Author Archives: steve

Graffiti Junktion

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* (1 stars)

We’ve been having a little contest at work to find the best hamburger in town. I’d previously had a pretty good burger at the Thornton Park Graffiti Junktion, so I suggested trying this one.

When we ordered the hamburgers, all of us ordered them medium except one person who asked for medium well, a reasonable request given the dangers of eating undercooked raw ground meat in some places. He was informed that they only prepare them rare, medium rare or medium. This is very odd, as most places in town won’t even cook hamburgers less than medium.

Our meal showed up after a fairly long wait, and looked good. The fries certainly won’t win any awards, as they’re rather limp and flavorless, but the burgers looked good. Then we bit into them. Even around the edges they were essentially raw inside. Given the strange cooking policies, we didn’t even try to send them back, just nibbled the edible parts and left.

Steak is fine to eat rare or raw. I have steak tartare often. According to a 2010 report by the US Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General, ground beef in the US is routinely contaminated with biological pathogens such as e coli and salmonella. Cooking can destroy these pathogens if meat is cooked to a sufficient internal temperature. Given the lack of management evident in nearly every aspect of our visit to Graffiti Junktion College Park, there is no way I would assume they have even stored the meat properly or cleanly, so I will be trying other places.

This place is off the list.

Graffiti Junktion
2401 Edgewater Dr
Orlando, FL 32804
(407) 377-1961
http://www.yelp.com/biz/graffiti-junktion-orlando-2

Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse

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***** (5 stars)

This is the Churrascaria concept, where roving servers with skewers of meats come by your table delivering 16 different kinds of meat until you beg them to stop (well, actually until you turn over the little red and green piece of cardboard by your plate).

The meats are terrific (especially the house specialty caipirinha seasoned beef, and the baby lamb chops) but I was even more impressed by the delicious offerings at the included salad bar. Each ingredient was incredibly fresh and succulent, and there was a terrific variety, from Ceasar salad to curried cucumber to giant stalks of perfectly cooked asparagus.

Service was hyper attentive. The room is decorated in very appealing woods, a much better ambiance, I thought, than the competing Texas de Brazil Churrascaria up the street, and the food was certainly better.

These places are fairly expensive, with lunch about $26 and dinner topping out at $42. On the other hand, the salad bar only option seems like a pretty good deal at dinner, since it’s always $19.

Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse
8282 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 370-0711
http://www.yelp.com/biz/fogo-de-ch%C3%A3o-brazilian-steakhouse-orlando-3

Peperoncino

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***** (5 stars)

This is about as close as you can get to authentic Italian food in Orlando. The ingredients are fresh, and many of them are imported. In fact, you know you’re in for a treat from the moment they put down the fresh bread, because the olive oil it’s drizzled with is sublime, and the dusting of grated cheese packs a ton of flavor into each bite.

We tried the antipasto plate, which had a wonderful pecorino cheese studded with black pepper–probably the best pecorino I’ve had. I’m not much of a meat person, but my wife liked all of the meats on the plate.

We also had the mussels, which were served in a tomato sauce that had very fresh tomato pieces. I’m betting these came from Italy, as they weren’t the American kind that you can bounce into a semi truck.

The pictures on the website show lots of fish and shellfish dishes, but the only fish dish I could find was the special, a snapper cooked in parchment, served with shellfish. The snapper was (mostly) de-boned at tableside. It was moist, but a bit of a pain to eat, and the shellfish wasn’t as good as the mussel appetizer.

Perperoncino is tiny, bright and noisy, not my first choice of ambiance, but on nice evenings the restaurant doubles its size by expanding onto the plaza it fronts. That’s the ticket for a truly authentic Italian meal.

Peperoncino
7988 Via Dellagio Way
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 440-2856
http://www.yelp.com/biz/peperoncino-orlando

Border Grill Fresh-Mex

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***** (5 stars)

With no sign on the building, it’s a challenge to find the Border Grill, but well worth it. Look for the neon sign in the window that says Authentic Mexican Food. Indeed it is. The mole sauce on our enchiladas was the highlight, dark, rich and slightly spicy. The refried beans are really authentic, too, and probably bad for you. The al Pastor marinated BBQ pork in the gordita was less rich than some I’ve had, but still tasty, and the gordita shell was crispy/soft and delicious, although I would have prefered it with cilantro rather than lettuce. Everything is made to order, so arrive early and plan on 15 minutes for the food to be ready. A great find!

Border Grill Fresh-Mex
5695A Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 352-0101
http://www.yelp.com/biz/border-grill-fresh-mex-orlando-2

The Tasting Room

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***** (5 stars)

The Tasting Room is a great small plates restaurant in charming Winter Garden. Because it is operated from the same kitchen as The Chef’s Table–one of Central Florida’s best restaurants–you’d expect the food to be great, and it is. The Tasting Room is a lively and less formal atmosphere than The Chef’s Table, and the emphasis is on sampling lots of different foods, accompanied by craft beers, wines by the glass, or exotic cocktails from the full bar. On our first visit, my favorites were the fish dip, the bacon-wrapped scallops, and the bourbon pecan dessert. It’s great to be able to drop in to such a fine dining experience without needing a reservation. Definitely a new favorite.

The Tasting Room
99 W Plant St
Winter Garden, FL 34787
(407) 230-4837
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-tasting-room-winter-garden

Sushi Pop

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***** (5 stars)

At last! There’s a sophisticated and trendy restaurant in Orlando. Sushi Pop in Oveido combines highly creative sushi with a touch of molecular gastronomy and an anime-inspired decor to create a top notch experience worthy of New York City. Highlights were:

   Edamame with garlic salt
   Ceviche roll (hamachi with avocado, tempura shallots and chipotle lime sauce topped with flounder, siracha hot sauce, micro cilantro, Hawaiian pink salt and wedge of lime)
   Hot Mess roll (smoked salmon, avocado and tempura flakes with maple soy, topped with baked tuna, salmon, yellowtail, flounder, spicy mayo, smelt roe, scallions and rendered bacon)
   Hamachi Kama (grilled yellowtail collar glazed with sweet soy, topped with toasted garlic, scallions, lime wedge and ponzu dipping sauce)
   It’s No Yolk (fresh cubed salmon tossed with lime juice, olive oil, shallots, thai basil with sunny side egg of sweet coconut milk and mango puree, served withseaweed rice cracker)
   Maple ice cream with candied bacon

The seating is a combination of tables, couch-like booths and bar stools. Servers wear individual quirky costumes. Anime plays on flat screens, and the wall art is manga. Reservations are a must, as the place was packed, inside and out, during our three-hour gastronomic tour. Highly Recommended.

Sushi Pop
310 W Mitchell Hammock Rd
Oviedo, FL 32765
(407) 542-5975
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-pop-oviedo

Chef’s Table At the Edgewater

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***** (5 stars)

The Chef’s Table at the Edgewater hotel is an unlikely star in the Central Florida dining scene. Certainly one of the top five restaurants, and perhaps second only to the infinitely more expensive Victoria and Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian, the Chef’s Table is tucked away in historic Winter Garden, a few miles north of the theme parks. It’s an intimate place, with only a half dozen tables (although an expansion is in the works that will offer small plates in a more casual setting).

The Chef’s table offers the most personal dining experience I’ve yet to encounter. Chef Kevin visits every table to explain (in mouthwatering detail) how each dish is prepared. It’s no surprise the food is so good, as Kevin worked at both Victoria and Albert’s and Emeril’s Commander’s Palace. Kevin’s wife and business partner is Laurie, who is a very talented sommelier. She is perhaps the most talented wine matching expert I’ve encountered, and the wine pairing dinner is an absolute steal.

After a leisurely dinner you can often catch a stage show in the Historic Garden Theatre across the street.

This restaurant has swept the local dining awards several times, winning for best chef’s table, best wine pairings, most romantic, and several other categories. It’s good for intimate couples dining, business dinners, and vacationing foodies alike. Highly recommended.

Chef’s Table At the Edgewater
99 W Plant St
Winter Garden, FL 34787
(407) 230-4837
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chefs-table-at-the-edgewater-winter-garden

Girl & the Goat

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***** (5 stars)

The Girl and the Goat is the new restaurant by Stephanie Izard, winner of Top Chef. Barely open a year, it has already won a James Beard award, and is the hottest restaurant in Chicago. I reserved our table three months in advance.

I was a bit wary of going the day after Moto, and some of the menu items seemed a bit scary (oven roasted pig’s face). What a delightful surprise this restaurant turned out to be! We loved all the plates we shared. We tried all three fresh baked breads of the day. Each was served with two different accompaniments, such as Worchestshire butter. Our favorite dishes were:

Wood fired chicken with fried pickles and grilled naan.
Sauteed cauliflower with pickled peppers, parmesan cheese, mint leaves and pine nuts.
Goat belly confit with lobster and crab.

Service was really professional yet friendly, and the vibrant environment and wood smoke filled room is the perfect setting for such fun and tasty food. The Girl and the Goat is a new Chicago favorite.

Girl & the Goat
809 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 492-6262
http://www.yelp.com/biz/girl-and-the-goat-chicago

527 Cafe

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**** (4 stars)

Cafe 527 is a new Asian place that had the nerve to open next door to the popular Joy Yee’s Noodle Shop. The plan seems to be working, as 527 was packed when I was there for lunch. The atmosphere is bright and the counter service is friendly. The Korean BBQ taco I had was delicious, filled with bulgogi beef, kimchee, rice and cilantro, and served on seaweed rather than a tortilla. The miso shrimp salad was also tasty, although the shrimp was the least interesting part. The crunchy lettuce and cabbage mixture was enhanced by green peppers, scallions, and edamame. It went well with a miso based honey mustard dressing. There are lots of choices posted on makeshift signs, so be sure to check out the offerings not on the “official” menu board. Definitely a great new Asian option for Evanston.

527 Cafe
527 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 332-2233
http://www.yelp.com/biz/527-cafe-evanston

Cuvee Wine & Bistro

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***** (5 stars)

Cuvée Wine & Bistro has an interesting business plan, which combines two different concepts: a restaurant, and self-service wine dispensers.

It occupies part of a former bank building, but has been redecorated in a pleasant, trendy way. High booth backs keep the noise level down, although the old farts next to us were quite rowdy. Each dining room is surrounded by rows of wine dispensers, some refrigerated for the whites, others not, for reds. There are well over 100 selections, available in 1, 2.5 or 5 ounce pours. As with other such places, you load a card with money, and then it’s debited as you use the machines.

We arrived at 6:30 and things were fairly quite, but the restaurant soon filled up. What’s interesting about the success of the place is that it doesn’t seem to be driven by all the wine dispensers that surround the dining rooms. We saw few other patrons wandering around to try different wines with each course. Instead, most either let the waiter bring them a glass of something, or ordered a bottle for the table. Still, being surrounded by all those glowing bottles probably boosts wine sales. I couldn’t see the bar from where we sat, so I don’t know how much tasting traffic originated there.

The food was mostly very good. A cheese sampler plate offered a nice variety, and my clam appetizer was delicious. Salads were fine, and the steaks Linda and Martin had were good quality. I liked my eggplant napoleon, too. Service was excellent: attentive yet not rushing us.

The wines are more fairly priced than at the other self-serve wine place I’ve been to. Unfortunately, of four high end wines we tried (Tapestry, a Nuits St. Georges, a Pommard, and Dominus) all were spoiled by having been open a long, long time. As evidenced by the strong geranium smell, the dispensing system can’t keep them good forever. Our waiter cheerfully credited us for the wines we complained about, but they should have been removed, rather than left for the next sucker. None of the lower priced selections had this problem, and we tried many. Best QPR (quality to price ratio) was the Bell Petite Sirah.

It was fun to try small tastes of many different wines with our food. We all agreed we would return.

Cuvee Wine & Bistro
2237 SW 19th Ave Rd
Ocala, FL 34471
(352) 351-1816
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cuvee-wine-and-bistro-ocala