Category Archives: East Orlando

January 13, 2013 · 7:02 pm

Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries

Burgers are to Kevin what sushi is to me. High expectations are involved, and it’s incredibly sad when the end product falls short. Unfortunately, our experience at Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries just didn’t impress. Boardwalk is a quick-serve hamburger chain with many options. You choose your bun type, burger type, toppings and sauces. They’re located on East Colonial near the Fashion Square Mall.

Our trip may have been slightly tainted from the beginning because the man taking our order was very terse and just seemed to have a lot of attitude. After placing our order, it seemed to take quite awhile for the food to arrive, and when it did, there was nothing spectacular about our lunch.

Their hamburgers were bland in the flavor department.

Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries-Hamburger

I ordered their black bean burger on a whole wheat bun. I was really pleased that they had this option for a lighter choice. The bean burger has chunks of whole black beans and onions. This burger also didn’t have a lot of flavor, which was surprising since I could see all the onions inside.

Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries-Black Bean Burger

Their fries also didn’t taste very fresh. Hopefully we just had one bad experience and this isn’t indicative of their usual level of service or quality.

I can’t believe the weekend is already over (as I usually feel on Sundays). I’m busy gawking at the Golden Globes red carpet overage. I’m loving all the ball gowns!

Congrats to everyone who participated in the Disney marathon and the Color Run! I’m so jealous of everyone’s post-race photos. Maybe one of these days I’ll get the courage to sign up for one myself!

What is your favorite burger place?

2 Comments

Filed under American, Burgers, East Orlando

December 28, 2012 · 7:26 pm

Sushi Pop

Recently, my sister moved back to Orlando, and I’ve been so excited to have her nearby. It was great to have her around during the final stages of my wedding planning and I just love being able to see her more often. A few weeks ago, we met over on her side of town in Oviedo to give Sushi Pop a try. I had heard mixed reviews, and I was excited to try a place that I heard pushes the envelope and likes to throw creative twists on their dishes. The place was hopping due to reservations, which I found surprising for a weekday evening. Kathryn and I sat at the sushi bar to give the tables to the bigger parties and to ensure quicker seating. We started out with an order of shrimp and crab potstickers.

Sushi Pop-Shrimp and Crab Potstickers

The potstickers were surprisingly light and not greasy. The filling was very flavorful. The potstickers were a great teaser for the main course: sushi, of course. My sister loves sushi just as much as I do, so we ordered a few rolls to share.

Sushi Pop-Rolls

Like I mentioned, Sushi Pop likes to push the envelope and come up with unique combinations. There are very few traditional rolls.

For example the “Hot Mess” (far right in the photo) has smoked salmon, avocado and tempura flakes with honey kabayaki, topped with baked tuna, salmon, yellowtail, flounder, spicy mayo, smelt roe, chives and rendered bacon. Yes, bacon.

All of the rolls just have really unique flavor combinations. One had pickles, and another had a very strong citrus-y flavor. I really liked all the rolls, but I think because the flavors were so unexpected from sushi, it didn’t quite satisfy my sushi craving. I thought there was just too much going on. I think I would return if someone wanted to meet up there, but I don’t know if I’d suggest it as my first choice for sushi. Who knew I was so traditional?

Even their soy sauce dispensers were different.

Sushi Pop-Soy Sauce

I do want to try some of their non-sushi dishes. The potstickers were delicious, and I think their culinary creativity would be better appreciated in a normal dish as opposed to a sushi roll.

I’m glad I got to experience Sushi Pop, and it’s nice to know that Oviedo is getting some new restaurants.

What is your favorite sushi ingredient? I’m sure some people love bacon in their sushi!

2 Comments

Filed under East Orlando, Japanese, Sushi

July 1, 2012 · 12:57 pm

Garibaldi

Thank you for all the support for my friend. It has been a long week, but every day there has been small victories. I believe in the power of positivity and prayer, and I really think he’s going to pull through this in part due to how supportive everyone in his life is. Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts.

Last week, a few of us went to Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant on Semoran Boulevard after hearing that people love it. I learned that there are two Garibaldi restaurants in Orlando, but they are no longer affiliated. This was supposedly the better of the two.

The restaurant looks authentic and had all the makings of a good Mexican restaurant. It’s a small hole in the wall, and the menu had a lot of variety.

Kevin ordered steak fajitas (minus the peppers), which he really liked.

Gardibaldi - Steak Fajitas

I actually took his leftovers and ate the steak with scrambled eggs the next evening for dinner. There was a lot of seasoning and flavor, which made the steak taste even better the next day.

Our friend Bryan ordered cheese enchiladas that were topped with shredded pork. He really enjoyed the flavor of the pork.

Garibaldi - Enchiladas

I ordered an enchilada platter that had a variety of different types of enchiladas: cheese, bean, chicken and beef.

Garibaldi - Enchiladas 2

I think I may have misordered because my food was not nearly as flavorful as my dining companions’. The fillings in the enchiladas were very bland. The cheese enchilada ended up being the most flavorful. There was also really no enchilada sauce, which contributed to the blandness. I was really disappointed in my meal, but it seems like they do have some good items on the menu. I just need to find them next time.

I’m still on the search for a good Mexican meal that hits the spot.

I hope you had a great weekend. This workweek is a little different because we get Wednesday off for 4th of July, which will be a nice mid-week break but I’m sure it will feel strange.

How will you be celebrating the 4th?

9 Comments

Filed under East Orlando, Mexican

April 28, 2012 · 12:45 pm

Engagement photos teaser

Yesterday Kevin and I had our engagement photo session!

So what was Kevin’s and my vision for the photos that would most represent us as a couple and our undying love for each other? What would be the scene to build up to the most romantic and happiest day of our lives? Here’s a hint:

The Carnage

Of course food would be involved. About one year ago, I first blogged about Bite Hot Dog Company, owned by the same team as Jeremiah’s Italian Ice. I fell in love with their food and the décor of the restaurant. When it came around to choosing an engagement photo location, Bite immediately came to mind. Their chrome, bright red and black walls would make for a bold and modern backdrop, and Kevin and I used to grab hot dogs a lot when we first starting dating (clearly, he knew the way to my heart). We wanted something fun and non-traditional, which is pretty much our goal for everything surrounding our wedding planning.

The engagement photos went so much better than I could have even imagined.

I really don’t like having my picture taken because I feel so awkward, but our photographer Kellie did an amazing job making us feel comfortable and at ease. She’s fun and a total nerd like us, which made the photo shoot a blast.

With Kellie

Not only was Kellie awesome, but the Bite staff was incredible. Kevin’s brother/best man Stephen orchestrated the whole thing. He’s friends with the Bite owners and reached out to them to see if we could shoot there. The Bite staff was more than accommodating. Devin and Vinny made sure we had everything we needed and truly went above and beyond. I’m still in awe over what great people we have in our lives.

With the Bite Crew

Devin, who did all of the awesome artwork on the walls of Bite and does all the artwork and logos for Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, even designed a card for us just for the day.

Card

How awesome is that? I’m pretty obsessed. We’ll probably get the professional photos back from Kellie in a couple weeks, which I’ll be sure to share. Another added bonus about the day was that we got to try Bite’s new, expanded menu, which has grown beyond just hot dogs to include burgers, including a vegetarian Portobello burger. They also have milkshakes, which are made from the same delicious ice cream found at Jeremiah’s.

Shakes

The milkshakes were unbelievable. They were thick and rich.

The shoot ended up being so much fun, and it really wouldn’t have been nearly as wonderful without Stephen, Kellie, Devin and Vinny. Kevin’s other brother Nick also joined us for the shoot, which was perfect. I’m so glad we got to share in the experience with Kevin’s brothers.

I can’t wait to see the final photos and have some professional pictures of us to use. The majority of my photos of Kevin look like this:

Excited Kevin

This morning we went over to Sweet to finalize the order for our wedding cupcakes. Of course, we couldn’t leave empty-handed. Everything is really moving along in terms of wedding planning.

Sweet Cupcakes

If you had engagement photos taken, where did you take them?

Or, where would you like to take them?

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Filed under American, Burgers, East Orlando, Hot Dogs, Wedding

March 19, 2012 · 9:12 pm

Peep wars

Kevin and I had a great time celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day.

Saint Patrick's Day

We went out with friends to Wall Street in downtown Orlando, drank American beer and ate Mexican food. It was a really fun evening.

I was moving a little slowly on Sunday, but we made it out to Waterford Lakes in East Orlando to meet my parents and sister for lunch at Keke’s—the perfect recovery food. I ordered a grilled buffalo chicken wrap with blue cheese dressing in a whole wheat tortilla with sweet potato fries.

Keke's - Buffalo Chicken Wrap

I love Keke’s because its food is a lot lighter than most other places. The sweet potato fries really hit the spot.

Also ordered at the table were two egg white omelets, a cheeseburger and French toast. We had quite the assortment of foods.

Keke's - Egg white omelet

Keke's - Cheeseburger

Keke's - French toast

After lunch, Kevin and I stopped by Publix and came home with a ton of groceries, including two boxes of Peeps. Peeps kind of gross me out, but these Peeps weren’t for eating…they were purchased solely for dueling.

Peep wars

That’s right…PEEP WARS (apparently, that’s a thing?).

Basically, you take two Peeps, put a toothpick in the side of each and microwave them (causing them to grow) until one toothpick deflates the other Peep. It was a battle royale, and since I’m the most competitive person on the planet, I wasn’t about to let my Peep lose without a fight.

Peep wars 2