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

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

This past week I went to lunch with some work colleagues to Mikado Sushi in Hunter’s Creek. I was excited to try someplace new, and am always up for Japanese cuisine.

Mikado Sushi is located just off of John Young Parkway near the 417, right behind the Miller’s Ale House.

Menu

Dining Room

While you can’t tell it the dining room was actually quite crowded. It’s a quaint dining area, and there are both tables and a sushi bar.

The Food

I wasn’t particularly feeling sushi during this visit, so I opted for a noodle dish that was fantastic! Doesn’t it look delicious?!

The rest of the menu was quite extensive, with some really great lunch dishes and offers.

Location deets:

13586 Village Park Dr
Unit 306
Orlando, FL 32837
407.851.9933

Have you ever dined at Mikado? We’d love to hear about your experience here in the comments section. And while you’re at it, head on over to Yelp and leave your feedback. Nom nom noms….