There are many “gems,” as far as restaurants are concerned, to eat at in College Park. One that’s been a staple for years-and-years, particularly for those who enjoy eating sushi, is Jade Bistro Asian Cuisine & Sushi Bar.

Situated on Edgewater Drive just north of Princeton Street, and just one block away from Harmoni, Jade Bistro is always consistent (in terms of quality of food) and rarely has a wait – there’s a huge dining room as well as a sushi bar. They also offer take-out for those in a hurry, and delivery (within a certain distance and a minimum spend) for those who don’t even want to leave their house.

I only recently tried sushi for the first time, so I cannot really speak on “how good the sushi is here” but everything I’ve ever ordered at Jade over the years has been yummy! On this trip I ordered a salad, spring rolls, and Sesame Chicken (that’s my friend’s dish of Orange Chicken). Mmmm….




If you’re thinking about paying a visit to Jade Bistro but aren’t sure if you’ll find something you like, you can check-out their menu beforehand. Would be the perfect place for a Friday night date!

Location details:

2425 Edgewater Drive
Orlando, FL 32804
407.422.7968
www.jadebistro.com

AKEOrlando and I stopped into Crave Saturday for a little lunch before heading out for a day of shopping. Let me start by saying the service was spectacular. We chose to sit in the bar area assuming it’d be a little more laid back, and were pleasantly surprised to learn they were showing the World Cup match.

First, we ordered a couple beers, but never having tried one of their selections, our waiter was kind enough to give us samples. I chose the Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat, which was served ice cold. (Delish)

Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat

Crave has an amazing menu including sushi, burgers, pizza and flatbread and tons of other stuff. I am happy to report the Turkey Burger I had was phe-nom-e-nal. Seriously. Best. Turkey Burger. Ever. I’m told that the Sushi was pretty awesome, too.

Turkey Burger

We’re not foodies, so if you’re looking for a Scott Joseph-esque review, it’s not here, but what we can tell you is the food was good, the service was great, and the atmosphere was upscale, but relaxed. I’d definitely go back.

As you know we conducted an interview with American Idol winner Jordin Sparks a couple of weeks ago, to promote her first headlining tour. We were also able to catch the show* this past week at House of Blues, and I’m comfortable saying Ms. Sparks is one of the most energetic live performers I’ve ever seen…and I’ve seen many, many concerts. (On a side note: I love that her lead guitarist is a tiny Asian woman, who wore tight, tight tight leather pants!)

Jordin performed all of her hits and most of the tracks from her latest record, “Battlefield.” A diverse crowd sang along to all the songs, and ate-up the energy and enthusiasm this young performer exuded. Don’t believe me? Just check-out the opening number, the amazing title track from her current CD:

Like I mentioned, all of Jordin’s hits were performed (so much better live than the album versions, which are already amazing), including one of my favorite songs:

If you’ve never paid attention to Jordin Sparks, I have to say you are truly missing out. I urge you to YouTube any of her videos or check-out some of her songs on iTunes. This is a wonderful artist; America was smart to vote for this gal!

* We were provided complimentary tickets to experience this concert.

For anyone who’s frequented the downtown Orlando/Thornton Park neighborhood over the past few years you likely have an awareness of Urban Think! Bookstore, whether as a patron or simply a passerby. You’re probably also aware that gem of a neighborhood venue shut down earlier this year after facing economic challenges.

In the wake of its closing, the Urban Think! Foundation was created, and now they’re giving you–Central Florida residents and Urban Think! lovers–a chance to help determine what this new “creative center space” is going to be. The ultimate goal is to help serve the needs of the Central Florida creative Community, and provide them with space and tools to be more successful at their job(s).

This is community-input at its core, so take the time to provide your feedback at the Urban ReThink website. All you have to do is take a short survey.

You can find more information about all this at http://www.urbanrethink.com.

Thanks to our good buddy for making us aware of this project!

For those of you who’ve been around the Central Florida area for quite some time, you might recall dueling pianos hotspot Howl at the Moon on Church Street (it’s now located on I-Drive). We’re talkin’way back in the day. The venue was demolished when the new downtown renovations started several years ago.

Well, looks like dueling pianos are making their way back to downtown Orlando, in the form of Baby Grands. We noticed this signage while walking down Church Street recently:
No opening date has been provided at this point. But would you go?

(Additional information provided by Scott Joseph’s Orlando Restaurant Guide.)

There isn’t too much information available about this new restaurant/nightclub called Heat. We don’t know exactly what it is, or when it’s opening.

What we do know is:

• There will be food
• There will be dancing
• It’ll be located on the ground floor of 55 West

If anyone knows anything about this new place please share! (On a side note, I’m really diggin’their Marketing.)

“I’m like, two seconds away from taking my pants off!”

(Overheard by a very pregnant woman.)

We all know how important it is for our voice to be heard in this country. Every vote for our politicians count, including the collective voice of the younger generation. Rock the Vote (RTV) plays a huge role in helping these younger folks get their voices heard, and now you can be part of that, too!

This week actually marks the launch of Rock the Vote’s 2010 voter registration and civic engagement efforts. To celebrate that, RTV is coming to a handful of US cities to educate and recruit Street Teams, and Orlando has been chosen as one them. The Rock the Vote Florida state coordinator will be at Ember in downtown Orlando tomorrow night (Wednesday, 6/23) to answer any questions you might have about the program. You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with fellow Central Floridians who are looking to volunteer to spread the word about RTV to young voters.

While you’re there, take advantage of the drink specials and yummy food Ember has to offer (if you’ve never been there you’re missing out).

Location deets:

Ember
42 West Central Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32801
407.849.5200
EmberOrlando.com

Wish we could meet-up with you but we’ll be enjoying the Jordin Sparks concert at House of Blues!

Everyone looks for a way to wind down after a stressful week of work. Many people look to downtown Orlando, where there are many options of places with great happy hour deals. One of my favorite places to hang out and avoid the “typical Wall Street crowd” is Monkey Bar.

Located at the end of Wall Street Plaza, just above Waitiki, the Monkey Bar does have some really good happy hour deals on both drinks & food: half-priced martinis from 5pm-7pm Tuesday through Friday; $2.50 Red Stripes; $3.00 House Wines; and 1/2 Appetizers. The atmosphere is also very eclectic, with monkey murals and original artwork throughout (some of which I attempted to capture with a new photo App – thanks for bearing with me).

Location info:

26 Wall Street
Orlando, FL 32801
407.481.1030

For additional information like hours of operation, menus, and other venue questions visit Monkey Bar’s website. Have fun monkeying around!

Okay, I’ll admit it. When I first thought about “rowing” I didn’t think there was much to learn. Of course, I was also thinking about rowing in terms of one of these:

Or, maybe even one of these:

It didn’t even occur to me how much there would be to learn to row in one of these:

But, I’m now venturing into Week 2 of the Orlando Rowing Club’s Learn to Row program, and trust me … there is A LOT to learn.

ORC’s Coach Mike Vertullo doesn’t mess around. He’s been teaching this stuff for 18 years, and it shows. He’s also coach of Women’s crew over at Winter Park High School.

The Learn to Row program runs for 4 weeks, Monday through Thursday nights from 6-8 pm … but don’t let that scare you … it’s an awesome workout that will surely break up any dull gym routine. Covering the basics of the stroke, plus everything you need to know to get by, the novice rowing program is an awesome starting point for anyone interested in learning the sport.

Next round of classes begins July 19th! I’ll check back in at Week 4 with an update on my muscle mass (ha!) and rowing ability.