Orlando Restaurants & Bars

[AmIReal]

I got a chance to check out the new Delaney Hotel and Tavern. I'm very impressed with what Dr. Winters pulled off with this renovation- it is really well done. The bar is huge (22 seats) with additional bar area seating and it is beautiful. The dining area is really nice (I prefer the bar) and the rooms are swanky mod style. They were operating a limited bar program so I didn't get to test the bartenders abilities and I never made it over to sample food. However, the Executive Chef came from Santiago's and he seems to have put together a nice menu- not cheap, not overpriced, but about where I would expect in a high quality tavern.

I heard they were having the first hotel guest tonight and have Grand Opening scheduled for 9/5. I assume they will run soft opening between now and then, but staff was tight lipped and would  not verify.

I'm hopeful they pull this off. The previous iterations were poorly conceived, executed and timed, but everything about this one seems to fit. 

Cross posting in Sodo section.

Edited August 22, 2019 by AmIReal

[spenser1058]

OMG, I want some of these! JFW, please get me some for my birthday:

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2019/08/22/youve-never-heard-of-this-underrated-disney-world-appetizer-but-you-need-it-in-your-life/

From Disney Food Blog 

[spenser1058]

Mark at The Daily City reports the Wellborn Restaurant and Bar are now open.

Great to see this Deco gem next to the Dr Phillips House back up and running!

https://www.thedailycity.com/post/wellborn-hotel-orlando-downtown

[AmIReal]

News for the NQ, according to OW a bagel place will go into the Two Chefs location on Magnolia. Bagel World is a New Smyrna company so maybe some our NSB regulars can provide details.

Also for the Mills area, the long awaited Tori Tori , from the Domu clan, is soon to open. 

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2019/08/27/bagel-world-moving-into-former-two-chefs-seafood-space-on-magnolia-drive

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2019/08/26/mills-50-japanese-pub-tori-tori-opening-in-the-coming-weeks

[jgardnerucf]

1 hour ago, AmIReal said:

to OW a bagel place will go into the Two Chefs location on Magnolia. Bagel World is a New Smyrna company so maybe

Toughy location for walkability, too bad they couldn't get closer to deposable income and 7500 students a few blocks away.

...peering out window watching cars fly by just wanting to sell a bagel or 2 and not have to shoo bums of the porch...

[spenser1058]

27 minutes ago, jgardnerucf said:

Toughy location for walkability, too bad they couldn't get closer to deposable income and 7500 students a few blocks away.

...peering out window watching cars fly by just wanting to sell a bagel or 2 and not have to shoo bums of the porch...

And to think the Lunch Basket used to have a line every day. 

But then a good meat loaf sammich beats a bagel any day (unless you’re vegan, of course).

[AmIReal]

This one goes out to Spenser... https://thetakeout.com/revisiting-long-john-silvers-1837588160

 

[jgardnerucf]

4 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

a good meat loaf sammich beats a bagel

You just gave me an idea, meatloaf on a bagel.   :-)

[popsiclebrandon]

21 hours ago, AmIReal said:

News for the NQ, according to OW a bagel place will go into the Two Chefs location on Magnolia. Bagel World is a New Smyrna company so maybe some our NSB regulars can provide details.

Also for the Mills area, the long awaited Tori Tori , from the Domu clan, is soon to open. 

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2019/08/27/bagel-world-moving-into-former-two-chefs-seafood-space-on-magnolia-drive

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2019/08/26/mills-50-japanese-pub-tori-tori-opening-in-the-coming-weeks

I knew the V Group guys bought this building a bit ago and were looking for tenants/concepts. They already owned this so makes sense. Feels like a placeholder while they figure things out with the building.

[AmIReal]

So we have another shot at the brewery space that was OCB. Motorworks out of Bradenton will take over the space and include coffee roasting and package (beer). They've actually done pretty well on the coast and have decent distribution so hopefully they can make it work here. Brendan's article mentions they'll fire up the wood pizza oven, but no mention if Orlando Meats will be involved.

https://bungalower.com/2019/09/02/new-brewery-moving-into-ocb-space-downtown/

 

[orlandoguy]

Great news! It'd be awesome if Orlando Meats remained in charge of the food stall.

[dcluley98]

Motorworks is a fantastic brewery. From my hometown area, and they had a public tasting bar and backyard beergarden. Award winning beers with a large variety and seasonals as well that they served only in house. 

[nite owℓ]

Is it time for the city to allow a new a new restaurant/establishment to lease the Relax Grill space?

I don't consider them an amenity and personally I've always been wary about eating there... This only confirms my suspicion about their cleanliness: https://www.thedailycity.com/post/lake-eola-restaurant-relax-grill

[spenser1058]

30 minutes ago, nite owℓ said:

Is it time for the city to allow a new a new restaurant/establishment to lease the Relax Grill space?

I don't consider them an amenity and personally I've always been wary about eating there... This only confirms my suspicion about their cleanliness: https://www.thedailycity.com/post/lake-eola-restaurant-relax-grill

I would not eat anything there. Having said that, the city probably needs to think about redoing the building to get anything serious in there.

I always wondered how you could try to run a restaurant in a space made for selling ice cream cones and Cokes.

This is probably way too small to ever register on Big Project Buddy’s radar. A call might be in order to Commissioner Patty. She’s been showing quite a bit of spunk lately.

[popsiclebrandon]

Be nice to see a serious operator running it but don't think it ever happens unless the city is willing to help pay for big renovations.

I'll never eat there even if you paid me.

[AndyPok1]

The beer is fine and its a scenic location and a few years back they finished up the second bar.  I wouldn't be opposed to something better, but that's gonna take city investment.

[nite owℓ]

I've probably been there like 2-3 times as an innocent/weary passerby with friends, but the last time I was there (which was years ago) I remember making a mental note that it would be my last time going there. Relax Grill has gotten too comfortable so it's time for something new to go into that space... someone with a vision to make it a real amenity/attraction to the park and not just a place you go to out of convenience. Does the city even allow other businesses to submit proposals when renewals come up??

@spenser1058 Take us on a trip down history lane... I've seen retro postcards that showed the original site used to be a mini-garden labyrinth, but do you recall what other businesses have operated out of the space prior to Relax Grill?

 

23 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

This is probably way too small to ever register on Big Project Buddy’s radar. A call might be in order to Commissioner Patty. She’s been showing quite a bit of spunk lately.

LOL was that subtle shade?   Curious... have you ever considered running for commissioner? I know you're big into politics and live in the area.

[spenser1058]

There have been a couple of sit down spots prior to Relax Grill (most concentrated on beer and wine, though).

For most of the time I remember, it was just an ice cream stand. TBH, ever since WoB added outdoor seating and went to a bar-food type menu, I think Relax Grill is rowing upstream.

I think fast food with beer and wine makes more sense over there.

Back when Patty first ran, I was also toying with running for city council. No one knew back then if an out gay or lesbian candidate could succeed (Orlando is a very different place for LGBT+ folks now than it was in the ‘90’s), but all the research we did indicated that a lesbian would be more acceptable to older voters than a gay male.

(That appears to have been correct as a gay male has yet to ascend - even a well-connected FFO was unable to bestRobert Stuart over in College Park).

At the time, Patty was saying she only planned to stay a couple of terms. She also had some personal challenges (which she has since overcome, I’m proud to say) that led us to believe that, even if she could win, she wouldn’t last.

Instead, she stayed and still has a loyal base of support that would be hard to get past. Although I’d like to see more activism on the council, especially since we seem to have a mayor-for-life now, the opportunity seems to not be there in the district.

So, perhaps, as WKIS talk show host Gene Burns used to say when asked to run, “I’d rather be the gadfly on the horse’s behind than the horse’s behind.” For now, the politician in the family shall remain Cousin Rusty, Mayor of Ocoee.

 

[AmIReal]

37 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

There have been a couple of sit down spots prior to Relax Grill (most concentrated on beer and wine, though).

For most of the time I remember, it was just an ice cream stand. TBH, ever since WoB added outdoor seating and went to a bar-food type menu, I think Relax Grill is rowing upstream.

I think fast food with beer and wine makes more sense over there.

Back when Patty first ran, I was also toying with running for city council. No one knew back then if an out gay or lesbian candidate could succeed (Orlando is a very different place for LGBT+ folks now than it was in the ‘90’s), but all the research we did indicated that a lesbian would be more acceptable to older voters than a gay male.

(That appears to have been correct as a gay male has yet to ascend - even a well-connected FFO was unable to bestRobert Stuart over in College Park).

At the time, Patty was saying she only planned to stay a couple of terms. She also had some personal challenges (which she has since overcome, I’m proud to say) that led us to believe that, even if she could win, she wouldn’t last.

Instead, she stayed and still has a loyal base of support that would be hard to get past. Although I’d like to see more activism on the council, especially since we seem to have a mayor-for-life now, the opportunity seems to not be there in the district.

So, perhaps, as WKIS talk show host Gene Burns used to say when asked to run, “I’d rather be the gadfly on the horse’s behind than the horse’s behind.” For now, the politician in the family shall remain Cousin Rusty, Mayor of Ocoee.

 

You would be great, but maybe you have a higher calling...

Captain D's Offers Franchise Opportunities In Central Florida

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/captain-ds-offers-franchise-opportunities-in-central-florida/ar-AAGVdaL?ocid=spartanntp

 

[spenser1058]

3 hours ago, AmIReal said:

You would be great, but maybe you have a higher calling...

Captain D's Offers Franchise Opportunities In Central Florida

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/captain-ds-offers-franchise-opportunities-in-central-florida/ar-AAGVdaL?ocid=spartanntp

 

JFW, are we ready to give it a go!?!

[AndyPok1]

4 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

There have been a couple of sit down spots prior to Relax Grill (most concentrated on beer and wine, though).

For most of the time I remember, it was just an ice cream stand. TBH, ever since WoB added outdoor seating and went to a bar-food type menu, I think Relax Grill is rowing upstream.

I think fast food with beer and wine makes more sense over there.

Back when Patty first ran, I was also toying with running for city council. No one knew back then if an out gay or lesbian candidate could succeed (Orlando is a very different place for LGBT+ folks now than it was in the ‘90’s), but all the research we did indicated that a lesbian would be more acceptable to older voters than a gay male.

(That appears to have been correct as a gay male has yet to ascend - even a well-connected FFO was unable to bestRobert Stuart over in College Park).

At the time, Patty was saying she only planned to stay a couple of terms. She also had some personal challenges (which she has since overcome, I’m proud to say) that led us to believe that, even if she could win, she wouldn’t last.

Instead, she stayed and still has a loyal base of support that would be hard to get past. Although I’d like to see more activism on the council, especially since we seem to have a mayor-for-life now, the opportunity seems to not be there in the district.

So, perhaps, as WKIS talk show host Gene Burns used to say when asked to run, “I’d rather be the gadfly on the horse’s behind than the horse’s behind.” For now, the politician in the family shall remain Cousin Rusty, Mayor of Ocoee.

 

Yeah, when living at 55 West I briefly looked into the District 5 seat, since because of silly boundaries, the downtown high rises are part of the Parramore district which leads to an odd council representative since the two constituencies have vastly divergent priorities. Turnout is so low that you could practically win the seat solely by turning out the apartments and condo dwellers, but it'd be a very fine line to walk based on the perception.

Since moving to Wadeview, I'm now firmly in Patty's district and attempting a run would be a fool's errand.

[nite owℓ]

On 9/8/2019 at 8:00 AM, spenser1058 said:

There have been a couple of sit down spots prior to Relax Grill (most concentrated on beer and wine, though).

For most of the time I remember, it was just an ice cream stand. TBH, ever since WoB added outdoor seating and went to a bar-food type menu, I think Relax Grill is rowing upstream.

I think fast food with beer and wine makes more sense over there.

Back when Patty first ran, I was also toying with running for city council. No one knew back then if an out gay or lesbian candidate could succeed (Orlando is a very different place for LGBT+ folks now than it was in the ‘90’s), but all the research we did indicated that a lesbian would be more acceptable to older voters than a gay male.

(That appears to have been correct as a gay male has yet to ascend - even a well-connected FFO was unable to bestRobert Stuart over in College Park).

At the time, Patty was saying she only planned to stay a couple of terms. She also had some personal challenges (which she has since overcome, I’m proud to say) that led us to believe that, even if she could win, she wouldn’t last.

Instead, she stayed and still has a loyal base of support that would be hard to get past. Although I’d like to see more activism on the council, especially since we seem to have a mayor-for-life now, the opportunity seems to not be there in the district.

So, perhaps, as WKIS talk show host Gene Burns used to say when asked to run, “I’d rather be the gadfly on the horse’s behind than the horse’s behind.” For now, the politician in the family shall remain Cousin Rusty, Mayor of Ocoee.

 

Yes, I vividly recall the social climate towards homosexuals in the 90's... Pat Robertson's comments about the gay pride flags on utility poles in Downtown Orlando are still burned into my memory. My family once backed out of buying a home after a Realtor "disclosed" that it was previously inhabited by gay men. A lot has changed since then and I'd hope our city could tolerate more than one "token minority" running for city council by now.

Did the data specify why a lesbian would be more acceptable than a gay male? Even if a gay male were to run, there is a way of running respectfully to Patty's legacy while highlighting key issues that make one's platform unique. Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren seem to honor the "do not disparage" pact harmoniously thus far, and Buttigieg seems to run as a politician who happens to be gay and not a "gay politician". I think most people lean towards policies over identity politics (except in the face of egregious injustice). Yes, I'm content with Buddy (and Patty)... but are there any serious contenders who could deliver more?

[Jernigan]

This replaces Beth’s.  I think it may even be open now but am not sure.  It’s been pretty under the radar 

[bqknight]

53 minutes ago, Jernigan said:

This replaces Beth’s.  I think it may even be open now but am not sure.  It’s been pretty under the radar 

Downtown Beth's? Or SoDo-ish Beth's?

[popsiclebrandon]

4 hours ago, Jernigan said:

This replaces Beth’s.  I think it may even be open now but am not sure.  It’s been pretty under the radar 

Is the name of the place Loading Zone? And that is their logo? Oy vey.