Chemmie

Is this cajun? After living in the Atlanta area for a couple of years, I grew to love cajun food. You wouldn't know it, but Atlanta has a good number of cajuns who have moved up from Southern Louisiana and has some of the better cajun places in the country. I have been dying to find a great cajun place in Orlando! I would love to go for a big plate of crawdads with hushpuppies and a gumbeaux.... mmmm.....

I'm a foodie. I love good food and good drinks to go with it. I figured I'd start a topic for us to talk about local restaurants in the Orlando area, especially downtown. I wanted to start this because just recently I found Bravissimo, on Shine Ave. I haven't tried it yet, but couldn't believe where it was situated, amoung residential homes. Has anyone tried Bravissimo yet? By looking at the people eating outside, it looked great and had a great wine selection. I could use all the help I can get in finding more places like this, that are off the beaten path. When I lived in Atlanta, there was a website called Atlanta Cuisine. It had a huge message board all about eating in Atlanta. Where to find items, spices, produce, whatever to cook with and where to go out to eat. I loved going to that site and found quite a few great restaurants in Atlanta because of it. Places I would have never tried on my own. Does anyone know if any forum like that exists for Orlando or any place to get good reviews and recommendations on restaurants in Orlando? Thanks!!

It's always the same with OCPS. Then again, its that way with schools all over the country. I'm still not sure what I'm doing for the game. I think it will be a "game time decision" for me. I know I have to be somewhere for the wife to watch the Noles. I had a heck of a weekend last weekend (AC blew out in my house and ended up in a hotel for a couple nights, one of my dogs had an emergency and needed to go to the vet) so this weekend I'm trying NOT to spend money and trying to relax a bit.

SWEET! As long as they don't tear down Jax 5th Ave., the best place for beer in Orlando! My wife teaches at Lee Middle School, right around the corner from there. They are trying to get the money to build a new school, but it seems the government only wants to give up enough for renovations. Lee is one of the most embarrassing looking schools in our district, they should pay the money to rebuild instead of renovate a building that is falling apart.

It looks like a giant Conquistador coming to ravage Orlando.

Could it possibly be like the Downtown Aquarium in Houston? http://www.downtownaquariumhouston.com/about/index.htm Downtown Aquarium has recently been bought by Landry's Restaraunts. They have recently opened one of these in Denver, too. It looks like they might be expanding this franchise, Orlando might be a good spot.

I wouldn't necessarilly call me a Chicagoan, but I did live there for a short time and loved every second of it. I lived on the corner of Belmont and Seminary, a couple blocks down from The Vic Theater and only a few blocks away from Wrigley. I moved around a lot as a child and the only thing that was always there was WGN and the Cubs. I guess somehow I became an honorary Chicagoan. I've lived in many big cities, Atlanta, D.C., Philly, Chicago, Jacksonville and Orlando and with the exception of Orlando, Chicago is my second home. I've found a ton of Chicago connections here in Orlando. And as I mentioned, Devaney's Pub, on the corner of University Blvd. and Goldenrod., is just like being back in Chicago. They have a beef sandwich that rivals any in Chicagoland.

Oh boy. I used to go to the original Maggiano's in Chicago, before they sold it off to be a chain. Though it has been dumbed down a little bit, and there are still some better places in Orlando, they have a few meals that I love. When living in Atlanta a couple years ago, I was shocked when I saw a Maggiano's and even more shocked to learned they had gone national. It was just like being back in Chicago. Between Devaney's Pub, Maggiano's and Hot Dog Heaven, Chicago will have made it's way right into Orlando.

I lived in the Residence Inn located right next to Pointe Orlando for a month and walked my dogs every night around Pointe Orlando. It was always dead.

I drove down Church St. yesterday and the 55W site looks the same as it has for weeks. They have fences up and 55W posters in all of the windows of the old shops and they have dug up the ground in the old courtyards... that's it. No more demo-ing and there was no signs of life at 3:30 on a Monday.

Those dopes. They'd rather develop new and let I-Drive rot instead of renovating. Tsk, tsk...

Club Paris is in the Ballroom at Church Street??

You expected the Superchannel people to have good taste?

Wow! With all the other restaraunts and shopping right there, another new upscale center wouldn't be back. I work right up the street and eat at those places for lunch often. While we are talking about this area, does anyone know if there is plans for redeveloping the area on the east side of Kirkman, where the Mystery Fun House is? There is a large hotel and convention center next to Mystery Fun House that has been closed for a while. Who used to own that hotel?

Yup. Start tearing up the area just west of I-4, right in the center of downtown.

Ahhhh.... I was thinking of those vacant lots between I-Drive and Universal Drive right next to Pointe Orlando and Wonderworks. I was thinking this was working with a renovation of Pointe Orlando to boost the entire area. Why has Pointe Orlando failed so miserably? Half of the places are vacant, the restaraunts don't get much business and the shops are empty... It's really kind of sad for such a great facility.

Awsome. After FAO Schwarz leaving, Pointe Orlando could use a boost.