Barie "Wow I'm Awesome" W.'s Profile

I love the concept of the CityArts Factory and the fact that most of the galleries have new exhibits every month. My favorite new addition is the Lee James Floral Gallery. Best off all, admission is FREE!

On the Third Thursday of every month they do a gallery hop with other downtown galleries and unveil that months exhibits. This is a perfect time to meet with local artists and art lovers.

I must be a bit of a snob now and say that most of the rotating exhibits don't excite me all that much. This is mostly due to the fact that the galleries are rented out monthly to most anyone who is willing to pay and doesn't necessarily reflect on the CityArts factory itself. Since art is subjective, don't get mad at me, just get down there and decide for yourself!

I decided to go to Baja Burrito Kitchen over the Tijuana Flats next door because of the fish tacos. That might have been the only advantage that they have. I started off being good by ordering a $3.50 fish taco and thought I wouldn't be spending much. But after I was talked into a large queso and a drink without looking at the prices I was up to $11. Oops

My fish taco was good but my sister's shrimp taco had the tiniest little shrimp I've ever seen. Must be the same shrimp that Taco Bell uses. The salsa bar was not impressive at all although I did like the fresco salsa.

I could see myself going back for a fish taco but not really anything else.

U & Me has become my go to for take out sushi in Metro West. The first time I ordered from U & Me we got a combo of Chinese and sushi. The Chinese portions were kinda of small for the price and not that great so I now stick to only sushi. They have a great party platter for $32.

Depending on how much you spend they give you a free item like soda or soup and with free delivery, this place is great!

Now if I could only find some decent duck fried rice.

I went to Scruffy Murphy's for Karaoke Night and to celebrate my sister's birthday. There was a decent sized crowd and I thoroughly enjoyed the old timers singing the classics. I joined my group who already had drinks and asked if they had a server. They said yes so I didn't go to the bar. I waited and waited and the server never came. I would understand not seeing me join the group, but why wasn't she checking on the people already there?

I finally go to the bar, no liquor specials, only beer. I ended up getting a double vodka and cran to avoid another trip up there, but it was really weak. For the rest of the night, I never saw the server come over and my friends got the rest of their drinks from the bar.

As for the karaoke, the host wasn't bad although the song selection was not good. And what's the point of karaoke if you don't have a decent song selection?

I have no idea how I drove down I-4 so many times and missed this place. When I finally stopped by I was in wine heaven! They have a great selection of wine from $5 to $150+. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Their greeter, a cute dog named Malbec, is very sweet.

The first time I went they had a couple bottles open from a tasting the night before and were happy to let us sample. When you go, make sure to get on the mailing list to hear about specials and tastings.

Definitely a welcome alternative to ABC and Total Wine.

I have to disagree with David about the wait times. Every time I have gone to this location there are several people in line and the service is sub-par. On occasion they have had an employee walking around trying to help people in line but they treat you as if you are stupid if you don't have the correct forms filled out.

The worst experience I have had at this location was when Dave, a window clerk, told me I was not allowed to use "his tape" to adhere a label to my package. In all my trips to any Orlando area USPS I have never been treated this badly.

Unfortunately I was not too pleased with my last visit to PRs. Because it is right down the street from Rollins, some friends and I met up for an after party for my final show on WPRK 91.5fm. There was not much partying however. We met around 9:30pm and because it was a Thursday they were closing at 11. We thought it would be OK since there were other places in walking distance if we felt like staying out late. But soon after 10pm we started getting the "are you done with that" and "can I bring you your check". I was not happy about being rushed out.

On to the food. I ordered a margarita. It was a little weak so for the next one I ordered a double. I overheard the waitress tell a friend what a good deal it was to get a double but it was actually a dollar more than 2 singles. I asked him later what the good deal was and apparently we were told different prices. Not cool, I wish I would have asked him while we were still there. I also ordered a chimichanga. Because of the rushed service I didn't fully read the menu so I was disappointed to find that it came with no lettuce, tomato, or anything that resembled a vegetable. There was also a red sauce on top which made the chimichanga soggy. The only reason for a chimichanga is the crunchy shell!

Myself and others from the group complained of stomach trouble later that night but that's a risk you take with any Tex-Mex I suppose. Not sure if I will be going back anytime soon.

I could not believe how empty Liam Fitzpatrick's was when I walked in. I suppose they don't get a lot of traffic at lunch time, plus it was a large place.

I had very high expectations of the $13 lobster mac and cheese. The lobster was minimal and and the cheese was greasy. We shared the fish and chips, nothing special. And we also shared the potato croquette. I like that it was made with shredded potatoes, but again, nothing special.

Overall I thought the prices were too high for mediocre food. I hear they have a good happy hour though, so if I was in the area I'd probably go for that.

After driving around the parking lot for about 10 minutes, I finally parked in the shopping center next door and walked over to Peach Valley. Apparently this is a common occurrence at this location if you go for a weekday lunch.

To save time we sat at the bar and were served right away. We started with the orchard fresh apple fritters. I wasn't expecting to like the the strawberry yogurt dip, but I did. I got the vegetable & egg croissant benedict. It was good but needs to be eaten fast or the croissant gets soggy. I had a couple bites of my sisters TCB wrap and it was awesome. The havarti cheese and cranberry-chipotle sauce were delish. Instead of fries she got onion rings. With the panko breading, they were probably the best onion rings I've ever tasted.

If its not too hot, try to sit outside. There is a great view.

I have a love-hate relationship with I-Bar; I love to go there and then hate on it. I will admit that it is one of the better places for dancing in Orlando but it's never my first choice.

There are a couple things that annoy me about I-Bar. First, the smoke. OMG the smoke! It takes 2 days after a trip to I-Bar to clear my lungs and get the smell out of my hair. Second, the way the music is selected. I mainly go on Friday or Saturday. I prefer the music on Friday but they won't play a song unless it has a video. I understand they have all those TV but they should have something else to put on them so they can play requests. Also, I've noticed they will repeat songs. If you can't do a 3-4 hour set without repeating songs, then you shouldn't be a DJ. Third, the bartenders are kinda bi-polar. Stay away from the bald guy in the back.

I do like the layout of I-Bar and I have friends that like to go, so I'll definitely be back.