Off-site dining options

[FargoBear]

We're hitting the House of Mouse and the Orlando area for a week April 30 and staying off site. I put together a small list of places that looked interesting, and I asked my 250 friends on Facebook for restaurant recommendations. I received one "Applebees" and one "Grandma's", so my friends are of no use to me.

Here is my list. Any thoughts on these places, or other establishments I should really scope out prior to the trip. Thanks folks!

1. Yellow Dog Eats. 1236 Hempel Ave., Windermere, FL. Phone: 407-296-0609. No. 2-ranked restaurant on tripadvisor.com. 2011 Foodie Award for critic’s choice for best takeout by the Orlando Sentinel. No. 3 for barbecue on urbanspoon.com. Specializes in sandwiches and barbecue. Most menu options are $8-$10. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Web: yellowdogeats.com

2. Texas De Brazil. 5259 International Dr., Orlando. Phone: 407-355-0355. No. 4-ranked restaurant on tripadvisor.com. 2011 Foodie Award for best buffet. No. 1 ranking for fine dining and No. 1 overall Orlando restaurant on urbanspoon.com. Serves rotisserie-roasted meats, garlic mashed potatoes and Brazilian cheese bread. Pricey. Hours are 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 4:30 to 10 Saturday and 4:30 to 9 Sunday. Web: texasdebrazil.com

3. Anatolia Mediterranean Seafood & Grill. 7600 Dr Phillips Blvd., Orlando. Phone: 407-352-6766. 2011 Foodie Award runner-up for best Middle Eastern eatery. Serves kebabs and Mediterranean cuisine. Lunch specials are $9-$10. Evening $16-$18. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Web: anatoliaorlando.com

4. Padrino’s Cuban Bistro. 13586 Village Park Dr., Suite 304, Orlando. Phone: 407-251-5107. 2011 Foodie Award winner for best Cuban eatery. No. 5 Cuban eatery on urbanspoon. Serves Cuban sandwiches, paella, grilled fish, churrasco skirt steak. Sandwiches are $8-$10. Beef, pork and seafood entrees are $11-$17. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, 12-10 p.m. Sunday. Web: padrinosbistro.com

5. Bonefish Grill. 7830 West Sand Lake Road, Orlando. Phone: 407-355-7707. 2011 Foodie Award winner for best seafood. Serves grouper, sea bass, shrimp and scallops. Also offers steak and chicken options. Special spicy bang shrimp for $5 all day Wednesdays. Most fish entrees are $15-$19. Hours are 4-10:30 p.m. every day. Web: bonefishgrill.com

6. Earl of Sandwich. Downtown Disney at 1750 East Buena Vista Dr., Orlando. Phone: 407-938-1762. No. 3-rated eatery for best casual dining on urbanspoon. No. 13 on tripadvisor.com. World’s best sandwiches. Prices are $10-12. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Web: earlofsandwichusa.com

7. The Conch Republic Grill Raw Bar. 16699 Gulf Blvd., North Redington Beach, FL. Phone: 727-320-0536. No. 31 restaurant on urbanspoon. Serves seafood, sandwiches, grilled meats. Prices are $8-10 for sandwiches, $15-25 for entrees like grouper, mahi mahi. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, an hour later on weekend nights. Web: conchrepublicgrill.com (For our day in Tampa)

8. Antonio’s LaFiamma Ristorante. The Fountains Plaza at 7559 W. Sand Lake Rd, Orlando. Phone: 407-363-9191. 2011 Foodie Award winner for best Italian restaurant. Serves classic Italian dishes. Most pasta dishes are $13-$15. Hours are 5-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Fairly upscale. Web: antoniosonline.com

9. Four Rivers Smokehouse. 2103 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, FL. Phone: 407-474-8377. 2011 Foodie Award for best barbecue, and runner-up for best takeout. No. 1-ranked barbecue eatery on urbanspoon. Serves sandwiches, ribs, brisket. Sandwiches are $7-$9. Full slab of ribs for $18. Smoked jalapenos for $5. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sundays. Web: 4rsmokehouse.com

10. Pizza Valdiano. 9101 International Dr., Suite 1036, Orlando. 2011 Foodie Award for best pizza. Also won in 2002 through 2009. Four locations around Orlando, closest location is 2.16 miles from the condo. They deliver. Serve pizza and specialty stromboli. Pizzas are 16-inch large for $16. Stormbolis are $6.50. No hours listed. Web: pizzeriavaldiano.com

 

[chalee94]

be aware that this forum is only for on-property wdw dining, so offsite discussions may get kicked by a mod to this forum:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=15

for offsite options, i'd also look at a few places in celebration - celebration town tavern and columbia restaurant have gotten good reviews (i have enjoyed CTT personally and would recommend it.)

 

[thepoohguy]

We love

Houlihan's
Cheesecake Factory (bit of a drive)
Catfish Place (in Apopka)
Sweet Tomatoes (Soup and Salad place that is phenomenal!)
Chick-fil-a (we don't have any near me in Michigan )

 

[FargoBear]

Thanks Pooh! I'll start looking at them right now. One of my favorite parts of traveling is trying new places.

Fargo, N.D. is a great place to live (sans the mosquitoes, tornadoes, annual spring flooding, endless road construction), but you don't get the variety of restaurants that you do elsewhere in the country or in metropolitan markets.

 

[John Tag]

The food at TDB is AMAZING. There salad bar alone is worth the price with all the salad,cheses,meats,pastas ect ect. There meats they have are great. From there flank steaks to the bacon wrapped chicked to there lamb chops. There are soo many meat selection that keep coming to your tabel .I never had a server pass my table with something we didn't enjoy. I always hated the end of the meal when I finally had to flip my card to red from green to stop the servers from coming. Sign up for there e mail club and save 25%.

 

[TDC Nala]

Moving to the Orlando Attractions board.

 

[MelissathePooh]

Fat Boys BBQ is a good local place in Kissimmee on 192. Despite its location on 192 its a local bbq joint.

The new Miller's Orlando Ale House location (192 and 429) is good and close to WDW.

 

[mott]

The food at TDB is AMAZING. There salad bar alone is worth the price with all the salad,cheses,meats,pastas ect ect. There meats they have are great. From there flank steaks to the bacon wrapped chicked to there lamb chops. There are soo many meat selection that keep coming to your tabel .I never had a server pass my table with something we didn't enjoy. I always hated the end of the meal when I finally had to flip my card to red from green to stop the servers from coming. Sign up for there e mail club and save 25%.

This is a fixed price dinner - right? Do you know how much it is? Thx

 

[John Tag]

This is a fixed price dinner - right? Do you know how much it is? Thx

Yes, Last visit last year I'm almost sure prices were 44.95 for Adults and kids 12/under 1/2 price.

 

[mikehn]

If you plan to scope out Bonefish grill on West sandlake, there are several other great restaurants within a block of bonefish that you might look at also. Matter of fact you can google their menus online in advance. A few restaurants I've been to within a block of Bonefish:

Big Fin seafood kitchen
Flemings steakhouse
Cantina Laredo
Bravo Cucina
Timpano chophouse

There are several other nice places within that same block that I have not tried, but there are more than enough restaurants on west sandlake to satisfy the entire week.

 

[Art 1]

Your option #9 is outdoor seating along a very noisy highway. Usually there is a very long line and can be hard to park.

 

[TotoToo]

Yes, Last visit last year I'm almost sure prices were 44.95 for Adults and kids 12/under 1/2 price.

And a true bargain even at full price. The quality and quantity of food is great at Texas Be Brazil. Highly recommended.

Timpano's and Flemings were also good but quite pricey.

 

[Orlando Vic]

We're hitting the House of Mouse and the Orlando area for a week April 30 and staying off site. I put together a small list of places that looked interesting, and I asked my 250 friends on Facebook for restaurant recommendations. I received one "Applebees" and one "Grandma's", so my friends are of no use to me.

Here is my list. Any thoughts on these places, or other establishments I should really scope out prior to the trip. Thanks folks!

1. Yellow Dog Eats. 1236 Hempel Ave., Windermere, FL. Phone: 407-296-0609. No. 2-ranked restaurant on tripadvisor.com. 2011 Foodie Award for critic’s choice for best takeout by the Orlando Sentinel. No. 3 for barbecue on urbanspoon.com. Specializes in sandwiches and barbecue. Most menu options are $8-$10. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Web: yellowdogeats.com

2. Texas De Brazil. 5259 International Dr., Orlando. Phone: 407-355-0355. No. 4-ranked restaurant on tripadvisor.com. 2011 Foodie Award for best buffet. No. 1 ranking for fine dining and No. 1 overall Orlando restaurant on urbanspoon.com. Serves rotisserie-roasted meats, garlic mashed potatoes and Brazilian cheese bread. Pricey. Hours are 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 4:30 to 10 Saturday and 4:30 to 9 Sunday. Web: texasdebrazil.com

3. Anatolia Mediterranean Seafood & Grill. 7600 Dr Phillips Blvd., Orlando. Phone: 407-352-6766. 2011 Foodie Award runner-up for best Middle Eastern eatery. Serves kebabs and Mediterranean cuisine. Lunch specials are $9-$10. Evening $16-$18. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Web: anatoliaorlando.com

4. Padrino’s Cuban Bistro. 13586 Village Park Dr., Suite 304, Orlando. Phone: 407-251-5107. 2011 Foodie Award winner for best Cuban eatery. No. 5 Cuban eatery on urbanspoon. Serves Cuban sandwiches, paella, grilled fish, churrasco skirt steak. Sandwiches are $8-$10. Beef, pork and seafood entrees are $11-$17. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, 12-10 p.m. Sunday. Web: padrinosbistro.com

5. Bonefish Grill. 7830 West Sand Lake Road, Orlando. Phone: 407-355-7707. 2011 Foodie Award winner for best seafood. Serves grouper, sea bass, shrimp and scallops. Also offers steak and chicken options. Special spicy bang shrimp for $5 all day Wednesdays. Most fish entrees are $15-$19. Hours are 4-10:30 p.m. every day. Web: bonefishgrill.com

6. Earl of Sandwich. Downtown Disney at 1750 East Buena Vista Dr., Orlando. Phone: 407-938-1762. No. 3-rated eatery for best casual dining on urbanspoon. No. 13 on tripadvisor.com. World’s best sandwiches. Prices are $10-12. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Web: earlofsandwichusa.com

7. The Conch Republic Grill Raw Bar. 16699 Gulf Blvd., North Redington Beach, FL. Phone: 727-320-0536. No. 31 restaurant on urbanspoon. Serves seafood, sandwiches, grilled meats. Prices are $8-10 for sandwiches, $15-25 for entrees like grouper, mahi mahi. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, an hour later on weekend nights. Web: conchrepublicgrill.com (For our day in Tampa)

8. Antonio’s LaFiamma Ristorante. The Fountains Plaza at 7559 W. Sand Lake Rd, Orlando. Phone: 407-363-9191. 2011 Foodie Award winner for best Italian restaurant. Serves classic Italian dishes. Most pasta dishes are $13-$15. Hours are 5-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Fairly upscale. Web: antoniosonline.com

9. Four Rivers Smokehouse. 2103 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, FL. Phone: 407-474-8377. 2011 Foodie Award for best barbecue, and runner-up for best takeout. No. 1-ranked barbecue eatery on urbanspoon. Serves sandwiches, ribs, brisket. Sandwiches are $7-$9. Full slab of ribs for $18. Smoked jalapenos for $5. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sundays. Web: 4rsmokehouse.com

10. Pizza Valdiano. 9101 International Dr., Suite 1036, Orlando. 2011 Foodie Award for best pizza. Also won in 2002 through 2009. Four locations around Orlando, closest location is 2.16 miles from the condo. They deliver. Serve pizza and specialty stromboli. Pizzas are 16-inch large for $16. Stormbolis are $6.50. No hours listed. Web: pizzeriavaldiano.com

I think you have done an excellent job of researching these restaurants. While I haven't been to most, I have been to some and agree that they are good choices. As a local, I am aware of the buzz among the good ones and can't disagree with any, except those that simply offer warm, cheap and filling...and you have not included any of those.

The only one addition that must be on your list is Seasons 52, a real standout, IMO.

 

[FargoBear]

Thanks Art. The long line and noise may factor into our decision to pick up barbecue there. Anyone have experience or knowledge of Bubbalou's Bodacious Bar-B-Que?

And thanks to you as well, Vic. I'll scope out Seasons 52. I know I've seen the name as one of the top-ranked restaurants on Urbanspoon.

 

[Orlando Vic]

Bubbalous is good, but not great IMO. Four Rivers Smokehouse got a lot of buzz from Scott Joseph's (long-time Orlando restaurant critic) review http://www.scottjosephorlando.com/reviews/46-barbecue/676-four-rivers-smokehouse I have not been to the Fairbanks Ave. location yet, but will wait until a new one opens closer to my home.

As an aside, take a look at Scott's other BBQ reviews: http://www.scottjosephorlando.com/reviews/46-barbecue

 

[bankr63]

Agree with OrlandoVic on Seasons 52 for a classier joint. Outstanding food, reasonable (i.e. not too large) portions.

We also really like Cantina Laredo across Sand Lake from Seasons 52 (address is on Via Delaggio Way). Upscale Mexican cuisine.

We prefer quality over quantity, so don't tend towards the chains or "all you can shovel" places. Suggest that you check out the Orlando Sentinel's dining section (available online). That's where we get our best recommendations.

 

[Art 1]

Thanks Art. The long line and noise may factor into our decision to pick up barbecue there. Anyone have experience or knowledge of Bubbalou's Bodacious Bar-B-Que?

And thanks to you as well, Vic. I'll scope out Seasons 52. I know I've seen the name as one of the top-ranked restaurants on Urbanspoon.

Been going there for 25 yrs, the one by close to me in Winter Park has been around for years. I like it.

 

[JimMIA]

7. The Conch Republic Grill Raw Bar. 16699 Gulf Blvd., North Redington Beach, FL.

If you're going to include the Tampa Bay area as "offsite," you've really missed some stellar dining experiences with this list!

You know where Redington Beach is...right?

Also, here's a link to an old "Best Offsite Restaurants" thread.

 

[FargoBear]

Lol. That one comes with a small back story.

We're spending one day in Tampa and the rest in Orlando. We had spent a week in Tampa three years ago and my sister loved the food at the Conch, so she'd love to go back there. So it made the list by default, really.

 

[JimMIA]

Lol. That one comes with a small back story.

We're spending one day in Tampa and the rest in Orlando. We had spent a week in Tampa three years ago and my sister loved the food at the Conch, so she'd love to go back there. So it made the list by default, really.

Okay, but we're watching you like a hawk!

Personally, I'd skip the Raw Bar and do Bern's!