Cover

Advertisement
Acxiom Corporation
Virginia Peanut Group

Printable version Send this page to a friend... Share this page

On the Town - Orlando

February 2010

Published in :: On the Town

Do-It-Yourself Dining

At these Orlando-area food spots, some dishes are made to order—by you.

BY KRISTIN MANIERI

THE OLD SPANISH SUGAR MILL GRILL & GRIDDLE HOUSE

Belly up to your own private griddle at this restaurant at DeLeon Springs State Park for a DIY pancake breakfast. You’re given pitchers of regular or five-grain pancake batter along with fixings like blueberries, pecans and chocolate chips to create delicious circles on a grill built into the middle of the table. About an hour’s drive from Orlando, this rustic former sugar mill is the ideal starting point for a day spent exploring nearby DeLeon Springs State Park’s trails, waterways and 72-degree, spring-fed namesake pool. Given all the park’s tempting activities, it’s a good thing this feast is all-you-can-eat.

601 Ponce DeLeon Blvd 386-985-5644; www.planetdeland.com/sugarmill

MING COURT

Culture, etiquette and culinary lessons are all rolled into one during the hands-on cooking classes at Ming Court. Open to groups of 20 to 80 hungry participants, the classes cover recipes for a range of traditional Asian entrées, sushi and dim sum items; offer plenty of taste tests and a full lunch; and focus on simple dishes that can be prepared at home using common ingredients and equipment—so Chinese take-out will be a thing of the past. Ming’s resident cultural expert, Doris Yang, also enhances the food demonstrations with tons of helpful tidbits about Chinese dining customs, such as long-held tea traditions and the dos and don’ts of chopstick use.

9188 International Dr 407-351-9988; www.ming-court.com

FARRIS AND FOSTER’S FAMOUS CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Wipe those images of Lucy and Ethel’s disastrous chocolate-factory escapade from your mind before paying a visit to this factory in Baldwin Park. The chocolate parties here begin with a brief tutorial in the fine art of dipping and dunking before you’re let loose to whip up everything from peanut-butter cups and caramel nut patties to chocolate-covered cherries. With full access to vats of creamy milk, dark and white chocolate and more than 500 different molds, it may be hard to decide what to create. The parties take place every night from 7pm to 9pm and include a pound of tailor-made treats to take home. You will be able to check out the chocolate conveyor belt, but don’t worry—wrapping the treats isn’t part of the program.

4875 New Broad St 407-770-1607; www.farrisandfosters.com

HUE

Follow the hip crowd to the corner of Central Boulevard and Summerlin Avenue, where you’ll find Hue, an urban eatery in trendy Thornton Park. Along with plates piled high with sweet-potato hash, egg dishes and chocolate-chip pancakes, the renowned Sunday brunch features a DIY Bloody Mary bar packed with 25 different vodka varieties, atypical noshes like pepperoni, shrimp, olives stuffed with horseradish and blue cheese, and Hue’s Bloody Mary house blend of peperoncini, horseradish, green olives and splashes of Worcestershire sauce. Fans of fire should opt for a mix of pepper vodka, Tabasco sauce and a generous dollop of horseradish.

629 E Central Blvd 407-849-1800 www.huerestaurant.com

Page 5 of 8
‹ Previous12345678Next ›

Published in :: On the Town

Related features

Recent features


Browse Go Features: