Ryan "liberatr" P.'s Profile

Good solid "Gringo Chinese" (that's what my girlfriend calls it).

They list some good specials on their menu, like "Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce", and my personal favorite "Singapore Noodles" or "Singapore Mei Fun".

They have a TV in the dining room, which is actually a much nicer experience than most NY Style Chinese - carpet and decor are pleasant. Normally a TV in the dining room is a faux pas for me, but we always seem to be eating there during Jeapordy / Wheel of Fortune, which is kind of a fun attraction with dinner.

The fried pickles keep Pine 22 in solid 3-star-range for me, nearing a 4. They are some of the best I've had. Chips, not spears - battered, not breaded. We recently held a happy hour here, and the snacks were very well received. I think they might carry the same sweet potato fries and shoestrings (pine fries) as a few other places, but I can't say for sure. The layout was also pretty nice for a get-together - we set up in a corner, and were not in a major thoroughfare, but still had a nice view of the street out the window.

If you are going to say that a restaurant is "nothing above average", then why give it a two star rating? Also, they do have beer on tap. Another reviewer got it wrong. One of my favorite bars downtown only carried 3 beers on tap (domestic light doesn't count), and that was plenty. Here they have two, and the light beer only comes in bottles.

Compared with the junk they will feed you at a Friday's or Denny's this is a few dollars more, but with a known local organic source.

I have always had the small beef patties with the multi-grain bun, and not been disappointed. The turkey burgers are not as good as Hamburger Mary's or Graffiti Junktion. With the emphasis on local and organic, I'd like to see some more emphasis on items other than burgers - most of the counter as you walk in is covered with pads of paper for a build your own burger. This is a cool concept in restaurants right now, but table service and a more substantial menu would not break my heart.

All hail the true king! http://www.youtube.com...

This video really says it all - you will trade your kingdom for this sandwich.

If you've been to an Arby's, that's a decent approximation of the kind of thing Beefy King is going for, except more delicious.

Tater tots seem to be very popular right now, so I think Beefy King is riding the wave.

Only open for lunch - this is a family establishment, I guess. I can only imagine what some tots and beef would be like late night in my wildest dreams.

I am also a fan of food prepared right in front of me - this is no exception.

Beware the XL sandwich - not for the faint of heart!

Really glad to see this local gem pointed out in the Yelp Weekly today.

Some very good news is they are opening a location in Thornton Park on Monday 1/17 at the old Urban Think! Bookstore.

Only recently did I learn that they have a great room in the back for holding private meetings - you have to book it ahead of time, but this makes VOM a great place to hang out - you can get some lunch up front while you wait for your meeting to start.

One word: tamales! One of my favorite foods, and the ones I had here were fantastic and homemade - don't know if they are on the menu all the time.

Once Tiffany and Rob learn your name, you'll be even more compelled to come down. This is a great local establishment run by amazing people.

I have to say I am biased, because I have been on a planning committee trying to launch the space. What I will speak to is the two independently organized events I have attended here. I could write 17 more reviews about the space in its current state (it's currently December 2010, and we won't open until early 2011), but I know things will be so different once we open.

The neighborhood for this space is amazing - on Saturday night, the event organizers of the Bad Film Appreciation Society were able to hand flyers to dozens of people passing on their way to downtown clubs or Thornton Park restaurants.

My favorite place to hang out during a party so far is up on the loft balcony. The party I went to last night had the couches all hauled up there - it was a chill little spot. For all I know, that space will be filled with desks and other stationary furniture, and the chill upstairs lounge will only exist in my memories.

While I know some folks will complain about parking, I find it to be much easier to park on this side of the lake than in the rest of downtown. There are a lot of street parking spaces, most of which have a 2- or 3-hour limit on them during the day, though I don't know anyone who has gotten a ticket on this side of the lake. There are also some metered spots, and if you park out in the TP neighborhood in front of someone's house, that's free if you can find one.

If there is a big event going on (parade, 4th of July or other Lake Eola festival), then you can always park in the garage, which is $4 for the first 2 hours. I'm led to believe the free Lymmo bus will serve Thornton Park one day, so you should be able to get down there from other parts of downtown in a fast and free way.

For people who will be paying members at Urban ReThink, some of the plans will include a parking space in the garage.

I have one word: YUM!

I first experienced the amazing Blue Bird cupcakes (by name) at the Taste of Mills 50 event in 2009. Ever since then, I've watched them install themselves as a supplier to Pom Pom's, Seven Sisters, Rock'n Joe, and apparently Trish's Tea (though I never went there). There is a really great reason why they were able to get installed in so many local hangouts...

These cupcakes blow everyone else out of the water. This is truly one of Orlando's treasures. If you ever speak to Jeff, the Owner/Baker, who started this out of his kitchen I believe, you can tell he is so proud and happy to be doing what he loves.

Now that there is a physical home for these awesome cupcakes, I have to say it's done very well. The whole place feels organic and loved, and I'm happy to see the Seven Sisters coffee displayed here, since they helped Blue Bird get a start last year.

My favorites... anything with Peanut Butter frosting. To date, I believe this counts the Chocolate Peanut Butter (which we ordered a dozen of to hold a cupcake party), the Banana Remix (would make Elvis proud) and the PB&J. Sadly for me, none of these are part of the daily offering at the bake shop, I have to wait for them to come around in the rotation, or make a special order - $30 for a dozen ain't bad, and they go a long way to make your party guests' taste buds sing.

Another notable entry is the Strawberry, which I recently tried for the first time. This is a really great treatment with fresh berries and oh so creamy!

As of this review, the daily offerings are: Ch-chocolate, Tuxedo (chocolate / cream cheese), Upside Down (chocolate cake / vanilla icing), Downside Up (vanilla / chocolate), Sweet Cakes, Red Velvet, Neapolitan and Strawberry.

The scones look amazing, but I haven't been able to pass on a cupcake yet. I am a Blue Bird junkie!

Another on the large string of vegetarian Indian restaurants in Orlando, Khasiyat is located in a run-down strip mall on a run-down street in a run-down neighborhood. The interior is not all that interesting, but they do have a a few things going for them.

The service was pretty delightful. We saw a large family who must have been visiting the theme parks, and made the trip all the way out to this neighborhood for a taste of home. I'm also going to assume they might have been vegetarian, which can be a challenge at the local theme parks, unless you like salad.

After having been to a few other vegetarian places in town, Khasiyat held few surprises, but they did sport a television with music videos and other Bollywood gems.

I would certainly return, even though the bar next door was playing some loud and distracting music. The food was better than expected after seeing the exterior, and certainly a boon for our vegetarian and Indian residents and visitors.

Head here for the lunch buffet. Completely worth your time. They even have a dish on the buffet that resembles "Sloppy Joe", but it's made with some meat substitute, and still served on a plain hamburger bun.

Every buffet comes with a giant Dosa pancake/crepe filled with potato and vegetable - delicious. The food is all vegetarian.

(hint: Udipi is a region of India that is known for vegetarian food, see Wikipedia for more info)

Would definitely come here again, despite the fact that it's almost up in Longwood, which is not close to my home. Hopefully I'll have a good excuse to go again soon!

I'd recommend this to anyone needing an Indian fix without wanting to pay I-Drive prices. As far as I remember, it's pretty standard fare. The decor is great - the bar is beautiful, and if you don't look out the window to the street you get a nice eyeful.

This was just one part of my date night, but not one I'd repeat often simply for the food. We tried it, and it earned the "A-OK" stamp.

Before I located the large number of other Indian restaurants in Orlando, I thought they were all down on I-Drive. If you don't mind getting blinded by a bunch of neon lights and the stale air that comes from visiting the touristy part of Orlando, go check out Passage to India. Also not a bad choice for those coming out of Universal Studios, or getting ready to go to a movie at CityWalk, Festival Bay or Pointe Orlando.

Anmol serves what I would consider "traditional" Indian food, in the sense that it's what most Westerners expect when they look for an Indian restaurant. They even have the music videos playing on televisions, which is like dinner and a show.

We ordered some spicy shrimp, rice, appetizers and naan to share. Everything was prepared well and I have no complaints about the food. There was so much sauce left, we took it home and added some more shrimp to it the next day. Since naan and good rice are readily available, this was a great money-saving trip for us.

We went because we had a coupon to dine here, which then meant the manager or waiter added an automatic gratuity of 18%, based on the unmodified total. I can get behind that as a concept, but it meant we didn't really have a choice of letting them know how the service was.