust, not too greasy and alcohol is served. What else do you need?
TOP WINGS IN FLA
My list consists of the chains, but not because I haven't tried all the others. I just like these since I like them super crispy, salty, and hot.
1. Wingstop - by far the best wings in the world. Their Lemon Pepper is the best tasting wing if you like them mild. Their Atomic is super addictive if you like 'em hot and their wings are perfectly fried.
2. Buffalo Wild Wings (BW3s) - Spicy Garlic, Teriyaki, and Wild are all good.
3. Hooters - unfortunately, I do go to Hooters for their wings. I like their 911 naked and extra wet.
Cheap Eats in Orlando
Great! I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.
Yea, Vinh's has very good service, a trait that is rather uncommon for a Vietnamese restaurant for some reason. In fact that's probably one of the main reasons we go there now that I think about it. The other reason is that their grilled pork dishes and wonton/egg noodle soups are very tasty.
Craving Indian Food in Orlando
I've eaten at quite a few Indian restaurants in the area and by far the best Indian food in Orlando (and maybe the Western World) is Memories of India. There are two locations, one near Universal and one in Lake Mary. Get the chicken kada masala and their garlic nan. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee.
If you like something different, try Udipi Cafe in Longwood. They serve up vegetarian dishes from South India. The food doesn't have the Indian flavors I am used to, but my Indian friend swears by its authenticity.
Saigon Deli Rocks - Tampa
Yep. Culantro is it's common name and is used widely in Latin American cooking. It tastes like cilantro IMO.
http://www.chow.com/ingredients/153
We're in Tampa for a seminar and will check this place out. Thanks for the suggestion.
Any good "fish camp" restaurants in Central FL?
Check out the Swamphouse Grill in Debary, FL. It's on the water and has live music at times. Don't let the RV park that it sits on fool you, the atmosphere is great at this place and the food's not too bad either.
Any good shabu-shabu places in Orlando?
I've never tried shabu shabu before. After seeing a show about it on TV, I can't wait to take my wife. Is there a good place for this in the Central Florida area?
REAL Dim Sum in Orlando?
Stick with the safe bets...shrimp dumpling, pork dumpling, pork wrapped in bean curd (looks like small, wet egg rolls...but delicious), BBQ pork bun, fried shrimp ball, and sesame ball for dessert. Make a dipping sauce out of soy and hot chile and order hot tea to drink. Enjoy!
Good seafood place in Orlando to impress a couple New Englanders?
Just went to High Tide Harry's on 50 and 436 a couple of days ago. If you're looking for Southern style seafood, this place may fit the bill. It is close in taste to Dixie Crossroads in Titusville. Good crab, shrimp and fried catfish. This is just a hole in the wall where the locals go, but the food is good.
Del Friscos, Ruth's Chris or Shula's ORLANDO?
Ruth's Chris - average food, good service.
Del Frisco's - good food, but horrendous service when we were there.
Shula's - haven't tried and I'm not sure it belongs on this list.
I recommend Charley's Steakhouse. The steak is the best in the area.
Good seafood place in Orlando to impress a couple New Englanders?
Boston's Fish House in Winter Park supposedly has the best New England seafood in the area. We are looking forward to trying it soon.
We are in search of a good seafood restaurant in the area ourselves. Here are my take on a few that we've tried:
Straubs - Bland food, horrendous service, would not recommend.
Shells - Decent food, decent atmosphere, chain.
Bonefish Grill - Decent food, upscale atmosphere, not very memorable
Joe's Crab Shack - Good food, good atmosphere, family friendly, chain.
Unfortunately, the best experience we've had has been at Joe's Crab Shack. It is a chain that's available in the New England area, so I'm not sure how pertinent it is for you guys.
There are few in the Disney area that gets decent reviews. I'd love to hear any reviews on the following:
Flying Fish
Moonfish
Coral Reef
Todd's English's BlueZoo
Hemingways
