mmm…fried cheese inside cheese
Sep 6, 2010 food and drink
I received an email from Denny’s today about some of the new items they’re adding to their promotional “$2-$4-$6-$8″ value menu and one item really caught my eye.
Now, being from Wisconsin, I love cheese. Seriously love cheese. But even this makes me take a step back from the menu.
The Fried Cheese Melt.
It’s basically breaded & fried mozzarella cheese sticks inside of a grilled cheese sandwich. And it’s served with fries and marinara sauce for dipping.
I suppose it’s no different than ordering an appetizer of mozzarella sticks and then eating a grilled cheese sandwich. But who was the person that went, “hmmm….what if we eat them together?”
I can feel my arteries hardening just looking at it.
Of course in the interest of journalism (and the fact that I really love cheese) I probably will give this one a try.
Just don’t tell my doctor.
Tags: cheap food, cheese, Denny's, fried cheese melt
free queso at Moe’s
Jul 21, 2010 food and drink
Today was free queso day at Moe’s Southwestern Grill. Of course, Rhon and I hate to pass up free food days, especially when it’s Tex-Mex.
We went to the Moe’s in Dr. Phillips and got all the way to the counter before we got the customary “Welcome to Moe’s!” greeting yelled at us. We both decided to order a taco to go with the queso, since we were going grocery shopping after and the worst thing for the food budget is shopping on an empty stomach. Total cost with water for the drink came to just under $3.
I had the chicken taco with almost every topping. I like the taste of Moe’s food, but about an hour later I remembered why I stopped eating there. For some reason, every time I eat there, I end up in the bathroom shortly after. I’m wondering if it’s because they keep everything on warming trays? I don’t know, but I think next time I’ll just get the queso.
Tags: free stuff, Moe's Southwestern Grill, Orlando restaurants, tex-mex food
Happy Hour at Crave Orlando
Apr 26, 2010 food and drink
Rhonda and I noticed the other day that there was another new restaurant, Crave, over by Millenia, so we decided to try out their happy hour for a cheap early dinner today. It’s right next to the TGIFridays on the corner of Conroy and Millenia.
We went in and were sat at a booth in the bar. We almost got derailed because it seems Mondays are also Burger & Malt night, where the restaurant has a special menu of burgers and malts/shakes available. The specialty menu even had “adult” malts with alcohol. But we decided to save it for a future visit.
Not knowing how big the food portions were on the happy hour menu, we decided to order three items. We tried the Mini-Burger ($3), the Loaded Waffle Fries ($4) and the Korean Chicken Nuggets ($4).
The burger came cooked to order, topped with bacon and cheese melting off the side of the burger onto the Ciabatta bread. It was served with a side of root vegetable chips that tasted like they had just come out of the fryer. We agreed this would be a good-sized portion for one person.
The waffle fries were good, but a bit greasy. They were topped with chunks of mostly lean bacon and melted cheddar cheese. They were OK, but nothing spectacular.
We both agreed the chicken was the best of the three appetizers. The chicken was cut into bite-sized pieces, coated with Tempura batter and deep-fried. Then they were coated in a red sweet/spicy Miso sauce and served atop a small pile of mixed greens. Not being a huge fan of Miso, I didn’t think I’d like it, but I found the sauce to be just the right blend of sweet and spicy. The portion was definitely enough for a meal, but a small bit of white rice on the side would definitely kick this dish up a notch.
We both topped off the Happy Hour meal with a $3 Leinie Sunset Wheat on draft. Being from Wisconsin, we both get excited when we see our fave indie brewery on tap somewhere. Total with tax and tip came to about $22, which is pretty good for two. I think next time we’ll skip the waffle fries.
The service was good here, too, and if you miss the 3-6pm happy hour, it starts back up again at 9pm. The atmosphere was upscale bistro, and I would imagine they get quite packed on weekend evenings.
Tags: Crave, food review, happy hour, Orlando
Dinner and a Trip on the Hot Tub Time Machine
Apr 10, 2010 Orlando, food and drink, movies and tv
Met up with Clare tonight out at Downtown Disney. We started with dinner at House of Blues. I haven’t eaten here in a few years, but I had a Restaurant.com gift certificate to use. Unfortunately we just missed Happy Hour, but I wasn’t feeling up to drinking alcohol anyways. The food was good, as I remembered it, but it was a bit higher priced. My blackened Cajun chicken sandwich with a side of mashed potatoes was $13. Rhon’s sandwich was about the same price and Clare’s salad was a bit more..
Afterwards, we went over to the theater and decided to see Hot Tub Time Machine. Clare ended up having to leave after we just got into the theater, so it ended up just being Rhon and I watching it. Neither of us had any real expectations from the trailers we’d seen, but it turned out to be a rather funny film.
I think we enjoyed it so much because of the pop culture references to the 80s. A lot of the humor was non-PC, but it was kind of like if Judd Apatow directed an episode of VH-1’s “I Love the 80s.” We loved the cameo by William Zabka (still hot despite the moustache) and the soundtrack was great, too. The only thing I feel they missed the boat on was somehow working in a way for John Cusack (who not only stars in the film, but produced it) to parody his classic Say Anything boombox scene. This will probably be one we’ll get on DVD when it comes out.
Tags: Downtown Disney, Hot Tub Time Machine, House of Blues, Orlando
An Evening at Boma
Nov 18, 2009 Orlando, food and drink, work, writing
Monday night I had the pleasure of spending time in the company of some of my fellow bloggers from UpTake. With several of the main office people in town for the PhoCusWright travel industry conference over at the Omni Championsgate, several of the Orlando-area UpTakers met up with them for dinner and drinks Monday, before the conferences started.
We met up at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, and ate at Boma’s dinner buffet. Boma is one of my favorite restaurants at WDW, and though I normally eat there during the breakfast buffet, the dinner version is just as good. Actually, this time I noticed a few small differences that made it a more enjoyable experience.
One pleasant change was at the carving station. The last two times I ate dinner at Boma, the beef was only served medium rare and you had to hae the chef cook a slice to order if you wanted it well done, as I do. This time, they had a second slab of well done beef ready to slice. I had a little bit of everything except the seafood items and the mushroom soup. Besides the beef, I enjoyed the Durban-spiced chicken, the bobotie (sort of a ground beef and lamb quiche) and of course the dessert spread. Especially once I poured the chocolate rum raisin sauce over most everything. LOL
Yes, I said chocolate rum raisin sauce.
It’s ok, I’ll give you a moment alone with your taste buds.
Anyways, the best part of the meal was the company. It was great meeting fellow travel writers, esp. since we all work together via telecommuting. I’m really hoping we can get together again, maybe make it a bi-monthly type of thing. So, a big hello to Elliott and Pat from the main office and my Orlando co-bloggers Britt, Shash, Brooke and Angela.
My Own Cabo Wabo Devil
Oct 19, 2009 contests/freebies, food and drink, life
I got a cute little surprise in the mail…my own mini Cabo Diablos from Cabo Wabo tequila.
I had signed up for their email club about a month ago, but wasn’t really expecting anything other than the standard marketing newsletters and the like. So this was a fun little pick-me-up to see it in the mail.
It’s about 2 inches tall, made of hard rubber and is dressed like a Mexican luchadore (wrestler) in a red suit with devil horns and a pointed tail. It also has its right hand raised up in the traditional metal music “horns” pose of the index and pinky fingers forming horns.
Printed on the inside of the box are the following “proper care” instructions:
1] Water your Diablo frequently with Cabo Wabo tequila.
2] Always bring your Diablo along when partying.
3] Do not accidentally leave your Diablo behind in a bar. That’s no way to treat your wingman.
Then in smaller print it says:
You’ve received this because you’ve been a little devil. This Diablo, like our tequila, is a work of fine art and not a toy. Please enjoy your Diablo responsibly.
What a cute little tchotcke! Not to mention a great marketing tool. A+ to Cabo Wabo tequila for this Diablo gift. Now if only it came with an actual sample. LOL
PS: For those unaware, Cabo Wabo tequila is owned by rock musician Sammy Hagar, who has not only had a lengthy solo career, but was lead singer for Van Halen for many years following the departure of David Lee Roth.
Tags: Cabo Diablo, Cabo Wabo tequila, nip/tuck, Sammy Hagar, tchotkes, toys, tv show
Michelle Snow. Journalist. Photographer. Web Designer. Graphic Designer. Traveler. Couchsurfer. Geekgirl. Browncoat. Musicologist.
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