First Watch

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Exterior

Interior

Veggie omelet

**** (4 stars)

I really like the interior decor of this place, with high, modern ceilings, and large walls of glass. It’s much nice than the other First Watches I’ve been to, and also the competitors.

I have to confess that I’m a bit old school as far as breakfast, and I actually prefer most of the items at coffee shops to here, but there are some more heathful options that are interesting. The veggie omelet is a good choice, for example.

The staff was friendly and service was quick.

First Watch
7910 Winter Garden Vineland Road
Windermere, FL
33125
(407) 612-2022
https://www.yelp.com/biz/first-watch-windermere

Southern Spice Indian Cuisine

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**** (4 stars)

On my first visit to Southern Spice I was a bit disappointed to find it was a lunch buffet. Although that is fast and obviously popular, I’m just not a big buffet fan. The food was all good, and there were quite a few selections, but I wasn’t in a rush to go back.

Then I discovered you could also order off the regular menu at lunch. While not as good a deal, the food was much more interesting and fresh, and we really enjoyed our biryani and especially the Malai Kofta and the garlic naan.

Service was friendly and professional.

Southern Spice Indian Cuisine
7637 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL
32819
(321) 251-2244
https://www.yelp.com/biz/southern-spice-indian-cuisine-orlando

Barley & Hops

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Beef brat

Flatbread

Exterior

Fried mushrooms

Potstickers

**** (4 stars)

By my count this is the fifth incarnation of this place, and definitely the best. The previous version, The Big Easy, was also good, but didn’t last long because of the narrow focus on Cajun food, I guess. This new sports bar menu should have broader appeal.

We tried the fried mushrooms and pan sauteed pork potstickers as appetizers, and both were very good. I particularly liked the cole slaw that came with the pot stickers.

For my main course I had the beef brat, which was nicely seared and served with sauteed peppers, onions, and sauerkraut.

My companion has a pepperoni flatbread. It wasn’t really a flatbread, it was a large rectangular pizza. And boy was it good! Lots of pepperoni, and most importantly lots of delicious pizza sauce, what I regard as west coast style. Ironically, this is the best pizza ever served in this building, a place that was three different Italian restaurants in the past!

Our server, Ashley, was terrific.

The space is mostly unchanged since the previous use, but this is the first time when the concept has truly matched the layout. It works as a sports bar, and I wish them much success.

Barley & Hops
7782 Winter Garden Vineland RdSte 140
Windermere, FL
34786
(407) 347-3688
https://www.yelp.com/biz/barley-and-hops-windermere-3

Corellis Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria

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Interior

**** (4 stars)

This hidden away gem of an Italian restaurant serves excellent food, and has some of the best wine prices you’ll find in Central Florida. The wine offerings are top notch, with a lot of hard to find labels, and an emphasis on top-rated reds. The owner obviously has a passion for it.

During a special event we were seated in the wine shop, and it was actually nicer than the main dining room. Plus, there was an excellent jazz saxophonist.

Highly recommended.

Corellis Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
1042-1044 E Hwy 50
Clermont, FL
34711
(352) 989-5924
https://www.yelp.com/biz/corellis-italian-restaurant-and-pizzeria-clermont-2

Wendy’s

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Bacon Maple Chicken

* (1.5 stars)

I’m not a fast food guy, but for various reasons I’ve been here twice, and think it should be higher rated. The staff is friendly and works hard, and the food is fine.

I tried the new Maple bacon croissant sandwich with the spicy chicken, and it was good. Maybe a bit pricey for what it was, but I enjoyed it.

Wendy’s
2751 Wilshire Dr
Orlando, FL
32835
(407) 292-2039
https://www.yelp.com/biz/wendys-orlando-16

Selam Ethiopian & Eritrean Cuisine

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Coffee service

Veggie platter

***** (5 stars)

I love Ethiopian food, and Selam has some of the best I encountered anywhere.  It’s great that Orlando now has an Ethiopian restaurant that is open at lunch time!

Our group of four shared two of the sampler platters, one vegetarian and one not. I was the only one in the group who was familiar with Ethiopian cuisine, so it was wonderful that both the server (owner?) and chef visited us with explanations of everything. Our group loved every bite!

We also finished with the coffee service. They roasted the beans to order, and brought them out in the hot pan so we could smell the wonderful aromas before they ground them.

Really a delightful experience, and we will be back soon!

Selam Ethiopian & Eritrean Cuisine
5494 Central Florida Pkwy
Orlando, FL
32821
(407) 778-3119
https://www.yelp.com/biz/selam-ethiopian-and-eritrean-cuisine-orlando

Michael Mina Pub 1842

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Bacon Cheeseburger

Salmon dip

Beer flight

Exterior

Interior

*** (3.5 stars)

This is a nice sports bar at the rear of the MGM Grand. There are lots of large screens so it’s a great place to watch a game.

The beer flights give you lots of flexibility to sample four of your choice, and there is an interesting menu, with excellent burger options. We also really like the salmon dip appetizer which was plenty for several people to share. Service was quick.

Michael Mina Pub 1842
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 891-3922
https://www.yelp.com/biz/michael-mina-pub-1842-las-vegas

Eiffel Tower

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Frozen soufflé

Ocean seafood salad

Cream of onion soup

Torchon

View

Interior

**** (4 stars)

I was expecting this place to be very touristy, so I’m shocked to come away feeling it is one of my favorite restaurants in Vegas. In fact, I enjoyed it more that Jules Verne in the real Eiffel Tower!

The room is beautiful, and the view of the Strip and the Bellagio fountain can’t be beat. The atmosphere is sophisticated without being stuck up.

The lunch menu offers a nice assortment of French-inspired cuisine focusing on the lighter side. I loved the torchon appetizer and my Ocean Seafood Salad (btw, what other kind of seafood is there?)

The frozen souffle was an interesting dessert. Try ordering a glass of Amaro and pouring into the ice cream at the bottom–delicious!

The wine list is decent, and the prices normal for the Strip.

This is one of the few Vegas restaurants I think is worth a return visit, because it is about more than just the novelty of the experience.

Eiffel Tower
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 948-6937
https://www.yelp.com/biz/eiffel-tower-las-vegas

Lotus of Siam

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Dining room

Bar

**** (4.5 stars)

As the awards attest, Lotus of Siam serves some of the best Thai food in the country. This new location is a gorgeous building, and allows them to serve many more people.

As is often the case, with the growth come issues. We’ve always had amazing service at the old location. To describe the service at this new location as disjointed would be giving it too much credit. The fundamental problem is that you don’t have a server. Instead, a whole team of people randomly drops by; two people took our orders, two others took orders for wine, the food was delivered by runners, water refilled by others, and wine… well, the wine was another matter all together.

Lotus of Siam has a great wine list. I didn’t see anyone else in the vast space having a bottle, so it may simply be they’ve forgotten how to serve it. We ordered two bottles and forty minutes later(!) finally were advised they were out of both. We ordered an alternate for one of them, and accepted a recommendation for the other. fifteen minutes later the recommendation finally showed up. The other bottle? Missing in action. We finally gave up and cancelled it after all the food had been served.

And the one bottle we did get ended up being self-serve. We had to get up and get it from the ice bucket every time we needed a refill.

I guess next time we’ll order cocktails.

Lotus of Siam
620 E Flamingo Rd
Las Vegas, NV
89119
(702) 538-6135
https://www.yelp.com/biz/lotus-of-siam-las-vegas-13

Petrossian Bar

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Caviar sampler

Interior

**** (4 stars)

This is a delightful piano bar just off the Bellagio lobby, and next to the casino. Despite its location, it is neither noisy nor smoky.

Many creative cocktails are one offer. One of the most interesting items is the caviar sampler, which includes a taste of three grades of caviar, and a glass of Champagne. I suggest ordering it with the creme fraiche on the side, though, as the way it’s served it’s almost impossible to keep it from getting mixed into the caviar, which makes them all taste the same.

Petrossian Bar
3600 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 693-7111
https://www.yelp.com/biz/petrossian-bar-las-vegas