Night Swimming
September 15, 2013 | Posted in Home life, Pics | By Lisa Wilk
It seems to be a busy time of year for everyone I know. Living in Florida, our Indian Summer still feels like summer. Warm nights will linger through September and backyard pools are just warm enough. A jump in the pool can cool you off and also provide you a moment of solace if it’s quiet enough. Take the plunge and jump on in, the water’s great.
Winter Park Sip & Stroll
September 14, 2013 | Posted in Around Town, Wine Tasting | By Lisa Wilk
It’s been a year or so since I’ve Sipped my way around Park Avenue. The quarterly function is organized by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and the Park Avenue Merchants Association. The popular wine event is a nice way to gain knowledge of the variety businesses along Park Avenue.
We were invited to this Sold Out event by Yelp Orlando, were quickly checked in and with glasses in hand we were on our way. The pink logo (wine glass) signs were posted outside of all participating venues, making the route easy to navigate.
Attendees were also given a map to guide them. As you can see, the participants stretched up and down Park Avenue. Most stops had a white and a red wine with an accompanying food item. Some stops went all out, with several different wine selections, bubbly and numerous gourmet food pairings.
We enjoyed chatting with attendees and merchants alike. Happily, it was a beautiful sunset on Park Avenue and the rain held off until after the 8pm ending time.
Thanks to Yelp Orlando and the many nice shops and restaurants who hosted such a nice event! The Winter Park Sip & Stroll is a fun event that is getting bigger and better with each passing year.
Top 5 Friday
September 13, 2013 | Posted in Around Town, Uncategorized | By Lisa Wilk
On my radar this week:
Apple Cheddar Gougères with Crispy Prosciutto from the Kitchen Confidante
ABC Brings Growlers To Orlando Area
Koko Cooks beautiful photography had me making Chicken and Dumplings
Magical Dining Month: Tasty Chomps heads to Deep Blu Seafood Grill
Raising the Bar: Farm, Food And Spirits In Orlando
September 12, 2013 | Posted in Around Town | By Lisa Wilk
The second Table Talk event- Raising the Bar: Farm, Food And Spirits [In Orlando]
The breakfast centered event was provided by K Restaurant, Lake Meadow Naturals, Cigar City Brewing, Wondermade and Enlightened Grain Spirits and highlighted the craft spirits, craft beer and craft cocktail components in the growing Orlando marketplace.
Enlightened Grain Spirits took the Bloody Mary to the next level with their Rosemary & Lavender Vodka.
Kicking off the well attended event was the Inspired Bloody Mary made with Enlightened Grain Spirits Rosemary & Lavender Vodka and K’s in-house cold smoked olives, the Bloody Mary took on a pleasing smoky quality the longer it sat. The Rosemary & Lavender vodka was a beautiful balance between the savory and piney Rosemary with the floral and delicate Lavender. Happily, this lovely spirit can be purchased locally at Mucho Tequila and More Liquor and Vines Wine and Spirits.
Lake Meadow Naturals eggs cooked two ways, cheddar and chive biscuit and Wondermade Marshmallows.
Delicious Kegs & Eggs were provided by Lake Meadow Naturals, K Restaurant and Cigar City Beer. Chef Fonzo perfectly prepared and presented a tasty breakfast of sunny side up eggs, (to highlight the eggs quality and freshness) a brisket hash and cheddar and chive biscuits with gravy. Deviled eggs with bacon provided additional savory notes and Wondermade showcased their original and S’mores flavors of artisan marshmallows. The Florida Cracker White Ale was a nice palate cleanser between bites, cementing the belief that Brunch should include a crisply styled craft beer.
Cigar City Florida Cracker White Ale, with a smile.
Chef Fonzo created a brisket potato hash that received raves from attendees.
Sitting in on the talk also provided an opportunity for an open question and answer session. Attendees asked where the Orlando craft cocktail and food movement is now and where it’s going. All indications from the panelists were clearly- full steam ahead! Orlando seems to be caught up with national trends pertaining to craft beverages and is now on track to become a culinary destination with more and more travelers seeking a local food scene and local foodie experience. We’ll look forward to more innovations from these creative forces and the others active in the food, wine and culinary scene in Central Florida.
Paul Johnsen of the United States Bartenders Guild, Kaitlin McGavock of The Courtesy Bar, Nathan Clark of Wondermade, Matt Anderson of Enlightened Grain Spirits and Chef Kevin Fonzo of K Restaurant.
Cheers to an informative and interesting event!
Join the conversation on Twitter. Use hashtags #rockawaytabletalk, #mixologymovement and #foodiechat with your comments or questions and to see comments and pictures from the event.
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Happy Hour: After 4 @ Carmel Cafe & Wine Bar
September 11, 2013 | Posted in Happy Hours | By Lisa Wilk
iPads list specials and full menu details.
Carmel Cafe & Wine bar presents a Mediterranean influenced menu with a casual and comfortable atmosphere to enjoy drinks or a meal with friends. Depending on the day of the week, there is something interesting going on. Luckily, we have their online calendar to guide us, and cheers to Carmel Cafe for keeping wine specials, dinner specials and happy hour specials up to date and well detailed.
The After 4 @ Carmel Happy Hour offers $4 specials on select wines, beers and drinks, along with some very nice small plate (appetizer) specials. If you would rather stick with one of your favorite wines off of the expansive wine list at Carmel, also offered in the After 4 @ Carmel promotion is $3 off 9oz pour, $2 off 6 oz pour and $1 off 3 oz pour. The bar and surrounding area has quickly filled on the evenings I’ve enjoyed After 4 @ Carmel.
The bar area offers nice seating options for small and large groups, I’ve been here with a solo friend, party of 3 and 4 as well as larger groups and have always had a wonderful experience with attentive service.
9 oz pours are $3 off during happy hour, hello my little friend!
In the last few weeks I’ve popped in several times, exploring the well crafted drinks and the wines. Tuesday Trilogys are a fun way to expand your palate. The Tuesday only special offers three different pours of the same grape, from three different wine regions around the world. The three, 3oz glasses of wine are $10.00 and most certainly a nice way to sample your favorite grapes and discover some new favorites.
From Left to Right: Bourchard Aine & Fils, Vin de France, 2011, Acrobat by King Estate, Oregon, 2011 and Belle Glos Meiomi, Sonoma/Monterey/Santa Barbara, 2010
If a cocktail is more your speed, I tried both the Skinny Poma-tini and the Gingered Pear on the After 4 @ Carmel menu, both are very good. The Skinny Poma-tini is the natural choice for the cosmo fan and is a nicely balanced drink from the juice to vodka ratio. (Not too strong, not too sweet.) The Gingered Pear was a flavor packed and refreshing drink, a great transition drink for our summery fall season here in Central Florida. The rocks drinks had zingy flavors, with the pear smoothing out the gingery kick. Very refreshing and a wee bit too drinkable! (They went quickly.)
The Gingered Pear made with Hangar spiced pear-infused vodka, agave nectar, lemon juice and Reed’s ginger beer. Crisp & tart in a friendly way and just $4 during After 4 @ Carmel happy hour.
I sampled through all of the small plates offered and two were stand outs, I’d highly recommend ordering to share with a friend or two.
Chickpea Fries $4 during After 4 @ Carmel happy hour
Mini Mezze Platter and Margherita Flatbread available for $4 (each) during After 4 @ Carmel happy hour
Carmel Cafe Winter Park
140 N Orlando Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 513-4912
Hours
Monday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
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ABC Brings Growlers To Central Florida
September 10, 2013 | Posted in Around Town, Craft Beers | By Lisa Wilk
Growler Station located at the back of the ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Lake Mary location.
The ABC Fine Wine & Spirits at 980 Rinehart Road in Lake Mary has a treat for craft beer fans- a newly opened growler station. The 32oz glass containers can be filled with one of twelve tapped beers. On my visit, I was happy to have a harvest selection with Southern Tier’s popular Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale. The week prior, lucky customers drained a keg of Cigar City’s Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale in less than one afternoon.
If you have empty brewery and brewpub growlers at home, leave them tucked away. ABC is required to use the same generic, short necked bottle to control the fill level to an exact 32oz. The empty glass bottles are available for a reasonable $3.99 and come with a screw top. Once the glass container is purchased from ABC, it can be refilled on future visits. Prices vary on the tapped beers and are clearly listed on the menu board.
Thirty two ounces of delicious (fresh) craft beer ready to go home.
After you’ve made your beer selection, the container is blasted at the washing station and then fitted into the filling chamber.
Lynn makes sure the Growler is spotless prior to the bottle entering the filling station. Cheers Lynn!
Once the glass door is closed, the air is vacuumed out and the tap is slowly opened to control the beer flow and keep the head to a minimum.
A slower fill = less carbonation released and a better beer in your pint glass at home.
The container is filled to the marked 32oz line, your Growler is capped and then taped shut for transport.
The golden copper hue of a delicious Pumking, enjoyed back at home. Plenty of fizz, I forgot to snap a picture right after pouring!
What a difference in that freshly tapped Pumking, when compared to a bottled Pumking I had sampled the week before! The Growler beer was so smooth, had well-balanced spice notes and a pleasant toasted flavor. Don’t get me wrong, the bottled Pumking was fine and I’m a fan. It’s just that the freshly tapped was, of course, much better. If you’d like to be updated on the beers rotating through the Lake Mary Growler station taps, follow @abcbeerstevec on Twitter.
ABC has plans to add more Growler stations in Florida and we’ll be looking forward to additional stations at the newly renovated ABC stores in the months to come. Check out the new Lake Mary Growler station when you are in the area or make plans to attend the Wednesday, October 16th wine tasting event from 6-8pm. The cost to the tasting is $10, which includes wine sampling, a souvenir wine glass and a coupon redeemable towards a purchase the night of the event.
ABC Fine Wine & Spirits- Lake Mary
980 Rinehart Rd.
Lake Mary, FL 32746
407-444-3826
Hours
Mon: 10am – 9pm
Tue: 10am – 9pm
Wed: 10am – 9pm
Thu: 10am – 9pm
Fri: 10am – 10pm
Sat: 10am – 10pm
Sun: 10am – 9pm
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Stefano’s Trattoria- Orlando’s “Best of the Best” Italian
September 9, 2013 | Posted in Cooking, Dining out | By Lisa Wilk
I was so happy to see that Stefano’s won the Best of the Best- Italian Restaurant from The Orlando Sentinel. It’s been awhile since I’ve written about Stefano’s Trattoria, though my family dines there regularly. We order pans of their amazing lasagna for family functions, swing by for pizza or take out and always enjoy dining there as a family. This past weekend, my family enjoyed another delicious meal and spent quite a bit of catching up over a leisurely lunch. We starting out with an order of the flavorful meatballs and the bruschetta.
Side order of meatballs
Ripe tomatoes and fresh basil are the star of Stefano’s flavorful bruschetta
Stefano still pops by the tables to say hi and chat with everyone, and somehow, he can remember every face and preferences of his guests. With so many wonderful entree choices on the menu, it’s a shame that our family sticks with our favorites. Any time I think of Stefano’s, I start craving his amazing Eggplant rolatini and my hubby pines for the incredible lasagna.
Eggplant Rolatini
I vacillate between the regular Eggplant Rolatini and the Eggplant Florentine, this visit was the Florentine. The garlicky red sauce is the perfect contrast to the creamy spinach filling and perfectly cooked eggplant.
THE Lasagna
Our family can make a mean lasagna, but Stefano’s corners the market on the most comforting, flavorful and filling lasagna. If you’ve ever ordered the pan of lasagna from Stefano’s, you know that I’m not kidding, or mildly exaggerating, when I say the pan weighs twenty pounds.
Cheese Manacotti
Somehow, our table saved room to split a couple of cannolis. The creamy filling is my favorite in Orlando, very smooth and none of the grittiness that a fresh ricotta filling can sometimes have. If you like cannoli, save room or take one home to snack on later.
Cannoli
Whether you are dining in, or taking out, Stefano’s Trattoria consistently makes the best tasting Italian food and serves it as if you were family. Best of the Best, indeed!
Stefano’s Trattoria
1425 Tuskawilla Rd
Winter Springs, FL 32708
(407) 659-0101
Hours
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11:30 am – 9:15 pm
Wednesday 11:30 am – 9:15 pm
Thursday 11:30 am – 9:15 pm
Friday 11:30 am – 9:15 pm
Saturday 12:00–9:15 pm
Sunday 5:00–8:30 pm
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Craft Beer Day Trip To Clearwater Area
September 8, 2013 | Posted in Craft Beers | By Lisa Wilk
Less than a two hour drive away, the Clearwater area is a craft beer travel destination. Our group hit Rapp Brewing Company, Barley Mow Brewing Company, Dunedin Brewery and 7venth Sun Brewery. We enjoyed great beers with great people and would do it all again in a heartbeat. Details to come, until then Drink Like a Local.
Takeyama Sushi
September 7, 2013 | Posted in Around Town, Dining out | By Lisa Wilk
Bento Box C for $8.95 included Soup, a full California roll (8 pieces) Noodles, 1 Ahi Tuna & 1 Salmon Sushi.
Enjoyed a quick lunch at Takeyama Sushi in Oviedo, located off Lockwood Blvd and in the middle of everything. Service was friendly, food was tasty. Their menu offers a nice variety of sushi rolls, cooked entrees and sashimi. Lunch specials offer a great value and a nice option from fast food!
Takeyama Sushi
1016 Lockwood Blvd #160
Oviedo, FL 32765
(407) 971-6776
Hours
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm, 5:00–9:00 pm
Wednesday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm, 5:00–9:00 pm
Thursday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm, 5:00–9:00 pm
Friday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm, 5:00–9:00 pm
Saturday 5:00–9:00 pm
Sunday 5:00–9:00 pm
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Top 5 Friday
September 6, 2013 | Posted in Around Town, Uncategorized | By Lisa Wilk
On my radar this week:
Magical Dining Month: The Little Kitchen previews Napa at The Peabody
Pulse of Central Florida: Things are coming along at East End Market!
It’s September! Bring on the Pumpkin Beers!
Mac and Cheese gets a roasted Hatch Chile upgrade
Orlando- Family Style revisits the Smiling Bison
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