| | ☕ The latest tea on what’s worth tasting in the City Beautiful | Plus, the Betty White effect on Orlando and how to celebrate National Popcorn Day.By Katie Johnston Happy hump day, folks. Although Wednesdays at Pulptown are usually reserved for the latest tea on local food and drink news, I’d be remiss not to tell you about the feel-good news circulating the web in the last 48 hours. America’s sweetheart Betty White would’ve turned 100 on Monday, and to celebrate, people everywhere donated to their favorite local pet rescue charities. When then Late Show host David Letterman asked Betty what she liked to do in her spare time back in 2011, she retorted, “I like to play with animals mostly, and uh, vodka’s kinda a hobby…,” so after she passed on New Year’s Eve, the “Betty White Challenge” was born: a callout on social media asking everyone to contribute to their favorite animal welfare groups on the star’s 100th birthday. In Orlando alone, that looked like more than $50,000 for Pet Alliance, $5,000 for Pet Rescue by Judy, and almost $2,000 to the DreamCatcher Horse Rescue in Clermont. What a blessing, right? It’s that kind of news that gets you feeling all warm inside and like the whole world still cares about each other. Newsflash: Somewhere deep down, it does. Or maybe that’s just the eternal optimist in me… Anyway, let’s get to those food and drink headlines, shall we? | | | | | Chew on this, Orlando ☕️ Or in this case, sip on this: There’s a new coffee shop coming to Mills 50. Haan Coffee Roasters is set to open a brick-and-mortar next door to Mamak and Tasty Wok on East Colonial Drive this summer. But you don’t have to wait that long to get a taste — Haan has been selling its “third wave coffee” online for more than a year now. According to What Now Orlando, the coffee roaster got its name from “a search for identity and an homage to our roots,” and features coffee sourced from “farms that not only produce great crops, but provide and care for their local communities.” Hat tip to Bungalower for the news. (What Now Orlando) 🍺 Oviedo Brewing just entered the NFT game, and Orlando Weekly says it might be the only non-fungible token that’s actually worth something. The local brewing company is commemorating its 100th batch brew by selling 100 NFTs giving buyers access to a party celebrating said beer. The metaverse still has a ways to go, so you’ll have to actually go to the party in person to enjoy the alcoholic beverages. The NFT will debut at Orlando Science Center’s upcoming “Science on Tap” event happening Saturday, Jan. 29. (Orlando Weekly) 🐠 Given Orlando’s proximity to the coast, plenty of local restaurants boast fresh catches. But what about your options when you’re dining on a budget? OW just rounded up 13 of the area’s best cheap seafood eats if you’re looking. 👉 (Orlando Weekly) 🇹🇭 Thai Farm Kitchen has teased that it will announce the date of its grand opening this week after previously claiming it would open this month. The new-to-Orlando eatery is coming to the former Rusteak location in College Park, and its reputation precedes it: Thai Farm Kitchen is already well-loved in New York where its flagship restaurant is, and it’s been recommended in the past by The New York Times. The website promises vegan options, a huge bar, and a nice fluffy bonus — pets are allowed outdoors. (Thai Farm Kitchen on Instagram / WKMG) 🍻 Orlando Beer Week kicks off this Saturday, Jan. 22, and runs through Jan. 29. It’s an annual week-long celebration by local breweries that includes exciting events, but none more exciting than new beer releases. 🎉 The Milk District is all in on this year’s fun and is pushing a “Beer Week Bingo card” that you can pick up at any of the participating locations. Once you’ve secured your card, you can make your way through the district as you complete tasks to earn stamps on it (hint: most of the tasks involve drinking delicious locally-brewed beer). Folks who get five in a row can exchange their completed card for a nifty limited-edition bottle opener at their last stop, so get to chugging! (Orlando Beer Week) 🍽 There’s a new dinner party concept in town courtesy of The Heavy and The Foreigner Experience. Snag tickets to tomorrow’s Supper Club, which features brews from Ravenous Pig Brewing Co., Redlight Redlight, Sideward Brewing, Oviedo Brewing Co, and Gatlin Hall Brewing with food supplied by Chef Bruno Fonseca of The Foreigner Experience and Chef Bruno Zacchini of Pizza Bruno fame. It’ll set you back $75, but we’re hard-pressed to think of a tastier time. (The Foreigner Experience on Instagram) | | | 🎯 Wanna play a game? | | | Help us help you #livelikeyoulivehere by joining our Pulptown+ member community. (📸: @pulptown) How’s your City Beautiful knowledge? Today our Pulptown+ members are playing an exclusive round of trivia in their newsletters. Here's how it works: Each week, we share an Orlando-themed trivia question with our members and asked them to share their best guesses for answers. On Thursday, we’ll reveal the truth and shout out the folks who know this city best. Put your not-so-useless local knowledge to the test, and join us as a Pulptown+ member today. | | | Today🍿Don't miss the final week of "The Tragedy of Macbeth" currently playing at The Enzian thru Thursday (Maitland) 🎶 Join Central Florida Foundation's President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Brewer as he discusses the State of Philanthropy for 2022 (Winter Park) 🎟 Grab tickets to see The Royal Ballet and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform live in Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Philips Center (Downtown) 🍿Get cozy and settle in for a night of Orlando Fringe Mini Digi-Fest thru Jan. 23 (Online) 🌱 Vegan this, vegan that — shop local vegan vendors at this weekly pop-up market outside The Veranda (Thornton Park) | Tomorrow🛍 Upgrade your usual 3rd Thursday Art Walk experience and shop the new accompanying local makers mart (Downtown) 🎨 Head to CityArts for the public opening night reception celebrating the new Corridor Project Billboard Exhibition currently on display around town (Downtown) 🗣Join black business leaders from across the state to discuss The State of Black Business (Downtown) 🎶 Don't miss the opportunity to see Leon Bridges and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform together at the Dr. Philipps Center (Downtown) | Friday🎨 Make your way to the Mennello Museum for opening night of its new exhibit feat. 30 years of the City of Orlando's public art collection from UCF Flying Horse Editions (Loch Haven Park) 🎨 Join Rollins Museum of Art’s Associate Curator of Education, Alexia Lobaina, on a tour of this exhibition highlighting what it means to be an ally in today’s challenging social landscape (Winter Park) 🎶 Jam out to the Oak Hill Drifters at The Imperial at Washburn Imports (Ivanhoe) 🍿Grab a friend and head to Ivanhoe Park Brewing for its weekly Brew & View, this time featuring "10 Things I Hate About You" (Ivanhoe) | One more thing…🍿 Someone mentioned somewhere that today is National Popcorn Day. You should support your local popcorn dealer and snag a bag of locally-made, organic deliciousness from Eat Project Pop ASAP. You can have two bags of 24K Gold Organic Pop delivered to your doorsteps or arrange for a local pickup to celebrate the occasion. And since we have a moment to brag about her, founder Chauniqua Major has had a solid few months — Project Pop was picked up by Netflix in January, was selected as a top 40 Black business by TikTok in December, and BET ordered a shipment for the holiday season. You go, girl! Stay hungry friends, and whatever you do, don’t give up on your dreams. – ✌️ Katie at Pulptown P.S. Tell your friends about us. And their friends too. 😉 If you found this email fun, enjoyable, or informative, help us grow by forwarding it to a friend. It’d help us out a lot. 🎉 Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 🎙Tune in to our podcast. 📩 Tell a friend to subscribe. 📎 Advertise with us. | | |
