Category Archives: SoDo

April 3, 2012 · 8:11 pm

Soup’s on

At what point is it too warm to eat soup? Temperatures around here have been hitting the upper 80s, but that didn’t stop my friend Erica or me yesterday at lunchtime. We met up at OLV in SoDo and the blasting A/C put soup on both our radars.

Erica went with tomato basil, and I got butternut squash.

OLV - Tomato Bisque

OLV - Butternut Squash Soup

It was nice to be able to taste some fall flavors again. The butternut squash soup was incredibly thick and sweet. OLV added shaved apples, which was a perfect tart touch.

For our main courses, Erica ordered the roasted turkey breast sandwich, and I ordered my usual smoked salmon wrap.

OLV - Deli Roasted Turkey

OLV - Salmon Wrap

One of my favorite things about OLV is the terra chips that come as a side option. They’re made from different vegetables and taste great.

I am officially hooked on working out in the mornings. I love having my evenings open and being done with my workout around the same time my alarm would have normally been ringing. Some days are more difficult than others, but after the first week, it really does get easier to wake up. I’m still debating between gyms, but at least I have my routine down.

Do you ever drink soup when it’s warm out?

6 Comments

Filed under Lunch, SoDo

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

September 29, 2011 · 9:08 pm

OLV

Today I grabbed lunch with my friends Katie and Erica to celebrate my engagement and to catch up. We are all scattered across town for work and decided meet up somewhat centrally in the SoDo area at OLV Cafe.

We started out with an order of empanadas for the table.

empanadas

They were really flavorful with a flaky crust. The dipping sauce was a roasted jalapeño sour cream, which was slightly spicy. These were a great pre-lunch snack.

For lunch, I ordered the smoked salmon wrap, which was amazing.

salmon wrap 

I can never get over how delicious smoked salmon is, and when I can get it piled high somewhere, I’m all about it.

I have to refrain from buying smoked salmon at the grocery store because it’s kind of pricey and I could demolish the whole thing in one serving.

The wrap contained the salmon, mixed greens, cucumbers, dill cream sauce and capers in a garlic herb tortilla. There was so much flavor, and the wrap was very filling. The wrap came with their homemade terra chips, which were slightly sweet and very addicting.

Katie ordered the tuna salad, and Erica ordered a half tuna melt and half chevre salad.

tuna salad

salad and sandwich

I really enjoyed our lunch and time spent catching up.

What are your favorite indulgences that you prefer to order out rather than prepare at home?

7 Comments

Filed under Lunch, SoDo

June 10, 2011 · 10:17 pm

Twist Asian Fusion

I met up with my friend Katie for lunch today at Twist Asian Fusion in SoDo. I had only been there once before and I remember the food being pretty good with some inexpensive lunch specials.

Upon being seated we were given the lunch menu, which does have some good prices and combos. If you ask, you can also order from the full menu at lunch as well. Twist has all sorts of Asian fare from Japanese sushi rolls to Chinese chicken dishes to Thai noodle dishes. They also have hibachi.

We started off with an order of Vietnamese summer rolls and crab wontons.

The summer rolls were nice and light. The crab wontons were good with a nice crunch and dipping sauce but the cream cheese overpowered the crab a little bit. They could have definitely turned the crab ratio up a notch.

I ordered the chicken Pad Thai for my main course, which was a generous portion. The chicken was cooked well and held its moisture well. However, the dish overall was a little under-salted so I asked for some soy sauce to give it some sodium.

Overall the food was good, but I would like to try to order off their full menu next time to see what they can really offer. Their curries and sushi rolls sound really good.

It’s also nice to be able to end the week on a high note with a fun lunch break. (FYI, at Kevin’s old job, they used to call Friday lunches Frunches. I don’t know if that one will be catching on.)

I don’t know about you but I am ready for the weekend. I hope you are having a great evening! Any fun restaurant destinations planned for the weekend?

2 Comments

Filed under Asian, Full Service, SoDo

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