Category: Orlando

Gingerbread House

Dani’s annual tradition of making a gingerbread house got a bit more complicated this year, as she baked the gingerbread herself. We were all a bit skeptical of whether it would hold together for final assembly, but we shouldn’t have doubted. What a lovely job of decorating it!

Festival of the Masters

This weekend is the 35th annual Festival of the Masters at Downtown Disney. Linda and Ryan and I went to Paradiso 37 at Pleasure Island. (Ryan is a programming intern from England, working on iPad apps. He’s here for IAAPA.) As always, the food was really tasty, although we couldn’t get Chaz, our favorite server because they were busy. We tried a couple of new things because Ryan is a vegetarian, and I really liked the corn on the cob appetizer.

Afterwards we walked through the festival, which features 150 artists. There’s a lot of rather crude folk art, but there were also some nice things. The emphasis this year seemed to be on jewelry and art glass. Sue Archer, who painted the picture in our foyer some 25 years ago, had a booth, but I didn’t see the guy who sold us the lenticular photos last year.

They certainly had beautiful weather for the event this year, with 80 degrees and a light breeze all weekend. Of course, as a result, there were lots of people there!

Delish New York Bakery

For dinner I made Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Cilantro Lime Rice. That meant a trip to Whole Foods for wild caught sea scallops and uncured hikory smoked bacon. Whenever I go to Whole Foods I like to stop in at Delish New York Bakery for a cup of coffee. (I do this partly because Barnie’s is next door, and I loathe chain store coffee.) The baker here is a true artisan; she showed me photos of some of the fabulous cakes she’s made, including one that looked just like a Louis Vuitton purse—she had to paint on the frosting. Today she was getting ready for Christmas, making samples including this cute little Christmas tree cake that is $4.99. There’s a little Hanukkah cake behind her, too. It’s really great that there are still a few small businesses like this; I should work harder to patronize them.

Hamburger Mary’s

Since it won Scott Joseph’s readers’ poll of best hamburger in Orlando, Tommy and I decided to check out Hamburger Mary’s downtown on Church Street. While the rest of Church Street is still in the early stages of recovering from its demise in the 1990s, Hamburger Mary’s was certainly doing a brisk business. We both had the Barbra-Q Bacon Cheeseburger, and I have to say it probably is the best burger in town: perfectly cooked, with a tasty balance of sauce and a good bun. I would have preferred my bun toasted and the bacon a bit less durable, but I’d give it a 9 out of 10.

Tommy couldn’t resist the deep fried Twinkie for dessert, which actually wasn’t as strange as I was expecting — basically a creme-filled donut.

I wouldn’t say we’re thick, but even though the place’s slogan is “Eat, drink and be Mary,” it wasn’t until the check showed up in a high heeled shoe that we figured out the transvestite theme.

Wine Bottles

We loaded up three cases of empty wine bottles and took them up to one of our favorite restaurants, The Chef’s Table at the Edgewater Hotel in Winter Garden. They’re going to use them to decorate their new dining room. These bottles ranged from the 1950s through 1970s, and included a lot of wines I wish I could drink again! Even with the donation, we’ve still got a full shelf of collectible old ones, dating back to the 1920s. I wish those two 1947 Cheval Blancs still had wine in them!

While we were up there we had a very tasty lunch at the Winter Garden Pizza Company, a place we hadn’t tried before. They definitely have some of the better pizza in town, and their buffalo chicken strips were good, too. The place was much larger than I thought, and was packed.

Afterward, we hurried home so Linda could take delivery of her new treadmill, which has much higher torture settings than the old one.

Del Frisco’s 39 Steps

It’s been more than a couple of years since we’ve been to Del Frisco’s, and it was near the Shakespeare Center, so we decided to have an early dinner there on Friday. Since our last visit they’ve completed the seamless connection of two different buildings, and created a new, large entry hall between them.

I still think Del Frisco’s is the best  steakhouse in Orlando, even with the explosion of competitors in recent years. The difference is that red-hot metal plate that lets you finish cooking your sliced prime strip steak any way you like (and the butter all over it doesn’t hurt, either). The spinach, sauteed onions, and house salad are really better than the other steakhouses’ also. It’s not a low-cal place, and it’s even more expensive than Morton’s, but when you want the best steak, it’s the place to go.

The 39 Steps is a comedic version of the classic Alfred Hitchcock film. It combines the original (fairly inane) plot with zany action made even zanier by the fact that four people have to play all the roles. It becomes increasingly manic, and by the end some of the characters are having conversations with themselves. Monty Python meets Alfred Hitchcock is a fairly good description. One fun aspect of the play was trying to find all the references to Hitchcock’s other films (in the scene at right, he’s about to climb through the “Rear Window”). It was quite amusing, although perhaps not quite as gut-bustingly hysterical as claimed.

Book Purge

Turn your back for just a minute and the library is overrun with books again. Whilst looking for a couple of misplaced ones I purged a hundred or so from the cupboards (I think they reproduce faster in the dark). Most of these will go to Windermere Prep, I guess.

Epcot First Bites

This is the first year for a new event at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. It’s called First Bites, and it gives you the opportunity to sample some of the food and wine that will be on the promenade, but in the air conditioned comfort of the seldom-used Wonders of Life pavilion.

I can’t say I really recommend this event. At $200 a head (thank God we didn’t pay that) it’s very overpriced. There were a dozen foods, a few of which were very good, a few of which were impossible to eat, even with table seating. Particularly indestructible were the grilled bread served with several dishes, and the Korean beef. There were also a dozen wines, but the only truly good one was the Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon that was only poured as part of a seminar.

Probably the single best food item was the tiny white chocolate pumpkin truffle, which was served during the cooking seminar. So the two best items won’t even be available to Food and Wine Festival guests.

The “ambiance” of Wonders of Life is also questionable. It’s basically an abandoned attraction that has been repurposed with tables and chairs, but the bright spotlights pointed this way and that don’t really create a pleasant environment.

I felt sorry for the four piece jazz combo that played to an empty seating area for an hour. The event came to a sudden end at 8:45, when we were driven from the building by the deafening and talentless Taylor Dayne.

Noteworthy Dishes:

Korea – Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw

Tasty but not at all spicy. The Korean beef dish had a wonderful spicy sauce, but the beef was inedible.

Singapore – Shrimp Cake with Singapore Noodle Salad

Like several of the hot dishes, it was a bit startling that the underlying noodles were chilled, but I really liked them. Some said the fish sauce they were made with was too salty.

Puerto Rico -Asopao de Pollo

That’s chicken soup to the rest of us. The green olives in it were delicious, not overpowering.

Ireland – Lobster & Scallop Fisherman’s Pie

Basically mashed potatoes on top of mixed seafood. This is a large, filling dish, and is probably the smartest buy out on the promenade.

South Africa – Seared Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Puree & Mango Barbecue Sauce

This had way too much sauce, but the elements were very tasty. The Australian lamb served at the same table was okay, but another of those hot dishes served on top of jarringly cold starches.

Orlando Magical Dining Month

Today marks the last day of Orlando Magical Dining Month (although last night was our last foray, since tonight we’re going to “First Bites,” the opening event in the Epcot Food and Wine Festival). During September, a wide array of Orlando restaurants offered a special three course dinner for $30. At some of them it was quite a deal. Although we were out of town for most of the month, we did have a chance to try Morton’s, Nine 18, Big Fin, The Boheme and Ocean Prime. (We also went to Everglades for a wine dinner and Season’s 52 for lunch, but not as part of this event.) We enjoyed all of them, but Big Fin (the only one new to us) is the place that sticks in our memory. We liked the casual atmosphere, good food with a Cajun twist, and friendly service.

Wine Syndicate – 1961 Bordeaux

Our Wine Syndicate group met Saturday at the Bull & Bear in the Waldorf Astoria. It was one of our best tastings ever, focusing on the 1961 Bordeaux vintage, perhaps the best of the century. The two vintages of Chateau Haut Brion were the overwhelming favorites, with the 1961 Haut Brion widely being awarded 100 points and scoring a unanimous first place. I think that’s the first time that’s ever happened. The chef really rose to the occasion, preparing a tasting menu that outdid the fancy Gordon Ramsay restaurants we recently visited in London. Quite a surprise, coming from a steakhouse!

The Wines:

1966 Ch Pichon Lalande,
1966 Ch Montrose,
1961 Ch Haut Brion,
1962 Ch Pichon Baron,
1961 Ch Lynch Bages,
1962 Ch Margaux,
1961 Ch Lafite (tenth),
1961 Ch Mouton Rothschild,
1966 Ch Haut Brion

Everglades at the Rosen – Four Seasons of the Vine

Martin and I (Linda has a cold) went to the periodic Vine & Dine event at the Everglades restaurant at the Rosen. They always do a nice job at these events, which allow the chef to experiment outside of his normal menu. I like the venue, because the group of about forty guests is divided into four or five long tables, which allows you to meet some other wine and food enthusiasts, but avoids the giant round table syndrome that bogs down a lot of social events. Wines were provided by Southern Wine & Spirits, and consisted of a refreshing Elderflower champagne cocktail (made with Proseco, elderflower liqueur and a twist of lemon), a very good Chilean Chardonnay, a Sardinian Vermentino, Argentine Malbec and a Moscato d’Asti Proseco. The food was themed after the four seasons: asparagus, shellfish, pheasant, snow eggs. The dessert of snow eggs was the best; they are balls of meringue that have been poached rather than baked, served with a delicious and complex Creme Anglaise. A fun event. The next one is on my birthday.

Dragonfly Sushi

I spent today getting organized for my brief week back in Orlando, sorting mail, going to the office to pick up boxes (mostly wine and books), and getting AAA to jump start Linda’s car, which had a dead battery due to my not catching that the valet switched the headlights out of auto. For dinner we tried a new restaurant on Sand Lake road (number 60 or so in four blocks) that serves creative sushi and char grilled skewers cooked using a technique called robata grilling. I really liked the trendy yet intimate decor, muted techno music and subtle lighting. Although we didn’t fall in love with anything we tried, I think we’ll definitely go back.

Memorial Chairs

It’s Memorial Day, a day when we honor those who’ve given their lives for this country, and Chinese people who manufacture rolling chairs. After lunch at Uno, I took Linda to Staples where she picked up a new chair for her desk in the kitchen. You wouldn’t think a chair would come in this many parts, but she got it together.

A Surprise in the Night

These are some more shots taken around the house using the TX7’s HDR mode.

Last night I was awakened to a scrabbling sound, and woke up to find something on my pillow. I leapt out of bed and turned the light on. Sitting in the middle of the pillow, nibbling on it unconcernedly, was a mouse. He seemed completely unperturbed by my movements and the light. He calmly continued nibbling as I opened the door and gave him a pillow ride outside. I finally had to push him off the pillow to get him to say goodbye. I’ve had pets that weren’t as tame as that mouse!

New Camera, New Journal

I thought it would be fun to keep a journal this summer, since I’m planning to travel this summer, and to spend much of it with Dani, in Evanston, Illinois. So I downloaded a journal writing application to see whether or not I can use it, combined with Dragon Dictation in order to make it easy to create a journal and include pictures of what I do everyday. I’ll be using the iPad, which has proven far more useful than I expected, and also a new Sony DSC-TX7 camera.

So this is my trial run, to see if these tools work together.

Last weekend a thunderstorm snapped off some of the dead trees in front of our house. Defying Murphy’s law, they landed neatly by the side of the driveway, ready to be picked up.

The Sony DSC-TX7 is a lot like my previous TX1, but has an HDR mode that produces great color depth and contrast range by shooting two exposures. These are some shots I took around the house.