Weekend of Love

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We stayed local and enjoyed some time out with friends along with some delicious food and drinks.

On Friday after work K and I met up with a good friend for dinner at Yamasan Sushi & Grill which has an amazing deal on sushi and drinks during happy hour. You can't beat $4 sushi rolls and wine so we splurged and picked six different rolls to share.

After dinner we went next door to Brass Tap to try some of their beers and hang out for a bit before calling it a night.

On Saturday, I did some damage at the grocery store and relaxed at home before getting dressed to celebrate Valentine's with K. We started off with some drinks in College Park. I tried some strawberry shortcake beer which was so delish!

We then headed over to Two Chefs Oyster & Seafood restaurant for dinner. It was our first time eating there and we really enjoyed the oysters for an appetizer. For entrees, I had blackened grouper and K had scallops and we shared some brussels sprouts and lobster mashed potatoes. Service was exceptional and we were in and out of there in less than an hour.

On Sunday I caught up on The People vs OJ Simpson and had a relaxing Valentine's day at home with K and Lola. We all made out with some gifts too.

K and I made some shrimp fondue to finish off the weekend of love and spent the rest of the evening planning our upcoming trip to Denver, CO!

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Best Resaurants in Orlando

There are so many amazing restaurants in Orlando beyond this list but these are some of my favorite places to visit for lunch, dinner, and brunch. I figured it would be a helpful guide for visitors or even locals looking to dine out and enjoy some of the best cuisine in the Central Florida area.

Shari Sushi Lounge
 Shari is my all-time favorite sushi restaurant located downtown Orlando. They have happy hour on sushi rolls and drinks everyday from 5-7pm so I frequent here often with my girl friends to catch up.

Santiago's Bodega
I'm a huge fan of Spanish tapas. Santiago's has an amazing tapas dinner menu and also one of the best all-inclusive brunches in town.

Dinner

Brunch

Hash House A Go Go

Known for their incredibly huge portion sizes and delicious food. I went for brunch recently with some coworkers and we felt like it was a Man vs Food challenge. Definitely a must if you want to indulge!

Monsieur Paul

This French restaurant is located in Epcot's France pavilion. We went for Valentine's day on a double date with some friends and had a nice view of the fireworks over the lake. K said it was the best steak he's ever had and my roasted duck was pretty fantastic. 

Cafe Tutu Tango

An art-inspired tapas restaurant featuring local artwork and live entertainment including belly dancing, magicians and live music. Located in the heart of International drive, this place is a must!

Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine
K and I had a lunch date at Bosphorous located on Park Avenue in Winter Park and I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. The food did take quite long to come out but it was well worth the wait. A family-owned Turkish gem in Central Florida.

Pom Pom's Teahouse
I absolutely love this Teahouse and Sandwicheria located downtown Orlando for some eclectic sandwiches and amazing teas. The chef is originally from Thailand and she has created very unique sandwiches plus soups and sides that are just out of this world!

 
Maxine's On Shine
One of my absolute favorite brunch spots located in a neighborhood street in the heart of Orlando featuring live music, amazing food and fabulous drinks. Maxine herself makes an appearance often and stops by your table to chat.

Brunch

Dinner

Taverna Opa
I rang in my 30th birthday a few years ago with a bunch of friends at Taverna Opa. The Greek food and entertainment makes this restaurant a fun spot to visit to celebrate. Dancing on the tables also happened because they encourage it. Expect to have a good time here located in Pointe Orlando.

We've been back since my birthday to take my BFF visiting from Trinidad to have a nice dinner out since the environment and food are amazing! 

 
Spice Modern Steakhouse
Spice offers a nice atmosphere for a date night with steak and sushi being their specialty. I'm a big fan of their brunch and lakefront scenery.

Cooper's Hawk Winery

The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

Sushi and burgers seem like a strange combination for a restaurant but we decided on this spot for a blate with Ashley and I was so pleasantly surprised. Naturally I went for the sushi and it's so different from the typical sushi restaurant but absolutely delicious in it's own way. 

Tell me about your favorite restaurants so I can come visit some day!

Super Bowl Weekend

This weekend was a cold and rainy one in Central Florida so we kept it very low key. On Friday night we headed out for a quick Italian dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching movies at home.

Lola matches my gingerbread pajama pants.

On Saturday I spent the morning cleaning the house and doing some errands before heading out to Lake Nona for a drink at Graffiti Junction and then dinner at Nona Blue. The Ahi Tuna salad was to die for!

I went to bed early Saturday night suffering with a migraine so naturally I woke up early on Sunday to prep for the Super Bowl. K found this recipe and wanted to try it out.

We ventured out for some lunch at Johnny's Other Side on Sunday and ran into one of my favorite radio hosts that I listen to every morning on the way to work. I was supposed to go to a friend's Super Bowl party but my migraine came back with a vengeance so I decided to keep quiet at home after lunch.

How was your weekend?

FYI: Our travel linkup is happening on Wednesday so feel free to join Kerri, Kate and myself by sharing your favorite travel recaps.

Weekending & New Blog Design

Another Monday is upon us but let's decide to be happy and beautiful together. Life is better that way, right? I hope the snow and blizzards up north weren't too detrimental and hopefully cleared up a bit by now. We had the coldest weekend for the year in Central Florida but no snow.

I had a relaxing Friday evening at home with some Thai food for dinner from Sea Thai, which has been voted best Thai restaurant in Orlando year over year. I picked up K from the airport and we just hung out at home with Lola.

On Saturday I went to the hairdresser to get some highlights done and got my hair curled. Luckily the curls lasted up until today even with the cold weather.

On Saturday night the Central Florida girls (Kate, Kerri, Pamela and myself) had a blogger meet up with Ashley from Wandering Weekenders and her husband visiting from Texas. We had dinner at The Cowfish, a sushi and burger restaurant in Universal's City Walk.

After dinner we headed over to Red Coconut for a drink ~ moscow mules were the drink of the night for myself and some of the girls. As you can see we were all bundled up in winter clothes because the low was in the 30's which is deathly cold for our Florida and Texas blood. LOL

It was so fun meeting Ashley and her husband! I hope to visit them in Texas sometime later this year.

Most of Sunday was spent figuring out how to redesign my blog and having a mini panic attack while doing so after almost crashing the whole site. I'm super happy with how it turned out considering I have zero design or HTML skills...well now I have a little of both. It's not 100% complete but that's all my patience could handle in one day. I'll also be re-branding my blog with a different (but similar) name in the next week or two since I bought a new domain. If you run into any errors while visiting my blog, please let me know!

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Orlando Beyond Disney

I'm aware that most visitors come to Orlando to visit Disney but there's so much more to do in Central Florida for people with all different interests from food to sports, attractions, festivals, and entertainment. The locals know the secret to enjoying Orlando and avoiding the crowded Disney area.

Downtown Orlando
Orlando has a really fun downtown where the locals go to enjoy some amazing Sunday brunch restaurants along with the bar hopping nightlife and the dog-friendly restaurants in Thornton Park.

 

There's also a local farmer's market every Sunday around Lake Eola where you can purchase produce, food, and art from local vendors. Several festivals are hosted around Lake Eola such as Paws in the Park which is an annual pet festival coming up in February.

iFly Orlando
This Indoor Skydiving place gives you the opportunity to experience the skydiving experience in a safe environment. I, personally, am afraid of heights so will never do the real thing but I had no hesitation to try indoor skydiving.

Orlando City Soccer Club
Our Major League Soccer team is a fairly new addition to Orlando's sports teams but the fan base caught on quickly and everyone here can enjoy an inexpensive evening watching some soccer at the family-friendly Citrus Bowl.

Cocoa Beach
This is not technically Orlando but it is the closest beach that most locals frequent during the warmer months. Port Canaveral also has some amazing waterfront seafood restaurants that we like to grab dinner at after spending hours at the beach.

Wekiva Island

Wekiva Island is an amazing facility to visit on the weekend to enjoy some kayaking and canoeing along with lunch and drinks at the onsite restaurant. It's great place to relax along the river and get some Vitamin D plus it's pet-friendly so everyone brings their dog to enjoy the outdoors.

The Orlando Eye

This 400-foot observation wheel located on International Drive was built in 2015 and is one of Orlando's newest attractions that allows you to enjoy breathtaking views of Central Florida. We went on it in December at sunset and enjoyed seeing the sun go down along Orlando's skyline.

Amway Center
The Amway arena is the home of the Orlando Magic basketball team but they also host most of the big concerts such as Taylor Swift who I saw perform a couple years ago.

Winter Park
Park Avenue in Winter Park has a historic strip of boutique shopping and restaurants. It's a great place to walk around and go for lunch or some happy hour with friends. They also host an Art Festival that features work from local artists for sale.

Universal City Walk
You can enjoy family fun here with a variety of restaurants, entertainment and shopping. My two favorites are Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and Bob Marley's for some live reggae music and Jamaican cuisine. The nightlife is always hopping here so it's a fun place to go to celebrate a birthday or bachelorette party.

Orlando Improv
 Everyone loves a good laugh. Lots of great comedians come to Orlando Improv to perform. It's a nice venue that serves food and drinks while you enjoy a funny comedy show.

Orlando is dubbed "The City Beautiful" and I couldn't agree more. There's so much to do here that makes living here never a dull moment.