Sip & Savor with 2 weeks of specials
Hey, Orlando — are you ready to Sip & Savor?
It’s what the folks at Orlando Main Streets are counting on.
It’s year five for this program formerly known as “Restaurant Week,” but the powers that be decided that in order to properly showcase the unique bars and eateries of each neighborhood, a funkier moniker was in order.
“Sip & Savor sounds hipper than Restaurant Week,” says Joanne C. Grant, executive director of Mills 50, “and it explains exactly what it is.”
Bars are new to the program this year and, like other popular foodie-driven promotions, the event is designed to drive business into area restaurants and taverns during what is traditionally a slower period in the summertime.
It also showcases established and burgeoning businesses, which is one of Orlando Main Streets’ main objectives.
Binding these distinct neighborhoods — Audubon Park Garden District, Church Street District, College Park Main Street, Gateway Orlando, Ivanhoe Village, Mills 50 District, SoDo District, the Milk District and Thornton Park District, OMS promotes the culture and creativity generated by the small independent businesses within.
Chef Emily Rankin is no stranger to the East End Market, and she’s keen to have her new venue — Bird of Paradise — participating in the promotion.
“The Audubon Park Garden District is filled with amazing craft food and drink!” Rankin said. “The Sip & Savor event is a fun and delicious way for us to come together and share our passion for food in a way that allows people to really explore the flavors of the neighborhood.”
Unlike longer-running programs, like Magical Dining Month, this twoweek hyperlocal option invites folks to pop into a favorite haunt or place they’ve always wanted to try for an even lower price point in some cases.
For example, purveyors at the Milk District’s À La Cart food truck park will be offering $5 weekly lunch specials while Mills 50 newcomer Conrad’s Shanty has the “Shanty’s Starter Pack” — $10 will get you a beer, sake bomb and snack.
Fans of prix fixe menus can check out RusTeak College Park’s $30 threecourse deal (which includes a vegan/paleo/gluten-free dessert option in its Fig “Cheese” Cake) or hit up Jinya Thornton Park for a $30 dinner for two deal that includes both beer and ramen, among other goodies.
Speaking for Mills 50, Grant touted the other district noobs that foodies and swillers might want to put on their radar, including Dandelion Café, Pig Floyd’s, Bites & Bubbles, Pop Thai, GB’s Bottle Shop, Nora’s Sugar Shack and the new reboot of Wally’s — which will be showcasing its Wally’s Original PB&J (that’s a PBR and a shot of Jameson) for $5.
Check out sipandsavorotown.com for all the options, including menus, and get cracking on your list. Sip & Savor runs from Aug. 5-18.