Category Archives: Florida

Canvas Restaurant & Market

Posted on by

Interior

Bar

**** (4 stars)

This is a convenient stop on your way to or from Orlando International Airport. The restaurant has a modern look, and is beautifully situated overlooking a lake.

Upon entry there is a bit of an identity crisis, as it seems more like a convenience store and casual eating area. But proceed to the hostess stand and you’ll be ushered into the restaurant proper, which is large, and has a modern looking bar at the far end. The booths near the bar are actually the quietest place to eat, as they are away from most other tables and hard surfaces.

We tried several small plates. The smoked fish dip was a surprise, as it was more of a hot cheese queso with fish chunks. It was tasty, but the accompanying crackers could have been fresher.

Mussels were served in an interesting tomatillo broth that was quite good, and accompanied by a couple of pieces of nicely grilled bread.

The grilled shrimp salad was pretty good; the greens were lightly dressed and studded with several hot grilled shrimp.

Service was friendly.

Canvas Restaurant & Market
13615 Sachs Ave
Orlando, FL 32827
(407) 313-7800
https://www.yelp.com/biz/canvas-restaurant-and-market-orlando-3

La Madeleine Country French Cafe

Posted on by

Interior

*** (3 stars)

Although the name implies this is a cafe, it’s really a counter serve place, albeit one with some nice outdoor seating.

The best bets are the baked goods. My chicken salad sandwich came on a very authentic croissant. The accompanying Caesar salad and fruit salad were nothing special.

Several in our party had various pastas, and all through they were watery.

Decaf coffee was certainly not the quality you’d get in France.

The employees were friendly enough, but since it is counter serve, there isn’t really much service.

La Madeleine Country French Cafe
4175 Millenia Mall Blvd
Orlando, FL 32839
(321) 332-7001
https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-madeleine-country-french-cafe-orlando

Shula Burger

Posted on by

Exterior

Interior

Custom Veggie burger with rings

***** (5 stars)

I’d put off trying this place for years, but I’m really glad I did. I love the ability to build a burger any way you like from the ground up. I’m more fond of toppings than the actual meat, so I tried the veggie burger and found it excellent. I will warn you that the Korean BBQ sauce is not messing around spice-wise!

I also had the onion rings, which were perfect, with a very crisp breading and tender inside, served piping hot, and not greasy.

The meal was reasonably priced for its quality.

Most impressive was the friendly and helpful staff. Everyone in the place seemed glad to see me, and even the person bussing tables thanked me for coming as I left. That’s a well run restaurant.

Shula Burger
8124 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy
Kissimmee, FL 34747
(407) 238-1999
https://www.yelp.com/biz/shula-burger-kissimmee

Landry’s Seafood

Posted on by

Snapper

Mussels

Exterior

*** (3 stars)

For seafood I often go to Oceanaire, which is owned by Landry’s, but I thought I’d try the mother chain for a change. There is definitely a big difference in food quality and service between the two, but there is also a price difference, and if you’re just looking for a decent seafood meal, Landry’s is adequate.

I wasn’t a big fan of my grilled snapper, which was overcooked and served with some fairly flavorless rice and some oddly saffron-flavored green beans. On the other hand, for $27 it also included a good sized house salad with a pleasant balsamic dressing.  

Had that been the extent of it, it was a two-star experience. But I started with the mussels, and they were excellent–perfectly cooked in a garlic and butter broth that was flavorful without being too heavy, and served with delicious garlic toast slices. I will likely return and just order this and perhaps one other appetizer. At $11 the mussels were a great deal.

Service was friendly and fast.

Landry’s Seafood
8800 Vineland Ave
Orlando, FL 32821
(407) 827-6466
https://www.yelp.com/biz/landrys-seafood-orlando-5

Jeremiahs Italian Ice

Posted on by

Exterior

Salted caramel and vanilla

**** (4 stars)

A wide range of flavors, plus the ability to interleave them with vanilla (the result is strangely called gelato, but it isn’t) is the draw here.

I really liked the combination of salted caramel and vanilla, and it was a very generous serving for the price.

Jeremiahs Italian Ice
3150 S Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32806
(407) 757-0427
https://www.yelp.com/biz/jeremiahs-italian-ice-orlando-4

Pizza Bruno

Posted on by

Pepperoni, ricotta, basil

Cauliflower

Exterior

Interior

**** (4 stars)

I have to admit I was expecting a bit more from this place, given the hype, but while the pizza looked authentic, I didn’t find anything remarkable about its flavor or consistency. It struck me as odd that the basil was applied before baking, resulting in burnt leaves.

However I did love the kale salad! It was a perfect combination of a house-made Caesar dressing, plus little crunchy and sweet elements.

I also liked the cauliflower appetizer, although be warned that the sauce is very sweet. It’s almost dessert cauliflower.

The place can get quite loud, because the floors are concrete, and there are no soft surfaces.

Service was excellent.

Pizza Bruno
3990 Curry Ford Rd
Orlando, FL 32806
(407) 440-3894
https://www.yelp.com/biz/pizza-bruno-orlando

Taco Norteño

Posted on by

Nachos with ground beef

Tostada Barbacoa, taco pastor

Exterior

Interior

Salsa bar

**** (4 stars)

This neighborhood Mexican restaurant is very popular, probably in part due to the fact that their tacos start at $1.85.

I tried the taco pastor with a soft corn tortilla, the tostada barbacoa, and the nachos with ground beef.

My favorite item was the tostada, which had a nice, crisp, sturdy tortilla and generous slices of avocado. The barbacoa didn’t have a lot of flavor, but the refried beans did.

I didn’t care for the pastor, which was completely dry, with no evidence of marinade or sauce, and didn’t include the somewhat traditional pineapple either.

The nachos were by far the most expensive, but the serving was giant. You have a choice of meat, and indeed they were all about the meat, with very little cheese, and the limited cheese was a thin queso anyway.

The best feature of Norteno is the salsa bar, which offers not only an array of salsas, but also fresh cilantro, onions, jalapenos and limes, so you can deck out your food however you like. There are also free chips to accompany it.

Taco Norteño
12307 W Colonial Dr
Winter Garden, FL 34787
(407) 656-2567
https://www.yelp.com/biz/taco-norte%C3%B1o-winter-garden

Merguez Restaurant

Posted on by

Mixed grill

Chicken bastilla

Exterior

Interior

***** (5 stars)

Although this is just a quick server restaurant with a counter at the rear and virtually no ambiance, you can’t tell it from the food, which is authentic and delicious, far better than the next closest Moroccan restaurant, which happens to be in Epcot!.

I had the mixed grill, and all four meats were excellent, particularly the chicken, which had a nice sear, and the very flavorful gyro meat. I also like the accompanying salad.

Even better was the Chicken Bastilla, a slightly sweet sort of pie made from delicately crisped phyllo dough. It was actually better than the one I had in Morocco many years ago.

It’s a bit hard to get into this plaza during road construction, but hopefully that will soon be done, as it’s definitely worth a return visit.

Merguez Restaurant
11951 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32821
(407) 778-4343
https://www.yelp.com/biz/merguez-restaurant-orlando

Breakfast Club

Posted on by

Club skillet

Exterior

Interior

**** (4 stars)

This is an old style coffee shop that emphasizes breakfast but also serves lunch food.

My “skillet” was actually just a plate, but I liked that I could select every ingredient, including choice of potatoes, veggies, meats and eggs. The hashbrowns were nice and crispy as requested.

The room is bright and airy and the servers are friendly, even when swamped, as they are on Sunday mornings after church.

Breakfast Club
13750 W Colonial Dr
Winter Garden, FL 34787
(407) 347-9726
https://www.yelp.com/biz/breakfast-club-winter-garden

Scoops Old Fashioned Ice Cream

Posted on by

Exterior

Interior

Cappuccino Crunch

***** (5 stars)

I’m old enough to remember ice cream parlors in the 1960s, which I suppose were a lot like those from the 1920s, and Scoops certainly captures that feeling. The historic building, retro furniture, and decor all contribute to the feeling of stepping back to 1927. The friendly service also harkens back to a bygone era.

But of course, it’s all about the ice cream, and that will not disappoint. There are dozens of interesting flavors such as birthday cake, plus classics like butter pecan and pistachio. I chose the Cappucino Crunch, and it was superb.

I’d never heard of Hershey’s Ice Cream, but they’ve been around since 1894 (no relation to the candy company). I wish more places served it, as it is fantastic.

You can also get soft serve with mix-ins, but I urge you to go for the real thing, and get a scoop at Scoops.

Scoops Old Fashioned Ice Cream
99 W Plant St
Winter Garden, FL 34787
(407) 656-3369
https://www.yelp.com/biz/scoops-old-fashioned-ice-cream-winter-garden