Category Archives: Orlando

First Watch

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**** (4 stars)

This location has the best decor and ambience of the various First Watches I’ve been to. Our server was amazingly friendly (to the point of being perky). We went for lunch and I had the 2 For You, a sort of variant on Panera’s Pick 2. I chose a half Reuben sandwich and half pecan salad. Both were delicious (be sure to get the dressing on the side, it’s quite sweet so you don’t need much). I would definitely have both again. My best First Watch experience to date.

First Watch
7500 W Sand Lake Rd
Ste A101
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 363-5622
http://www.yelp.com/biz/first-watch-orlando-3

Sushi Tomi

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***** (5 stars)

This is one of the better sushi restaurants in town. It’s at the extreme southern end of a particularly crazy parking lot.

The lunch specials are a good deal, and you can get sushi, tempura or noodles. They are equally adept at all three.

It’s designed like a classic sushi restaurant, with tables in the front and a sushi bar on one side at the rear. Service is fast and friendly.

Sushi Tomi
8463 S John Young Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 352-8635
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-tomi-orlando

Krusty Burger

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*** (3 stars)

Our tour guide at Universal told us this was the best hamburger you can get in a theme park, and I have to agree. It’s not the best hamburger in Orlando, but it’s definitely a cut above typical theme park food.

I had the Klogger Burger, which included two patties and bacon. It was the kind of burger I like, with lettuce and tomato, and plenty of condiments, and the bun held together well. If I had it again I would skip the cheese sauce, which I’ve never really cared for. I can’t achieve that umami goodness of a slice of melted cheese right on the patty. If this place used real cheese it would be four stars.

My wife had the hot chicken wings, which I liked by she thought were too spicy. The accompanying tater tots were just so-so, not as good as the curly fires that came with my burger.

Service was pretty fast. If it’s a nice day sit outside to avoid the cartoon video, which repeats every few minutes.

Krusty Burger
Exposition Blvd
Orlando, FL 32819

http://www.yelp.com/biz/krusty-burger-orlando

Beewon Korean Cuisine

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***** (5 stars)

I’ve been going to this place for years and always enjoyed it. It recently changed hands and I’m happy to report that any changes have been positive.

Perhaps they are advertising or have found a way to connect better with the local market, because it is much busier than it used to be. And since much of the clientele is Korean, that’s a good sign.

I always have the same thing, Dolsot Bi Bim Bop, which is served in a stone bowl heated to very high temperature. The rice in the bottom cooks, and you control how crispy it gets by whether you mix it. The rice is topped with veggies, meat, and an egg. This version is just as good as the best I’ve had in Korea.

Meals are accompanied by an assortment of kimchee, which is fun and delicious. Service is fast and friendly. Highly recommended.

Beewon Korean Cuisine
5100 Dr Phillips Blvd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 720-8223
http://www.yelp.com/biz/beewon-korean-cuisine-orlando

Tin Roof

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**** (4 stars)

I was expecting this place to be more like a sports bar, given the decor, but I was pleased to find many tasty and healthful items on the menu in addition to the heavier food.

I tried the Shrimp Coctel (which is really ceviche) and the Tuna Tataki. Both were excellent. The shrimp were tender, and the lime marinade contained just enough tomato that the dish earned its unusual name. The tuna was definitely sushi grade, and could be eaten with a fork or folded into the lettuce to make three nice wraps. The bed of slaw was appropriately tangy and fresh tasting.

Others in my party had a salad with chicken, which was good, quesadillas, which got mixed reviews, and a chicken sandwich that turned into a bit of a slippery mess but tasted good.

Service was friendly and attentive, and out party of eight was served quickly at lunch (although we were one of the the few tables seated; presumably after the grand opening things will pick up.)

Tin Roof
8371 International Dr
Ste 100
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 270-7926
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tin-roof-orlando

Huong Viet

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***** (5 stars)

I’ve been looking for great Vietnamese food on the west side of Orlando and at last I’ve found it!

Ignore the decrepit shopping center locale of this place; inside it’s nicely decorated, and the servers are friendly and helpful.

There is an extensive selection of vermicelli bowls, pho, and banh mi sandwiches.

My grilled pork vermicelli bowl was delicious, and it was no problem to substitute the summer roll instead of the included egg roll. The fish sauce served with the vermicelli bowl was particularly tasty, and the summer roll included very flavorful basil leaves.

Pricing is very reasonable, with sandwiches starting at under $4, and all the bowls well under $10.  I’ll definitely be back soon to check out their other offerings.

Huong Viet
5286 W Colonial Dr
Orlando, FL 32808
(407) 730-9835
http://www.yelp.com/biz/huong-viet-orlando

Melange

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**** (4 stars)

I was very impressed by this creative concept. At first it does look like a CiCi’s pizza, with its salad and pizza buffet.

But the real treat is at the back, where you can get a sandwich, panini, pizza or ice cream with virtually any combination of ingredients you can imagine, made to order. For sandwiches alone, with about a dozen breads, a dozen meats, and a dozen toppings, there are a lot of possibilities.

You can order at the counter, but it’s fun to use the two touchscreens to assemble exactly what you want. Then it’s promptly made and delivered to your table. I selected rye bread, ham, turkey, swiss, fat free mayo and banana peppers. The sandwich turned out great, and all the ingredients were fresh and delicious. It was accompanied by a very tasty and zesty potato salad.

This is a great place for families, because there’s something for everyone, but it’s also one of the better places in town to get a sandwich, and I’d actually rate it above any of the sub shops and delis in the area. In fact, the only thing I didn’t like about it is the bright fluorescent lighting.

And at $7.99 for lunch, it’s hard to imagine a better deal.

Melange
8261 S John Young Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 704-3821
http://www.yelp.com/biz/melange-orlando

Panera Bread

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*** (3 stars)

It’s hardly necessary to review a restaurant chain that most people have been to, so I’ll restrict my comments to this particular store, and to the new food item introduced on this visit.

Compared to other Panera’s this location is:

-nicer than most interiors
-a bit more difficult to park near
-has a friendlier staff
-has an annoying habit of paging you before your meal is actually ready.

The new item I tried was the Soba Noodle broth bowl with chicken. The broth had a pleasant Asian-inspired flavor, and there was lots of tender and savory chicken. The noodles were a bit odd, grayish with a square cross section, and finer than true soba noodles. Overall the complexity of the dish did not approach that of the Japanese Ramen bowls it imitates.

If you’re looking for a Panera in Orlando, I’d rate this as the best one in the area.

Panera Bread
4700 S Apopka Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 217-6916
http://www.yelp.com/biz/panera-bread-orlando-10

American Gymkhana

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**** (4 stars)

If you’re looking for an incredible Indian fusion experience that combines traditional dishes with complex influences from other cuisines in beautiful presentations, proceed directly to American Gymkhana and don’t even bother to read the rest of this review. You won’t be disappointed.

If you’re the owner of this restaurant, please read on.

Your chef and her cuisine are wonderful. But if you want to succeed, you need to fix some things soon. The restaurant has been open two months, which is plenty of time for there to be someone working in service who knows what they’re doing.

Sadly, this is not the case. The food is so good that people will try again, but at some point we’ll give up unless basic levels of service can be achieved. It’s as if the whole staff has never been in a table service restaurant (not counting Denny’s) before.

On our Saturday brunch visit there were at least 15 servers huddled near the entrance, and exactly two patrons. Yet we were interrogated for five minutes at the front desk by three people before finally being shown to a table. Why do you need our names and phone numbers to serve us food?

We asked our server several questions about the food and beverages (let’s face it, the brunch menu isn’t exactly self explanatory, and contradicts itself regarding what the meal includes). The answer to every question was “well, I don’t know what’s in that, but we do everything very special here so it has lots of wonderful ingredients.”

Before you blame the server for this response, let me note that I overheard this same conversation at two other tables with two other servers and the response was essentially identical. If you ever get a patron with a food allergy, they’re dead.

There were a dozen other minor issues with the service provided by everyone who visited our table: inability to clearly explain what came or did not come with various dishes on the menu, wrong drinks served with no one noticing, no one offering dessert before the check–nothing show-stopping or that prevented us from enjoying the truly wonderful food. But there is no excuse for it.

You own a Michelin listed restaurant in New York, and I know this isn’t what the service is like there. Someone needs to move to Orlando and take charge. It would be a shame for one star service to kill a restaurant with 5 star food.

American Gymkhana
7559 W Sandlake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 985-2900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/american-gymkhana-orlando