A bustling space with good food and service, excellent cocktails, a a nice selection of wines by the glass or bottle. Interestingly, the tables tucked behind the bar are among the quietest in the restaurant!
Roaring Fork
Category Archives: Bars
Delaney’s Tavern
Somehow I’d never made it to Delaney’s Tavern. I really liked the place and wish we’d tried it sooner. It’s now incorporated into a hotel across from the hospital. Parking is available in the structure behind it; just be sure to get a paper slip from your server so you can get out of the garage.
The menu offers the kind of eclectic dishes I’d put on the menu if I owned a restaurant. We started with both the crab beignets and the arancini. Both were good; I’d definitely have the crab again. It’s pretty large, so one app would have been enough for the two of us.
My French dip was very good. I liked that the dipping sauce wasn’t overly salted as it sometimes is. The accompanying potato wedges had a nice parmesan crust.
Service was friendly and well-paced.
General Public House
4 Stars
This is a nice local public house serving elevated pub food. We went for Sunday and ordered off the regular and brunch menus.
The BLT dip was primarily creamed spinach, topped with some diced tomato and bacon crumbles, and served with excellent seasoned crostinis. Not a very large serving, but a nice starter.
My wife enjoyed the Odd Bird, a tender chicken breast sandwich with a fairly spicy buffalo sauce.
I had the Smoked Ham and Sausage Benedict, which was exactly as you’d expect from the name. Perfectly cooked poached eggs, and a good Hollandaise sauce, but I didn’t care for the flavor of what the English muffins had been grilled in or spread with. The accompanying home fries were delicious.
Service was superb.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/general-public-house-winter-springs-2
Nona Blue Modern Tavern
***** (5 stars)
It had been seven years since I'd been to Nona Blue–long enough that I'd forgotten I was ever there. In all fairness, we live far away, but it is convenient to Orlando International, so a great place to go after picking someone up.
In my earlier review we went for lunch, and I characterized it as a sports bar, but this time it was dinner, and the vibe was quite different. True, there are TV's around the central bar, but the lighting is romantically dim, and the noise level is reasonable, so it has more of an intimate club atmosphere, which we really liked.
We must be creatures of habit, because we ordered the same smoked salmon dip as last time, and enjoyed it just as much–again, the warning that there is a fair amount of egg white in it, which I liked, but my wife not so much.
The Caesar salad is one of the most authentic in town, with plenty of garlic and anchovy flavor in the dressing, which isn't too heavy.
She had the steak frites, and it had a great smoky flavor. Not that if you want it authentic you need to substitute steak fries for traditional ones.
I had the prime rib, which was a hefty serving accompanied by a delicious horseradish sauce and a Matterhorn of mashed potatoes.
There's a nice wine and cocktail list.
Service by Claire was very professional and friendly.
Nona Blue Modern Tavern
9685 Lake Nona Village Pl
Orlando, FL 32827
JoJo’s ShakeBAR Orlando
**** (4 stars)
I used to have a condo two blocks from this place in Chicago, but I could never get into it, because there was always a line out the door. So it’s ironic that I finally got to the one in Orlando, where I live full-time.
Fortunately, this one is bigger, but still very busy, and reservations are definitely recommended.
You definitely don’t want to go here on a diet. That’s not what this place is about. It’s about huge portions of tasty, definitely non-health food.
We started with the JoJos fries, which were really nicely done, with crispy waffle-cut potatoes, and topped with cheese and bacon.
I had the breakfast burrito, since it was a weekend at lunchtime, and I rarely get one with the same ingredients that I use at home. This one was very nicely stuffed, and had a great accompanying sauce.
Of course, the main reason to go here is for the shakes, and the Gold Digger did not disappoint. It was piled high with a cookie, marshmallow, cake ball, whipped cream, and a toffee-coated pretzel. I had mine with Jim Beam bourbon. It was a terrific shake, and like everything we had, it was a serving for at least two people.
In fact, that’s really a theme here. Every single item we had was a full meal for 2 to 4 people, so don’t get carried away with your ordering until you’ve tried a couple of things.
It’s a fun environment, and one of the better places for tourists to eat on International Drive.
JoJo’s ShakeBAR Orlando
9101 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32819
The Outpost Kitchen
**** (4 stars)
This place offers a nice assortment of small plates, and some variety of sandwiches and entrées. There's a very extensive list of spirits. The decor is quite fun. The only problem is they seemed to be out of a lot of things. But we enjoyed what we had, even if there were a few missing ingredients. For example, the Day After Greely wasn't on an English Muffin, and didn't include any horseradish. The best items we had were the Kicken Shrimp and the French Fries.
The Outpost Kitchen
111 S Orlando Ave
Maitland, FL 32751
Sensei Asian Bistro
***** (5 stars)
Delish and fresh sashimi is the highlight here. Beautiful plating. The lobster fried rice was also excellent. A bit pricey, but to be expected for top notch ingredients. Wonderful service.
Sensei Asian Bistro
4860 SW 31st Pl
Gainesville, FL 32608
Savour
**** (4 stars)
Good food with a New Orleans slant to many items. It's divided into two long narrows spaces, and the bar can actually be more pleasant compared to the dining room, depending on whether you are seated next to an obnoxiously loud six-top like we were. Interesting cocktail list, and a nice selection of wines by the glass. Friendly service.
Savour
115 E Park Ave
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Batture Bistro and Bar
***** (5 stars)
A pleasant place for drinks and small plates. They also serve a French style continental breakfast. The small plates seem to have been prepared in advance, but they are good.
Batture Bistro and Bar
111 Iberville St
New Orleans, LA 70130
Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar
***** (5 stars)
I love the flight concept here, where you get to try three things at a time, whether wines or food. This was our second visit, and the salad flight continues to be our favorite.
The noise level is energetic, but it's a bit quieter upstairs.
Service is very friendly and prices are reasonable.
Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar
39 S Main St
Memphis, TN 38103
https://www.yelp.com/biz/flight-restaurant-and-wine-bar-memphis