Marth Stewart DogOnion rings and Chili Cheese DogInteriorExteriorInterior
*** (3 stars)
Pinks it world famous, because it’s quite a draw for Japanese tourists. I had the Martha Stewart, which turned into a hot mess, with the bun disintegrating as soon as I tried to pick it up. That, plus about a cup of mayonnaise made it pretty unappealing. Also, the hot dogs have a weirdly soft texture.
Better was the chili cheese burger, with my favorite ingredients (basically the works) standard. But Original Tommy’s has nothing to worry about as far as the chili goes.
This cozy, stylish spot offers an interesting menu and an upscale experience at reasonable prices. Be aware that although the food is sophisticated, portions are very large, so don’t over order.
We liked everything we had. My favorite was the duck confirm pancake, which was more like a quesadilla.
Save room for Spanish coffee. How can you pass up anything where the second ingredient is “fire”!?
Back when there weren’t many Tex Mex restaurants in town, we used to go here all the time. (Actually, our history goes back far longer, because back in the 80s this was our Sun Bank!) But somehow it fell off our radar, and we hadn’t been in years. We were surprised to discover the extensive remodel, which involved moving the door and making the bar area much larger and better than it used to be.
Unfortunately, the food hasn’t improved along with the decor. We shared an appetizer sampler, and it was pretty ho-hum. To give you an idea of how far this place has strayed from Mexican or Tex-Mex, the best thing on the platter was Buffalo wings. And, oddly, every single item included chicken, so that’s not really much of a sampler, is it?
The highlight was the house margarita, which was an excellent blend of balanced ingredients. Service was friendly and professional.
This location is a bit of dejavu, since it is almost the same as the previous Bar Louie on Sand Lake Road. No doubt this is a better spot for the evening tourist trade. The large bar makes it good for groups, and the many roll-up doors are nice on cooler evenings. The menu is the same as other Bar Louies, with a mix of bar foods and burgers. A few of my favorite items from the past have disappeared or been simplified, but it’s still probably one of the better choices in the tourist corridor.
The food here is good. Everything is made to order, and you can select the ingredients for your gyro. They also have kebab platters.
The fries are particularly good, freshly made to order, and with a crisp crust.
The only problem is that it takes a long time for the food to be ready, so it’s not what you could call a quick serve concept. But if you have time to relax while your meal is made, it’s a good choice.
It’s nice to see a new place in the old Stonewood building. The decor has been brightened and opened up, and it is distinctly more casual now, more like sports bar food than fine dining. The new floor plan makes better use of the outside dining area, which is quite pleasant.
Service in the weeks after opening was fairly good, and will probably get better. The menu is basic burgers and salads. They have the Impossible Burger, and it was nicely cooked.
The manager seemed to be very engaged, which is a good sign.
EntryInteriorChef Henry MosoSushi barSushi barInteriorInteriorBarMenuFlounder, kanpachi, hamachiOctopus tempura with squid ink sauceLobsterA5 Wagyu and hot rockDessert samplerPrivate wine lockers
***** (5 stars)
For years I’ve been saying that Kabooki Sushi on Colonial is the best restaurant in Orlando, even surpassing Disney’s super upscale Victoria and Alberts. With this new location near Sand Lake Road’s restaurant row, Chef Henry Moso has even upped the ante.
We’ve had sushi at Nobus and Morimotos all over the world, and none of them comes close to what is happening at Kabooki Sushi. The complexity of the sashimi preparations and the extreme attention to detail, especially on the omakase are simply unsurpassed.
This new location also lets Chef Henry demonstrate his interior design skills, with a build-out that is beautiful, trendy, upscale and welcoming all at once.
We attended a soft opening and already the service is at peak levels, with everything running like clockwork in a packed restaurant on only its third day.
This place is going to be the biggest hit Orlando has seen in a long time, for both tourists and locals, so make sure you have a reservation, because word has already spread.
I really like the interior decor at Applebee’s. It’s a lot more like an intimate bar and grill than a coffee shop. The food is good (if typical) sports bar food, and the service is decent. I’d rank it as one of the better chains of this type, at least at this location.
For a chain restaurant, there are some surprisingly authentic Carribean dishes in the Bahama Breeze menu. I visited the original location when they first opened and thought it was just okay, but a recent visit to this larger venue was more impressive.
There are standard sports bar-like items, of course, including an appetizer sampler that had some nicely fried coconut shrimp and onion rings. But there are also authentically seasoned items such as the goat curry bowl, which I thought was excellent. Best of all, unlike traditional goat curry, there were no bones!
My favorite item was a drink sampler that included 8 different tropical and tiki-style drinks. They were large enough that the assortment is intended for more than one person. Since I’ve recently been researching tiki drinks at some of the country’s top tiki bars, I wasn’t expecting them to be as good as they were. There were excellent examples of a Zombie, Painkiller, and Dark and Stormy, among others. At about $26 it was a good deal.
Service late at night seemed a bit harried, but was friendly. The restaurant is very large, nicely decorated, and there is a large outside dining area with live music.
