Feed the Need Charity event

Eat. Drink. Dance. Make a difference.  Help your neighbors in need while having a great time!  FEED THE NEED is an evening full of delicious food, wine, music, dancing and incredible auction items!

For over 43 years, the Christian Service Center for Central Florida has been on the front line combating poverty and preventing homelessness in Central Florida. The FEED THE NEED committee is a group of Orlando professionals joined together to coordinate events and fundraisers that benefit the Christian Service Center for Central Florida.  One hundred percent of all event proceeds directly benefit hurting families who come to the Center for help and hope.

The 12th Annual FEED THE NEED event presented by Darden

 

                                      Event will be held on September 26, 2013                                  

at the Historic Ballroom at Dubsdread

549 W Par St, Orlando, Florida 32804

For more information visit:
 feedtheneedorlando.com

Disney's California Grill reopens Monday

 

www.orlandosentinel.com 

Disney's iconic California Grill reopens Monday

Get a sneak peek at the sights and sounds of the completely reinvented California Grill, and meet Chef Brian Piasecki at the legendary Walt Disney World restaurant atop Disney's Contemporary Resort. Opening Sept. 9, 2013. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

By Heather McPherson, ORLANDO SENTINEL FOOD EDITOR

September 6, 2013

Disney's California Grill, a long cool drink replete with swank, sizzle and sass, reopens Monday.
The restaurant atop Disney's Contemporary Resort hotel was closed for a seven-month makeover that included a menu overhaul, a new kitchen and updated decor.
"We will be finessing up until the first guest walks in, this is our passion. We're ready and excited to show off our new menu and our new look," says executive chef Brian Piasecki, who has kept the focus on fresh seasonal creations.

• Pictures: The new California Grill at Walt Disney

One new offering is an omakase service featuring 12 to 14 courses of top-notch seafood with no menu, simply chef's choice. A few fan favorites from the old menu still are available, but presentations and recipes have been updated. Pork and goat cheese polenta, for example, is now "pork two ways." The wood-grilled tenderloin will be served with lacquered pork belly with a side of country applesauce.

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Since it opened in 1995, the view from the California Grill has been unmatched in a theme-park setting. The expansive windows look out on to Walt Disney World's Seven Seas Lagoon, the Magic Kingdom theme park and the nighttime fireworks over Cinderella Castle.
But before sunset, the new dining room on the resort's 15th floor is noticeably more luminescent than before. New floor-to-ceiling windows allow in more natural light, creating a pleasant shimmering effect. New white countertops in the lounge and along the expansive open kitchen enhance the clean lines and overall brightness of the room.
It's not easy to take your eyes off the windows but do look down. The graphic print carpet was inspired by iconic Disney designer Mary Blair. Her vibrant style is a colorful signature of several classic Disney animated films including "The Three Caballeros," "Cinderella" and "Peter Pan." Blair also created the giant mosaic wall in the Contemporary Resort.
The new decor with pops of yellow and orange includes a mix of stand-alone tables and chairs as well as long banquettes that link a string of seating areas. The overhead lights in the mid-century modern dining room seem to have been plucked from George Jetson's last garage sale in Orbit City.
"They are very Sputnik," says Piasecki of the retro linear, architectural fixtures.
In a nod to the now-popular communal dining trend, the California Grill also has added two solid teak tables. Each seats 10 guests, and the tables are so big they had to lifted into the space by a crane.
The look is stunning, but it is Piasecki's seasonally-inspired menu and general manager Michael Scheifler's team of 20 sommeliers that still will be the main draw. When the high-end dining room first opened almost 20 years ago, it quickly garnered rave reviews from food critics and industry watchers.
When guests enter the California Grill, they immediately will see a wall of wine — 1,600 bottles — displayed in a state-of-the-art temperature controlled cabinet.
The wine list will include about 250 selections, with California vintners leading the way. There will be 80 wines by the glass, up from 50 choices on the previous wine menu. The bar also will offer 10 varieties of sake and eight craft beers and numerous signature cocktails.
During a recent preview the new kitchen was a beehive of energy as the culinary team practiced all of the menu items,
Piasecki went over the artfully plated dishes such as baked local prawns with charred lemons and blistered tomatoes, wild Columbia River salmon with Zellwood sweet corn pudding and pan-seared halibut with a velvety with parsnip "silk."
House-made charcuterie will be served on olive boards. And the kitchen has new custom, flat-top grills just for cooking fish. Sushi, a California Grill signature element since opening day, commands even more attention with an expanded prep area and a glass case to showcase seafood.
Pastry chef Jeff Barnes brings more playful elements to the menu with his creative desserts.
"Everyone has a lava cake," says Piasecki. "We wanted to reinvent the classic robust flavor so Jeff created a dense chocolate pudding cake made with a 70 percent dark chocolate from Belgium."
The sundae sampler platter is an imaginative trio with a mini version of a Coke float, flanked by two twists on the sundae theme: a berry-basil icy treat with a glittery strawberry "disco ball" on the side and a caramel corn sundae. Each is about three bites with presentations that break new ground in the mini dessert category.
"The energy level here is unbelievable. We are ready to raise the curtain on the new California Grill," says Piasecki.
hmcpherson@tribune.com
California Grill
Where: Contemporary Resort, 600 World Drive, Lake Buena Vista; Check in at the podium on the second floor before taking an elevator to the 15th floor,
When: From 5 p.m. daily
How much: Entrées $30-$50
Extras: Prime fireworks viewing, two private dining rooms
Dress code: Men may wear khakis, slacks, jeans or dress shorts and collared shirts. Sport coats are optional. Women may wear capri pants, skirts, dresses, jeans or dress shorts. Not permitted are tank tops, swimsuits, swimsuit coverups, hats for men, cutoffs, torn clothing and T-shirts with offensive language or graphics.
Reservations: disneyworld.com/dine or call 407-939-3463

Copyright © 2013, Orlando Sentinel

Culpepper's, UCF's Bar

11662 University Boulevard
Orlando, Florida 32817

culpeppersucf.com 

As a UCF Alumni I was excited to hear about this place. Named after UCF football star Daunte Culpepper, the restaurant's theme is an upscale sports bar representing UCF school spirit and tradition. I love the idea of an upscale sports bar. There have been many nights that I have wanted to go out to watch a game but would like something besides Buffalo Wild Wings or Ale House. Not that there is 's wrong with either of those places, but options are good. 

The restaurant occupies the old Perkins building on University Blvd, and they did a great job with renovations so that it doesn't look like Perkins. We were greeted promptly by several hostesses and since the bar was full we decided on a high top table in the bar area. The menu has some of your typical sports bar fare such as chicken wings and quesadillas, but also offers steaks, fish and pasta. We put in our drink orders, I went with a house chardonnay and my husband had their beer special the Black and Gold, basically a black and tan but made with Yuengling instead of Bass. It took a little longer than it should have for our drinks to come, and when they did the black and gold was all black, the bartenders need some training on layering the specialty drink.
We decided to share the chicken lettuce wraps and the calamari. I hope the lettuce wraps are not indicative of the rest of the menu. The lettuce was so small there was no wrapping to it, and though the menu said bean sprouts there were none to be found. The chicken was flavorful and cooked well,

very tender and juicy, but overall this dish fell far short of expectations. The calamari was delicious, it was perfectly cooked very tender and the breading was light and crispy, but the portion was small, for $12 I was expecting a little more. I am curious about the menu pricing, besides just the calamari some items seemed to be priced a little high. They do have a $15 filet though, which is a great price so I am a little confused at how they came up with their numbers. It seemed like maybe they just used certain price points to attract a certain clientele, fitting with the "upscale" concept. Still, I don't mind paying but I do want to feel like I am getting what I pay for.  I will have to try a few more menu items before making a decision on the food, they did just open and might need a little time to tighten up the kitchen. Overall though, I do like this place. The music was at the right level the lighting was great, and it was very comfortable to sit and relax. There were plenty of TV's every table could easily watch any game. There is even a cool little back area, that is open to the restaurant but set back to give a little privacy perfect for Fantasy football draft parties.

Oviedo has gone Greek

1802 W Broadway St
Oviedo, FL 32765

This free standing building has been home to several different restaurants over the years, and each time a new one opens I stop in to check it out and usually leave very disappointed. When I saw the sign go up for Pete's Taverna I was willing to give it a try, but wasn't expecting much. When we entered I was happy to see that the new owners had at least put in new tables and chairs, the last few times the place changed names nothing inside changed. Still I felt like the atmosphere was lacking and was very skeptical, but the people who greeted us were very friendly and so we decided to give it a shot.  

We were greeted by a friendly server who seemed a bit nervous but was nice enough. We ordered our drinks and the three dips tzatziki, eggplant, and hummus  appetizer. The portion was huge and our server made sure to bring us more pita points before we ran out. 

The dips were all very good, but I would recommend finding a way to plate them all on one dish.

For dinner my husband ordered the lamb chops medium rare. They were cooked perfectly, and the flavor was amazing, seasoned just right. I was jealous at first, but then I tried my moussaka, for those of you not familiar with Greek food, moussaka  is a casserole made by layering eggplant and/or potatoes with a spiced meat filling then topped off with bechamel sauce and baked. This dish was amazing, the potatoes were sliced thin, the eggplant was cooked right and the meat was seasoned perfectly. The food was fantastic and for that I will definitely be back. If I had to guess, I would say the owner was a chef with little front of the house experience, because the food was outstanding and the dining area was seemingly an afterthought. My husband will go into detail about the front of the house areas that need to be tightened up, there are a few. I will finish by saying that I hope this place makes it, though they have some work to do the food is amazing and with a little work this place can be great. 

The Husband:

I want to remind the people reading this that my points are intended to be a help to the Owner/Managers and in no way are intended to be negative but rather an outside look on things that if changed can help increase revenue.

There are five main categories that I will use:

1.      Curb appeal,  First impression, and Ambiance

2.      Greeting, Friendliness, and Personality

3.      Food quality and Service Standards

4.      Cleanliness and Upkeep

5.      Value for price paid

Scores will range from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best.

Turn on lights

1.      Curb appeal: This standalone building has been a few different restaurants in the past so for a while I didn’t even notice that the sign had changed. Not really much you can do about that on a limited budget.

 First impression: When we walked in, the lights were off, giving me the impression it was closed. Then the host came up to us after seating another guest and saved us from walking out with her warm greeting.

 Ambiance:  This can definitely be worked on. There is little soul to the restaurant. Lights burnt out, wall sconces not turned on, pictures on wall are too small and the music in the dining area was quite low making the other table’s conversation the only thing you could listen to. These are all little things that the average consumer may not directly notice but in the back of their mind they are thinking something is wrong. All the above can be changed for little to no cost. Score- 3

2.       Greeting, friendliness, personality: The host was great and eventually became our server. I can see this becoming a problem if busy but it was a Tuesday and Labor costs are the biggest expense to a restaurant, just be careful on days you will be busy. The server was very warm and inviting. Score 5

3.       Food quality and service standards: The food was the hot topic of our meal! Exceptional flavor and cooked perfectly. I’m not a food critic, but I was amazed. My lamb chops were cooked to a perfect medium rare, the plate presentation and taste were outstanding. Score 5++

Polish wine glasses

4.       Cleanliness and upkeep: Got to hit the management on this one as well. Having owned a business of my own I can understand not having the money to make things look just like you might want them. What I don’t understand is cleanliness that costs the Management/Owner nothing but their time. The windows had finger prints on the inside and caked on dirt on the outside. A couple of the ceiling tiles were damaged and worn looking. The wine glasses MUST be polished!

      Service standards: work on having the server tell the specials when they first walk up. This is a new restaurant, so be a little more engaging, ask if the guests have been there before, talk about menu items, make specific suggestions. Score 2

5.       Value for price paid: If the above mentioned problems were addressed and we were not drinking wine out of glasses that were covered in finger prints then I would say it was worth the money. The food saved the day and I will try it again, but if the problems still exist I would be hesitant about going back. Score 4