Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine – Lake Nona

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Interior

**** (4.5 stars)

This Lake Nona branch is the third location for this small chain, after Winter Park and Dr. Philips, and it’s definitely the nicest. (I understand a fourth is coming soon to Winter Garden.)

My favorite item is the appetizer sampler of dips, which includes Humus, Babaganoush, Sautéed Eggplant, Tabbuli, Ezme, Tarama, Haydari, and Zetinyagli Yaprak Dolma. Be sure to get it with Halvas, the large, hollow pita-like bread for dipping.

I also like the Doner Kebap, which is thin slices of gyro lamb over rice.

Don’t be afraid of the Turkish wines. They’re quite good, and a flight gives you the chance to sample two ounces of four different ones and pick your favorite.

The place is large, hard surfaced, and gets busy, so don’t expect a quiet meal. If not for that, I would have given it another star.

Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine – Lake Nona
6900 Tavistock Lakes BlvdSte 100
Orlando, FL
32827
(407) 313-2506
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bosphorous-turkish-cuisine-lake-nona-orlando

Steak ’n Shake

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Bacon cheeseburger includes fries, cookie and a side of chili

Interior

** (2 stars)

I’m always amazed a the value Steak and Shake offers. For the price of a burger at a fast food chain you can get a good sized specialty burger, a half a plate of fries, a large bowl of chili (or other side of your choice) and a cookie. And it’s table service. There are better burgers in town, but there aren’t better deals.

Steak ’n Shake
12163 S Apopka-vinland Rd
Orlando, FL
32836
(407) 238-9550
https://www.yelp.com/biz/steak-n-shake-orlando-4

Little Greek – Windermere

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Interior

Gyro pita combo with Greek salad

**** (4.5 stars)

I really enjoyed my visit here. The service was friendly, the price fair, and there is an excellent outside eating area.

I had the Gyro pita combo which comes with a drink and choice of side item. I chose the Greek salad, which was a large portion of lettuce, tomato slice, olives, potato salad, a slice of beet, feta cheese, and an excellent oil and vinegar based Greek dressing.

The pita itself was warm, and generously stuffed with tasty gyro meat, lettuce, tomato and tzatziki sauce.

I felt like it was a very healthful and tasty meal, and I’ll be back soon.

Little Greek – Windermere
6536 Old Brick RdSte 130
Windermere, FL
34786
(407) 612-5952
https://www.yelp.com/biz/little-greek-windermere-windermere

China Lily

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Pork lomein

Boneless ribs

Eggroll

Exterior

Interior

*** (3.5 stars)

This is a typical small Chinese restaurant in a strip mall. It offers a very comprehensive menu. Although they have a good size dining area, they seem to be focused on takeout. I wasn’t a big fan of the interior, so I ate at one of the two tables on the front walkway, which was very pleasant.

My food was extremely fresh and hot, obviously prepared to order. The eggroll was nice and crispy, with lots of fresh veggies inside that weren’t overcooked.

The small portion of boneless ribs was very generous, and good quality.

Pork lo mein was also pretty good and certainly hot, but I might have something more interesting next time.

Communication wasn’t all that easy with the guy working the counter, but he got my order right!

China Lily
360 Moore Rd
Ocoee, FL
34761
(407) 656-6868
https://www.yelp.com/biz/china-lily-ocoee

A Tu Gusto

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Beef arepas

Exterior

Interior

**** (4 stars)

There are service issues here, but the food is very good.

What I ordered wasn’t what was rung up, and what was rung up wasn’t what I was served. So, a twofer. Fortunately I’m flexible, and it was very good, in fact the best arepas I’ve had. I definitely will return, and TRY to sample something different!

A Tu Gusto
6405 Raleigh St
Orlando, FL
32835
https://www.yelp.com/biz/a-tu-gusto-orlando-3

Ploy Thai

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Front table

Duck

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Terrific Thai food is served in this charming restaurant that’s been in business for 17 years. It is definitely a family run operation, from the gracious hostess to the chef. The restaurant is named after the owners’s daughter, Ploy, who has grown up with it.

All of the Thai favorites are here. The appetizers, while fried, aren’t to oily, and I’m a particular fan of the Talay.

Ploy Thai
1941 W Brandon Blvd
Brandon, FL
33511
(813) 684-5007
https://www.yelp.com/biz/ploy-thai-brandon

Pei Wei

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*** (3 stars)

This Pei Wei is organized a bit differently from the one I usually go to, with a U-turn in the queue and the menus against one wall. There’s a large wall of windows in the dining area, and a large outside dining area, too.  Other than that, it’s pretty much the same as all others.

There was a new item on my visit to this one, and I really like it: cauliflower fried “rice”. It was very good with the spicy Korean sauce.

And yes, they have Coke Freestyle machines, which are my favorite fast food device of all time.

Pei Wei
3337 Daniels Rd
Winter Garden, FL
34787
(407) 347-9928
https://www.yelp.com/biz/pei-wei-winter-garden

Hokkaido Chinese and Japanese Buffet

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Buffets

Exterior

Dining room

Sushi

*** (3.5 stars)

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this buffet. There’s an extensive selection of Chinese foods, and they are kept fresh, so the flavors and crispness are about as good as you would get by ordering off a menu. There’s even a lot of shellfish. But the real highlight is the sushi buffet, which is the largest I’ve seen. The quality and freshness are amazingly good.

The price is very reasonable given the quality and location.

Hokkaido Chinese and Japanese Buffet
12173 S Apopka Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL
32836
(407) 778-5188
https://www.yelp.com/biz/hokkaido-chinese-and-japanese-buffet-orlando-2

The Attic Door

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Pork slider

Muffuletta

Interior

***** (5 stars)

Now under the new ownership of Laurie and Kevin Tarter of the Chef’s Table and Tasting Room across the street, the Attic Door has reached its full potential as a chill place to hang out and enjoy good food, wines, beer and live music.

Long-time fans will find that all of the Attic Door’s best features have been retained, but the food is now an order of magnitude better, the wine list more interesting, the beers vastly more interesting, and the seating more comfortable, and better suited to enjoying the food while listening to the excellent live music.

The service has the friendly professionalism you would expect from these experienced owners. There’s a passion here to make everything just right for guests.

There will also be an afternoon tea some days. Hearing about the research that has already gone into selecting the teas and scone recipes makes me excited to experience another unique offering.

The attic Door is definitely most chill place to hang out in Winter Garden.

The Attic Door
28 W Plant St
Winter Garden, FL
34787
(407) 877-0266
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-attic-door-winter-garden

Singh’s Roti Shop & Bar

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Chicken roti

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Singh’s offers a full range of Rotis and curries in a pleasant environment. It’s counter service, but very efficient and well-staffed. I’m a big fan of goat roti, but the channa and the chicken are also good. If you don’t like bones, there is even a version of the chicken that is boneless.

I suggest getting the roti separate rather than as a wrap. Their roti is HUGE, and it’s almost impossible to eat the grapefruit-sized thing! I think you also get more filling when they are separate.

The place is spotlessly clean, and there’s a nice outside patio and also a full bar.

Singh’s Roti Shop & Bar
5244 Old Winter Garden Rd
Orlando, FL
32811
(407) 253-2900
https://www.yelp.com/biz/singhs-roti-shop-and-bar-orlando