Category Archives: Florida

Emeril’s Tchoup Chop

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**** (4 stars)

This is Emeril’s other restaurant at Universal, and I actually like it better than the original Emeril’s. While there is an Asian twist to most items, it is more a fusion of different cuisines, and there are lots of interesting flavors. The room is absolutely beautiful, with a long lily pond down the middle, high reedy ceilings and dramatic lighting. It’s usually not as noisy as you might expect from the soaring roofline. Prices are reasonable for a tourist hotel restaurant. This is a surprisingly good choice for pre-show dining before going to a concert at Hard Rock Live, because you can take the boat there and save the exorbitant valet parking charge at Citywalk.

Emeril’s Tchoup Chop
6300 Hollywood Way
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 503-2467
http://www.yelp.com/biz/emerils-tchoup-chop-orlando

Emeril’s Orlando

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**** (4 stars)

Emeril’s is one of the original and most high profile fine dining celebrity chef restaurants in Orlando. It’s a strange amalgam of upscale and touristy, an inescapable fact when there is a steady parade of sweaty people in shorts outside the windows. Most of the food at Emeril’s is really quite good, especially the mushroom and pasta appetizer and the calamari with olives. appetizer. Portion sizes tend to be large; the calamari could easily serve as an entree. Given that, appetizer pricing is reasonable. Wine and entree pricing is a bit high, but given the location and big name chef it’s not too surprising. Service is efficient, and sometimes friendly. The biggest problem is the noise level in the main dining room. It’s actually quieter to sit at the chef’s bar facing into the kitchen! Another trick is to ask to sit in the small room along the windows. It’s quieter, and has better ambience than the upstairs rooms. Emeril’s is a good choice for pre-show dining before going to a concert at Hard Rock Live.

Emeril’s Orlando
6000 Universal Blvd, Ste 702
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 224-2424
http://www.yelp.com/biz/emerils-orlando-orlando

Nile Ethiopian Restaurant

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**** (4 stars)

I like Ethiopian food. It’s healthful, varied, and just different enough that it’s a fun break from other ethnic cuisines. If you haven’t had it before, be forewarned that no utensils are involved. Instead is is served with thin “bread” that is really  a pancake or crepe. You tear off pieces and use it to scoop up the various food.

Although I’ve had Ethiopian food a few times before, it was better at Nile than previous places I’ve been. The flavors and textures and levels of spiciness are nicely varied if you select one of the combos for two. We had the chef’s special, which included both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items. We also had an appetizer assortment, and I like those three items even better: triangular stuffed pastry, chopped tomato salad, and a lentil puree.

Service was friendly, and the owner, who was relaxing on the fron porch, thanked us for our business when we left. A nice, exotic member of Orlando’s ethnic dining scene.

Nile Ethiopian Restaurant
7048 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32885
(407) 354-0026
http://www.yelp.com/biz/nile-ethiopian-restaurant-orlando-2

Pho 88 Noodle

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**** (4 stars)

I like the bright, open, bustling feel of this place, lined with plate glass windows facing onto Mills Ave. The servers and many of the customers are Vietnamese, and I take that as a sign of the authenticity of the food. My favorites are the spring rolls, banh mi sandwiches, and the noodle dishes with mixed vegetables. The crispy noodles are good. They form a nest around the dish, and slowly soften as they sop up the gravy.

Pho 88 Noodle
730 N Mills Ave
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 897-3488
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-88-noodle-orlando

Thai Silk Restaurant

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**** (4 stars)

God place for lunch, with a fairly diverse lunch menu. We tried the curry, the Pad Thai, the laab (minced chicken), and Yum Nua (essentially the same as laab with beef). All were good. Service was friendly although not speedy. The front desk was also friendly, and the place was fairly popular. I like the fact that even the mild preparations had a lot of flavor, with fresh cilantro and lime flavors. A good bet for a nice, light light.

Thai Silk Restaurant
6803 S Kirkman Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 226-3272
http://www.yelp.com/biz/thai-silk-restaurant-orlando

Hillstone Restaurant

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***** (5 stars)

I’m not a big fan of chain restaurants, but this Hillstone really doesn’t feel like one. It’s in a beautiful location on a lake, and the food and service are better than other Houston’s (its nearly identical sister chain) that I’ve been to. The smokes salmon and smoked trout (which are completely different) are two of my favorites. The kale salad that comes with the trout is particularly tasty. The spinach dip is also good, as are the beef entrees. The dock is a wonderful venue for private events, and can be mostly sealed from the wind if needed. Hillstone is a particularly excellent choice for Saturday lunch.

Hillstone Restaurant
215 S Orlando Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 740-4005
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hillstone-restaurant-winter-park-2

Pharmacy

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**** (4 stars)

The Pharmacy is a secret. It’s a restaurant with no sign, and so far no website or published phone number. In fact, the whole point is that it’s hard to find out about, and hard to find… just like the 1920’s speakeasy it’s patterned after.

It’s the latest concept from Tyler Brassil, Loren Falsone and Dominick Tardugno, the people behind The Table, an 18-seat table that serves a different, locally sourced meal each night. In fact, The Pharmacy is right next to The Table, but it’s well hidden. Finding it is half the fun, but I’ll let you in on the secret if you really want to know: down the passage to the south of The Table is a fake elevator. The tip-off is that it says you’re on floor 10! It also has a 1920’s style arrow pointer above it that suggests you’re in a high rise. Push the button and step back into the 1920’s.

Well, sort of. There are theming issues. The room is more industrial than 1920’s, and beside the cool backlighting of bottles on the bar, the tables look more like they’re from a barbecue joint, and the 1920’s lighting fixtures are more appropriate to a department store than a speakeasy. The music is right on, though.

As is the drink menu. House-made bitters and an emphasis on liquors popular in the era create what is perhaps Orlando’s most interesting list of libations. There are also a limited selection of wines by the glass, and beers.

If you’ve been to The Table you know that the food is special, and the same philosophy has been applied here: local sourcing of fresh ingredients. There are flatbreads, a kobe burger and Caesar salad, plus other small plates. We tried the fondue, which had a nice tangy cheese base and a strong dose of wine. The grilled, crusty bread served with it was excellent. We also had the garlic rock shrimp, which were (predictably) a mess to eat, but quite delicious.

It will be interesting to see how The Pharmacy does. For a brand new restaurant, they had a fair amount of business, especially considering the lack of sign, phone and website. On the other hand, it’s almost impossible to find out about it, and the name may be the biggest liability. It doesn’t scream “speakeasy,” and searching for “pharmacy” online is not likely to turn up a restaurant.

On the other hand, imagine how much fun it will be stepping up to an old elevator with your date and watching his or her expression as you push the button and the doors open into the 1920s!

Pharmacy
8060 Via Dellagio Way
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 985-2972
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pharmacy-orlando

Bloodhound Brew Pub & Eatery

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*** (3 stars)

This place has one of the better outside eating areas in Orlando. It’s expansive, far enough from the street to not have a lot of traffic noise, and open enough that even the slightest breeze wafts through. The menu is a fairly broad array of sports bar food, plus a good selection of beers. Prices aren’t low, but the lunch specials are a good deal, and can include a salad instead of fries. We tried the kielbasa and the sloppy joe with chicken, and both were good. The accompanying salad was actually really good. If you’re in the mood for sports bar food, but want to sit outside, I’d check it out.

Bloodhound Brew Pub & Eatery
5801 Conroy Windermere Rd
Orlando, FL 32835
(407) 578-5711
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bloodhound-brew-pub-and-eatery-orlando

Rosen Shingle Creek

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**** (4 stars)

Lovely hotel, built on a Vegas scale, with superb convention facilities, and an interesting collection of small cafes.

Unfortunately on our first visit the Italian restaurant, Cala Bella, was disappointing in both food and service. The oddly named steakhouse, A Land Remembered, was a better bet.

For kids who want to spend the vacation in the pool, this is a great choice, because there are plenty to choose from. And if golf is your thing, it’s right outside.

I love the secluded feel of the property, with the long entry way and manicured grounds, yet it’s really conveniently located near attractions and I-Drive.

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Update, one year later:

On a busy convention night, we were only able to get into Cala Bella. We sat at the “Presentation Bar” which faces directly into the kitchen, and it was, ironically, the quietest spot in the house. Service was attentive and knowledgeable, and the food was excellent. Unlike the bland cioppino of our first visit, the flatbread was bursting with fresh flavors and tasted just like the sidewalk pizzas in Italy. Chilean sea bass was perfectly cooked, and the mushroom side dish with our entrees was another standout. A completely different experience from our first visit, and I’ll happily return.

Rosen Shingle Creek
9939 Universal Blvd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 996-9939
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rosen-shingle-creek-orlando-2

4 Rivers Smokehouse

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***** (5 stars)

Indeed, in a city of BBQ joints, this is the best. At most BBQ places I lik sliced pork, but the ticket here is either the “burnt ends”, a mixture of beef and pork from the edges that is seared to perfection and mixed with BBQ sauce, or the brisket, which is best just as a lump on your tray rather than a sandwich. Most of the sides are less exciting than these two entrees, although the do have some tasty (and caloric) desserts.

4 Rivers Smokehouse
1600 W Fairbanks Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 474-8377
http://www.yelp.com/biz/4-rivers-smokehouse-winter-park-2