Archive for "Food and Drink"
College Hill Deli
Posted on September 6, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
I finally got to try College Hill Deli thanks to Jay and Becca. I can’t believe I’d never been there before. Here are some pictures of their delicious food.
Ever notice how most Mediterranean restaurants are owned by men named Ali? LOL.
Seriously though, this place is legit. The hummus with chicken shawarma is the best hummus you can get in Wichita for $6 and it is substantial enough to eat as a meal. The fattoush salad has great flavor. I appreciate that they don’t skimp on the feta.
I can’t comment on the bierock pie, which is what Jay had, because I didn’t get to try it. It looked good though. My chicken shawarma wrap was also good. Brian got to eat my leftovers when he arrived back to Wichita the next day. Of course, it’s not the same. I’m going to have to take him there to try the delightful food fresh.
Thank you to Jay and Becca for dinner but, most of all, for introducing me to a wonderful new place to eat near work. Oh, yeah!
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Coconuts at Peabody
Posted on September 2, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
The warm up and cool down workshop was my final one of convention. After that I could finally relax. That meant only one thing: pool time!
We got there just in time to secure three lounge chairs before the rest of the convention attendees showed up. While we were waiting for Christina to join us, several people tried to ask for the lounge chair that we reserved for her.
The Peabody Orlando pool was really hoppin’ on Sunday night. That’s where almost everyone was, including Zumba celebrity Gina Grant. An impromptu Aqua Zumba session even broke out.
I would have preferred a less crowded pool, but I didn’t mind the Zumba music pumping and the people gyrating. My drink helped me chill out. LOL.
After laying around for a while, Brian and I decided that we didn’t want to leave to shower and get dressed for dinner so we ended up eating at the pool. The Peabody Orlando has a poolside restaurant called Coconuts. Prices are still on the pricy side as can be expected considering where we were, but at least they offered a bit more selection than Mallards.
We had the hummus and pita, which you can’t really go wrong with (we order it everywhere we go), and the $20 appetizer sampler. On the plus side, the hummus and pita at Coconuts is cheaper than the one they serve at B-Line Diner and you actually get more grilled pita chips.
Here’s the one they serve at B-Line that costs almost twice as much.
Here’s the hummus and pita platter served at Coconuts.
Had we known this ahead of time, we would have just ate dinner poolside at Coconuts the entire trip. Seriously. The drinks are universally expensive throughout the hotel premises, but the food prices at Coconuts were far more reasonable than anywhere else at the hotel.
Here’s a close up of the appetizer sampler which consisted of chorizo and corn arepas, chicken wings, coconut shrimp, chips and dip.
Yes, I realize that the coconut shrimp is almost the size of my head but you only get two of them. This appetizer would have cost only half as much if we were back home in Wichita. By Sunday I was actually ready to go home and put the breaks on all the spending. Whew. Thank heavens the Zumba instructor convention in Orlando only happens once a year or I would be completely bankrupt.
On a side note, I’m actually thinking of checking out the Zumba conference in LA next year. LOL. It’s only a couple of days instead of four so I’m hoping it will be less expensive. I am starting to save now though, just in case. I’m thinking it will still cost me quite a bit. However, I plan on going about it the smart way and rooming with another instructor on this next trip so that I can at least reduce the cost of lodging to half. Here’s to hoping I get a good deal on airfare. Until next time!
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The Pub Orlando
Posted on September 1, 2013 by Brian under Food and Drink, Reviews.
While Ching was in one of her classes I decided to go roam around outside the hotel and see if I could find a good place for lunch. I was really wanting to find some Cuban restaurant but there weren’t any close. I ended up going to a place called “The Pub”. I looked it up on Urbanspoon and it had high ratings so I figured why not.
Once I got in there it ended up being a really nice place. The bartender was really nice and helped me choose a really good beer. Luckily they bottle it and I can get it here in Wichita. Unlike the Sam Adams Brick Red that I really like that you can only get on tap and only in Boston Bars.
I decided on a ham sandwich that was on a pretzel bun. It ended up being really good. the fries were also really good. I love think cut fries.
The beer the bartender suggested was really good. The only down side was I had not eaten in few hours and the Beer went right to my head. Luckily the food balanced me out for the walk back to the hotel.
I wish there was a Pub here in Wichita. I think it would make places like Fox and Hound step up their game.
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The Crepe Factory
Posted on September 1, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
The Crepe Factory is probably my favorite food stand at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC). The crepe options are limited but they are good. Then again you can’t go wrong with crepes. You can put just about anything inside and it’ll turn out delicious. I don’t think the Crepe Factory is as good as the Crepe Cafe, the crepe place that we tried when we were in Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco. It is pretty good, though. If they’d given us enough time for lunch, I probably would have eaten there every single day. LOL.
Be prepared to spend some cash at the OCCC, though. The crepes cost $10-$12. There are no cheap lunches at the convention center. That’s for sure.
Brian had Korean tacos from another food stand the first time that I had the crepes. I’m sure they were good, but I bet they weren’t as good as my cordon bleu crepe.
The next time I had a hankering for a crepe, he decided to try it with me. He got an American, which is basically a breakfast crepe. I wanted to go for the gusto that time though, so I added tomatoes to my regular cordon bleu. I also ordered a banana + Nutella crepe for dessert. It’s my favorite kind of crepe. Yum!
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Mallards Bar at Peabody Orlando
Posted on August 29, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
I only had a limited time to get ready between my training session and the live concert so instead of going to Pointe Orlando to eat dinner, we ended up grabbing something at Mallards. The quality of the food and drinks was good, but there are significant downsides to Mallards. The biggest one being the limited selection. Since it’s a bar, they just have a handful of options. And, it’s “bar” food. It may be upscale bar food, but it’s still bar food.
The service was also terrible that night. I don’t know what was up with our server, but she was inattentive and unhelpful. She was almost borderline rude. Immediately after she delivered our food, she brought the check over. That’s one of my pet peeves because it makes me feel rushed. Plus, I wanted to order some other stuff. It was really annoying.
Besides that, their drinks are super expensive. Then again, that’s probably normal for Orlando. I’m so glad I live in Wichita where I can get a couple of drinks for $13. LOL.
I think we should have tried one of the other restaurants located inside the hotel instead (there are a few inside Peabody Orlando). If only I wasn’t in a hurry. I probably would have been better off going back to B-Line Diner or grabbing something from B-Line Express (the diner’s to-go counter).
Possibly the one thing that Mallards has going for it is the march of the ducks at 11 AM and 5 PM. So just go for the ducks. Don’t bother eating or drinking. LOL. Or, save yourself the trip and just watch Brian’s video.
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