Thursday, December 29, 2011

Taste of DeLand

Food and Wine reviews will resume for 2012. Join me for this event:

West Indiana Avenue in beautiful downtown DeLand becomes an outdoor café filled with culinary delights. Sample delicacies from over 25 area restaurants. From pizza to fine dining, there will be something for everyone! Enjoy good food, good fun, entertainment, prizes and more! No pets please.

Limited tickets are available. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Tickets available at the MainStreet DeLand or West Volusia Beacon offices or reserve online now!


Reserve online at:  http://mainstreetdeland.org/calendar.cfm/mode/details/id/14407/recurringId/35240/a-taste-of-deland

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Hot Olives - Winter Park!

If you are an Orlando area local (or a visitor), you must try Hot Olives in Winter Park. I've eaten there several times and they never disappoint. They are very consistent in serving the best and freshest food in Central Florida. Their new location is perfect for their ambiance and they are continuing to work on the patio seating so it rivals their previous location's patio.

There were two of us dining last evening, and we started with a cocktail from their martini list. I had the Pomegranate Martini, which has EG Rosemary and Lavender Vodka, Countreau, Cranberry, White Cranberry, Pomegranate Syrup and Sprite.  It was heavenly!  My dining partner chose the Pear Martini, which has Grey Goose La Poire, Grapefruit Juice, a splash of Peach Schnapps and Sprite. If you haven't guessed yet, this is a fabulous place for happy hour too!

We started our dining experience with an appetizer of "Hot Olives".  These are a must when you visit this restaurant.  It is a mixture of breaded diced black olives infused with Asiago cheese, with a side of Blue cheese dressing layered with sweet chili sauce.  These went so well with our martinis. We continued with a caesar salad and entrees of Chicken Piccata and Key West Grouper.  I tend to be a creature of habit, so I almost always choose the Key West Grouper. It is Atlantic blackened grouper, pan-seared and served over brown rice.  It is topped with sauteed asparagus, Applewood bacon, cherry tomatoes, and Vidalia onions. It is finished with a Feta cheese sauce.  Delish!

Next time you are thinking of a fun and fabulous place to dine, choose Hot Olives! And ask for Jen.  There are two Jen's, so ask for the dark-haired one.  She will assist you with an awesome time at Hot Olives.

You can find Hot Olives on the web at:  www.hotolives.com

They are located at:  601 South New York Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Artist-Inspired Easter Egg Coloring Eggstravaganza


A group of my friends created a social group called "The Pink Pig". Literally, there is a ceramic/porcelain pink pig that is carried to each event and presented to the next person who will host the next event (monthly). This month's "Pink Pig" gathering was an artist-inspired Easter egg coloring contest. Each of the guest were given an opportunity to select the artist of their choice.

The hosts rented a party room at a local restaurant and supplied so many wonderful items to create our artist-inspired eggs. They definitely went all out on the supplies! We each had one dozen eggs to work with. It was a fun time, with great food and lots of fellowship.

After all of the masterpieces were created, we enlisted some assistance from our waiter to judge the final dozen. He did a fabulous job in picking our final twelve. I've included some photos of each of the submissions. I hope you enjoy them. Let them inspire you to do something fun for Easter. Be sure to include your family/friends for a joyous occasion.


Cheers!