After nearly two years being stuck at home we finally decided to take on the world again. For this instance we decided to go on vacation to lovely Cancun, Mexico. The resort we decided on was Excellence Riviera Cancun. To get a feel for the resort we made a video for you to enjoy.
Last weekend we decided to try a restaurant recommended by some friends. It is called Fruta Mix Mexican Kitchen and it is located at 15493 Stoneybrook West Parkway, Suite 120, Winter Garden, Florida. The food is great and the Margaritas are excellent.
The Margaritas are a whooping 20 ounces with many different flavors. So you can definitely get your drink on. We chose the standard House Margarita. Of course as typical at most Mexican restaurants we were given a tray of chips and salsa. The salsa is fresh made and just a touch spicy. Yum!
We ordered Supreme Enchiladas with Steak and their red sauce which also came with rice and beans.
We also ordered Camarones a la Parilla.
The restaurant also has a large selection of ice cream, smoothies, and paletas.
They also have a lovely patio to spend some time outside.
We will be coming back to this lovely restaurant as it has become our favorite Mexican restaurant.
Almost every Sunday we go out for lunch and we try to explore new places. Last week we went to Fish Camp on Lake Eustis. Normally, we do not go to the same place two weeks in a row. But this restaurant is well worth the drive and we went again this last Sunday. So… we decided to let all of you know about this wonderful place.
Fish Camp is located on the west side of Tavares, FL not more than an eighth of a mile from the junction of Hwy 19 and Hwy 441. All the food on their menu is locally sourced. The staff is friendly and the drinks are inexpensive. On Sunday’s they have $2.99 Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas. How can you beat that? Their martinis are always $5.00.
The restaurant is located right on the shore of Lake Eustis and the view is great.
On this trip we decided to try an appetizer we never had before. It was Gator Bites made from local farm fresh alligator.
We also had a Farm Fresh Salad with Grilled Grouper added to it. (Both locally sourced)
The other item we ordered was a Steakburger with French Fries. Even though this restaurant specializes in seafood we decided on the Steakburger because the beef for the burger was sourced from a farm in Tavares. We could not pass that up and we were not disappointed. It was one of the best burgers we have ever eaten.
So… if you are looking to take a road trip and wish to try something new. Take a drive to Tavares, FL and visit Fish Camp on Lake Eustis. You will be happy you did.
On the east side of metro Orlando just past Hwy 417 on the south side of Colonial Drive is this wonderful little Mom and Pop restaurant. We read about this place in the Orlando Sentinel. Since we live way on the opposite west side of Metro Orlando we decided to take a drive and give this place a try. Boy were we glad we did.
The menu has many selections so we asked the owner what she would suggest for our first time. She suggested their rice bowls. So we decided on two different rice bowls. We ordered the Churrasco Steak Rice Bowl
and the Fish Rice Bowl.
The food is cooked when you order it. So it is fresh!
They also have a large selection of juices. We tried the Passion Fruit juice.
Just before we finished we decided to give their Empanadas a try. Sorry, we got so excited with the food we were eating forgot to take a picture of those. They were very good. We had one beef and one chicken.
The best thing about this restaurant is that it is very inexpensive. It is a place we will drive across town for again and again. There is nothing better than cheap eats with a ton of flavor.
If you are looking to give this place a try here is their website: maritaslatinbites.com
and their address: 9446 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL
Right off Highway 27 in Clermont, Florida is a wonderful place to eat and have a few drinks. The place is called The Crooked Spoon Gastropub.
According to their website and Facebook page this restaurant / bar was started by Chef Saelg in August of 2013. This was after operating a beloved Orlando Food Truck for 3 years. The restaurant is located adjacent to Clermont’s historic Citrus Tower with Chef Saleg’s foodie favorites as well as an expanded menu with weekly specials and a wonderful Sunday Brunch.
The Gastropub is similar to a sports bar with TVs located through out and plenty of tables for a large crowd.
In all the times we have gone to eat here and enjoy a few drinks, we have never been disappointed. In addition, every member of the staff has gone out of their way to be friendly and accommodating.
Very near the Florida Mall in Orlando is a wonderful Mexican restaurant. The restaurant is called Garibaldi. It is located at 848 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL. The decor inside the restaurant is upbeat and colorful. There is plenty of seating.
The Margarita’s are well worth the price. In fact, we had just one margarita a piece and we could feel the buzz before our meals came.
The food was tasty authentic Mexican fare. You also have a lot of choices on the menu. So much so that we cannot wait to go back again and try something different.
The story goes that when Walt Disney was first planning Walt Disney World, he envisioned a town just outside the property that would be home to the workers of WDW. Over time that vision became sort of a reality. The Disney Development Company started work on this community in 1990.
When you walk around through the town you can see true Disney style in the architecture. The town is clearly one of a kind and definitely part of Walt Disney’s vision. On Sundays the town has a simple Farmer’s Market / Craft Fair.
There are many restaurants in the downtown area and our favorite is “Columbia.” An old family restaurant that has a few locations throughout Florida. To tempt your palate here is a few pictures of the restaurant and the food.
Here in Central Florida it is time for Blueberries. The best thing about that is going out and picking them yourself. We do this every year and come home with several pounds of blueberries. This year was no exception.
This is a lot of fun for the whole family.
As you can see we picked just a few pounds of blueberries. Now the real fun begins at home. We make jam, pies, muffins, and the best blueberry buckle. To make the jam you have to soak the blueberries in sugar overnight in the refrigerator. Then you cook them in a pot until they set. But you have to keep stirring the blueberries the whole time they are cooking.
Once the jam is ready we pour them into mason jars and seal them. We seal them in a hot boiling water bath.
Now the jam is ready to be stored for the rest of the year so we have homemade jam all year round.
Here are some nice deserts we made with the blueberries we picked.
This past Saturday we drove out to Reiter Park in Longwood, Florida for the Pirate Seafood Festival. There were Pirates everywhere, even a Mermaid!
The food was excellent! Oysters, Shrimp, Flounder, Conch Fritters, Po Boys, a seafood lovers dream. We enjoyed the food so much that we forgot to take pictures before we ate what we bought. There were vendors of every type. From jewelry to pirate flags.
The Kid Zone had face painting, a pirate ship, and a few bounce houses.
The festival also had two things for the kids I have never seen at a fair before. One was a mechanical shark (instead of a bull) and the other was some kind of walking on water experience.
The entertainment was also something unique. A Pirate playing a Sitar with an Assassin playing a Didgeridoo. The music was different but nice.
As we were leaving we even found a Pirate Truck.
This past Sunday was St. Patrick’s Day and like many we decided to go out and enjoy a festival nearby to celebrate. The festival we attended was held at Crooked Can Brewery in Winter Garden, FL. Just down the road from where we live.
The brewery is located inside the Plant Street Market a wonderful place filled with all sorts of food vendors, a butcher, a coffee shop, and some merchandise vendors.
Being a festival there was music, children performing Irish dancing, and even a bagpipe marching band. (See YouTube video at the end of the post.)
Of course there were a lot of people in green and we especially enjoyed some of the special attire some individuals worn.
We have made a video for you to enjoy some of the music and the bagpipe marching band.
Whgille's Corner 