Atlantic Cove: Completing the Cuisine Trifecta

Pre-Note: This review is dedicated to Karly, the poor unfortunate soul that had to do double-duty as a hostess and a server during an extremely busy evening at the restaurant. You did great.

There is a small plaza area on the corner of International Drive and Central Florida Parkway that has been exploding in business and success. On one corner you have the popular Japanese joint Oishi and on the other side you have Thai Thani, an even bigger hit with the tourists. In between there was a small market that wasn’t really pushing good numbers. Well, that centerpiece became replaced by yet another restaurant. Here’s the fun catch, all three restaurants are run by the same owners, therefore are linked together in a way you usually don’t see in cuisine joints.


Atlantic Cove (open since 2012 Eve) is the centerpiece of the culinary trifecta in this plaza. This spot specializes in seafood while also serving up sushi, drinks, steak, and even food from the other restaurants in case you just aren’t craving what the spot offers. That being said, why go to Atlantic Cove if you want food elsew—never mind, off topic. Just like the other places, the presentation was slick, sleek, higher-class, and spacious enough to not drown you in claustrophobic pizzazz. Unfortunately though, when I went it was an extremely busy night, and the staff clearly wasn’t prepared for the insanity that was arriving.


Now, the staff was full of smiles and friendly faces, but clearly a lot of changes had happened for that night (Valentine’s Day) that didn’t exactly register well amongst the employees. Didn’t help that there was a party of infinity in the corner that had been dragging for two hours. The menu isn’t as big here as the other two restaurants, but the fact that you can ask for the other menus definitely makes up for it. Atlantic Cove boasts that they get the freshest seafood from all over the world---sea bass from Chile and salmon from around Scotland. I decided to give their sea bass ($30+) a shot while also fight against the ninja roll. Their main seafood entrees can be ordered in a variety of different ways (chargrilled, fried, etc.) in a variety of sauces (I went with lemon garlic, can’t go wrong there). The ninja roll is shrimp tempura and other assorted seafood mixed with avocado, spicy mayo, and special sauce.




Because the restaurant was getting its arsed kicked by massive parties, a plethora of people pouring in, and the Valentine’s Effect (One of the busiest evenings in the United States for restaurants), it took a while for my food to arrive. The sushi was taking longer than the main entrée, which was an interesting surprise. The sea bass arrived in all its glorious presentation. Now, the fish looked great but it could really do without the unnecessary greens that were embezzled underneath. The greens were not flavorful at all. The fish on the other hand was thick, had that nice fish taste, and was cooked just right. Left me wondering how they would have done with mahi-mahi (My favorite fish). That being said, that price tag of $32 is a bit much, even if the fish came from Chile. I personally believe if you are going to charge over $30 for a fish entrée (which are notoriously the least filling of the “meats”) at least throw a second side item option.




At least I have the ninja roll to fall back on. When this monstrosity of sushi arrived, it filled the stomach the rest of the way with its great mix of fried, tender, sweet, and spicy. This is by no means the nicest-looking sushi to present, but definitely one of the best I’ve ever had, and hands-down one of the best to offer to beginners in the sushi consumption game. This sushi doesn’t have the cold, fishy seafood taste that sushi is known for, while also giving a good kick of spice and fried to keep you awake. And at only $10, you can probably fill yourself up with two orders of these. The ninja roll is arguably my favorite sushi item in all of Orlando.


So this blog focuses not only on the best locals joints of Florida, but also the most unique. This place is definitely unique and got my attention because of its web-like connections. Under one massive roof you get three restaurants, each with different menus, several bars to choose from, and access to all three in one sitting. You can eat sushi from one spot, eat the main dish from the second, and then drink and have dessert in the third. If you are a big enough fan of this area, you can plan it so that it will be a very long time before you have two dinners that seem similar.


Bottom Line: Completing the triangle, triathlon, triceratops of restaurants in the area, Atlantic Cove is guaranteed to be another success story, despite its pricing and sometimes-long wait for food and service. If there’s something this place needs to work on, is its staffing as the demand was overpowering the manpower. But the food was definitely good, the service (when I got it) was fantastic, and I couldn’t ask for a nicer experience. While the price is on the uppity side, it’s a great date place, or just a good spot for higher-class seafood.

Final Verdict: Recommend. But with a full wallet.

Atlantic Cove
11025 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32821

Slice of N.Y. Pizza: Good, but not Big Apple Good

So my epic quest for New York pizza in the state of Florida continues by testing out a New York pizza place in the Hunter’s Creek area. Hanging around for a couple of years, Slice of N.Y. Pizza has survived the Little Caesars competition across the street with a decent fanbase and constant visitors from the Starbucks closeby. Craving pizza that wasn’t of the usual Little Caesars, I decided to give this place a shot on a random evening. I would do some take out and see how it holds up at home.


I went with the Bianca pizza (ricotta, mozzarella, garlic) and for my brother ordered the barbeque chicken pizza. Last but not least I decided to go with fried ravioli, just to see what fried ravioli tastes like. Two large pizzas, ravioli runs to about $30. The owners of the place are very friendly and while I waited I observed the area a little. The joint has a couple tables here and there and a television tuned in to New York sports. New York pictures can also be seen throughout the area. This spot does all sorts of pizza specials for lunch and dinner, and they usually have some prepared pizza waiting for purchase. The low-key slick ambiance is definitely that of your corner pizzerias in New York City.


After a bit of waiting, I get my food and head home. The pizzas definitely look New York in terms of size and texture. The Bianca pizza was pretty good, but still lacked the New York kick and the toppings had trouble sticking with the pizza. I’ve mentioned this millions of times before, but New York pizza never loses its toppings, no sir. The pizza was fresh don’t get me wrong, but still lacks the NYC touch. The barbeque pizza met a similar fate: good toppings, good flavor, toppings didn’t make it.



As for the fried ravioli, it was nothing more than a crunchy ravioli. It was good, but really could use some alfredo or marinera sauce on top. Now, all of this sounds disappointing, but in actuality its not. You get decent food at decent prices, and it’s not a bad alternative to your usual pizza joints throughout town. But its no New York pizza. Sorry, not quite there.

Bottom Line: Slice of NY Pizza is a good pizza place, nothing more, nothing less. While it lacks the popularity factor and the speed of the Little Caesars across the street, it still has enough reason for you to visit every so often if you are craving pizza that in New York-influenced. The prices are good, the food is good, but don’t expect any Northerner to tell you that this is the closest to New York pizza you’ll find down here.

P.S. The closest to New York pizza I’ve found is here.

Final Verdict: Lightly Recommend

Slice of N.Y. Pizza
13851 S John Young Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32837