Unexpected
Orlando’s new food scene might compel you to skip the theme parks
An Angeleno and longtime New Yorker looks at Orlando dining options, tongue firmly in cheek (to start, anyway)
It’s unlikely in the extreme that “Kiss Before Shrimp” is a staple of pubs across Ireland, the pan-seared shellfish in garlic and chili lemon butter served alongside pints of Guinness. Same goes for the “Scallop Forest” with citrus-lime dipping sauce and sweet chili jam. And yet both of these and more are available at Disney’s Raglan Road Irish Pub, listed in the section of the menu called “Starty Stuff.” And so it has been with Orlando dining: Want Chinese food in America? Go to a Chinese restaurant. Want Banana Cheesecake Eggrolls served in a room full of red and gold clichés? Go to Orlando.
As for any kind of original food culture in the city, critics have been tough over the years, referring to the House of the Mouse as “Orblando” and worse. To many a tourist or conventioneer, the city’s image continues to be largely defined by International Drive, a Vegas Strip of franchised mediocrity and novelty venues. That’s how I always saw it, as well, and so I was a bit blue when I moved to Orlando from LA two years ago. The idea of trading organic beachside margaritas for Dali Parton gin cocktails at Café Tu Tu Tango (next to an indoor go-kart track) didn’t thrill my West Coast palate. But then I happily discovered something: Orlando has changed over the past decade, and many of those changes are edible.
GASTROPUB
One might divide Orlando’s dining timeline into “BRP” and “ARP”: Before The Ravenous Pig and After The Ravenous Pig. The meat-and-game-centric eatery in Orlando’s tony Winter Park neighborhood opened in 2007 and arguably was the first modern Orlando spot to achieve “gastropub” status (theravenouspig.com). Fodor’s Travel says as much, as does Zagat, which calls it a “foodie’s dream” and lauds its “true big-city feel.” When I discovered it I was skeptical: steak frites, pork schnitzel, and scallops aren’t exactly ground-breaking menu items, after all. But the execution… Wow. And once you get into options like the tapas board, which features charred octopus, red quinoa salad, chickpea hummus, lamb ragu and warm red wine-marinated olives, you understand why the husband-wife duo of James and Julie Petrakis are James Beard nominees. The mushroom & gruyere beignets with tarragon aioli are a revelation, while a fine assortment of seasonal vegetables (such as barbecued cauliflower with preserved lemon yoghurt) and occasional surprises (lobster hash brown with béarnaise aioli) join a fabulous pub burger and other staples to make this one of my favorites. This year, TRP expanded with an outdoor beer garden and brewery and it’s become my family’s go-to for sunny days. If you’re visiting and don’t manage to get here, check out the airport location of sister restaurant Cask & Larder, also fantastic.
When TRP relocated up the street to its current location in 2017, it was already one of Orlando’s most popular restaurants. Consequently, locals were anxious about what would move into its original spot. Replacing an icon isn’t easy, but restaurant industry veteran Fred Thimm gave it a go with his Reel Fish Coastal Kitchen (reelfishcoastal. com). “Dining in Orlando has changed a lot,” Thimm says. “When we first moved here in 2012, we were surprised at the mindset. We tried to find an authentic seafood restaurant and people looked as us like we were stupid. They had this perception that Orlando is landlocked—OK, but we’re landlocked on a peninsula, 50-some miles from two coasts! We’d go to Minneapolis or Chicago and it’s, ‘Wait a minute, they’re doing sustainable coastal seafood here and they’re thousands of miles from the water. What the hell.’” And so Fred and his wife, Carey, opened Reel Fish, and it has developed into one of the area’s most popular restaurants, with a casual beachy atmosphere that mirrors its owners’ approachable presence. Fred and Carey not only own the restaurant, they work here, and often can be seen bussing tables, seating guests and helping with service. With the spirit of a beach town fish joint, but with fresh sustainably sourced seafood and Southern influences, all served in a crisp modern setting, it’s a delight with a well-considered wine list. You can get into a good bottle of French Muscadet for near $30 or spend more than $100 on a great Napa Cab— something to suit every occasion and taste. Raw oysters, flavorful fish & chips, creative daily specials, and a wide array of selections from land and sea make this one of the best. Plus, Fred and Carey are incredibly nice—and my son loves the paintings mounted on the ceiling, a different take on an art gallery to be sure.
PIZZA
When it comes to pizza my family is really, really picky. I went to college in New York, both my husband and I lived in the city for years, and our daughter was born in Brooklyn. So when we found F&D Woodfired Italian Kitchen (fdwoodfireditaliankitchen.com) in Orlando’s burgeoning Hourglass District, we were expecting “acceptable” but ended up with “great!” And now F&D is a near-weekly ritual. The calamari is good, the Black Iron Mussels divine, and the meatballs al forno redolent of homecooked Italian meals we’ve enjoyed (in Italian families’ homes). Other antipasti and pasta and salads are lovely as well, but it’s the pizza that shines. Our hands-down favorite is the Queen Bee: soppressata, fresh mozzarella, crushed tomato, chili flakes, basil and local Florida honey. But then pizza’s success is measured in the crust, and F&D’s delivers: crisp where you want crisp, soft where you want soft, thin and—from a former Brooklyn resident—nicely foldable, it’s great. For those that know, F&D reminds us of an amazing Brooklyn pizza place called Franny’s, which sadly closed its doors some years ago. The creativity, robust flavors, and execution are that good. Orlando’s Prato gets a nod, there are upscale options such as Christini’s and Vincenzo Cucina Italiana, and you’ll find plenty of other Italian options as well, many of them very good; but we like F&D and it’s close to our house, so there you go.
DIVERSITY
The Greater Orlando metro area has a population of roughly 2.5 million, with a wide array of ethnicities and cultures. Unsurprisingly, the city’s new cuisine reflects that. Hunger Street Tacos (hungerstreettacos.com) opened in 2017 and celebrates Mexico City’s street markets with high-quality ingredients and inspired bites. I like the Chori-Pollo taco, with chorizo and shredded chicken; the mushroom quesadilla is a must-try; and we’d say the same for the mole chicken taco. In fact, whatever you get, you can’t go wrong. MX Tacos is good, too, as is Tamale & Co. in the Hourglass District. Orlando has a sizeable Vietnamese community, evident in the Mills 50 district’s restaurants. Pho 88 (pho88orlando. com) gets the nod for traditional family-style Vietnamese fare, and Little Saigon (littlesaigonorlando.com) is well regarded. Honestly, there’s a lot from which to choose in the city’s “Little Vietnam” northeast of downtown, including bubble tea houses and dessert spots. I’m only just beginning to explore this area, and it’s another exciting facet of Orlando dining. I’m more familiar with the East End Market (eastendmkt.com) in Orlando’s Audubon Park district, and enjoy the insanely good grilled cheese sandwiches at La Femme du Fromage; the sandwiches at Hinckley’s Fancy Meats; and Sean Nguyen’s noodle and small-plate wonder Domu; among other merchants there. If you’re looking for proof that Orlando has taste, this is a good argument.
SWEET TOOTH
Ask Uyen Tran why Orlando’s food scene has gotten so much better over the last decade, and she has an interesting theory: “Chefs moved away, trained in big cities, and then came home to open restaurants.” She might be right. In any case, her family’s move from Vietnam to Orlando shifted the city’s culinary identity forward a big step in the form of Le Ky patisserie, named for her dad, Ky. Ky worked for 25 years with Disney catering, and Uyen trained there as well, and so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that the pastries here are as visually stunning as they are delicious. “Show ready,” Uyen calls them, in Disney parlance, but the flavors are all Le Ky’s. Passion fruit curd with coconut white chocolate cream is just one of the treats you might find in the case, which changes regularly. There’s the expected sweets (“Orlando likes chocolate cheesecake,” Uyen says) but then there are creative, beautiful bursts of flavor fashioned from combinations of dragon fruit, lychee, and other ingredients that harken to the Tran family’s origins. Just sublime. Other city treats to tempt sweet-toothed foodies include, Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream (the “Oredough” is wonderful); the award-winning Sister Honey’s Bakery, with a Ruby Rum cake that’s nearly impossible to get; Shaka Donuts (Chocolate Espresso Cake Donut with Bailey’s Irish Cream Icing? Yes please); and The Glass Knife, a swank “cakes & café” place that opened in 2017. In addition to incredible sweets, the last also does a lovely brunch.
LIBATION
Eating is good, but thirst must be quenched as well. Luckily, Orlando obliges with a robust selection of microbreweries. Across the street from F&D, Hourglass Brewing offers chairs and tables in the sun, lawn games, and a wild array of more than 40 craft beers on tap at any given time. The brewery opened in 2012 with a mission to elevate Central Florida, and they’ve done just that, using natural ingredients and a deep well of creativity. I’m a big fan of saisons, and their Saison du Sablier not only was voted as Florida’s best beer for several years, but it also took silver in Belgium’s Brussels Beer Challenge—where saisons are serious business. There are sours, IPAs, lagers, beers with names such as Transcendental Murk Fantasy and Elder Gherkin, and a lot to explore. Other options include Sideward brewing; Bear & Peacock, a brewery and distillery (look for the Milkshake IPA if they have it); and Orlando Brewing, which kicked off the city’s craft beer movement 15 years ago. Ivanhoe Park Brewing Co. in the Ivanhoe Park district is next to Tim’s Wines, Orlando’s go-to top-end wine shop, and to Gentry’s BBQ General Store, which stocks grills and supplies, and which often has a something wonderful to sample on the smoker out front. There are wonders to sample all over the city, and that there are too many to list in one article in a sense says it all. Would I have had the same problem writing this in 2006, before The Ravenous Pig? Doubtful. And while I’ve not journeyed down the Raglan Road for a romp through the Scallop Forest, I even found a good Irish Pub: Claddagh Cottage (claddaghcottagepub.com). But be warned: If you ask for a “Kiss Before Shrimp” here, you just might get it, especially as there’s no shrimp on the menu.