Category Archives: College Park

September 8, 2012 · 9:38 am

Les Petits Pleasures

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I love all the savory dishes. I’m just terrible at waking up for breakfast. Yes, I’m 26 years old and still need for force myself to wake up at a respectable time. This is precisely why places that serve breakfast late or all day are my favorite kinds of places.

Les Petits Pleasures in College Park is a small bakery and French diner that serves breakfast all day and week (except they are closed Tuesdays) in addition to lunch and dinner offerings. Their prices are very reasonable, and as an added bonus, the French chefs can be heard singing in French from the kitchen.

Kevin and I stopped by for a late breakfast a couple weekends ago. It’s a small quick-service restaurant with limited seating and decorated in quaint and cozy French decor. Kevin and I each ordered a croissant in addition to our breakfasts because we had heard such good things about them.

Les Petits Pleasures-Croissant

It did not disappoint. From the outside, it looks like any typical croissant, but this was extremely buttery with a perfectly flakey outside and chewy and doughy inside. I would love to grab a bunch one morning just to have at the house. They also offer many other pastries, including chocolate croissants and bear claws.

They are a small establishment that can get very busy and backed up, so it took a little longer than anticipated for our food to come out. We happily munched on our croissants while we waited.

Kevin ordered their French toast, which he really enjoyed.

Les Petits Pleasures-French Toast

I ordered the croque madame, a ham, cheese and béchamel sandwich that is grilled then topped with a fried egg. The yolk drips all over the sandwich making every bit extra creamy and savory. It came with a side salad.

Les Petits Pleasures-Croque Madame

My sandwich was very filling and very delicious. Les Petits pleasures offers many types of sandwiches (including breakfast sandwiches), omelets, crepes, quiches and great coffee.

This may give me more reason to be excited about waking up early for breakfast.

Are you a naturally early riser? I could probably sleep all day if nothing woke me up.

1 Comment

Filed under Bakery, Breakfast, College Park, French

June 10, 2012 · 4:04 pm

K Restaurant

K Restaurant in College Park occupies an old house. Kevin Fonzo, chef and owner, took the backyard and converted it into an herb and vegetable garden where many of the menu’s ingredients come from. K Restaurant has won many local awards and tops many Orlando dining lists.

Kevin and I met up with some friends on Friday evening to try out the menu, which changes daily. They also serve brunch and lunch.

Our meal began with bread and butter for the table. The butter contained herbs from the garden, which gave it a sweet and complex taste. It tasted great with the crusty bread.

K Restaurant - Bread and Herb Butter

I started out with the wild mushroom tart appetizer, which truly set the stage for a fresh and flavorful meal.

K Restaurant - Wild Mushroom Tart

The crust was light, flakey and buttery. The mushrooms were beefy and held their own. The arugula and roasted tomatoes popped with flavor and tasted fresh from the garden.

For my main course, I ordered ricotta gnocci in a Bolognese sauce.

K Restaurant - Ricotta Gnocchi

The portion was massive, and the pillows of potato and ricotta soaked up the chunky sauce. The huge pieces of pork and baby tomatoes gave the sauce a nice, hearty texture. I ate so much yet barely made a dent in the huge serving.

Kevin ordered the filet mignon over potatoes gratin in a red wine sauce. He said it was one of the best cuts of steak he’s ever had. I snuck a bite. The reduced wine sauce was velvety and decadent.

K Restaurant - Filet Mignon

Also ordered at the table: tempura morels with truffle aioli.

K Restaurant - Morels

They always offer a mac and cheese entree, which always changes. This evenings’ selection was made with three cheeses, sausage and olives. So rich but so delicious.

K Restaurant - Mac and Cheese

Tomato salad with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella.

K Restaurant - Salad

Chocolate lava cake capped off our meal. Their dessert menu is also very extensive and everything looked amazing.

K Restaurant - Lava Cake

K Restaurant has a great atmosphere in the old house with a great menu and wine list. Most of their ingredients are locally sourced from small businesses, so you can also know you’re ordering straight from the community. I can’t wait to try their brunch next.

8 Comments

Filed under College Park

April 26, 2012 · 7:24 pm

Pad Thai times two

My workout playlists are so embarrassing (but awesome). Actually, my taste in music in general is pretty much the same (Kevin would disagree on the “awesome” part).

Confession: all week I’ve been working out to the Backstreet Boys station on Pandora.

Confession: I miss 90s pop music.

Pandora

This week has been full of lunches out with friends, and I have been satiating a serious Pad Thai craving. On Monday, the craving hit, so I went to Thai Café with my friend Katie. We started out with some chicken on skewers. The chicken was coated in curry and had a peanut glaze on them.

Thai Cafe - Chicken Skewers

The chicken was really tender, and the extra side of peanut sauce was a nice addition. Peanut sauce is pretty much a nice addition to anything. My Pad Thai came with a salad with ginger dressing. I ordered my Pad Thai at medium spiciness and with tofu. The noodles definitely had a kick.

Thai Cafe - Ginger Salad

Thai Cafe - Pad Thai

Then on Tuesday I chipped away at the craving again with a trip to Bento with my neighbor Joe. We’re also work neighbors, which makes for perfect lunch buddies.

Bento - Pad Thai

I actually ordered the Pad Thai as a brown rice bowl, and I really liked the heartiness the rice gave the dish. There were still noodles, but the combination was nice. Bento’s Pad Thai is a sweeter dish than Thai Café. The flavor I prefer usually just depends on my mood. I did really enjoy the green onions in Bento’s Pad Thai.

Today Kevin and his brothers are preparing for the NFL draft, which made it the perfect day for me to get a manicure. I went to The Beauty Spot in College Park, and they did a great job. We have our engagement photo shoot tomorrow, so I felt like I should do something with my nails.

nails

I don’t often get my nails done because I’m a nail biter, but it was a nice treat.

I’m off to join the boys for draft festivities. Have a great evening!

Are you watching the NFL draft tonight?

How often do you get manicures?

8 Comments

Filed under Asian, College Park, Downtown Orlando, Thai

December 27, 2011 · 9:49 am

Post-Christmas

We made it through Christmas! Kevin and I had a two-day extravaganza split between both of our families. I hope you were able to share the season with those dear to you.

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Last year, Kevin and I started a tradition where every Dec. 26, we go out to breakfast with just the two of us to decompress. I love that Kevin and I are starting our own traditions, and breakfast on the day after Christmas is just a great way to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

This year, we headed to Christo’s Café in College Park. I ordered two eggs over medium with corned beef hash, biscuits and grits. Their biscuits are some of the best I’ve had in Orlando. They put them on the griddle, so the outside is grilled and crispy and the inside is nice and fluffy.

my plate

Kevin ordered two eggs scrambled, hash browns, bacon and toast.

Kevin's plate

It was the perfect ending to the holiday weekend.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

12 Comments

Filed under Breakfast, College Park, Holiday

July 6, 2011 · 8:58 pm

Christo’s Café

Almost two weeks ago, I posed a question on Twitter to my fellow Orlando-ians asking them their favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the area. I got a lot of great suggestions I want to try, and one of the overwhelming favorites was Christo’s Café.

Christo’s is a freestanding diner off Edgewater Drive in College Park. It’s a small space, and the tables are close together. Kevin and I went for breakfast, and the place was crowded, but luckily we didn’t have to wait for a table. They serve classic breakfast dishes at extremely reasonable prices.

I ordered a cup of coffee and two eggs over medium with corned beef hash, grits and a biscuit. The coffee was very watery and the flavor was off, but everything else tasted great. The biscuits are light on the inside with a nice crusty edge. None of the food was too greasy or heavy.

Kevin couldn’t decide between an egg dish or French toast, so he went with both. Our waiter was great and put together a nice platter for him of scrambled eggs, bacon, a grilled biscuit, home fries and the French toast on the side. I snuck some bites, and the French toast was really good. It had a nice crunch where the bread touched the griddle.