Struggling restaurant here in Central Florida needing a little pick-me-up? (Man, I can think of a few!) You might want to listen up then, because this could be a big break for you.

The Food Network has a reality show called “Restaurant: Impossible” and they’re currently casting for the third season. And they’re opening up the casting to restaurants here in our very own Central Florida. Obviously it’s a television show so ya gotta have some personality, as well as some very specific qualifications to be considered. This includes:

• Full-service
• At least 50 seats
• No more than 250 seats

Full information on the casting can be found at RestaurantImpossible.com.

Special thanks to a post on Heather McPherson’s “The Dish” blog on OrlandoSentinel.com for bringing this to our attention.

Ever been to a Kobe Japanese Steakhouse? There are several spread throughout the Central Florida area. I remember one of my favorites used to be located just adjacent to Colonial Town, until it burned down over a decade ago. So needless to say I was super-excited when I recently drove by the old Barney’s Steak & Seafood property and saw this:

If you’re not familiar with Kobe or it’s been awhile since you’ve paid a visit to one, you can check-out their menu here. For the latest-and-greatest info on their restaurants you can Follow them on Twitter and “Like” them on Facebook. We’ll, of course, keep you posted on any updates pertaining to this specific location.

New Central Florida location deets:

1615 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32803

Sponsored by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, the annual Taste of Winter Park is in its 26th year.

“The 26th annual Taste of Winter Park presented by CenturyLink is an epicurean indulgence featuring mouthwatering selections from popular Winter Park dining destinations, as well as new eateries destined to become your favorite. Enjoy an evening sampling food and drink from 40 local participants and live entertainment by Johnny Mag Sax.”

This year, “Taste” is on Wednesday, April 20th from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase at www.winterpark.org, $35 for Chamber members (in advance) and $40 for non-members and “at the door.”

Location deets:

Winter Park Farmers’ Market
200 W. New England Avenue
Winter Park, FL 32789

Have you been to this event before? What’s your favorite part?

This is a delicious treat, offered-up at the end of each meal at a local restaurant. Any clue which one? (HINT: We’ve written about it here on the blog before.)

Sugar is NEVER a bad thing!

I am, admittedly, a late adopter to sushi. I’ve never been much of a fish eater. Or really even much of a seafood eater, for that matter. But lately I’ve been quite experimental in the sushi department, so when a friend wanted to go to Shari Sushi Lounge recently to celebrate her birthday, I was in!

Nestled in Thornton Park on the corner of Central and Summerlin, this sushi eatery is quaint, and quite charming inside. We went late on a Friday night, so there was a bit of a wait. No problemo – let’s kill some time at the bar!

Post pre-drinks at the bar, our group was seated in the main dining room, just near the sushi bar. We ordered tons of food–including appetizers–and it was all delicious!

Appetizers

Ribs

Spring Rolls

Main Dishes

If you’re never been to Shari and are interested in checking-it-out, menus can be viewed on their website. It’s a rather extensive menu with some interesting options (my Sunomono cucumber salad was da bomb!), and a handful of dessert dishes. You can also place reservations online through OpenTable.

Shari Sushi Lounge is located at:

621 E Central Blvd
Orlando, FL 32801
407.420.9420
www.sharisushilounge.com

If you frequent Winter Park’s Park Avenue area for either shopping or eating…or both, you’re probably familiar with Hot Olives. Hot Olives has been around for quite some time, a staple on the Winter Park eating scene located just down the street from Dexter’s. Well…out with the old and in with the new!

Hot Olives recently moved locations, to [what seems to be] a more convenient, higher-trafficked area next to the old Urban Flats. The new space affords for a much, much larger dining area than the previous venue, including patio seating out front.

The menu looks to be about the same; however, when I went last night with Kim and another friend, my food didn’t seem to be quite as good as it normally is. Perhaps the new location means a new chef as well? Or perhaps I just had an off night and need to head back for another try.

New location deets:

Hot Olives
601 S. New York Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.629.1030
HotOlives.com

Crooked Bayou, a long-time staple of the downtown Orlando scene, will–according to a source–close its doors for good in nine days (which will be the day before Christmas). Said source claims the establishment is coming under new ownership, and will be a BBQ eatery. But no worries: the new establishment will still carry the tots Crooked Bayou is known for.

In addition to serving Cajun-style foods, Crooked Bayou is also an evening hotspot, hosting both local and guest DJs. No word yet on whether or not this will continue, and what the new name of the venue will be.

Crooked Bayou is located at:

50 E Central Blvd # D
Orlando, FL 32801
407.839.5852

I love me some Brio Tuscan Grille. So when I saw this little e-mail come through my inbox, not only did I immediately respond, I knew I had to share it with our audience. Who wouldn’t want the Grand Prize of FREE lunch or dinner for an entire year?

The contest started yesterday and goes through November 7th. The only thing I request is that if you don’t end up winning the grand prize (which you won’t, because we will), but do win the 2nd Prize, you include Kim & I as two of your eight friends! Not a bad deal, eh?!

If you’ve never visited a Brio before then you’re really missing out…at least in my opinion. We have two locations in the Central Florida area: Mall at Millenia and Winter Park Village.

Since I both live and work in the downtown Orlando area, I must admit it is sometimes a challenge to find new-and-interesting things to do and places to go (yes, I know I need to expand my distance reach out more). Particularly when it comes to eating; I love to eat. I’ve been eyeing What’s Your Beef? on Washington Street for some time now, and finally made it over to see what they’ve got going on with their menu.

The interior is quaint and clean (a big thing in my book), and the staff are incredibly friendly.

I’ve been on a mild health kick as of late, so although there are many delicious things featured on the menu (they specialize in hot dogs, hot sandwiches, and italian beef), I opted for a chef salad. And I was very pleased to see the salad featured “healthy” lettuce versus plain old iceburg. Honestly, I can say this is one of the best salads I’ve had…in the downtown Orlando area, at least.

My friend that I was with opted for a pressed Ham & Cheese sandwich, and said it was quite tasty.

All-in-all I have to give What’s Your Beef? two thumbs up. Definitely worth a repeat trip…to try something different on the menu.

Location deets:

40 West Washington Street
Orlando, FL 32801
407.425.4340

It’s quite obvious, by our posts, that klynn and I live in College Park and downtown Orlando, respectively, and we both work near our homes as well. We’re hoping to really branch out and share new-and-interesting places with you soon!

That being said, I eat at various places in the downtown area quite frequently (just check-out the “Food” category), one of which I recently tried is Fratelli’s Italian Restaurant. Located right on Orange Avenue in the heart of downtown, this Italian restaurant is a fantastic place to grab a quick lunch or take-your-time dinner.

On my trip I started with a typical house salad (always a fan of the onions–although my dining partners may not be–so yay!):

…followed by a Pepperoni Pizza:

I’ve only been to Fratelli’s once, but all the food I ate was delicious! No surprises on the menu…standard, traditional Italian food. If you wanna check-out their full menu click here.

Location deets:

373 North Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
407.422.5500
http://www.fratelliitalianrestaurant.com/