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.

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.

The downtown Orlando location of Eola Wine Company recently moved and has a brand new location: across the street from the old location! That’s right, this longtime staple of the downtown scene just moved into a larger space, directly across the street from Post Parkside Apartments management office. I haven’t been yet–except just a drive/walk by–but I’m eager to get over and see what all the changes are about.

Here’s a look:

New Location (Occupying Both Spaces on Bottom)

Old Location

Have you been to the new location of Eola Wine Company? What are the differences you’ve noticed?

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.

All you folks brave enough to head out this coming weekend and do your shopping…IKEA’s offering a ‘Kid’s Eat Free’ deal* as incentive to make sure and include them on your shopping agenda. For us, that would be the store located right next to the Mall at Millenia.

Here’s the dealio:

Choose one kid’s combo meal ($2.49 value):

• Mac & Cheese, Chicken tenders, or Meatballs
• Side (veggies, fries or mashed potatoes)
• Drink (milk, lingonberry drink or fountain beverage)

Offer valid Friday, November 25 – Sunday, November 27, 2011 only. Full details can be found here.

Man those meatballs are yummy!

*Limit one (1)meal per child per visit. No adult purchase necessary. Kids under 12 only. Child must be present. Offer not valid at IKEA Home Shopping. Kids meal options may differ at IKEA Carson. Please see your local IKEA store for details.

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