In the amount of time I’ve lived in Central Florida believe it or not it was only just recently that I finally made it to KRES Chophouse on Church Street in downtown Orlando. I’ve been aware of the establishment for years, obviously, and have walked by the restaurant many, many times. Right around the New Year I went for dinner with a couple of friends, and overall it was a really nice experience.

I wasn’t terribly hungry at the time so for my meal I opted for a bowl of French Onion soup and a wedge salad (I have a slight addiction), and honestly both were quite delicious. The soup had a wonderful flavor and was full of tasty bread.

French Onion Soup

Wedge Salad

The one thing that wasn’t the greatest part of the experience was the service. I think our server might’ve been sick at the time, and he wasn’t very attentive or really even that friendly. I definitely expected more out of that aspect given the upscale dining and atmosphere.

Thinking about heading to KRES sometime soon for a nice meal? Take a peek at KRES’s menu before you go. I warn you, though, it will make you hungry!

Location deets:

17 West Church Street
Orlando, FL 32801
407.447.7950
kreschophouse.com

Have you ever dined at KRES Chophouse? We’d love to hear about your experience.

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.

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!

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.

The College Park neighborhood has many great restaurants to offer residents and visitors alike. I actually live just steps from College Park, so I’ve experienced many. And while I’ve never dined inside China Sushi Bar I’ve gotten delivery on many occasions (shhh…don’t tell that sometimes I’m lazy!).

On a recent delivery, I ordered honey garlic chicken and it was yums:

As you can see from the photo my order also included egg drop soup and egg rolls. (Wow, I didn’t realize it but that’s a whole lotta egg!) The egg rolls are actually really good–although nothing any different than what you’d find other places–but their egg drop soup isn’t really that good. There’s something very “thick” about it, and I’m not really sure what would do that to soup.

Their website isn’t the most beautiful – actually, it’s downright unattractive – but if you want to check-out their menu you can do so here. They also post photos of their dishes…if you want to order something other than honey garlic chicken, that is!

Location deets:

2122 Edgewater Dr.
Orlando,FL 32804
407.839.8869
407.839.8892

Last week I attended an event that was hosted at Versus Sports Bar & Grill in downtown Orlando. Now, this particular venue seems like it’s been many, many different things over the years, and quite honestly it wouldn’t normally be my kinda dive. I was eager to attend my event, though, and actually ordered some take-out to bring home with me when the event was over.

The interior is very sports-centric, and the dining room certainly appears well-equipped to handle sports games with many high-def televisions throughout. And hey…if you want to take a little break from the game–whichever kind you’re watching–you can (love me some skee ball!)….

As I mentioned earlier I ordered some food to take home with me, and of course I was gonna go all-out! That’s a chicken sandwich, and…hello tater tots (and I have to admit they were darn good)!

Versus Sports Bar & Grill is one of the many sports bars in downtown Orlando, Versus is actually in a really good location. Pay a visit sometime and determine for yourself if it’s worth it.

Location deets:

100 E Pine St
Orlando, FL 32801
407.422.5659

I can never get enough of finding out new places to eat in Central Florida, particularly if it involved Mexican food. And I recently discovered (yes…I don’t get to the Dr. Phillips area of town too terribly often) Cantina Laredo, on restaurant row. Located just near the intersection of Dr. Phillips Blvd. and Sand Lake Road, Cantina Laredo is nestled on the non-Sand Lake Road side of the Dellagio Town Center shopping complex.

I headed inside, and the dining room–albeit very nice–was quite empty. Oh, did I mention I was there for a work function happy hour, at 4pm in the afternoon? That would probably explain why. Regardless, the inside is very nice and open. Take a look:

I also didn’t really try the food that was served to us, only because I knew I had dinner plans a few hours later. But man…it sure looked good and I undoubtedly coulda torn some of that up!

I glanced over the menu, and it actually looked really, really yummy! I’m definitely interested in heading back when I have a chance to spend more time and grab an entire meal.

Here are the location deets of Cantina Laredo:

8000 Via Dellagio Way
Orlando, FL 32819
407.345.0186

If you’ve ever had a meal or visited Cantina Laredo, we’d love to know your opinion.

There’s nothing really more to say than what’s right here:

If you absolutely require more information you can check out the event’s website. You’ll find details on things like Food & Drink, Entertainment, Vendors, and more. Event location is in front of the campus of Trinity Downtown:

123 East Livingston St.
Orlando, FL 32801

P.S. If you bring a canned food to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank, well…that’s your event fee!

Is Oktoberfest your thing? Do you plan on going this weekend?

If you enjoy Italian food (hello…who doesn’t?) in a relatively casual atmosphere, you may be interested in checking out Fama’s Pizzeria and Pasta in the Williamsburg area of South Orlando sometime. I recently went there for lunch, and…well, it was yummy enough to take a trip back at some point.

Tucked in a shopping center near the intersection of Central Florida Parkway and International Drive, Fama’s has a quaint little dining room just adjacent to a take-out/pick-up area. When I went it was fairly empty – my assumption is the restaurant does a pretty good delivery business and hopefully dinner. (Of course, unless you’re a resident of the Williamsburg area you probably don’t even know the place exists.)

Here’s a look inside….

Dining Room

Food

I’m doing my best these days to eat a little healthier, but hey…it’s Italian! So I ordered the baked ziti, which was pretty amazing. Check out all that cheese!

My lunch companion ordered stromboli, which looked equally as yummy. I opted to not give it a try, but I’m sure it was just as delish as my ziti.

So, what do you think? Interested in giving this place a try sometime? Or have you already been here? If so, we’d love to know what you think.

Location deets:

5474 Central Florida Pkwy.
Orlando, FL 32821
407.239.1500

Info on hours of operation and menu items can be found on Fama’s website.

While out-and-about earlier this afternoon, we had a Tree House Truck spotting!

(Location: Corner of Colonial & Ferncreek, near downtown Orlando.)

To keep-up with where the Tree House Truck will be, Follow them on Twitter.