Sixty Vines

This is a great addition to the Sandlake Road dining scene. It’s a beautiful restaurant, with a light, airy feel to the center portion, and more intimate summer house rooms at either end. Seating in the center is at long communal tables, but there are also individual tables and even lounge seating. The long bar in front of the wine taps also looks like a great bet.

As you would expect from the name, there are sixty wines on tap. We really loved the selections, as many come from our favorite smaller producers and areas, such as California’s Central Coast. Pricing seems very reasonable, perhaps because the wines are distributed in larger, more eco-friendly form. And since you can get pours as small as 2-1/2 ounces you can try a variety of wines without breaking the bank. The cocktail list looks very interesting, too.

The lunch menu also seems fairly priced. We loved the two dishes we tried: fried chicken topped with lemon cream and caviar, and crispy zucchini topped with blistered shishito and peppadew.

Service was friendly, but still learning the ropes.

I’m pretty sure I would hate the noise level in here at night, at least in the main room, but for a mid-afternoon lunch the ambiance was delightful.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/sixty-vines-orlando-2

Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen

**** (4 stars)

This vibrant space off the Marriott lobby offers appetizers, small plates and beer. The concept is local sourcing from the property’s farm, although that’s not apparent in a lot of the items, since they aren’t raising pigs or cows or fish.

Many of the beers are microbrewed. I liked the porter I had, although the menu changes so often you can’t count on the selections listed on the sample menus outside the door actually matching the menu inside. Since they’re both just pieces of printer paper, I’m not sure why.

The background music is lively, so it’s a better after convention spot to have a drink than a place for a relaxing meal.

Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen
4040 Central Florida Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32837
(866) 435-7627
http://www.yelp.com/biz/whisper-creek-farm-the-kitchen-orlando

Old Jameson Distillery

*** (3 stars)

The Jameson “Distillery” is really a visitor center, as the distillery is now on the other side of Ireland.

The regularly scheduled tours include a well produced film, and recreations of several of the original distillery’s operation. Our tour guide was knowledgable.

At the conclusion of the tour, everyone gets a generous serving of Jameson, and a few lucky guests are chosen to taste comparative samples of Jameson, Scotch and Jack Daniels. I was chosen, and it was interesting, since I’m a fan of Jameson 18 and single malt Scotch. The Jameson was much smoother, the Scotch was peaty/smokey and a bit harsh, and the Jack very perfumey and rough. But I found the regular Jameson also pretty rough after having only had the 12 and 18 before.

The point was that Irish whiskey is triple distilled, which makes it smoother, adn that point was well made.

A large percentage of the facility is devoted to a very nice tasting room, shop, and a cafe.

Old Jameson Distillery
Bow Street
Smithfield Village
, Dublin 7
+353 1 8072355
http://www.yelp.com/biz/old-jameson-distillery-dublin

Mars’ Cheese Castle

**** (4 stars)

We passed this place on a drive to Milwaukee, and although we didn’t stop, I felt compelled to return.

It was everything I expected, and more. Actually I was expecting nothing but a tacky tourist trap. But you can’t really call it a trap, since hundreds of fans return here, again and again. Why? Because of the sheer volume of “stuff” they have.

Yes, there are T-shirts and souvenirs. But really the place is about cheese, beer, gourmet foods and wine, not necessarily in that order. They also have  a ton of hot sauces.

The beer selection alone is vast. And there were many gourmet honeys, syrups, seasonings and biscuits I’d never seen before. Unfortunately the prices are pretty much at the level you’d expect, so I didn’t actually buy anything, but plenty of people were loading up.

The cheeses I tried were actually fairly bland and forgettable, but then I’m more of a European cheese person.

Mars’ Cheese Castle
2800 W Frontage Rd
Kenosha, WI 53144
(800) 655-6147
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mars-cheese-castle-kenosha

Convito Cafe & Market

IMG_6921**** (4 stars)

What lovely place for a al fresco lunch on a nice day! Plentiful patio seating, most of it nicely shaded make this a terrific (and popular) place to enjoy a nice day outside.

We particularly likes the salmon flatbread, with its pungent base of boursin cheese. I also enjoyed the trio of cold salads, which featured a particularly tasty chicken salad the day we visited.

The blood orange mimosas are a nice midday drink. I thought the ginger beer could have used a bit more kick; its heavy emphasis on citrus made it more like lemonade.

Definitely a nice respite from downtown sidewalk dining!

Convito Cafe & Market
1515 Sheridan Rd
Wilmette, IL 60091
(847) 251-3654
http://www.yelp.com/biz/convito-cafe-and-market-wilmette

B-21 Fine Wine & Spirits

***** (5 stars)

This is the most comprehensive collection of wines and single malt scotch in Central Florida. Great customer service. A few tips:

They deliver to the Orlando and other more distant areas once every two weeks..

Their quarterly (or so) tasting events are a great deal. For $25 you can sample close to 100 wines including some very pricey ones, and attend a sit down seminar. The annual Burgundy event is my favorite.

On the 21st of each month they have free shipping to anywhere if you buy a mixed case.

B-21 Fine Wine & Spirits
43380 US Hwy 19 N
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
(727) 937-5049
http://www.yelp.com/biz/b-21-fine-wine-and-spirits-tarpon-springs

Pete Miller’s Seafood & Prime Steak

**** (4 stars)

Pete Millers has that clubby feel I like in a steakhouse. The steaks aren’t particularly life-changing, but the ambiance is great, and there’s live entertainment that is pleasant without making conversation impossible. A good place for a business dinner.

Pete Miller’s Seafood & Prime Steak
1557 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-0399
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pete-millers-seafood-and-prime-steak-evanston