Category Archives: Florida

Harry and Larry’s Barbeque

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Smoked brisket 1/4 pound

St Louis Ribs & Cole slaw

Exterior

Interior

***** (5 stars)

This small shotgun style business is always packed, and there’s a reason. While there is lots of pretty good BBQ in Orlando, it’s largely represented by small local chains such as Bubbalou’s and 4 Rivers. While those places turn out some good products, Harry and Larry’s seems to take it to another level, because of the small, home-made approach to everything.

Both the St. Louis Ribs and the Smoked Brisket I tried were, simply put, awesome, with a smokey crust and tender, flavourful meat.

Even the house-made coleslaw was a cut above, with fresh, crisp cabbage and carrot flavors coming through the light and flavorful sauce.

The only miss was the soggy piece of grilled bread served with the ribs.

Note: It can be a bit confusing on your first visit. You order at the counter (inside or out) and if you’re dining in they give you a playing card to put on your table to keep track of who to deliver it to.

Harry and Larry’s Barbeque
54 W Plant St
Winter Garden, FL 34787
(407) 614-5950
https://www.yelp.com/biz/harry-and-larrys-barbeque-winter-garden

Kim Wu Chinese

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Buffet

Exterior

**** (4 stars)

This place has been in business a long time, and has a loyal following. I remember eating here long ago, and it seems they’ve expanded since then. But unlike some old restaurants, this one still seems fresh and clean.

Lunch is a buffet, and there are many dishes to choose from, including nearly all the American Chinese restaurant standards. They did a nice job of keeping the items on the buffet fresh and well-stocked.

When I eat at American Chinese restaurants I always find the food a lot heavier and oilier than those in Asia, and this one is no exception, but I can’t fault them for it since it seems to be the accepted style.

My lunch included hot tea, my choice of soup, and even an eggroll from the buffet, so for $10 it was a good deal. My server was fast and friendly.

Kim Wu Chinese
4904 S Kirkman Rd
Orlando, FL 32811
(407) 293-0752
https://www.yelp.com/biz/kim-wu-chinese-orlando

33 & Melt

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The Melt

Exterior

Interior

***** (5 stars)

When you specialize in one type of sandwich you’d better be good at it, and indeed 33 & Melt is very good at grilled cheese sandwiches. Many varieties are available with various additions, but I went with The Melt. The combination of cheeses was perfect, and the bread was grilled to a lovely deep golden brown.

The sandwich came with a small cup of homemade tomato soup for dipping, but I just sipped that by itself. Delicious. There was also a mixed green dressed in a vinaigrette, but I thought it was a bit salty. Fries might have been a better option. It all came for one reasonable price.

There’s an inside counter and a few tables, plus several nicely shaded outside tables. I liked the classic rock soundtrack. Service was quick and friendly.

33 & Melt
13790 Bridgewater Crossings Blvd
Ste 1000
Windermere, FL 34786
(407) 614-3843
https://www.yelp.com/biz/33-and-melt-windermere

Las 3 Maria’s Mexican Restaurant

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Exterior

Interior

Kitchen

**** (4 stars)

This small restaurant might seem like a counter serve place, but they actually don’t have a counter, and it’s full table service. The menu may seem rudimentary, but the standards are all here: tacos, enchiladas, chilaquiles, tortas and more. It’s all fixed from scratch by a lady who I assume is named Maria.

And when I say “from scratch” I really mean it. I ordered tacos, and she started with corn meal, formed, pressed and grilled the tortillas herself, and then filled them with my selections of meat.

I liked the chicken best, as the steak and carnitas weren’t quite as tender. All were covered with onions and cilantro. They were small but at $1.50 per taco, they were a good deal.

Las 3 Maria’s Mexican Restaurant
4862 Orange Blossom Trl
Orlando, FL 32839
(407) 925-4174
https://www.yelp.com/biz/las-3-marias-mexican-restaurant-orlando

Black Fire Brazilian Steakhouse

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Exterior

Sushi

Buffet

**** (4 stars)

Although I live near Disney, I rarely go to restaurants in the tourist area because they don’t need to be very good to stay busy. So I was pleasantly surprised by Black Fire Brazilian Steakhouse. The service was very accommodating, and the food was quite good.

This is certainly the best remodeling job of the many restaurants that have occupied this space. The interior is open, sleek, and sophisticated.

As with the other (many) Brazilian steakhouses in town, there is a salad bar, limited hot buffet, and then many servers come to your table with skewers of a dozen or so different types of meat, where they cut it off into your waiting tongs.

Black Fire has a somewhat more limited buffet than most of the competitors, but the quality is good, and this buffet includes pretty decent sushi, which is unusual. The meats seemed about the same quality as those of the competitors. That’s good news, because Black Fire is less expensive than most of the others.

The night we visited they were reasonably busy, which is the first time I’ve seen more that a few people in this building’s various incarnations, so they’re doing something right. Our server was extremely attentive, and obviously cared that we had a nice time.

Black Fire Brazilian Steakhouse
8594 Palm Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32836
(407) 477-7771
https://www.yelp.com/biz/black-fire-brazilian-steakhouse-orlando-2

Haven

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Peel and Eat Shrimp

Cheese Monger

Hamachi crudo

Interior

**** (4 stars)

If you are a cheese lover, Haven is a must visit. There are dozens of cheeses on their menu, and the “Cheese Monger” offers a selection of 18(!) of them on one well-organized plate. My only wish was for more variety, as they were almost all cow’s milk, and mostly the same firmness. I’d have liked some more soft ones, and some stinkier ones. But that’s just me.

The menu also offers a nice selection of other small plates. We liked the hamachi crudo. The peel and eat shrimp was okay, but I didn’t care for the harissa flavor of the accompanying remoulade, as it overwhelmed the other flavors.

The interior decor is gorgeous, with reasonable lighting levels and not too noisy, even though there are no soft surfaces except the booths (which offer the quietest place to sit).

The wine list is extensive, and the more expensive wines are actually the better deals.

Service was friendly and efficient.

Haven
2208 W Morrison Ave
Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 258-2233
https://www.yelp.com/biz/haven-tampa-3

Chez Filet

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Quiche

Lobster bites

Bread service with complimentary butter and pate

Exterior

Interior

**** (4 stars)

This is an intimate (12 tables or less) restaurant in the plaza off I-Drive north of the Orlando Eye.

As the name implies, the concept here is French/steakhouse. They are striving for fine dining, but it’s not quite at that level. Certainly the service is outstandingly solicitous, but it’s clear most of the staff is unfamiliar with the level to which the management aspires. So while many servers asked repeatedly if we needed anything, it was more obtrusive than helpful. Coupled with an offer of dessert before our main courses were served, it was a bit disjointed. Still, their hearts are in the right place, and experience will iron out these problems.

The food, too, strives but doesn’t always succeed. For starters we had the quiche and the lobster bites. The quiche was a nice, small, thin tartlet that made a good appetizer, as it wasn’t too filling. The lobster bites were essentially an escargot preparation, but using generous chunks of lobser instead of snails. The garlic butter was delicious, but the method of preparation of course leaves the lobster very, very well done.

We also had a small Caesar salad and onion soup. The Caesar was good, and at $5 was emblematic of the extremely reasonable pricing. Where else in town can you get a Caesar salad for that price? The onion soup was the only thing we had that really wasn’t good. It looked like a traditional preparation, but the consistency was more like gravy, and not very appealing in taste, either.

Main courses are also very reasonably priced, particularly considering they include two side dishes of your choice. I thought my companion’s New York steak was a bit tough, but she enjoyed it. The accompanying Chico’s sauce had a nice mustard base. I had the fish special, a corvina, which was delicate and nicely prepared. The home run of the evening was actually the Angel Onions, thin onion straws that were battered and perfectly crisped.

Photos of the place don’t do it justice, as the interior decor is stunning, although it would be better with lower light levels.

And as I’ve mentioned, the prices are extremely reasonable, particularly given the tourist area that surrounds it.

Chez Filet
8255 International Dr
Ste 144A
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 250-4090
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chez-filet-orlando

Jade Sushi & New Asian

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KFC

Lan-sanity

Stormtrooper

Hamachi truffle

Interior

**** (4 stars)

This is an attractive restaurant with a nice, open, modern decor. They offer a lot of creative sushi and sashimi preparations, plus a variety of hot dishes including Korean, Chinese and others. So it’s not really fusion, but it does offer a nice variety.

Service can get backed up, but our waitress was friendly, and the sushi was good. My favorite was the hamachi truffle, which was barely seared, and had some delicious crispy bits of garlic on it.

Jade Sushi & New Asian
2425 Edgewater Dr
Orlando, FL 32804
(407) 422-7968
https://www.yelp.com/biz/jade-sushi-and-new-asian-orlando

Chicken Bites

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Interior

Exterior

*** (3 stars)

This place basically makes only one thing, which is a deep fried ball of mashed potato with a small bit of chicken, beef, cheese or vegetable in the middle. Ten of them are served in a cone. You can mix types in your order, but they tend to taste very similar. The Brazilian name is coxinha.

Frankly, they were not to our taste, but if it’s something you like, then I’m sure it’s a perfectly fine version. The problem is that there isn’t a place to eat, and barely a place to stand while you wait for your order. They also have a lunch truck, and this place is essentially like getting food from a lunch truck, with nothing but a small counter.

Service was very friendly.

Chicken Bites
2405 S Hiawassee Rd
Orlando, FL 32835
(407) 985-4285
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chicken-bites-orlando