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A Word from Our Sponsor!
Call the babysitter and bring your friends to Science Night Live featuring #Otronicon interactive tech exhibitors on Saturday, January 19! This 21 and up event features everything you love about Otronicon but without kids around!
Featured experiences include performing surgery using medical robots, training like a pilot on real flight simulators, immersive virtual reality experiences, all-new live audiovisual and Tesla Coil shows, open video-game play, science trivia, and so much more! All included in admission for just $16!
By Ricky Ly of TastyChomps.com on Jan 15, 2019 11:48 pm
It’s now 2019 and there are lots of plans for openings here in Orlando to add to our growing local food and drink scene. Last year, there were a lot of new taco and poke shops. What will 2019 bring?
Here are 10 hot and new restaurants coming to Orlando “soon”:
1. Jaleo by Chef Jose Andres at Disney Springs
Coming in: Early 2019
Location: Disney Springs
The idea of Jaleo, the Spanish word for “revelry,” inspires the large, family-style gathering space, inviting guests to share tapas and sangria, gather with family at the foosball tables, or enjoy the more elegant central seating for paellas and grilled meats, anchored by the restaurant’s open kitchen and wood fire grill.
2. Financier Patisserie
Coming: TBA 2019
Location: 212 N. Park Ave, Winter Park
Financier Patisserie first opened in 2002 on historic Stone Street in the namesake Financial District of Lower Manhattan and is known for its Wall Street clientele and the classic French almond cake basked to resemble a bar of gold, a Financier.
Their coffee is roasted in Brooklyn, packaged while the beans are still warm, and shipped to their stores within 24 hours of roasting for maximum flavor and freshness.
3. Taco Bus
Coming: Early 2019
Location: 11325 University Boulevard (Near UCF)
Taco Bus – the wildly popular Tampa-based Mexican taco food truck establishment is continuing to sing the ballads of authentic Mexican tacos and dish specials, as well as vegetarian and vegan dishes, across the state of Florida with its newest pit stop near UCF. The location was formerly Greens and Grille, then Pie Five, then most recently Paramount Fine Foods / Lebanese Kitchen. It will do very well here in East Orlando.
4. Kabooki Sushi 2
Coming: February 2019
Location: 7705 Turkey Lake Road
Owner/Chef Henry Moso’s popular Kabooki Sushi is having a second “staging” out on Turkey Lake Road in West Orlando very soon. Chef Moso combines “locally sourced, seasonal ingredients with the best cuts from Japan for a dining experienced centered on quality control, excitement, and surprise.” According to the restaurant, “behind the bar, the staff performs under his direction to brandish dishes with the vibrancy of Mexican flavor, the sophistication of French preparation, and the curated integrity of Japan. Every night at Kabooki, the tastes of the world meet for an authentically global encounter.”
5. Hinckley’s Fancy Meats
Coming: February 2019
Location: East End Market, 3201 Corrine Dr
Sandwiches and more from Orlando-native Chef Matt Hinckley who returns to Florida with over 15 years of culinary experience and a pedigree studded with leadership positions in both James Beard award-winning and Michelin-starred kitchens. His Charcuterie Box was recently seen in the New York Times 2017 Holiday Gift Buying Guide, featuring duck ham, smoked antelope sausage, bacon liverwurst, smoked headcheese, tasso ham, duck rillette, and spuma di lardo.
6. Slice by Pizza Bruno
Coming: Early 2019
Location: 1011 N. Mills Ave.
Chef Bruno Zacchini, hot on the heels of the opening of his second location in downtown Orlando, is now bringing his popular Neapolitan-style pizzeria to the Mills 50 District. Expect lots of garlic knots and wings, also.
7. Sette
Coming: March 2019
Location: 1407 N. Orange Ave (formerly Stir – In Ivanhoe Village)
Se7en Bites creators Trina Gregory-Propst and Va Propst are bringing to Ivanhoe Village their newest rustic Italian restaurant concept called Sette, which means “seven” in Italian. The restaurant will feature pastas made from scratch, Italian comfort food, and baked goods and desserts.
8. Jack and Honey’s
Coming: Early 2019
Location: 1235 N. Orange Ave. (Ivanhoe Village)
This is the planned 24-hour diner next door to the Hammered Lamb, brought to you by the owners of The Hammered Lamb. They plan on serving breakfast food all day as well as classic diner comfort food like meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, burgers and homemade milkshakes.
Chelsie & Jamie Savage of The Sanctum bring Proper & Wild, a chef-driven, health-forward, plant-centric concept.
10. Tori Tori
Coming: Early 2019
Location: 720 N. Mills Ave
Chef/owner Sonny Nguyen is on a tear this year with the opening of quick service concept Domu Chibi in East Orlando and a full blown Domu in Dr Phillips area. Not to be placed on the backburner is Tori Tori in Mills 50 District, bringing together the art of the Japanese style pub and meat and veggie skewer grilling to the heart of Orlando.
BONUS
City Works Eatery and Pour House – Disney Springs
There have been lots of new additions to Disney Springs recently – Wine Bar George, Terralina Crafted Italian, 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck and Chicken Guy!, to name just a few – and this year, 2019, will welcome the new City Works Eatery & Pour House to open on the West Side next summer. The restaurant and bar will offer plenty of high-def TVs including a 165-inch screen, perfect for viewing your favorite live sporting events, featuring classic American food and 90+ local and global varieties of beers on tap.
Euphoria at Margaritaville Orlando Resort 8000 Fins Up Circle, Kissimmee, FL 34747
This is a new restaurant opening inside Margaritaville Orlando Resort – details to come.
By Ricky Ly of TastyChomps.com on Jan 14, 2019 10:55 pm
U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy serves as Florida’s Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives which includes all of Seminole County and much of northern Orange County, including downtown Orlando, Maitland, Winter Park, and the University of Central Florida. That includes Mills 50 District, one of my favorite districts for food and drink in all of Orlando. Congresswoman Murphy is a bit of a “foodie” herself, and is a fan of the spicy mala Chinese Sichuan cuisine. I had the honor and privilege of playing her “food guide” through Mills 50 recently.
She currently serves on the powerful House Armed Services Committee and the House Small Business Committee, and has passed a bill to make it easier for small business owners to obtain low-interest loans.
Previously, Congresswoman Murphy was a businesswoman and college instructor after serving as a national security specialist in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense where she received numerous awards for her distinguished service, including the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service. She worked on a wide range of security issues from counterterrorism to foreign military relations to strategic planning for the department. Prior to her public service, Stephanie was a strategy consultant at Deloitte Consulting.
Highlighting some of the small businesses in her district, we took a short food tour of the Mills 50 District, visiting some of my favorite local markets, eateries, and coffee shops.
The district, bounded by Mills Avenue and Colonial Drive (SR 50), is home to many eclectic local small businesses, restaurants, and markets.
It is also known as “Little Vietnam” and is home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese-owned restaurants, markets, and nail supply stores in Florida. A child of boat refugees whose family was rescued by the US Navy after the Vietnam War, Congresswoman Murphy is the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress in our nation’s history.
She is able to practice some of that Vietnamese as we made our way to Tien Hung Market, one of the first Vietnamese grocery stores to open in Mills 50.
Tien Hung Oriental Food Center – Here they make their own soy milk and have an extensive list of Vietnamese herbs, produce, noodles, fresh live seafood, banh mi, snacks, and even a jewelry store. Tien Hung is one of the oldest Vietnamese market in the area, run by the Phan family who have been here since the 1980s.
Next stop – Lineage Coffee Roasting. This is the second coffee shop for Lineage, based out of East End Market up the street.
They are known for their cold brews and serve craft roasted coffee, carefully sourced from around the world. Though not in Mills 50, we picked up some vegan raspberry doughnuts from Valhalla Bakery of Market on South down the street to go with our coffees.
Finally – King Bao. Chef Vic Nguyen, a former sushi chef, one day decided to bring his love of food to bao form – think fluffy white bun sandwiches filled with all sorts of goodness from pork belly to lobster to fried avocado and even dessert-y nutella and banana.
It was truly an honor and such fun to showcase and highlight some of Orlando’s own local flavor with Congresswoman Murphy. I wish her all the best as she continues to serve our local Central Florida community and the interests of its people in Congress.
Some facts from Forbes Magazine about small businesses:
1. Small businesses comprise 99.9 percent of all firms and 99.7 percent of firms with paid employees. Out of 29.6 million businesses, all but 19,000 are small.
1. Small Business, Big Role -mall businesses comprise 99.9 percent of all firms and 99.7 percent of firms with paid employees. Out of 29.6 million businesses, all but 19,000 are small.  Small businesses generate three-fifths of net new jobs, driving a big share of U.S. employment growth. In total, small businesses employ 58 million, or 47.8 percent of all private-sector employees.
2. Family – About one in five firms are family-owned. Industries that have the highest share of family-owned businesses are management of companies and enterprises (46.4 percent of firms in this industry are family-owned), real estate and rental and leasing (37.3 percent), and accommodation and food services (33.2 percent).
By Ricky Ly of TastyChomps.com on Jan 12, 2019 10:48 pm
For the 27th year, 24 of the region’s top restaurants will gather for Heart of Florida United Way’s Chef’s Gala, a fundraiser benefitting local hunger and homelessness programs.
Hosted by Walt Disney World at Epcot Showplace, this culinary adventure offers unlimited sampling of signature dishes prepared by award-winning chefs, each paired with a fine wine or specialty beverage.
The event will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2019 from 6:45 – 10 p.m.
Through the generosity of sponsors, like Walt Disney World, as well as the participating restaurants that donate all the food, 95 cents of every dollar raised at the event goes directly to community programs aimed at alleviating hunger and homelessness.
Tickets are available by visiting www.ChefsGala.org. Individual tickets are $350, couple ticket package is $650 and corporate ticket packages are $3,500. Sponsorships are also available by emailing ChefsGala@hfuw.org or calling (407) 429-2129 .
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About Heart of Florida United Way
Heart of Florida United Way (HFUW) is Central Florida’s most comprehensive health and human services charity and the largest provider of funds to the region’s most critical health and human service programs. Last year, it raised and managed $24.4 million throughout Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. HFUW is working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income, health and basic needs. It operates United Way 2-1-1, Central Florida’s information and assistance, crisis, suicide and referral helpline; Volunteer Resource Center; Gifts In Kind Center; Emergency Homelessness Services; and the Ryan White Part B program, which administers more than $2 million to provide HIV/AIDS services and referrals. HFUW impacts more than 650,000 individuals annually through its direct service and funded programs. United Way partners with local businesses, government, other charities to increase awareness of local health and human service issues and to inspire hope, provide options and create possibilities for people in need. Visit www.HFUW.org for more information, or call (407) 835-0900.
Asian, colorful, and sweet. Â Oh my gosh, I’ve found a place that is basically me in restaurant form. Â Ice & Bites (located near UCF) is super cute and the owners are super foodies and also the friendliest people on the planet. Â I actually randomly met them a few months ago at the Cheney Brothers food show and we clicked instantly. Â I highly recommend their one-of-a-kind place! Â They will take good care of you.
Affogato! Â Affogato literally translates to “drown” in Italian. Â You pour the espresso over the cotton candy and it dissolves revealing the ice cream of your choice underneath.
Chicken katsu rice burger, so good.  I ordered fried rice cakes dusted with hot cheeto dust as my side, it was interesting!
Taiyaki (Japanese fish-shaped cake – really good!) with your ice of ice cream and toppings. Â I ordered mine with green tea ice cream, fruity pebbles and pocky sticks. I’m looking forward to trying it was taro ice cream, nerds candy and mochi next time!
*NEW* Boba Midnight Dream – lemon flavor mixed with soju (Korean drink similar to Vodka), boba and cotton candy. 21+up only.
*NEW* alcohol boba flight – sparkling sake or soju and popping boba. 21+up only.
Taiyaki (Japanese fish-shaped cake – really good!) with your ice of ice cream and toppings. Â I ordered mine with green tea ice cream, fruity pebbles and pocky sticks. I’m looking forward to trying it was taro ice cream, nerds candy and mochi next time!
