orlando

The Best of Orlando

Posted on by leolawrence94

Dearly beloved readers, today I thought I’d try something a little different and make a post with an amalgamation of several hot culinary destinations to visit instead of one review. The place under scrutiny is Orlando, Florida and the locations are spread out around the city so essentially I’ve given you a guided foodie tour of the City Beautiful (but also check out the singular post on The Briarpatch!). You’re welcome. Here goes!

Seasons 52: Altamonte

A little on the upmarket side of things, Seasons 52 is a fantastic place for celebrations with chic décor and great service. As one could guess from the name, it always has an imaginative seasonal menu with a plethora of tempting choices. The flatbreads make for an excellent sharing starter and this is most definitely a place for making room for dessert, as they bring over a platter of choices ranging from a mini key lime pie to a s’mores pudding. Now perhaps you understand why I suggested that this was a good place for group celebrations because GOOD LUCK being able to choose just one dessert from these options. I believe there is also a great wine selection, however I wouldn’t know since, in an unprecedented turn of events, Papa L wouldn’t let us try his selection because evidently our taste buds aren’t valuable enough. Shocking behaviour.

http://www.seasons52.com/home

Boca: Winter Park

Boca has a delightful al fresco dining area on Park Avenue, making it a hotspot for lunching and people watching in the Floridian sunshine (perhaps head inside in the summer months unless intense sweating is your thing) of an afternoon. A solid lunch menu included various gourmet sandwiches, interesting salads and, as fate would have it, on National Grilled Cheese Day, grilled cheese was featured also. This was no ordinary grilled cheese however, as it included Gruyere and blue cheese with caramelised onions and artichoke. The fanciest humble grilled cheese around. If the weather isn’t playing the game, the restaurant is very accommodating inside with a large private dining area reminiscent of a restaurant in the Hamptons attached to the main area. Be sure to check out the lettuce leaves growing on the walls – they use these in the salads!

http://www.bocawinterpark.net

World of Beer: Lake Eola

While there are several WoB locations in Orlando, the most scenic is arguably the Lake Eola location, which has a wonderful outside deck looking over the city’s most iconic lake. It is the craft beer lover’s oasis, with hundreds of varieties from which to choose. Handy hint: be sure to download the app to check out all the options and select your favourites before they inevitably inhibit you from making any sound decisions after sampling (for the sake of research, of course). For those less hop-enthused, rest assured there are plenty of other options to ensure you keep pace with those merry beer folk. For when the hunger sets in, there is an extensive menu with some great sharing options (suspicious, I know) such as chicken wings, shrimp and a giant pretzel with a plethora of dip choices fit for kings. All in all, WoB makes for a great place to gather the troops for an evening of shenanigans.

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https://worldofbeer.com

Park Station: Winter Park

Having raved about the joys of Park Avenue in the morning light for a brunch experience, it appears that it must be stated that it is also rather lovely at sunset if an evening meal is on the cards. Park Station is a restaurant dealing primarily in American fare and, like most of the other establishments on this street, has outdoor seating. Albeit slightly less extensive than the other restaurants featured in this wonder-post, the menu at Park Station is certainly interesting and diverse. The flatbread was a delectable starter (flatbreads will always be noted on this blog because I have a great appreciation for the fact that they are essentially pizzas that masquerade as starters) and the main course of fish in a caper sauce and seasonal vegetables went down swimmingly (hehe, geddit?). Good food, good happy hour and good vibes, but be sure to sit outside to get the full effect of that wine in the sunset.

http://www.parkstation212.com

So concludes this list of Orlando hotspots, tailored to (nearly) every possible experience one could wish to enjoy in this city. Just kidding; there is plenty more to discover but I’ll be darned if this isn’t a swell place to start.

Briarpatch

Posted on by leolawrence94

Briarpatch, Winter Park, Florida

We’ve hopped stateside! A short hiatus from Sydney leads us to Orlando, Florida for the next few posts. Enjoy!

Orlando, Florida: The home of Disney World, Universal and all things synonymous with fun (unless you’re a heartless scrooge). While no trip to Orlando is complete without a visit to these amusement parks, there is much more of ‘The City Beautiful’ to be discovered, unbeknownst to many tourists. The city has undergone something of a renaissance in recent years with its downtown neighbourhood’s revamp into a vibrant and, most notably, pedestrian friendly area. However, the neighbourhood whose praises I will be singing throughout this post is Winter Park, a beautifully dreamy amalgamation of fountains, green parks, boutiques and quaint restaurants. Also home to Rollins College, Winter Park is the playground for college students and retirees alike, living harmoniously in this sun-drenched Floridian oasis.

Strolling down Park Avenue, one is presented with a plethora of dining options with outdoor seating spilling onto the pavement beneath colourful awnings. Upon recommendation, Ole Sib, Papa L and I headed to a restaurant called Briarpatch for brunch with my aunt and uncle in tow – a merry gathering! Sadly we were unable to secure seating outside given our party size and the popularity of the restaurant and its al fresco area, however the inside of Briarpatch was bright and airy, with snazzy light fixtures and modern art adorning the walls. The disappointment of not being able to dine in the sunshine was nothing a couple of blood orange mimosas (a wonderful twist on the classic) couldn’t solve. Next up: the impossible task of deciding whether to head down the sweet or savoury route for brunch, perhaps the only serious downfall of this revolutionary mealtime (see post: Imperium brunch). While the french toast was no doubt trying to woo me, I opted for savoury and chose the California Eggs Benedict, for what is brunch (or life, for that matter) without eggs?

Now perhaps you are wondering what the difference is between a classic eggs benedict and this blonde, tanned Californian version. Let me put you out of your misery. This west coast take on the favourite breakfast dish came with avocado (the most fashionable fruit around) and a chipotle hollandaise sauce that went down like a house on fire with a heap of golden home fries. The bacon was also of the streaky variety, whereas the typical eggs benedict tends to feature ham or back bacon. All in all, Briarpatch’s California Eggs Benedict blew the regular version out of the water. The inclusion of avocado was welcome, because a breakfast instagram post without the familiar green hue of this popular food is quite frankly insufficient in this day and age. Furthermore, while hollandaise does not tend to rank highly on my list of condiments, this smoky chipotle version was a fantastic alternative and went swimmingly with the home fries.

In great spirits and full of eggs, we took a stroll down Park Avenue to soak up the sun (shout out to those Sheryl Crow fans) and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of Winter Park. In the name of full research and because it was so gosh darn good, we returned to The Briarpatch a mere two days later to head down the less travelled sweet brunch route and sample some good lookin’ french toast and my oh my was it worth it. All boxes checked, it can safely be said that Briarpatch is the hottest spot in town for all your breakfast and brunch needs (and the menu looks pretty good for those less hip mealtimes, too!).