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.