Tasty Chomps' Orlando

VIP Charity Night at Chuy’s in Winter Park

Chuy’s recently hosted a VIP Charity Night at their new Winter Park location where all proceeds of discounted beverages will benefit Give Kids The World. The founders, Mike and John, started Chuy’s with the belief that Chuy’s should always help the people in the neighborhoods they do business in, especially the youngest members: children.

Although the event was a hit, it was very crowded with no where to go or stand. Tables were all full with customers having a wonderful time inside and out of the restaurant. The main complaint is how a few members of the Chuy’s family were not friendly, patient nor respectful.

Why pick between tequila and beer when you can have both with Grandpa’s Brew. Nice and cool for a hot summer day.

Appetizer Plate – Chile con queso, nachos, deluxe quesadillas, chicken flautas, guacamole & sour cream.The Deluxe quesadillas are delicious, cheesy and the best of all the options on this plate.

Tacos Al Carbon – freshly made flour tortillas filled with fajita chicken or beef, grilled onions & green chiles.

Stacked Enchiladas – An authentic New Mexican recipe. Homemade blue corn tortillas stacked with freshly-roasted, hand-pulled chicken, cheese & Tomatillo sauce, topped with sour cream. The stacked enchiladas was not that great. Nothing special to say about it.

The Elvis Presley Memorial Combo – Beef Tex-Mex enchilada, cheese Ranchero enchilada, chicken Tomatillo enchilada, a seasoned ground sirloin crispy taco & homemade tostada chips dipped in chile con queso. This combination has a bit of everything and great for someone that wants to try it all.

Fajitas – a choice of beef, chicken or a combination, grilled with onions and peppers. Served with handmade flour tortillas, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo, Mexican rice & refried beans. Order for one or two. The beef was a little over salted. Other than that, the dish was good.

Location for Winter Park Chuy’s: 107 S. Orange Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789

The Flame Broiler

The Flame Broiler invites us to a location in Downtown Orlando. They are known for serving simple, healthy food at an affordable price. In Downtown Orlando, The Flame Broiler family is very tentative and kind to all guests who enter their doors.

The first location opened in 1995 in California by Young Lee. As of 2009, Mr. Lee began to give back by feeding the homeless as well as sponsor children in need. He is committed to sponsoring 2 children per location that opens. As of 2016, there are 180 The Flame Broiler Restaurants found in California, Arizona, Florida, Nevada, and Oklahoma.

Starting at only 140 calories, guests can choose from a base of white or brown rice or can forego rice altogether and opt for all freshly blanched vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cabbage) which is topped with your protein of choice (certified Angus beef, all-natural chicken or organic charbroiled tofu) and chopped green onions.

For an added flavor kick, guests can top their bowls off with its proprietary hot sauce made with cayenne peppers or their Korean BBQ inspired Magic Sauce. The Flame Broiler uses no dairy, trans-fat, skin, fryers or HFCS.

The Works Bowl with brown rice — consists of vegetables, beef, and chicken. The chicken and beef are delicious and well seasoned. The beef is slightly tough, but it is a better alternative than being too chewy. The vegetables are steamed and I find them to have great texture for my liking.

The Chicken Bowl with white rice — the chicken is tender and flavored well. The rice is nicely made.

The Tofu and Vegetable Bowl with brown rice — the tofu is soft and nicely flavored like the chicken.

For more information, please check out The Flame Broiler.

Address: 54 W Church St, Orlando, FL 32801, USA

Chicken Salad Chick Releases Fall Menu

Chicken Salad Chick is the nation’s only southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept known for its 15 different chicken salad flavors. We were invited to taste the restaurant’s limited-time fall menu, which includes Rockin’ Rita chicken salad and Strawberry Pecan Salad.

Rockin’ Rita is a spicy chicken salad flavor featuring Wickles Pickles Spicy Red Relish, a 70-year old family recipe that is known to pack a punch. Strawberry Pecan Salad, features dried cranberries, Fuji apples, strawberries, feta cheese and crushed pecans on a bed of spring mix lettuce with a homemade poppy seed vinaigrette dressing.

Enjoy a chicken salad sandwich with a soup on the side. The soup varies each day. Today’s soup is a chicken and artichoke, which is creamy and great for the upcoming fall season. With each sandwich, you can determine what bread to enjoy along with your chicken salad.

If you are not interested in the additional carbs of bread from the sandwich, you could order the Chick Trio. Take your pick of any three chicken salads or side items served on a bed of lettuce, accompanied by a pickle spear & wheat crackers.

For our visit, we decided on the Classic Carol, Fruity Fran, and Luau Lydia. Each have a unique touch to differentiate itself from the other flavors.

My favorite during this visit was the Luau Lydia, which contains a tropical blend of pineapple and macadamia nuts. The pineapple adds a sweet touch to the chicken salad without the crunch added by apples in the Fruity Fran.

Check out all of the flavors of chicken salad and the rest of the menu here: Chicken Salad Menu.

Location: 12101 University Blvd #200, Orlando, FL 32817, USA

Hours: Monday – Saturday 11am to 8pm

Summer in Greece with the Coumbaros Family of Taverna Opa and Tapa Toro!

Katerina Coumbaros, owner of Tapa Toro and Taverna Opa, as a guest blogger this summer. Katerina will be traveling to Greece from June 29 to August 1.

Pack your bags and bring your appetites, the team at Taverna Opa is going to Greece! Join in on the journey as owners Vassilis and Katerina Coumbaros travel through their homeland.

In honor of their travels, Taverna Opa unveiled a special limited edition menu, ‘Summer in Greece’. The menu featured three authentic dishes that are made with fresh, Greek ingredients and are inspired directly by the country’s latest food trends.

The limited menu was available from June 29 to August 6, with dishes ranging from $7 to $15.

——
HELLO FROM GREECE
By Katerina Coumbaros

Like others who share a similar upbringing, being part of a first generation immigrant family has taught me so many things about tradition. Among the many things I’ve done to preserve the tradition of being Greek – most obvious being the opening of Greek restaurant, Taverna Opa – is to make a point to go back to visit. As a restaurant owner, I always say that experiencing something first hand is the only “real” way to experience it.
Every time I visit, my cup of life is overflowing with the beauty that is Greece (#greecerightnow) – so much to see, so much to learn, so much to eat and enjoy! As a parent I do my part to keep tradition in the house and throughout the year. Today, I’m sharing my journey of tradition continued; join me as journey through a summer in Greece (#summeringreece) with my family.

Hello from Greece…. Thursday, June 30
The Coumbaros clan has arrived in Chania– the second largest city and the capital of Crete. What could be more beautiful than looking out the airplane window to this an incredible view of the amazing ocean and landscape as we touch down.

Friday, July 1st It’s Time to Eat…

First stop Bougatsa Iordanis, established in 1924 this is the place to come and experience the Chaniotikia Bougatsa. What is it? Or you mean, what isn’t it – it is the most delicious phyllo dough made fresh, stuffed with mizithra goodness, a type of sour Greek cheese made with milk and whey from sheep and/or goats. Some guests love it topped with sugar, I personally love it savory.

Here you see the pastry chef stretching out the phyllo dough. It’s amazing how thin it gets without breaking or ripping!

Here they are folding the savory pastry.

Saturday, July 2nd It’s Summer In Greece, Alright….

Quick family picture of us on the side of the highway on our way to Elafonisi, an island located in the southwest corner of of Crete. Just need to keep everyone excited as we journey through the last bit of this curvy mountain road, we are seconds from paradise!

Hello paradise… and cue the sigh of relief now. Elafonisi Beach has been voted the best beach in all of Greece. Tourist and locals come here for the sights of pink sand and the clear waters. It was amazing here, the kids loved it!

Meet Yorgos, our son who you can see is a fan of snorkeling.

Meet Violetta, one of our beautiful daughters (or should we say minnows), swimming under water.

Sunday, July 3rd Feeling Inspired at Marathi Beach…

We might be soaking up the Greek sun at Marathi Beach, but we are also doing our homework!
Feeling particularly inspired after a delicious dinner filled with many standouts including my personal fav, the Anthous, a Marathi island specialty. They are stuffed zucchini blossoms with rice and herbs that are then baked in the oven – similar to dolmades. New menu item alert for sure, please watch out for these as a special at the restaurant when they are in season!

Meet Fagri, a beautifully grilled Mediterranean fish. We actually ship this exact fish into Taverna Opa weekly when it is available. There is nothing like fresh fish with just lemon and olive oil. The generous host offered to filet it for us, but Vassilis, my husband, opted for us to filet it on our own. At Taverna Opa we can serve it whole or fileted.

Traditional Greek Salad, means no lettuce. Just the beautiful flavors of tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onion, feta cheese and olive oil. This salad was especially delicious, as the vegetables were picked from the restaurants garden. At Taverna Opa we take pride in providing the best vegetables available for our Traditional Greek Salad.

Mussels in a saffron sauce – so flavorful and juicy. Fun fact, Greece is actually known from producing the best saffron in the world and is the second largest producer of the spice.

Octopus and Greek Sausage Skewer; simple and delicious…and another new menu alert item. We have a great octopus dish at the restaurant, but we loved the way that the octopus picked up the flavors of the greek sausage, which has an orange, citrusy smoke flavor. Hmmm…they are on to something!
.

Monday, July 4th Happy 4th From Theriso…
….and on Monday’s we take train rides from the beach up to a war village named Theriso. A beautiful day with family! The train traveled through mountains where we got “up close and personal” with wild goats. What a great way to see the village. When we got to Theriso we did what everyone visiting a war village should do, and very fittingly visited the war museum.

In front of St. Apostolos church at the top of the mountain patiently waiting for the train to arrive.

Yorgos took a picture with one of the shooting canyons.

Tuesday, July 5 Good-Bye…For Now
Just like I started this blog, I will end this blog – with tradition. Here is a beautiful picture of me and my family on my favorite beach in Greece, Falassarna. Crystal clear waters, beautiful view of the mountains, a stunning sunset, and memories…

Taverna Opa Orlando is a Mediterranean restaurant with a focused on traditional Greek cuisine. The restaurant is located at 9101 International Drive and is open daily for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Guests can enjoy homemade dishes highlighting ingredients indigenous to Greece along with live entertainment performances nightly. For more information, please visit www.tavernaopaorlando.com or call 407.351.8660.

The Capital Grille Unveils New Bar Menu

The Capital Grille recently unveiled a wonderful new bar menu featuring some new dishes at their Pointe Orlando and Mall at Millenia locations. Some of the highlights include the Cast Iron Garlic Shrimp as well as the Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella, easy to share by the plate, especially if you are stopping in for a quick bite before going shopping. The menu also feature classic favorites like the porcini rubbed ribeye steak and lobster mac and cheese if you get hungry for more.

The Capital Grille
Pointe Orlando
9101 International Dr · (407) 370-4392

The Capital Grille
The Mall at Millenia
4200 Conroy Road, Millenia Mall · (407) 351-2210

PAN-FRIED CALAMARI
with Hot Cherry Peppers.

PARMESAN TRUFFLE FRIES
Freshly grated cheese and white truffle oil.

MINI TENDERLOIN SLIDERS (3)
Mushroom Duxelle and Herbed Cheese
SEARED DRY AGED SIRLOIN
with Sweet Chili Vinaigrette and Wasabi Oil.

COCKTAIL PLATES TO SHARE
CAST IRON GARLIC SHRIMP
with Olive Oil Crostini.

IN FASHION
Russell’s Reserve 10 Year small batch bourbon, Grand Marnier and black walnut bitters, served over an orange ice sphere with an amarena cherry.

FIRE AND ICE
Casamigos Blanco Tequila with Ancho Reyes Chili Liqueur and fresh cucumber, lime and Fresno peppers.

MOJITO DE UVAS
Bacardi Light Rum, fresh squeezed lime juice, cane sugar syrup, fresh mint and green grapes, topped with chilled Champagne. Garnished with fresh mint.

BONE-IN KONA CRUSTED DRY AGED NY STRIP WITH SHALLOT BUTTER
Our acclaimed coffee-rubbed, boldly flavored NY strip. SEARED CITRUS GLAZED SALMON WITH MARCONA ALMONDS AND BROWN BUTTER
Served over haricots verts.

DRY AGED NY STRIP – 14 OZ
Our highly flavorful, hand-cut New York strip. LOBSTER MAC ‘N’ CHEESE
As magnificent as it sounds.
SOY GLAZED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON
Sprouts with smoked bacon lardons.
SUSHI-GRADE SESAME SEARED TUNA WITH GINGERED RICE
Tuna prepared to your liking and served with sesame and ginger sauces.

BLACKBERRY BOURBON SIDECAR
Woodford Reserve handcrafted in small batches with blackberries, Cointreau, lemon juice and fresh thyme.

GRAPEFRUIT BUCK
Absolut Ruby Red with a splash of elderflower cordial, ginger beer and fresh squeezed lime juice. Topped with Campari and garnished with a fresh ruby red grapefruit wedge.

Chef Jason O’neill – Executive Chef and Partner of The Capital Grille at Mall at Millenia

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