Orlando Restaurants?

[Tonyy13]

Well, I recently moved to Orlando from Providence, arguably one of better food cities in the US, until recently, and have since found the Orlando food scene horrible. We have tried Seasons 52, K, Amura (which isn't bad for sushi, better than Sushi Mon, and Fuji Sushi), Friends have gone to Coque au Vin, CA Grill, Coral Reef (Not into Disney restaurants), and Primo (which they said was awesome, have yet to get over there, I staged at the one in ME). I heard about some italian place off of Sand Lake, but I must tell you, I am not into the whole straw bottled Chianti bottle scene, too much like the Goombas in Providence. Anyway, looking for a great place to just hang out, and find great food. I really like Red Bamboo off of Kirkman (really good Thai, but no one is ever in there...). But for the most part, I have sorely been dissapointed. I can't find decent cheese either, I am used to the best cheeses from all over the world, got them from farmstead in Providence, check it out if you get a chance, those guys are awesome!! Anyway, anyone who can help, I would really appreciate it. BTW, I am an instructor at the Orlando Culinary Academy, and believe it or not, we do pretty good food at the restaurant there, I teach that class. Check us out, good prices too. Machon is the name, and the prices can't be beat. Love to hear from you all, thanks!!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Welcome to the Southeast Forum, Tonyy13! We are pleased to have your comments and considerations on the Orlando food scene ... and look forward to hearing much more from you as you become more familiar with the area ... please don't be shy! We all, ultimately, benefit from others' perceptions ...

I spent many years long ago growing up in Orlando but, at that time, there was no Disney at all .. Orlando was a sleepy southern town .. certainly no longer the case whatsoever!

The Southeast Forum has some threads on Orlando specifically ... but we certainly need to hear more!

Orlando Sentinel article on Machon

Operated and staffed by students of the Orlando Culinary Academy, Machon is a teaching restaurant, a learning laboratory of sorts, where seniors of the academy's 15-month program obtain practical experience from serving real customers.

Lots of specifics and highly informative article ...

[tryska]

hey tony...from my experience you're best bets are going to be ethnic. i've had good indian, puerto rican, and caribbean. all on OBT either in orlando or kissimee.

[Majra]

I've been in the Orlando area for one year now, and agree that the food scene is quite disappointing. So far the best meal that I've had has been at Blue Bistro, 815 N. Mills Ave, Orlando. Check it out and report back. Chef Jephanie Foster seems really inspired. website is here:

http://www.bluebistroandgrill.com/Home_NEW.html

[Susan in FL]

Welcome to the area, Tonyy13. You have it really good in Orlando compared to Daytona.

(Not into Disney restaurants)

Don't write Disney off, and you'll do OK. The restaurants inside the parks aren't great, but there are some fine restaurants at the Disney resorts.

As you mentioned, Primo is excellent; and in the same hotel, in the lobby, the sushi and the drinks are very good.

I like Antonio's in Maitland. I still have a lot of exploring to do in the area. It is an hour, plus, away for me, but I now hope to check out Machon and Blue Bistro.

[Tonyy13]

Well Guys,

Thanks so much for the info, I haven't even heard anything this Blue Bistro place, usually, I hear about places from my students, they usually have an ear to the ground about the nicer places, but I guess they let me down this time. Anyway, Gifted-thanks for the link about the restaurant, I really appreciate it, I wish it was busier from time to time, the kids do too. Spent Thanksgiving visiting the gf in Athens, a great town, great restaurants too!! Anyway, thanks guys, keep them coming though....

[Tonyy13]

Thought I would pass along some photos of the food that my kids are doing, these are some of the better dishes that we have done at Machon. Some of this stuff is better than other stuff I have seen in Orlando, let me know what you think...

[ecruz1026]

Tony,

You've hit a bug frustration of mine on the nose. I grew up in California and am entirely spoiled when it comes to restaurants (ethnic and otherwise), produce and imported items (especially cheese!). I live in S. Florida and find the variety and availability of certain foods severely lacking. I'm not sure if it's the location of the state or a citizenry that is not very demanding that lead to this.

On common gripe I hear is about the availability of seafood. We should be tripping over fish stores but instead I see more grouper in stores in NYC than here. I asked the "fishmonger" at Publix about their seafood selection and he said the best seller is salmon. SALMON! Not snapper or grouper which come right from our coast. Their best-selling shrimp is actually from Thailand (frozen obviously) and I have a feeling that their other seafood has also made a trek to get here.

Enough of my diatribe. Your post just stuck a nerve. This state has so much potential but so little drive to have world class food for the masses.

[Tonyy13]

One common gripe I hear is about the availability of seafood.  We should be tripping over fish stores but instead I see more grouper in stores in NYC than here. 

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I don't even like grouper, or snapper, the two state fish it seems. I can't go to a restaurant that doesn't have those on the menu exclusively. I want to find somewhere that has cod cheeks, halibut, skate wing, turbot, bream, brill, plaice, anything other than grouper!!!!!!!! Maco shark is a novelty too, so don't even talk to me about that. I wish I could have oysters that weren't from the Gulf Coast too, hard to find blue points, kummumoto, malpeque, or any other type of farmed oyster that actually has taste to it.... disgusting..... I get so depressed....

Edited because my public schooling is apparent... is fishes a word?????

Edited December 3, 2004 by Tonyy13 (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

I don't even like grouper, or snapper, the two state fish it seems.  I can't go to  a restaurant that doesn't have those on the menu exclusively.  ....

is fishes a word?????

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Your last question first, Tonyy13: yes, it is a word ... a plural of course! as in the biblical phrase loaves and fishes

and as for the poor selections of restaurant fish offerings, I just ate in Charleston, SC, this week and was delighted with my entree one night: a whole flounder, scored and deep fried, with an apricot-mango chutney in the diamond scorings on the skin! Divine!

[Tonyy13]

Is there such a thing as fish jealousy? I grew up in Maine, and I didn't realize it then, but what a bounty we had!!!! I can still smell the fish that we would catch and dress at my grandparents camp in Dammerscotta, ME. I would kill for Nantucket Bay scallops right now, or a plate full of New England Johah Crab!!!!!

[robyn]

One common gripe I hear is about the availability of seafood.  We should be tripping over fish stores but instead I see more grouper in stores in NYC than here. 

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I don't even like grouper, or snapper, the two state fish it seems. I can't go to a restaurant that doesn't have those on the menu exclusively. I want to find somewhere that has cod cheeks, halibut, skate wing, turbot, bream, brill, plaice, anything other than grouper!!!!!!!! Maco shark is a novelty too, so don't even talk to me about that. I wish I could have oysters that weren't from the Gulf Coast too, hard to find blue points, kummumoto, malpeque, or any other type of farmed oyster that actually has taste to it.... disgusting..... I get so depressed....

Edited because my public schooling is apparent... is fishes a word?????

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Well - grouper and snapper are two of the fish that live here (and there are many many varieties of both). Plus there are more hard to find local fish like pompano. If you want cod, halibut, skate, turbot, bream, brill or plaice - well they're not local - they're northern fish. Frankly - I don't think there's anything better than a fresh yellowtail (snapper) or pompano. Robyn

[Gifted Gourmet]

Amen to the pompano, Robyn! What a delight that is when prepared properly!

[joiei]

Robyn, I am with you on the yellowtail and the pompano. I also like triggerfish.

And growing up on the northern gulf coast of Florida, I miss the seafood of my youth. The northern fish are good and all that, and I lived in Oregon and had great salmon, but redfish, nothing better.

[ecruz1026]

I wish I could have oysters that weren't from the Gulf Coast too, hard to find blue points, kummumoto, malpeque, or any other type of farmed oyster that actually has taste to it.... disgusting..... I get so depressed....

If you ever find yourself in Miami try The River Oyster Bar near downtonwn. Great selection of oysters from the Northeast and Pac NW. Malapeques, kumamotos, Fanny Bay, you name it. Selection depends on season and availability but there's usually at least 10 on hand. Better yet, happy hour from 4-7 is 1/2 price oysters (you can't beat a dozen kumamotos for $10!).

[Tonyy13]

Ok, ok, ok.... I didn't mean to dump on the local fish down here, I am a creature of the north, and it has taken some getting used to. I used to like Snapper, Grouper, and other fish that I am now sick of. However, now that I have to eat them ALL the time, I am falling out of love with them. I would like to see some variety available, that is all. I tried cobia once, and I must say, I have never tasted anythign that tasted so much like mud. One cool thing that I did have while I have been down here though, wsa fingerling catfish. They were fried with cornmeal, so good!!!!!! Not exactly the fish of fine dining though, but it was great to eat a ton of fish with the fingers!!

[robyn]

Robyn, I am with you on the yellowtail and the pompano.  I also like triggerfish. 

And growing up on the northern gulf coast of Florida, I miss the seafood of my youth.  The northern fish are good and all that, and I lived in Oregon and had great salmon, but redfish, nothing better.

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Have to laugh about the triggerfish. It's usually considered a junk fish in the Bahamas (where I used to go fishing). Too many bones - tough to skin. But I guess if someone else is doing all the fish prep work - what the heck . Robyn

[robyn]

Ok, ok, ok.... I didn't mean to dump on the local fish down here, I am a creature of the north, and it has taken some getting used to.  I used to like Snapper, Grouper, and other fish that I am now sick of.  However, now that I have to eat them ALL the time, I am falling out of love with them.  I would like to see some variety available, that is all.  I tried cobia once, and I must say, I have never tasted anythign that tasted so much like mud.  One cool thing that I did have while I have been down here though, wsa fingerling catfish.  They were fried with cornmeal, so good!!!!!!  Not exactly the fish of fine dining though, but it was great to eat a ton of fish with the fingers!!

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There must have been something wrong with that particular cobia - where it was caught - how it was cared for - something. It's a game fish - and you don't find it on menus that often - but when I've had it - it's good. Only fish I ever had here that tasted like mud was real non-farmed catfish from Lake Okeechobee. I'll be charitable and say it's an acquired taste which I never acquired .

You know one thing we get a lot of here is shrimp. Type and availability vary around the state. Right now - shrimp are running off the northeast coast and we can get 16-20 fresh Mayport shrimp in Publix for $9.99/pound. As an aside - I'm sure that farm raised salmon is the most popular fish sold at Publix because it's hard to beat at $4-5 a pound (normal "sale" price at Publix).

At the other end of the price spectrum are stone crabs. Pricey but worth it - although they don't travel well (so I only eat them in south Florida). And in the late spring - we'll change from stone crab season to Florida lobster season (Florida lobsters are more widespread throughout the coastal waters - so you can get local ones whether you're in the southeast - or the northeast - or in the middle).

By the way - one thing I will not recommend this year (and I haven't recommended them for a while) is gulf oysters. Too many potential health problems (and 2 deaths so far this year). I've pretty much given up on raw oysters in most places (not only Florida) because I've found that restaurants frequently aren't truthful about what their oysters are and where they come from.

Finally - if you really need a northern fish fix - you can do a heck of a lot worse than Legal Seafoods (which has a few restaurants in Florida - mostly in the southeast). Robyn

P.S. I live in the Jacksonville metro area - and although we don't have much to write home about in the food department - I think Jacksonville is better than Orlando. When I leave Jacksonville in search of a food fix - Orlando isn't on my radar screen. It's like the line in Love and Death when Woody Allen is asked what death is like. And he says - you know the chicken at Trefski's - it's worse. So get out and take some day/overnight/weekend trips and explore other parts of the state (you're right in the middle - and close to just about everything except the Panhandle).

Edited December 4, 2004 by robyn (log)

[joiei]

I find there are a lot of fish that we used to consider too much trouble when I was a kid (50's) that are eaten now. I like the flavor of triggerfish. It reminds me a bit of pompano. And it is a lot of fish with very little edible,(kind of like a john dory) but worth the trouble for me. On the upper Gulf coast, they eat a lot of Amberjack, which I detest. But that is just my taste. And I do not care for mullet either. There used to be a restaurant on the Courtney "Campbell causeway that specialized in smoked mullet and smoked shrimp. That was good. They would bring it to your table directly from the smoker.

As for exploring the different areas of Florida for seafood, have you been to Cedar Key? And Tarpon Springs? And Palm Beach is not that far down the turnpike.

I find the level of restaurants in a given area will plateau at a place that the locals will accept and go no further until a newer more inventive chef challenges the notions of what food should be about. Very few areas have the level of expectation that only a few major metro areas in the USA seem to have. And that has become a major tourist draw for those of us in the mid-lands. And everywhere I have lived, the expectations have risen due to tourism influences plus the locals traveling and dining out.

I think of some areas of Florida that 20 years ago, it was hard to find seafood that was not frozen and fried. And now, even the locals are demanding grilled, sauted, steamed.

Tonyy13, maybe it is your challenge to help move the local dining up a notch because of the people you influence in your classes. Go for it. Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. (Admiral Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay)

[Gifted Gourmet]

the next two posts here by Susan have some terrific ideas for great Orlando dining .. even though Susan posted them last summer ... see what you think ...

Primo, Melissa Kelly's restaurant in the J.W. Marriott Resort and Spa at Grande Lakes. She certainly lived up to her reputation and winning of awards, serving wonderfully creative, contemporary Italian/Floridian dishes using only the finest and freshest ingredients.

Victoria and Albert's, in the Grand Floridian Resort on Disney World property, certainly falls into the category of fine dining in Orlando.... Our dinner at Victoria & Albert's was the perfect special occasion, from the making of the reservation to the time we departed, menus and chocolate anniversary card and long stem red rose in hand.

Not so bleak after all, eh, Tonyy?

[Tonyy13]

Well, as I had posted earlier, I worked for Melissa Kelley, so I know her food, and I know that it is good, but not exactly the kind of place that you can go to and just hang at the bar, or go with some friends to find great food. Also, I have had dinner at V&A's, and I was not that impressed with it. Lots of Truffle Oil, and things that your everyday person might think are nice, but when your in the business, you would rather do without. I have had so much truffle oil in my short career, I almost want to gag at the thought of the aroma.

As far as opening my own place.... Those plans are in the works....

[terrarich]

Didn't Norman Van Aken just open in Orlando? How can you have overlooked his place?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Didn't Norman Van Aken just open in Orlando?  How can you have overlooked his place?

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Norman's at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. Norman is Norman Van Aken, a 2003 inductee into the James Beard Foundation's "Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America."  His signature restaurant here will be the first partnership between Van Aken and Ritz-Carlton. Van Aken's cuisine is described as New World, blending Latin, Caribbean and Asian food styles with more traditional American dishes.  The restaurant, which seats 125 with 60 more outside seats and a 30-seat private dining room with an elaborate glass wine vault, is one of eight in the hotel complex, which includes a 1,000-room J.W. Marriott and a 584-room Ritz-Carlton

[Tonyy13]

Yah, I have been meaning to get over there, I have heard mixed things. My students say it is the hottest thing around, but my chef friends have mixed feelings, some saying that some things there are good, and others are not. Maybe this weekend, I don't have a ton planned. We will see, hopefully, it won't be as dissapointing as my other outings.....

[Gifted Gourmet]

If you do get to Norm Van Akens, will you please give us a detailed report on your findings? Would love to hear your chefly input!