Category Archives: Ivanhoe Village

February 13, 2013 · 9:29 pm

The Greek Corner

Last weekend, we took advantage of the great weather and grabbed lunch outside with Kevin’s boss, husband and adorable daughter. We settled on The Greek Corner, a small authentic Greek in Ivanhoe Village. They have a nice outdoor patio for us to soak up the weather.

I had a craving for stuffed grape leaves, and I was pretty excited by the large portion that came out.

The Greek Corner-Dolma Thakia

I loved the savory lemony rice with the texture of the grape leaves. I could munch on these all day.

The Greek Corner’s menu is kind of limited, but they did have a lot of tasty looking options. (Although they didn’t have falafel, which I had a craving for.) I usually opt for the gyro when eating Greek but decided I was craving a slightly lighter protein so I ordered the chicken souvlaki.

The Greek Corner-Chicken Souvlaki

Holy tzatziki! The pita came overflowing with grilled chicken onions, tomatoes and plenty of tzatziki sauce. Sometimes tzatziki sauce just tastes like sour cream or yogurt, but their sauce was really flavorful and tasted homemade. I ended up dipping my fries in some of my excess sauce. It was addicting. The chicken was also really well seasoned and moist.

Not only is tomorrow Valentine’s Day but it’s also my last evening with Kevin for a few days. I’ll be gone this weekend celebrating one of my best friends Sarah at her bachelorette weekend festivities. She was one of my amazing bridesmaids, and I’m so excited and honored to return the favor.

Sarah and I

Sarah and I at my bachelorette party

I can’t wait for a fun girls’ weekend!

What are your Valentine’s Day plans? Kevin and I are pretty low key for V-day every year. I’m sure we’ll enjoy a relaxing evening in.

4 Comments

Filed under Greek, Ivanhoe Village, Lunch

January 30, 2012 · 10:13 pm

Return to White Wolf

Some people think that Parko looks like a wolf.

Parko

I don’t know if I see it.

Parko2

On Friday, Kevin and I went to White Wolf Café, which is named after the owner’s dog. On my first trip to White Wolf, I found the food to be good but way too salty. This time, thankfully, the chefs toned down on the sodium.

Kevin and I have new neighbors on the block who we’ve been getting to know. They’re really sweet and both Gator grads. They’re still getting to know Orlando, so we thought White Wolf would be a fun, eclectic place to show them. Plus, it’s in Ivanhoe Village, which is such a cute part of town lined with antique stores and unique shops.

I ordered their coconut tilapia, which was tilapia with coconut breading and a sweet pineapple curry sauce.

tilapia

The curry sauce was very sweet and reminded me of the tropics. I really enjoyed it. The tilapia was good but overcooked. Some parts of the breading were so overcooked that the knife couldn’t cut through.

Kevin ordered the filet, which was very tender and cooked perfectly.

filet

I hope our new neighbors enjoyed the evening out. I always feel so lucky that we live on such a great block with many great neighbors.

What’s your favorite part about where you live?

9 Comments

Filed under American, Ivanhoe Village

October 3, 2011 · 10:08 pm

Brian’s Restaurant

Brian’s Restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall diner in Ivanhoe Village that Kevin and I used to always go to for weekend breakfasts. However, they recently shut down for a few months to undergo renovations, and we were eager to try it upon its return.

Brian’s is one of my favorite breakfast places in Orlando, but to be honest I’m not really sure why. They have a really big menu and everything always tasted good, but their biscuits are always too dry and I always felt like the place was really dirty. Yet, we kept going back, so I guess they were doing something right.

The new Brian’s looked pretty much the same on the inside but definitely cleaner. Their menu changed slightly but nothing major. Brian’s is known for their cinnamon rolls, and we ordered a basket for the table.

cinnamon roll

These are an old reliable. They were just as delicious as I remember. The sugar on the edges caramelize and get crunchy like hard candy.

For breakfast, I ordered the smoked salmon and eggs.

smoked salmon and eggs

Their food doesn’t come out the prettiest, but it was good. The biscuit was still dried out, and the butter surrounding the grits prevented me from eating more than a couple bites, but the salmon and eggs were really delicious. I got to eat smoked salmon, so I consider my meal a success.

The rest of the table ordered typical breakfast fare.

French toast

pancakes

oatmeal

It was really fun to all get together over breakfast. We went with Kevin’s brother’s family and our next door neighbor who is a new mommy. Kevin’s nephew, who is 15 months, was so sweet with the newborn Audrie.

babies

Even sweeter than the cinnamon rolls.

Do you like dive restaurants? I definitely like to discover holes in the wall, but I have to do a silverware check. I need to make sure the silverware is clean or I get a little freaked out.

17 Comments

Filed under Breakfast, Ivanhoe Village

July 14, 2011 · 12:34 pm

The Pilates Loft

Today is the first vacation day I’ve taken this year! And I’m fully booked in my usual fashion. I started off my day with my first ever visit to The Pilates Loft in the Ivanhoe Village (but actually off Alden Road). My good friend Alia, whom I met at both of our first jobs out of college, decided to leave the PR industry to pursue her passion for becoming a pilates instructor after she started going to The Pilates Loft regularly.

Alia’s always been fit (she’s a marathon runner!), but I’ve seen her really tone up and become extremely lean and strong since she started pilates.

The Pilates Loft offers traditional pilates classes and instruction using both mats and pilates equipment. Alia is currently a pilates apprentice and working toward her official pilates certification. I met up with her this morning for a private session.

I was a little nervous before heading out the door. I have seen the equipment before, and it can look very intimidating.

The class was awesome. A private session is great for first-timers because I learned how to use the equipment, the proper form and the terminology. I’ve done mat pilates before, but it made the workout more impactful to have Alia tell me what muscles I needed to be engaging and what I shouldn’t be engaging during certain moves. I think I would need a few more private sessions to get fully comfortable before jumping into a group class.

All of the moves engage your core, and I was surprised by what a sweat I worked up.

The classes are a little pricey, so I would need to figure out how it would supplement my gym membership.

I left feeling like I got a great workout, and I would definitely recommend it for lengthening and building up core strength.

Alia and Chelsea, The Pilates Loft’s two apprentices

 

Alia and I after my private session

 

Have you ever used pilates equipment?

Today I have plans to go shopping with my sister then out to dinner with my girlfriends, and tomorrow Kevin and I are headed off for a mini beach getaway! I’m very excited to head to the coast and relax with my man.

7 Comments

Filed under Fitness, Ivanhoe Village

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July 1, 2011 · 8:48 pm

Ethos Vegan Kitchen

Although I don’t mind going meatless for occasional meals, I’ve never eaten a full vegan meal before. I don’t think my vegan biscuit quite counts as a full meal.

Knowing that my friend Shelly is a vegetarian, I reached out to her to be my go-to person to introduce me to Ethos Vegan Kitchen in Ivanhoe Village. I heard the food was good, and I was excited to try something new and different.

First of all, the restaurant is a great space. They have a spacious covered outdoor dining area and upon walking inside, it almost feels like you’re walking into someone’s house. It’s very warm and cozy. They have daily specials and a bakery.

I ordered the coconut curry wrap, which was tofu in a curry sauce with celery, raisins, walnuts, coconut and lettuce in a gluten-free spinach tortilla. For my side, I selected the cole slaw.

Shelly ordered their special of the day: hard shell tacos.

Shelly also ordered a double chocolate chip cookie for us to share.

My wrap was delicious, and the serving size was more than generous. I’m always slightly sad when I eat tofu out because it tastes so much better than when I make it at home. How do they get it so crispy? The sauce was really good with a subtle spice, and the raisins perfectly balanced the curry taste. I wasn’t a huge fan of the cole slaw. I thought it was a little bland and the cabbage was drowning in sauce.

The cookie was amazing. It actually tasted more like a brownie and was the perfect sweet ending to the meal. I’m excited to return to try their black bean burgers and brunch menu.

Any tips for cooking tofu? What’s your favorite vegetarian or vegan dish?

3 Comments

Filed under Ivanhoe Village, Vegan

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