Category Archives: Hawaiian

The SOS Tiki Bar

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Exterior
Exterior
Exterior
Exterior
Interior
Interior
Kiwi Crush and Queen's Park Swizzle
Kiwi Crush and Queen's Park Swizzle
Duck with hoisin, corn with shishito peppers, japchae noodles
Duck with hoisin, corn with shishito peppers, japchae noodles
Cauliflower Bang Bang
Cauliflower Bang Bang

**** (4 stars)

SOS has a dramatic and beautiful interior design, and a very pleasant outside patio. I like the emphasis on classic tiki drinks, which are well-prepared, served in traditional glassware, and nicely garnished. The menu gives a brief historical note for each drink. There is also an extensive Rum list.

The food is less impressive than the drinks. I suggest sticking with the Cauliflower Bang Bang appetizer, and having dinner elsewhere.

Service was friendly and fast.

The SOS Tiki Bar
340 Church St
Decatur, GA 30030

https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-sos-tiki-bar-decatur

LemonShark Poke Orlando

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Custom poke medium

Kitchen

**** (4 stars)

This is a much better use of this space than the prior occupant. Unfortunately, it’s still a bit dark and drab, but the food is better and more interesting.

I spend a lot of time in Chicago, where there are poke places all over town, but this is the first one in this part of Orlando, and so far it is popular. The assembly line process works well for poke, because there are so many potential ingredients. You can get a better bowl of fish and rice up the street at Bonsai Sushi, but there are more variants here, and it is cheaper. You can also get a version on lettuce rather than rice, if you’re really trying to cut carbs.

I tried the ahi tuna, spicy salmon and miso glazed salmon. The tuna was still a bit frozen, but quickly thawed, and seemed fresher than the salmon. The miso glaze turned out to be something squirted on, no actual glaze. The crab salad topping was good; the avocado topping was more like guacamole, but it was okay. There are a lot of sauces to choose from. The iced tea dispenser was either empty or not working.

Service was efficient.

LemonShark Poke Orlando
7600 Dr Phillips Blvd
Ste 102
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 730-5201
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lemonshark-poke-orlando-orlando-2

Sola

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***** (5 stars)

This is a great place for Asian fusion, and also a wonderful Sunday brunch spot. The food is quite different between those two menus, and fittingly the atmosphere inside and outside is very different, too. The trendy energy inside would be perfect for lunch or dinner, while the sidewalk on this quiet, tree-lined side street is perfect for brunch.

We shared several dishes: ham and cheese french toast, smoked fish scrambled eggs, and an Asian chicken salad. The salad was light and refreshing, with exotic greens and just a touch of very flavorful dressing. The smoked fish scrambled eggs was good, the highlight being a dollop of very flavorful cream cheese, and some nicely cooked hash browns, but I probably wouldn’t order that dish again. The best was the ham and cheese french toast, which reminded my of a Montecristo sandwich. It was slathered with fresh strawberry preserves that contained a hint of five spice. There wasn’t a bite of that dish left on our plates!

Service was friendly, with food delivered by an efficient team, and prices are quite reasonable. We’ll definitely return for brunch, lunch and dinner.

Sola
3868 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 327-3868
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sola-chicago