The Gnarly Barley: Brews, Bites & Puppies…PUPPIES!?
September 5, 2013 | Posted in Around Town, Craft Beers, Happy Hours | By Lisa Wilk
Warning, if you are one of those people that melts at the mere thought of a cute puppy, you should turn away. Now. Enjoy this lovely picture of very tasty beer enjoyed at The Gnarly Barley.
Craft brews on tap, $1 off for happy hour. Anderson Valley’s Fall Hornin’ Pumpkin (center) and Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier (right) were included.
Otherwise, get ready for some happy fun puppy time! I enjoyed an evening at The Gnarly Barley when the local rescue group Pitiful Pups were on site promoting their group and showing off their latest rescued litter of adoptable puppies. Goodness, look at these sweet faces and bellies.
Hello Puppy! This sweetie is available for adoption through Pitiful Pups.
Let’s first say a big thanks to Pitiful Pups for doing good work in the Central Florida community. If you are ever inclined, look them up online or follow them on Facebook if you can adopt a pup or dog. If a dog isn’t in your picture right now, please attend one of their events and if you have the means, they are always in need of supplies.
Sweet Puppy Belly!! All tuckered out from lovies, she available for adoption through Pitiful Pups.
And there were some loving dogs there in need of forever homes. This dog needs a couch to snuggle on!
Then, a big thanks to Gnarley Barley for giving back to the community, which they do in many ways. And for a nice craft beer selection and delicious food, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Ever changing list of craft beers on tap.
^ Ordered them all ^ and they were delicious!
After ordering our craft beers, we settled in for dinner. We happened to be in on Taco Tuesday, which meant that the tacos were $2 each for the Chipotle brisket, shredded chicken and the veggie-friendly black bean. Hubby ordered them all and proclaimed the brisket to be very tender and flavorful said the veggie with black beans was outstanding. (I snuck a bite, it was!)
Taco Tuesday meant tacos were down to $2 each, hubby loved the Chipotle brisket and the Black bean. A side of the special Tiger sauce brought some extra zip!
I opted for the build your own grilled cheese, which allowed me to choose from every cheese known to man. (OK, only 7 cheeses – which is a lot of cheese if you pile it all on there…which you can do!) I went with provolone, Monterrey jack, cheddar and swiss. Yum! The Tomato Florentine soup is made on site and is an amped up, flavor filled, tomato-zingy soup with small pasta shells and spinach. Perfect when paired with the gooey grilled cheese.
Build your own grilled cheese, with a side of their homemade Tomato Florentine soup. SO good.
And in case you didn’t get enough…
That is one sweet puppy. Available through Pitiful Pups.
The Gnarly Barley
7431 S Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32809
(407) 854-4999
Hours:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 11am – 12am
Wednesday: 11am – 12am
Thursday: 11am – 12am
Friday: 11am – 2am
Saturday: 12pm – 2am
Sunday: 12pm – 10pm
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Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese
September 4, 2013 | Posted in Cooking | By Lisa Wilk
Macaroni and Cheese gets a healthy zing by adding some chopped freshly roasted Hatch Chiles
Lisa’s Mac and Cheese
Many cheesy notes: By making the Bechamel sauce and using Fat Free (or 1%) milk and Fat Free half and half, you can cut down on the fat in this very rich dish. I’ve been using a combination of sharp (6 or 7 oz) and extra sharp (4oz) cheddar. Kraft or Publix brand both melt fine, I buy the chunk form and grate it with my box grater. The Kraft pre shredded bags will work, but the coating agent that keeps the shreds from clumping sometimes will keep the sauce from getting really smooth. If you can find a hoop style sharp cheddar (red rind, I can only find it at a Super Walmart in Central Florida) to use in combination with the 6-7 oz of sharp or extra sharp Kraft, you will also get a less grainy sauce, as the hoop melts better. Cabot cheese, sadly, makes a lumpy, grainy sauce…though we love it for snacking.
Béchamel sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup FF milk, heated (though, I also add it from the carton cold)
- 1/4 FF half and half
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Dash of nutmeg
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don’t let it brown — about 2 minutes. Add the FF milk and Half and Half, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat or add cheese. (To cool this sauce for later use, cover it with wax paper or pour a film of milk over it to prevent a skin from forming.)
Add to Bechamel sauce:
6-7 oz Sharp cheddar, grated
3-4 oz Extra sharp cheddar, grated (Use whatever combination suits your taste, we like to taste the cheese.)
1 Tbsp prepared deli style ground mustard (Regular “brown” mustard, not spicy mustard. You can also use dry mustard to taste.)
Dash of hot sauce or cayenne pepper (you don’t taste, it just cuts through the cheese)
Salt to taste, if needed
1 box of elbow macaroni or medium pasta shells
Hatch Chile variation:
1/2 Tsp smoked paprika
1/2 C – 1 C Chopped, freshly roasted Chiles. *Start off with less chiles, and add more depending on 1) the heat of the chile peppers and 2) if you are serving immediately or for later. The longer the mixture sits, the more the spicy heat builds. I found about 2/3 a cup of roasted Hatch chiles had us all appreciating the heat without it completely overwhelming the mac and cheese. I tasted some a few hours later and it was pretty spicy, which I liked but might be overwhelming if serving to a group.
Mix sauce over low heat until ingredients are incorporated, cheese is completely melted and you have a smooth sauce. (I eyeball the Bechamel sauce, so some times I have more, sometimes less, which is why you may need to add more/less cheese.) Cover and remove from heat. Add Chiles in last.
Boil macaroni shells or elbows (regular or whole grain) until fully cooked. Drain. To that pot, add back most of the drained and cooked noodles. Add at least 1/2 of the warm cheese sauce and stir to incorporate. Noodles will absorb the sauce, so keep adding sauce until you get the right sauce to noodles ratio. Serve and enjoy. If noodles sit too long before serving, add a splash of milk over low heat to get creamy again.
Bag any leftover noodles when cooled and pour any left over cheese sauce into a jar. This way, when you go to make again, the noodles haven’t absorbed all of the cheese sauce. Reheat the noodles and cheese sauce in a pan on the stove, add a splash or two of FF milk to help thin cheese sauce as you are reheating and add a bit of extra shredded cheese (bagged is fine at this point) to get “fresh” mac and cheese days later.
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Whiskey Cellar, Brick Oven Pizzas And Craft Beers At Eternal Tap
September 3, 2013 | Posted in Craft Beers, Dining out, Happy Hours | By Lisa Wilk
Eternal Tap, craft beers and good times.
There are plenty of places around Orlando to enjoy a tasty craft beer; Eternal Tap draw us in with the local downtown flavor and appetizing pizzas. The large venue is just steps off of Church Street downtown, facing the railroad tracks.
Feeling a bit of Urban coolness.
Eternal Tap offers many craft beers on the tap, offering a nice selection of seasonals and local brews. On our most recent visit, they had started to add the Harvest, Pumpkin and Octoberfest beers to the taps.
Eternal Taps craft beer selections
Patrons can settle in with a few beers and play some checkers, watch a game on the flat screens or take in the ambiance around the brick pizza oven.
One hot pizza oven!
After a bowl of truffled popcorn, hubby and I enjoyed their delicious pizzas, filled with meat for him, veggie for me.
Nice selections of veggies on the veggie pizza. Hold the onions, please.
The crust was crispy on the outside with a bit of chew in the center. Perfectly cooked in their brick oven and offered a nice sauce with a bevy of toppings. We were very pleased with the price as well, at $8.95 for the ten inch, personal size. Full menu is listed here.
Current happy Hour specials are $1.00 off draft beers, from 4 -7pm daily and $5 for a personal (10″) cheese pizza. Other special events are listed on their website and their facebook page. The new Whiskey Cellar will be open Thursday – Saturday and offers a cozy, hip spot to enjoy a nice selection of whiskeys.
The Whiskey Cellar
Eternal Tap whiskey cellar selections, available Thursday – Saturday.
116 W Church St,
Orlando, FL 32801
Hatch Chiles Create Slow Burn Around Orlando
September 2, 2013 | Posted in Cooking | By Lisa Wilk
Freshfields Farms has them, The Fresh Market does too. Hatch Chiles, the pepper from New Mexico with a cult-like following of devotees. I have several friends that have the tasty chiles shipped frozen from New Mexico, others who enjoy the spoils of family visiting from the area. While some people are happy seeking out the Hatch branded jarred or canned chiles around town, for real chile heads, only freshly roasted Hatch chiles will do.
Roasting is key. You can fire up your grill, roast them on the open flame of a gas stove or under the broiler in your oven. I opted for broiling in the oven, which was very simple.
Hatch Chiles ready for roasting.
Oven Roasted Hatch Chiles
Ingredients:
Washed and Dried, Stem-on Hatch Chiles
Preparation:
Preheat broiler to 450 degrees. Place chiles on a parchment lined sheet pan in a single layer. Cook chiles for 8-10 minutes on one side, until blistered and charred. Don’t worry about the charred skins, as they are removed before eating. Remove sheet pan from oven and flip chiles over to the non charred side. Cook an additional 8-10 minutes until charred and blistered on the other side.
Remove chiles from sheet pan, placing in bowl or baking dish. It’s ok to stack and pile the chiles on each other. Cover the bowl or baking dish with foil or plastic wrap. Covering chiles allows for steam to build up, which separates the pepper from the skin and makes peeling the pepper very easy.
Steaming the chiles after roasting allows for very easy removal of skins.
When the chiles are cooled and easy to handle, don some plastic gloves (you’ll thank me) to peel the skins. Then remove the stem and seeds from the peppers. Do not rinse the seeds off of the peppers, as you want to retain any charred taste and juices from the peppers.
Chop the peppers and use immediately or portion into zip top bags for freezing.
Hatch Chiles are delicious additions to scrambled eggs.
Happy Hour: Matilda’s On Park
September 1, 2013 | Posted in Happy Hours | By Lisa Wilk
When Pigs Fly. A dirty martini topped with BACON wrapped, blue cheese stuffed olives. Oh my!
Shhhhhh! Don’t tell, but Matilda’s on Park making VERY naughty martinis! As pictured above, the When Pigs Fly martini features two large olives, stuffed with blue cheese and then wrapped in bacon. A recent visit had a round of these hit the table and since we visited during Happy Hour, we enjoyed them for 1/2 off the regular price.
There are also some delicious non-bacon drinks as well, when arriving with the gals on a hot summer afternoon, the Monroe Spritzer was perfect. Made with 3 Olives Marlin Monroe Strawberry Vodka, freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice and club soda- this tasty beverage offers a lot of flavor and is only 90 calories!
Enjoy Happy Hour drink and food specials 4-7PM daily. Cheers!
Matilda’s On Park
358 N Park Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 951-5790
Broissants Now Available at Peterbrooke Chocolatier of Winter Park
August 31, 2013 | Posted in Around Town, Brunch | By Lisa Wilk
After weeks of testing and refining their recipe and hunting for the perfect name, Peterbrooke unveils the Broissant- a croissant-donut hybrid. Made in-house by pastry chefs, the chocolate kitchen is putting its own spin on the pastry taking the nation by storm.
Peterbrooke’s Broissant Pepites in Maple Bacon and Broissants in Cinnamon Sugar, Peanutter butter and Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel
Each batch of dough takes over four hours to create, a labor intensive process of rolling out dough and sealing in layers of butter. The more layers, the flakier the dough.
Peterbrooke pastry chefs making the Broissant laminated dough. The technique of enclosing layers of butter in the dough, rolling out and repeating.
As if buttery, flaky layers of fried dough weren’t enough to sway us, Peterbrooke tops the creation with their artisan chocolate, caramel, local produce, bacon and whatever else they can whip up. The Broissant will be available for $4.00, including toppings. The smaller counterpart is the Pepite (French for nuggets) and will be available in an order of three, for $3.50.
Maple Bacon Broissants being debuted at Bacon Bash, today!
Maybe the best news is there is no need for a “Hot Doughnuts Now” sign, as each Broissant and batch of Pepites will be made to order and served warm until Peterbrooke is sold out for the day.
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Top 5 Friday
August 30, 2013 | Posted in Around Town, Uncategorized | By Lisa Wilk
On my radar this week:
Smitten Kitchen makes Butterschotch Pudding Pop magic!
Orlando Family Style knows how to order.
Droolius travels Florida and visits some of my faves from the West Coast.
Marlow’s Tavern, Winter Park
August 29, 2013 | Posted in Dining out, Happy Hours | By Lisa Wilk
I popped into the new Marlow’s Tavern, Winter Park location shortly after it opened in June. The space is divided between a spacious dining room, inside bar and enclosed patio and bar area. I’ve enjoyed the main dining room with a meal and the outdoor patio area with drinks and appetizers. Both are great options!
Enjoying live music in the enclosed patio. Roof+AC means summertime heat and storms in Florida cannot interfere with a fun Happy Hour ambiance!
The service is friendly and the food is prepared well. For meals, Hubby has enjoyed the burger and the steak sandwich, I’ve enjoyed the Shrimp and Grits and a Grilled Salmon Caesar salad. The chefs on the grill make tasty work of their stations. The flame grilled salmon and burger both had a nice smokey char that imparted a great savory flavor.
Drinks from the bar often have some type of unique twist- the signature margarita has a ginger zip added to the freshly squeezed lime juice and agave. Very refreshing on a hot Florida day. The Grapefruit Ricky is made with freshly squeezed Pink Grapefruit juice and gin. If craft beers are more your calling, they are rotated through the taps. On our most recent visit Orange Blossom Pilsner, a popular local craft beer, was what Hubby ordered.
Marlow’s Ginger Margarita- refreshing and great flavor!
If you are a fan of kicking back with an appetizer and a few beverages after work, consider ordering the JT’s kettle chips, one of the flatbreads that rotate out each week or the Firecracker Shrimp. Asparagus Fries and the Shrimp & Crab nachos are also great options to feed a hungry group.
Shrimp & Crab Nacho Plate- Rock Shrimp, Crab, Pepper Jack Cheese, and Fresh Jalapeño
Firecracker Shrimp- Crispy Tempura Shrimp with a Cracklin’ Spicy Sauce and Sweet Chili Sauce
Asparagus Fries- Crispy Thin Asparagus with Tarragon, Citrus Aioli
JT’s Kettle Chips – Crispy Potato Chips Crowned with Gorgonzola Cheese, Bacon, Roma Tomato and Scallions
Live music can be enjoyed Thursday through Sunday, while played live on the enclosed patio the music is piped through the restaurant and bar. On the evenings we’ve been in the performers were so enjoyable that sometimes couldn’t discern when the musician went on break and the satellite radio took over. Though Marlow’s Tavern has just opened, they already have exciting news. September 2013 will being the addition of Brunch, we are looking forward to full details in the near future.
Happy Hour is 3-6 pm daily
1008 S. Orlando Avenue (17-92)
Winter Park, FL 32789
Hours of Operation
Sun -Thu: 11:30am – 11pm
Fri – Sat: 11:30am – 12am
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Sister Honey’s: Heavenly Treats Await (Warning- lucious treat pics!)
August 28, 2013 | Posted in Around Town | By Lisa Wilk
Adding to her collection- Blue Ribbons from this years national competitions.
Pies, cakes, cupcakes, bars, brownies, cookies, tartlets all stock the tidy bakery. Each item baked from scratch by Blue Ribbon baker, Evette Rahman of Sister Honey’s. Pies and cakes are sold whole and by the slice, but one should plan on placing an order in advance if you have your heart set on a whole cake or pie. Items go quickly once they are placed up front.
The pies and cakes that sit temptingly under glass domes, are the baked goods of magazine covers. They are as appealing to look at, as they are to devour. Well, they are WAY tastier to eat, but they would be the perfect addition to any holiday table or celebration centerpiece.
I wish I could say that extensive research was needed to write about Sister Honey’s. In the short time the bakery has been open, my family has become regulars. My Mom puts in requests when she knows I’m going to be somewhat in the area of Orange Avenue and Michigan.
Pecan Pie Tartlets…my Mom’s fav.
This year we broke with decades long family tradition of our standard and beloved marble birthday cake for my birthday and ordered an amazing Citrus Burst pie- (Orange and Key Lime) from Sister Honey’s. Best.Birthday.Ever!
Citrus Burst Pie- Tart Key Lime kissed with Creamsicle Orange.
If you are a cake lover…the Coconut Cake is spectacular. Maybe you like chocolate? This chocolate cake with Chocolate frosting and topped with ganache is simply awesome. My Hubby isn’t a fan of cakes, pies are his thing. I had to fend him off of this amazing cake and we ended up sharing the carbs.
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate frosting and Dark Chocolate Ganache. Not too sweet, a great chocolate cake.
The German Chocolate cake will have you wondering why you haven’t had this more often.
The Raspberry Cheese pie and the Coconut Cream pie are super creamy and delicious.
Raspberry Cheese Pie, light and slightly tart.
Coconut Cream Pie- shut UP!
Perhaps cupcakes are more your thing. The Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes are amazing- the Red Velvet and the Coconut Lime are equally delicious.
Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes…chocolate cake and light and pea-nutty frosting!
Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes.
The brownies are dense and fudgy, the cookies are tempting. Apple pound cake, Lemon-Lime pound cake and coffee cakes are also delicious. Truth be told, so far, we haven’t found a clunker in any of the baked goods. Guessing that Evette should stick with this baking thing for now.
Pumpkin Gingerbread Pound cake
Sister Honey’s
247 E Michigan Street
Orlando, FL 32806
(407) 730-7315
Hours:
Monday- Saturday 11:00 am–7:00 pm
Closed Sunday
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Christmas In July, Pumpkin Beers In August
August 27, 2013 | Posted in Craft Beers | By Lisa Wilk
Oh, Pumpkin beers…how I love you. In the FALL.
If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve seen pics of my hauls of pumpkin beers acquired over the past few weeks. Like a squirrel stockpiling nuts for winter, my must-have fall beers have already been plucked from local store shelves and socked away to be enjoyed, well, THIS FALL. After all, the heat index is 115 degrees out right now! Who wants a heavier style, complexly flavored, pumpkin pie bomb when it’s so stinking hot, humid and super steamy out?
To be fair, fall in Central Florida doesn’t bring too much of a chill to the air…but in my many years of enjoying falls in Florida, it’s been cooler than 100 degrees when the harvest themed ales were brought out. The summer of 2012 brought this disturbing trend of forcing Fall beers onto the shelves during into the inferno-like month of August. (Even Target hasn’t had the gall to put up the Halloween decor and costumes yet!) This left last October and November pretty bereft of any type of fun (decent) pumpkin, Octoberfest and fall themed brews on the local shelves. I find this new trend of Thanksgiving in August annoying. Since I felt so slighted of my favorite beers last year, much like Charlie Brown in search of The Great Pumpkin, I was on the hunt early this season and I was not going to miss out. So when fall beers started hitting the shelves around the Orlando area on August 15th, I was there. I even attended the Shipyard Pumpkinhead release party.
After I had loaded up on bombers, 4 packs, 6 packs and some fall themed 12 packs, a friend pointed out a timely Facebook post from Oviedo butcher, gourmet shop and craft beer seller- Cavallari Gourmet. I whole-heartedly agreed with their sentiment and applaud them taking a stand. I will continue to buy beer from their great selections and I will happily stalk them in a month to buy some (more) delicious Pumpkin craft beer offerings. Take a moment to read their comments and to like their page, if you are so inclined. (They had Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale on the shelf when I visited last week, but no other Pumpkin beers. Weyerbacher is high on my list of must haves and I have some sitting in the garage fridge, it’s delish.)
Total Wine on Colonial Dr. is ready for fall, Aug 23rd.
What is the larger problem of pumpkin beers being rolled out in the summer months? Not everyone has climate controlled environments for transportation and storage. I had more than one skunky beer at a (chain) Pumpkinfest tap takeover last fall. Many local retailers don’t have extensive temperature controlled storage conditions to stockpile and hold seasonal brews for a more appropriate release so when the beer shows up, its on the sales floor or on the taps. That also means your kegs or cases of beer sat for awhile in the 100 degree warehouse, were then transported on the 150 degree truck and unloaded in the 115 degree heat index for you to enjoy. In August. Cheers.
Shipyard’s Pumpkinhead (left) & Smashed Pumpkin (right) beers
Related articles
- A New Way to Rate Pumpkin Beers (now in July!) (thisiswhyimdrunk.wordpress.com)
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