Author Archives: steve

Lolailo “The Original”

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*** (3 stars)

Southwest Orange County really needs a good tapas restaurant. And Lolailo has the potential to be one, but it’s not there yet. The restaurant occupies the former space of the much-missed Rice Paper, but has undergone a full remodel, and is quite stylish.

To me, tapas is all about ordering a table full of small sharing plates. In Spain it’s not uncommon for two of us to share a dozen little items. But that doesn’t work at Lolailo. Much of the menu is devoted to entrees, and the tapas items are extremely expensive. An assorted cheese plate for $30? You’ve got to be kidding. Assorted meats $20.

The problem is worse at lunch. There are almost no tapas items on the lunch menu. Pricing is more reasonable, with the entrees under $15, and a croquette appetizer was a bargain at $4. But most items weren’t particularly flavorful. The grilled lamb chops were the best, but were accompanied by flavorless mashed potatoes. My guests were unenthusiastic about the veal, the fish soup and the chick pea stew.

We were almost alone at lunch, and certainly outnumbered by employees, yet it took an hour and a half, so I’m curious to see if they continue to offer lunch.

I might try Lolailo again, but I think I’ll wait a few months to see what changes they make.

Lolailo “The Original”
7637 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 730-8948
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lolailo-the-original-orlando

Bern’s Steak House

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***** (5 stars)

Well, there simply is no other place like Bern’s. With the greatest wine list on the planet, it’s a draw for wine enthusiasts all over the planet. There are thousands of gems on this list, many priced below auction level. We routinely enjoy Burgundies from the 1950s without breaking the bank. And there are a couple hundred wines by the glass. Plus dessert wines. Where else can you get a glass of 1834 Madeira?

The food is great, too. and the offerings have really expanded in the past three decades we’ve been going. It’s actually not my favorite steak, because I’m not a fan of dry aging, but there are hundreds of other selections. We just usually have four or five appetizers per person and then go up to the dessert rooms. Our favorite app is the caviar (choice of more than a dozen) served Bern’s style with little foams.

And what other restaurant has dessert rooms? Private little spaces, dark and romantic, made from wine vats! The perfect end to a spectacular evening, all at reasonable prices.

Bern’s Steak House
1208 S Howard Ave
Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 251-2421
http://www.yelp.com/biz/berns-steak-house-tampa

TacoSon

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**** (4 stars)

Really popular counter service place with authentic Mexican food. I tried the pibil and barbacoa tacos, both with everything. I’ve had better pibil, but the barbacoa was great, really succulent. The chicken burrito was a bit more ordinary. Best to go at off peak times, as on Saturday at lunch there were 20 people in line.

TacoSon
7521 N 56th St
Tampa, FL 33617
(813) 989-2080
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tacoson-tampa

Crazy Cafe

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***** (5 stars)

Very nice sushi place in a light, airy corner spot in a mall. How nice to be able to enjoy sushi at the two outside tables. Well prepared rolls, and the lunch sashimi special was an excellent deal, offering tuna, salmon, escolar and hamachi. The selection of rolls is extensive.

Friendly service.

Crazy Cafe
3883 US Hwy 301 S
Riverview, FL 33578
(813) 898-2839
http://www.yelp.com/biz/crazy-cafe-riverview

California Grill

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*** (3 stars)

It’s difficult to do a fine dining restaurant in a theme park environment, and it’s not entirely the establishment’s fault. You’ve got people dressed as tourists, and their kids are exhausted from spending the day in a theme park. And did I mention the kids? There are lots of them.

Still, it’s possible. Victoria and Alberts is one of the greatest restaurants in the country, but they don’t allow kids. They turn the lights down, have a dress code, and charge enough that the patrons are likely to be foodies.

California Grill doesn’t use these tactics, and so the results are somewhat less spectacular. The setting on top of the Contemporary is dramatic, but bright lighting turns the windows into mirrors. The menu is fairly similar to Seasons 52 (which, let’s face it, stole the whole concept from California Grill), but the prices are obviously higher. The real difference, though, is the theme park production line approach to service, which just doesn’t work in a fine dining restaurant.

There’s really nothing wrong with the California Grill. If you’re staying on the Disney property — especially if you’re staying on the monorail loop — it’s a great choice. And if you time your visit to the nightly fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, there’s no better view.

It’s just that if you’re off-property there are better fine dining choices in Orlando. Or splurge, and go to Victoria and Albert’s.

California Grill
4600 N World Dr
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
(407) 939-3463
http://www.yelp.com/biz/california-grill-lake-buena-vista

Cala Bella

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**** (4 stars)

Although our first visit to Cala Bella wasn’t a stand out, we decided to return a year later when, on a busy convention night, we were only able to get into Calla 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.

Cala Bella
9939 Universal Blvd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 996-3663
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cala-bella-orlando

Tibby’s New Orleans Kitchen

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**** (4 stars)

I like the decor and service here very much. You can sense the Tijuana Flats influence, but it’s definitely a sit-down restaurant. I’ve tried quite a few of the items here, and haven’t yet found the thing that transports me back to New Orleans. That said, the food is good, especially the dirty rice. There aren’t many cajun choices in town, and Tibby does a good job of filling the gap.

Tibby’s New Orleans Kitchen
2203 Aloma Ave
Winter Park, FL 32792
(407) 672-5753
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tibbys-new-orleans-kitchen-winter-park

The Crooked Spoon Gastropub

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**** (4 stars)

I’d been wanting to try the Crooked Spoon for some time after hearing about their burger back when it was a food truck. So it was with great anticipation that I read the online menu and then ventured out for lunch. Upon arrival I was quite disappointed to discover that, by bad luck, I’d chosen the day they decided to inaugurate a new Sunday brunch (not noted on the website), and wouldn’t serve items from the regular menu.

Since I’m not a brunch fan, this was unfortunate. The brunch menu contains much less interesting food than their normal offerings. It was hard to understand why at least some of the regular food couldn’t be made available, but we ended up with a 420 burger and a spinach salad, two of the few non-breakfast items. Both were very good. I particularly liked the toasted brioche bun on the burger.

Bruch seemed popular with large families with many kids, which wasn’t exactly the gastropub ambience I was expecting, but good for them, if they’ve found a way to increase business on what might otherwise be a slow day. However it took close to 45 minutes to get a hamburger, which suggests they either had more business than expected, or need more organization. Perhaps the newness of the menu slowed things down, but frankly there weren’t many people still ordering at 2pm on a Sunday when we arrived.

I would like to return when the normal menu is being served, and give them a try on true gastro pub food.

The Crooked Spoon Gastropub
200 Citrus Tower Blvd
Clermont, FL 34711
(352) 404-7808
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-crooked-spoon-gastropub-clermont