Sushi Hot Spots in Orlando

Shari Sushi Lounge
621 E Central Blvd
Orlando, FL 32801

Shari is my #1 pick for sushi restaurants in Orlando. I've been frequenting Shari for over 5 years and it's a great spot for girls night out or even date night. Their rolls are delicious and the best part is they have happy hour 7 days a week from 5 to 7 pm offering their specialty rolls for only $4.25 along with select wines and cocktails. The volcano roll and JB roll are a must try!

Sushi Pop
310 W Mitchell Hammock Rd
Oviedo, FL 32765

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Kabooki Sushi
3122 E Colonial Dr

Orlando, FL 32803

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Amura Japanese
55 W Church St
Orlando, FL 32801

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Seito Sushi

4898 New Broad St
Orlando, FL 32814

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Izziban

1700 Sand Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32809

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Sushiology

6400 International Dr, Ste 130
Orlando, FL 32819

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Pig Floyd's & Blog Direction

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Earlier this week, a friend and I went for lunch at a fairly new restaurant in town called Pig Floyd's. We wanted to check out the menu and see what the hype was all about. We sat down and were chit chatting when the owner stopped by offering us Cuban-style tacos he had just created in the kitchen. Have you ever seen tacos with black beans, rice, pulled pork, plantains and a fancy avocado sauce? They were amazing!! He said he's thinking of calling them The Fidel. (aka Fidel Castro = perfect name based on the ingredients)

We chatted with him a bit and convinced him these tacos needed to be on the menu asap. Not before long, he was back with with a plate of BBQ ribs for us to taste test. Amazing once again! We had such a great time on our lunch break away from work. Thanks cool dude who is the owner of Pig Floyd's for making our experience so enjoyable. We'll be back to try more of your menu options. P.S. sorry I thought you were Canadian when in fact your accent is that of Puerto Rico. #blondemoment 

He posted the #Fidel tacos photo on their Facebook page and we even got some love.

Lucky for him, he was sharing his creations and chats with a blogger and had no clue I would share my experience online.  The Big Floyd sandwich is amazing btw! Tough to finish as the menu says but worth a shot.

So about my blog direction...

I've been thinking for a while now about where I want to take my blog and different avenues I want to explore. Experiences like this at Pig Floyd's solidify what I've actually been leaning towards the whole time. Outside of blogging, I love to write restaurant reviews on Yelp & UrbanSpoon as well as reviews for retail websites and stores. 

I want to create a section specific to Orlando or at least Florida life in general. I love the city in which I live. There's lots to do and I want to be able to share that on my blog. It's part of my lifestyle and what I enjoy. While I know most of my readers and blog friends don't live in the Orlando area, it is a popular vacation spot and I think my reviews will eventually be helpful to both locals and visitors looking for recommendations for different types of restaurants, entertainment, shows, festivals and so on. This won't be the focus of my blog but I plan to do a review here and there based on my experiences and what I think is worth mentioning.

I travel quite a bit and I already have a section for that where I can do my travel recaps and restaurant reviews. I think it's time to create a section for the city I live in and love ~ Orlando. 

What do you think?

Favorite Brunch Spot in Chicago

I'm not a Chicago local so I'm sure there are tons of great brunch spots in and around the city. This restaurant just happens to be one of my favorite places we tried out on our recent trip to Chicago. We both left the restaurant saying "Wow, that was probably the best brunch we've ever had!"

Bridge House Tavern is located at 321 N Clark Street downtown along Chicago river.

K and I actually just stumbled upon this place while walking around on the Sunday morning and decided it looked like a cool spot to eat outdoors on the river. We took the elevator from the street entrance down to the lower level and found a front row spot by those red umbrellas. Our server was a really cool guy who informed us that bloody marys and mimosas were only $5 on the weekends. That's always music to my ears as I love nothing more than brunching on a patio with cheap/affordable drinks.

K had the corn beef hash with eggs and I had chicken and waffles. I've never been a huge lover of pancakes and waffles but something about theirs was like the Krispy Kreme of waffles. I almost licked the plate.

This was the entrance from the street.

You can't beat the riverside patio on a sunny day watching the boats and cruise tours go by. Of course, there is also indoor seating for the colder months.

I'm definitely missing this beautiful city and hope to go back one day to experience many more great restaurants like the Brick House Taven.

Chicago locals and regulars out there: what's your favorite brunch spot?

Volunteering, Southern Cooking & Travel Planning

Friday is here and I'll be traveling out of town yet again! This time just a 2 hour drive to visit my in-laws for a late Mother's Day/early Father's Day. We're also planning to hit the beach and hopefully grab some oysters and seafood.

K brought home this pretty bouquet on Wednesday. Carnations are probably my favorite flower, even more so than roses, and well anything purple just wins my heart!

I volunteered at the VA Medical Center this week and hosted a bingo night for about 18 vets, mainly from World War 2. It was such an amazing experience and will be volunteering more often now that I've introduced myself to the staff and program coordinator.

A new southern cooking restaurant opened in town called The Coop and I'm in heaven! You would think (due to geography) Florida would have "southern" food but there's really no where nearby with traditional southern cooking and, as you can see, the line is out the door at The Coop. 

 

I tried the chicken pot pie this week and will be going back again to try their chicken & waffles, shrimp & grits and all the other southern fixins.  

I picked up this new Miss Manga mascara by L'Oreal. I think the package sold me, I'm not exactly sure why.  It's comparable to Falsies by Maybelline which has typically been my go-to drug store mascara.

Kate and I have booked our trips to Chi Town in September! I'm so excited to explore the city and meet up with a couple bloggers that live in the area. The countdown is on to exploring another new city.

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Hope everyone has a great weekend!

If you haven't already done so, don't forget to enter my Beauty Basket Giveaway below in my previous post!

Joining Lauren for H54F and April for Five on Friday.