Orlando?

Hi, going to be in Orlando for a week in March, was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? I realize Orlando is very touristy but since I'm down south, was hoping to get my fix of Creole/Cajun and Southern places, since we seem to lack that in the midwest! Any other notable Orlando specific establishments that are unique and praiseworthy would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Orlando 2008

Other threads are linked therein.

FoodSnob77 wrote:Hi, going to be in Orlando for a week in March, was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? I realize Orlando is very touristy but since I'm down south, was hoping to get my fix of Creole/Cajun and Southern places

No offense to the OP, but this is similar to someone from Florida saying they are headed to Cleveland and hope to try some Italian beef and lobster rolls. You might catch a chain or one-off Cajun/Creole spot, but there is absolutely zero historical connection between those foods and Orlando. "Southern" is a similar story. Orlando is hardly a culturally southern city. But there is real southern life nearby. You will want to get away from Orlando proper (which hardly existed before Disney arrived in the 70's) and try some Cracker places. One I've always wondered about is Catfish Place in Apopka, about 45 mins away.

http://www.mycatfishplace.com/My_Catfis ... lcome.html Grits and frog legs sound good.

Of course, if you are willing to drive, Tampa/St. Pete is a much more interesting GNR-type destination and is very well documented here.

Good luck.

This was mentioned in the '08 thread link, but I've eaten there in the last 2 weeks so it seems appropriate...

Hide Tide Harry's, had a great lunch with my FIL after week dropped the ladies off for some shopping. Good hush puppies brought out with drinks, with a very unique dipping condiment, almost the consistency of peanut butter. I think there's at least a hint of cinnamon in it. Doz oysters for $4.99. Not huge but great briny flavor. FIL had crab cake sandwich and raved about it. I had blackened mahi poorboy and it was nicely spiced and very good. Fun atmosphere.

Oh, and Yuenling on draft.

925 North Semoran Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32807

We are also due for the family vacation there Mid-March. Quality family time is the replacement for what is lacking in the food at Disney, sure would be great if Disney made a serious attempt to combine the two. I did look online for Orlando farmer's markets to find a Saturday market, and have high hopes that I might find some tasty treats there. At the very least, fresh citrus to bring home. Love to investigate farmers markets in other cities. It might not make sense, since you don't have a kitchen, but it is so fun to check out what different markets in the same country have to offer. (Also looking forward to the Green City market on Saturday - the baby back ribs I got a few weeks ago were wonderful)

Actually, that is something we did when we were there, though we didn't really find anything to buy - the little town of Celebration, where we found a decent tea shop (if still a chain.) It has a little farmers market that runs May through October on Sundays from 9-3. I forget why we didn't buy any food there, but it was nice (we were staying in a rental condo with a kitchen, I'm guessing it was our last day or something.)

Lots of folks discussing chow in Orlando rave about a fried chicken shack called Dixie Chicken. While it is a shack, I was thoroughly unimpressed with the chicken.

I was raised in Orlando, go there frequently as my mom is still there and if you want any decent food in Orlando, get out of the south (Disney, International Drive, etc) and come up north to the Winter Park area. There are a lot of individually owned great restaurants in the area.

One place I would recommend for dinner or lunch is Dexter's. They have great wine, pasta's, sandwiches, salad's etc and some great specials. I've always been a big fan of this place prior to becoming obsessed with food and even now.

Dexter's
558 West New England Avenue
Winter Park, FL
www.dexwine.com

Shaggywillis wrote:I was raised in Orlando, go there frequently as my mom is still there and if you want any decent food in Orlando, get out of the south (Disney, International Drive, etc) and come up north to the Winter Park area. There are a lot of individually owned great restaurants in the area.

One place I would recommend for dinner or lunch is Dexter's. They have great wine, pasta's, sandwiches, salad's etc and some great specials. I've always been a big fan of this place prior to becoming obsessed with food and even now.

Dexter's
558 West New England Avenue
Winter Park, FL
http://www.dexwine.com

Lived in Orlando for a few years (many years ago) and Dexter's was the place to go for nibbles, wine and jazz (it was very sophisticated for O-town back then (late 80's).

Went back about 10 years ago and it was still going strong in a new location--even better than before, although I missed the old location which was a pretty rustic storefront--at night they'd take pieces of plywood and set them atop the wine racks for extra seating!

Glad to hear it's still around! Definitely worth checking out...

I happen to be heading down that way in just over a week, so I was also hoping to hear about some more recently reviewed places. Having been there several times, I think Orlando gets unfairly knocked as having only touristy fare. The best place I found down there is a hole in the wall Cuban place called Numero Uno. It is not the easiest place to find, but having gone a few times with groups, and getting a chance to try several entrees, the place is pretty amazing.

My personal favorite dish was the roasted chicken with garlic mojo and plantains.

Numero Uno Cuban Restaurant
www.numero-uno-restaurant.com
2499 South Orange St.
Orlando, Fl

Just got back from 6 days in Orlando with the family. We stayed at a condo-style hotel so we'd have a kitchen and could eat breakfast in our room, while taking our time to get ready. We were prepared for a bleak slate of culinary options but we were pleasantly surprised by a couple of things.

They have a Whole Foods! We picked up a bunch of stuff for breakfast on the first day and had a meal of their prepared foods another time. They also had a great gelato bar.

In the same shopping center as Whole Foods there were a couple of other restaurants. One was Pei Wei, a Chinese place by P.F. Changs. We didn't go there. There was also an Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza. This place had great pizza! Not thin like Neapolitan, but a breadier, pleasantly chewy and tasty crust. There was also a Japanese place called Seito Sushi. It had the look and menu of a rainbow-cream-cheese-kitchen-sink-roll-type place but it delivered on the basics with really fresh fish and well-prepared hot dishes.

We had our share of clunker meals at the usual suspects but overall, it wasn't a total culinary wasteland.

Whole Foods Market
8003 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 355-7100

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza
8031 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 363-9466

Seito Sushi
8031 Turkey Lake Rd.
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 248-8888

Pei Wei Asian Diner
8015 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 241-3301

JeffB wrote:You will want to get away from Orlando proper (which hardly existed before Disney arrived in the 70's) and try some Cracker places. One I've always wondered about is Catfish Place in Apopka, about 45 mins away.

http://www.mycatfishplace.com/My_Catfis ... lcome.html Grits and frog legs sound good.

Damn. I was about to report that I'm looking forward to trying this place, as I'll be in Apopka for business on Monday night. Alas, they're closed Mondays Hopefully I'll find something better than the local Perkins.

You'd think someone from Tampa who maintains ties there might know something about Orlando. I don't, and few Tampenos do. Anyone have anything to add to the above? Otherwise I'll probably play it safe and go to Charley's or Del Frisco's for a steak. I'm there for work, downtown, so no Mickey Mouse options for me. Thanks.

JeffB wrote:You'd think someone from Tampa who maintains ties there might know something about Orlando. I don't, and few Tampenos do. Anyone have anything to add to the above? Otherwise I'll probably play it safe and go to Charley's or Del Frisco's for a steak. I'm there for work, downtown, so no Mickey Mouse options for me. Thanks.

Check out this thread too ... and specifically, you might want to check out Cedar's, discussed on the second and third pages of the thread.

Definitely this place http://www.therustyspoon.com/ downtown. What is ubiquitous in NY/SF/Chi is unique in Orlando: chef driven, organic, local, gastro pub. Local clams, squid, snapper, scallops, grits n greens made for a swell meal. good beer (introduced pal to 2 hearted) otherwise unseen in FL. Open only for a few months.

It's been a couple years but I had a few excellent meals at Primo, in the JW Marriott Grande Lakes. It's the same chef so I would figure the quality is still there.

http://www.grandelakes.com/Primo-78.html

Hi all. I have been chosen to find a restaurant around Kissimmee for 9 girl volleyball players and families. I don't want the run of the mill places but some are on a budget. We are down there for the National Championships for AAU Volleyball. Looking for a kid friendly place that will accommodate about 30-36 people. This will also be on a Wednesday or Thursday. Please, no pizza places. Thanks, Tom

hi forumites! i recently read a list of the 10 cities with the highest rate of millennial population growth, and Orlando was tiptop. since i have an upcoming business trip i am wondering if anyone has recommendations of recent food developments there, perhaps in tandem with this growth? thanks!

Don't "millenials" eat Chipotle and Smashburger?
Bet there's a ton of new ones down there.

It's been a while but I had to work very hard to find anything in Orlando that couldn't be found just about anywhere else (and once we found it, it wasn't very good). Most locals looked baffled and offended when we asked for suggestions in this area. It was like they couldn't comprehend that entities outside of theme parks and chains actually existed, or that anyone would seek them out. It's a place I hope to never return.

=R=

Proud to say that in a decade of living in S.Fla (which was bad enough and known as god's waiting room before the mil boom) I've never been to Orlando.

Took a trip to Orlando last April and had a good meal at the Rusty Spoon. It was near the amway center where the magic play, but I have no idea where that is in relation to the rest of the city.

I had a good take on shrimp and grits and I recall others enjoying their burger and homemade pasta dishes. Hope this helps.

http://www.therustyspoon.com

Had an excellent meal a few years ago at the Ravenous Pig in Orlando.
https://www.theravenouspig.com