I bet you’re already sick of seeing the debates on TV and the campaign ads every time you change the channel, but politics matter and knowledge is power.  In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock, 2012 is a Presidential election year and Florida’s Primary is coming up this Tuesday, January 31.

If you want to see an end to partisanship in Washington, you should learn more about Americans Elect.

“With Americans Elect, you have the power to choose leadership that puts country before party, and America’s interests before special interests. You have the power to change politics as usual.”

Join Americans Elect to Crash the Party Tuesday in the Milk District where they’ll be hanging out at Tasty Tuesdays!

Get involved, learn more and let your voice be heard. And, thanks to a friend of Pulse for sharing this with us!

A friend and I recently headed to Park Avenue in Winter Park to grab a drink or two on a Saturday afternoon. Afterward, we walked around and enjoyed the beautiful Florida Winter weather, and stumbled upon a little spot just off the main street called Diva Wines & Desserts.

I’m not sure if this place is relatively new or not but I’d never heard of it. So that made me think there are many other folks who might not’ve heard of it either, so I wanted to share it with you guys.

Obviously you can tell by the name this spot serves wine and desserts, but they also offer more substantial foods like pizza and gourmet foods. I wasn’t particularly hungry at the time but my friend decided to try a sampling of the pizza:

Her verdict? Muy delicioso! At the least the pepperoni anyway. (She also tried a piece of the goat cheese pizza but didn’t really care for it too much.)

There are a few tables at the front of the venue/store, along with a bar hosting a handful of barstools. There’s also an ample selection of wine, beer, food, and wine accessories available for purchase. Here’s a look around:

Cute, right? Does anyone know anything else about this Winter Park neighborhood place?

Location deets:

Diva Wines & Desserts
155 E Morse Blvd.
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.622.1025
divawinesdesserts.com

To stay in tune with what’s going on at Diva Wines & Desserts, “Like” them on Facebook.

Isn’t it strange you can live in a certain part of town, and never have visited a business that is literally right down the street from you? ‘Tis the case for me and Aroma Italian Café & Wine Bar. Located in Thornton Park, Aroma is a quaint little restaurant/cafe/coffee bar/wine house nestled right next to Wildside BBQ. I met a friend there over the holidays (as you can tell from the photos), and while neither of us ate any food the offerings on the menu looked delicious (get a peek at their menu). I know the wine I drank was!

Charming and “homey”, the interior is very intimate and comfortable. There’s also a patio out front to enjoy when the weather is nice.

Bar Area

Dining Area

And you want to know one of my favorite things about Aroma? Their motto:

It’s all about Family, Friends, Food, Fun & Music!”

Now that’s what everyone’s motto should be, right?!

Here are the location deets:

712 E Washington St
Orlando, FL 32801
Neighborhood: Thornton Park
(407) 426-8989
AromaItalianCafe.com

Ever been to Aroma? If so, did you eat? Would love to hear your thoughts, and remember you can always leave a review over on Yelp!

I’ve been watching the development of this new Tijuana Flats location–directly across from Target near the Fashion Square Mall–for months now. I wouldn’t necessarily say Tijuana’s has the best food around, and certainly doesn’t satisfy my craving for Mexican Food, but it definitely has a place and time! So this particular location is ideally located in the heart of some Orlando shopping. (I’m sure, too, the nearby Chipotle wasn’t too thrilled about this!)

Location deets:

Tijuana Flats
2914 East Colonial Drive
Orlando FL 32803
407.897.7121

What do you think? Good location?

For a complete listing of Tijuana Flats locations in Central Florida check-out TijuanaFlats.com.

Discovery! Discovery! Tell your tummies to listen up!

I met a friend of mine for lunch recently at a new place located in South Orlando, near the Hunter’s Creek community. And I’m definitely glad said friend made the recommendation because the food was scrumptious.

This new place is called Bistro Europa Express and it’s just behind the Miller’s Ale House on South John Young Parkway. (Actually, you can find it right next door to Mikado Sushi.) Fortunately, we went a little early because about 15 minutes after we arrived the place got packed!

The decent sized dining room hugs a counter where all of the food on the menu is displayed. Fresh items to make a salad (off the menu or custom), a variety of soups, sandwiches (pre-made), and hot dishes are all available for customers to choose from.

As I mentioned before the majority of the food is really healthy. My friend opted for a soup/salad combo but I went straight for some chicken. Accompanying my chicken were some delicious potatoes and some so-so carrots.

1/4 Chicken, Potatoes, and Carrots

Soup & Salad Combo

Wanna check out their menu or even order online? Go for it! I bet you’ll like what you find.

Location deets:

Bistro Europa Express
13586 Village Park Drive
Suite 310
Orlando, FL 32837
407.851.8500

If you’re ever in the area and choose to stop in to Bistro Europa Express, we’d love to hear about your experience! Enjoy!

Last night we braved the cold air and took a little trip over to this month’s Orlando Food Truck Bazaar. Located just behind Fashion Square Mall, we found this event much more favorable an experience than the last we attended (this one was way less crowded, and the more compact layout of the trucks was convenient).

Four-legged friends like Food Truck Bazaars, too!

@koreanbbq_2011

@twistedcubanmft

One of my colleagues at work had been raving about this eatery in South Orlando called Saffron. Talk, talk, talkin’ it up, and I’m always one for discovering–or being told about–a new food place here in Central Florida (as we all know), so I had to check it out. Originating in Iceland, the Saffron franchises are rooted in healthier, “cleaner” eating while still being delicious.

SAFFRAN offers healthy, fresh, exotic, international dishes to spice up your body and soul. Our food is made from quality products. All marinades are homemade straight from the heart and free from additives, preservatives and msg.”

The history is really quite interesting – you can read all about it here if you’re interested.

On my visit, I myself opted for a simple chicken dish (one can never eat enough chicken, right?), which was accompanied with rice and red onion. YUM! Officially, the dish is called SAFFRAN CHICKEN AND RED ONION (clever, huh?!). One of my dining mates enjoyed a safflat (Saffron’s version of flatbread), and it looked quite tasty as well. You can get a preview of the entire Saffran menu here.

Looks pretty good, eh?

If you’ve been to Saffran, first of all we’d love to hear about your experience. Second, you should “Like” them on Facebook and connect with others who are Fans. You can also Follow them on Twitter.

This isn’t a College Park blog, but we’ve sure had some news to share this week about one of our favorite neighborhoods.

Sadly, this time the news isn’t all that fun.  Both Quiznos and neighboring Delish Frogen Yozurt are closing this week.  I can only speculate about the reason for the closings, but hopefully the spots won’t stay empty for long.

So long, subs & fro yo!