Category Archives: Quick Service

October 7, 2012 · 8:00 pm

Theo’s Kitchen

Nothing celebrates Friday like a lunch out with coworkers. On Friday my boss treated us to some Greek food at Theo’s Kitchen on Curry Ford Road. I had never been there before. The family-run quick-service restaurant is pretty unassuming located in a strip mall. They have a wide variety of Greek favorites on their menu.

I ordered the gyro supreme, which is a gyro wrap with tzatziki, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese. The wrap was huge with plenty of meat and fillings.

Theo's-Gyro Supreme

The meat was a little dry, but the flavors of the tzatziki made up for it. We also shared fries at the table, which were addicting. They were perfectly golden on the outside and still soft on the inside.

Also ordered at the table was their two-piece fried chicken special, which came with fries and a Greek side salad.

Theo's-2 piece chicken

Theo's-Side Salad

They seem to be known for their fried chicken. It was ordered by many patrons that day.

I thought that Theo’s was a good casual bite for some Greek food. Everything came out really fast, and the family manning the counter was very friendly.

Once again, this weekend went by way too quickly. We spent a lot of time with friends and was out and about more than usual. My birthday is on Thursday, which should also help this work week move along a little bit. It sort of snuck up on me. It doesn’t feel like it should be October yet!

How was your weekend?

5 Comments

Filed under Greek, Lunch, Quick Service

August 7, 2012 · 9:09 pm

Khasiyat

After hearing that I enjoy Indian food, my coworker offered to take me to her favorite hole-in-the-wall Indian place for some traditional Indian street food. She is Indian and said this place reminds her of her family’s cooking. How could I resist?

Hole in the wall is right. Khasiyat is located just south of downtown off of Lancaster Road, and it’s easy to miss. They don’t serve Indian food like what you might be used to. They are a vegetarian restaurant that serves less formal Indian cuisine, almost like fast food. It’s a very simple place and looks like a dive, but the food was so good and different from any Indian food I had ever had. The food is served on paper plates, and you get plastic silverware, but the service was really friendly and I don’t need fancy utensils.

The meat was definitely not missed. Everything had layers of flavor. I was glad Anita was with me to help me navigate the menu. A large portion of their offerings are “Bites,” meant for sharing like tapas. We ordered three of these bites, and it was plenty of food. I left stuffed, despite the food being lighter than typical Indian curries.

Bhel Pure

Khasiyat-Bhel Pure

I start with my favorite dish (although all were wonderful). This was a bowl of puffed rice, poori (wheat bread), sev (very thin noodles made of flour), onions and chutney. I was eating this by the spoonful. It was very crunchy but also thick and hearty. The texture made it so much fun to eat. Even the onions were crunchy.

Samosa Chaat

Khasiyat-Samosa Chaat

Here they take two fried samosas, filled with potatoes and peas, and mash them to form the base of the dish. Then they topped the mashed deliciousness with yogurt, lentils, chickpeas, onions and various chutneys. I was familiar with samosas, but I had no idea they could be used this way. The flakey crust soaked up all the toppings, and everything melted together so well.

Sev Puri

Khasiyat-Sev Puri

These are bite-sized bread puffs stuffed with spices, lentils and yogurt and topped with sev. I was instructed to pop the whole pocket in my mouth. It was a lot but tasted really good. The spices heated my whole throat, but the yogurt cooled everything down.

I really enjoyed my experience trying the other side of Indian cuisine. I loved all the uses of chickpeas and lentils and the many layers of spices throughout the dishes.

What is your favorite Indian dish?

7 Comments

Filed under Indian, Lunch, Quick Service, Vegetarian

August 1, 2012 · 6:45 pm

BurgerFi

BurgerFi, a franchise that boasts all-natural, grass-fed beef, just opened in Winter Park on the corner of Park Avenue and Fairbanks.

BurgerFi

This quick-service restaurant has a pretty basic menu of burgers and hot dogs with a variety of choices of toppings. The set-up is very reminiscent of Pine 22 but  without quite as many topping options. They have a number of locations around the country.

Kevin and I went to check out the newest burger joint to hit town, and the place was packed for a weekday. To accommodate a larger number of people, the tables were very close together, so be warned that you’ll be buddying up  next to your dining companions and neighbors.

Kevin ordered a double hamburger with grilled onions and lettuce. He said that he enjoyed the burger but prefers both Five Guys and Pine 22.

BurgerFi Hamburger

I ordered their VegeFi burger, which is a quinoa burger with cheddar cheese and toppings on a multi-grain bun.

BurgerFi VegeFi Burger

I really loved my burger. It had a lot of flavor. The outside of the quinoa burger was crisp and the inside was creamy and full of flavor. The texture was really great and paired well with the cheese and bread. I also love Pine 22’s black bean burger, but I may prefer this vegetarian burger to Pine 22’s. It was that good.

My biggest qualm was that they don’t serve their food on plates, so you end up creating a placemat of napkins to eat on.

As a side, we ordered the Cry and Fries, a combo of onion rings and French fries meant to be shared.

BurgerFi Cry and Fries

Neither was anything spectacular. The onion rings were massive but very greasy. I only ate one before throwing in the towel.

BurgerFi is a nice option compared to all the pricier places lining Park Avenue, especially when you want a quick bite to eat. Rumor has it that their frozen custards are amazing.

What is your favorite type of burger? I love Hillstone’s veggie burger, and Kevin had an amazing burger in Arlington that was a combination of beef and pork.

11 Comments

Filed under American, Burgers, Park Ave, Quick Service, Winter Park

May 12, 2012 · 12:49 pm

Quarantined

After two days of being forced to work from home due to the electrical fire in our building, I’ve decided that I don’t know if I could have a job where I work from home everyday. I used to think it sounded like an ideal situation, but now I’m not so sure. For the record, Kevin thinks I’m nuts.

Sure, there are some worthwhile benefits to working from home:

  • It doesn’t matter how you look. You don’t need to fuss over your hair, make up or outfit choices. Pants are optional.
  • You have full access to your kitchen to make warm snacks and lunches.
  • There is zero commuting time.
  • I get to spend all day with the puppy.

Parko

However, by the time Kevin got home from work yesterday, I was pretty stir crazy. I just missed having that daily social interaction. I was still plugged in to everyone via email and conference calls, but I really missed the face-to-face conversations and just being surrounded by people. By 5 p.m. yesterday, I felt the same way I do when I’m sick and forced to stay in. I was in need of some human interaction.

Now I see why a lot of people who work from home will take their work to Starbucks or Panera. Sometimes it’s just nice to be near others even if you’re not directly interacting with them.

It’s nice to be able to work from home every once in awhile, but I’ll enjoy returning to the office on Monday.

Since I was obviously aching for fresh air by the time Kevin got home, we decided to go out to eat for dinner. We grabbed a quick dinner at Pei Wei. Even though it’s right near our house, I hadn’t been to Pei Wei in quite some time, and I was pleasantly surprised by their new soda machine.

Pei Wei - soda fountain

I’ve heard of these popping up in various places, but I had yet to play with one myself. I don’t usually order soda when I go out, but I couldn’t resist (I’m pretty sure that’s one of the marketing benefits of this machine). It’s a touch screen with a variety of Coke products to choose from. Once you choose your drink, you can choose a number of different flavors of that drink. I’m sure there’s hundreds of combinations. I rolled with a vanilla root beer. The only thing that weirded me out about the machine is the touch screen aspect. I don’t think I’d want to use this machine in a restaurant where I ate with my hands. I know it’s irrational, but for some reason, thinking about that grossed me out.

To eat, I ordered Mongolian tofu and vegetables with brown rice. They have a Diner’s Select menu where you get a main dish and a side, so I chose a veggie spring roll as my side. I love the Mongolian sauce. It’s very sweet.

Pei Wei - Mongolian Tofu and Vegetables

It doesn’t even feel like it should be the weekend since I’ve been home for the past two days, but it’s nice to not be working. Have a great Saturday!

Do you get antsy when you are stuck at home for awhile?

6 Comments

Filed under Asian, Chain Restaurant, Quick Service

December 8, 2011 · 10:14 pm

Mediterranean Blue

Happy Friday eve! Next Friday will be my last day in the office until 2012, so the weeks are feeling particularly long. I’m giddy with anticipation for some time off.

This week I was lucky enough to grab lunch with my good friend Erica, who is also engaged. We caught up on wedding planning and life planning over some delicious Greek food. Erica introduced me to a hole-in-the-wall Greek quick-service restaurant near downtown Orlando called Mediterranean Blue. It’s a really small place with a pretty simple menu of Greek salads and pita sandwiches.

Their website also boasts the “best gyro in Orlando.”

Instead of their famous gyro, I opted for the falafel pita.

falafel

The pita was loaded with tahini sauce, hummus, falafel patties, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. It was really delicious, and the falafel was so well seasoned. Falafel is one of my favorite things to order off any menu. I really should learn how to fry it up at home.

I also ordered their Greek fries, which are seasoned with salt and oregano. They were alarmingly addicting. I usually prefer my fries a little bit thinner (I’m definitely not a fan of wedge fries), but the oregano on these kept me munching on them.

fries

Mediterranean Blue has really great prices, and it’s a great quick lunch spot. I’m so thankful that Erica introduced me to it!

Speaking of wedding planning, Kevin and I have officially selected a date for our wedding. We’ll be getting married next December! In just about one year, I’ll be a “Mrs.”!

What is your favorite type of fries? I love shoestring…the skinnier, the better! However, I do have a soft spot for Chick-fil-a’s waffle fries.

9 Comments

Filed under Greek, Mediterranean, Quick Service, SoDo