50's Prime Time Cafe: Cuisine Peak of the Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios is my least favorite of the four main Disney parks, and I am saying this in terms of attractions, overall presentation, and food. Basically Hollywood Studios is the Kardashian that is married to prick Lamar Odom. After the disappointing Sci-Fi Diner experience I decided to try another extremely popular restaurant in the park. 50s Prime Time Café is no Ohanas or Le Cellier in terms of difficulty in getting a seat, but the joint rarely sees a slow day. The place has a legendary milkshake, a good old-fashioned American menu, and a snazzy presentation that separates it from most restaurants in all of Florida.





The inside feels like the 50s, from the kitchen and living room décor to the small televisions to the clothing the cast members wear. Each of the cast members treats you like family because you are practically dining at their house. Which means no fighting, no shouting, and no elbows on the table. You will be punished if you disobey the home rules. Like I mentioned earlier the menu is wholesome American and with a wide range—going from onion rings to salad to pot roast to southern fried chicken. I decided to try the legendary peanut butter and jelly milkshake, and then ordered their iceberg wedge and lastly the fried chicken.



The milkshake arrives first. In my shortlist of best milkshakes ever concocted, this one stands as among the best if not the best. It tastes likes a creamy milky Reeses cup with a hint of jelly. The portion is massive and like your best of milkshakes, can pose as an excellent dessert. While engulfed in sugar nirvana my healthy option arrives.




Prime Time’s iceberg wedge is a hunk of lettuce topped with bacon bits, chives, ranch dressing, and blue cheese. It is an interesting combination to say the least, and the item looks like a lettuce lasagna. The appetizer works though, as the bacon and chives has always been a nice combination in life (potatoes are eternally grateful) and the ranch dressing/blue cheese combination makes for a strong creamy punch. Don’t let the idea of lettuce fool you, as this appetizer can fill up smaller stomachs. Luckily for me and this review my stomach resembles a bottomless pit.




The cream of the crop in this restaurant however is definitely the fried chicken. Being a Floridian, we are quite lacking in the Southern comfort food department. But this chicken more than makes up for it by being hands-down the best chicken I’ve had in years. The fried crust is light, crispy and full of flavor. The chicken meat itself is fresh, juicy, and just full of Southern flavor. It gets better because its accompanied by mashed potatoes with delicious gravy and some Southern greens (although I cheated and asked for corn instead).



What makes Prime Time a hit besides the food is the very comforting aura and atmosphere. You are treated like family, you are criticized like family, and the food portions are family-sized. The onion rings come in massive plates and are stacked tenfold. Their desserts are no pushover either. There’s even an option of getting three of the signature items in one dish. Among all the restaurants in Disney World, this is guaranteed to be one of the spots with among the highest turnover ratio—in other words amongst the most repeat visitors.



Bottom Line: The 50s Southern hospitality here sets the stage for one of the better dining experiences you'll find in the Disney parks. From the food to the banter, this place will reel you in with its homestyle feel and will keep you thrilled with a wonderful menu full of great food that will create great memories. While Hollywood Studios has disappointed me with its current stature (Disney Channel Rocks is still the worst thing to happen on Disney property) , 50s Prime Time is a unique gem in the park.

Final Verdict: Recommend

50s Prime Time
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Lake Buena Vista, Fl

Saman Food Truck: Deliciously Simple

Similar to Douchebag selling the tequila in those commercials, I too ponder about the less watered-down days, the manlier days---except in my case I am speaking of food trucks. Food trucks have essentially exploded in popularity in the Central Florida area thanks to its strong Hispanic influence. That being said, most of these food trucks are doing it all wrong. Some are open only in the afternoon; some are sprinkling their carts with pizzazz and personality, and some are selling meals in carts. Shame on all of you, food trucks are meant to be open until the near-sunrise hours, are meant to sell fast-paced and easy-to-consume food, and are meant to be the cuisine hidden treasures of the city. Now, there’s still one spot that throughout all these years has maintained an audience, has maintained its high-quality food, and to this day remains my favorite food truck in Orlando.

Saman Arepas Bistro has a couple locations in the Orlando/Kissimmee area, but their food truck on Orange Blossom Trail is where the magic is. This food truck is part of a stretch of road that has at least a dozen different food trucks from countries ranging from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, and one that may have been from Haiti. But this one remains one of the bigger hits despite not being close to a bar or a nightclub. Open until at least 4 a.m.? I’m in.

This food truck offers Venezuelan arepas, which basically consists of ground corn dough or flour being made into delicious bread, which can then be stuffed or topped with a variety of different toppings. Arepas themselves can be broiled, baked, or fried. The Venezuelan arepas tend to be stuffed with the topping, as when they make the bread they leave open a wide hole in the middle so they can add whatever they want. The texture of this dough is tough, strong, and crunchy, and can hold a wide variety of meats and cheeses without falling apart. In this joint you can stuff yours with several different meats, cheeses, and even shrimp if you want. There is usually a short wait time, because there is almost always a crowd roaming the streets here. You’ll hear Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Mexican accents scattered about as you order your arepa---which is 5 bucks every time. And this is all they sell, just arepas. Simple menu, easy to navigate and decide.




For this trip I went with two of them: a shrimp/white cheese arepa, and then a chicken/yellow cheese arepa. While one arepa alone can definitely fill you up, I decided to try something new, and add some variety to this review for the sake of my 3 consistent readers. The shrimp white cheese arepa is my favorite combination because of the succulent fresh shrimp combining with the salty yet creamy white cheese. It is the ultimate mix of seafood and munchie cuisine as you get a dirty dozen shrimp and enough cheese to make pizzas blush. The topping of my midnight snack? The incredible sauces that they offer---especially this garlic sauce that looks like sour cream, but delivers a mighty punch of flavor. The only catch is the shrimp isn’t cooked; it has the peel-and-eat shrimp feel. But being a shrimp maestro, I am perfectly fine with that.



The new one I tried was the chicken/yellow cheese combination. The chicken this time is cooked, and the result is fantastic. Increasing the temperature of the arepa, the chicken melts the cheese and transforms this arepa into a chicken quesadilla Venezuelafied. The chicken tasted fresh, was thick, and became my new favorite type of arepa. Now I am sure any combination they have works, because they place a lot of care to their product, and consistently crank out fresh and delicious food. But if you are to visit—do chicken and yellow cheese and thank me later.


Bottom Line: I have not been to the bistros that Saman offers, but if they are as good as the food truck here, I will definitely visit in the coming weeks. In the meantime I am perfectly content with making the drive to this spot after a long day of work in the middle of the night and hang around the South OBT area with other Hispanics and locals that remain wide awake. And before you even ponder as to the safety of the spot, there were several families with small kids lounging about. The environment isn’t the most appealing, but the ambience amongst the locals and the vendors is nothing short of enticing and the food is nothing short of fantastic. Visit once and you might be just as hooked as I am.

Final Verdict: Strongly Recommend.

Saman Arepas Bistro Food Truck
9803 S Orange Blossom Trail Orlando, FL

Cafe Mineiro: The Brazilian Gem of I-Drive

So this adventure I have been on for two years have resulted in many success stories, many interesting results, but at the same time can wield some major curveballs. Originally, I went to International Drive at Orlando to find me some Brazilian pizza. But apparently I found out when I got there that the spot no longer exists, and the new place that replaced the joint was closed for the evening. And this was at 10:00. Shame on them. So randomly, I decided to tackle another Brazilian place that was close by. Cafe Mineiro, the busiest of the streetside restaurants in the long stretch of road, became my next adventure. And what follows is the craziest carnivore experience I have ever faced.


Cafe Mineiro has been a staple in International Drive, a staple I constantly skipped. But now that I parked right next door, I decided to randomly give this one a shot. The place was packed, but didn't hold much Brazilian flair inside. The Portuguese language can be heard left and right but there wasn't a lot of decoration. The first interesting thing to note is that this place is a hybrid of steakhouse, restaurant, and buffet. You can whether order from a menu, grab a plate and tackle the buffet, or engage in a special $29 dinner that includes over a dozen different types of meats. My friend decided to hit the buffet since she wasn't as much of a carnivore as I am. I decided to go big and went for the meatapalooza.



The buffet itself consisted of lots of meats as well--ranging from seafood to barbeque. Along with that you get vegetables, fruit, pasta, and other miscellaneous items. My meal however was of a different spectrum. Several servers will walk around each table that is participating in the dinner and offers one or cut cuts of the meat they are holding on skewers. In terms of style, this matches that of Texas de Brazil (One of the highest-rated restaurants in Orland0) and Ohanas (Hands-down one of the best restaurants in Florida). Not a new concept, so its all about presentation and delivery.


In terms of speed, this place is no joke--from the second the little post is green on top---signaling for the onslaught to begin. Before even finishing taking pictures of the first couple meats they were already ready to deliver the next two. The meats ranged from sirloin steak to pork to sausage to even some lamb thrown in for good measure. The meats ranged from decent to good to spectacular. While the lamb and shish kabob were noting to write heavily about, the sirloin and especially the parmesan baked pork were the big hits of the evening. Rounding out the top 3 was their chicken wrapped in bacon.









So at $29, 10+ types of meat is pretty decent, right? Well, it just outright continues as they consistently arrive and ask if you want more. "Just one more piece" becomes the statement of the evening as you search deep into your soul to find the willpower to continue eating. After the first round of meats, I found myself waiting for more steak and more pork. That being said, I wonder if I had been allowed to try some of their barbeque, since it wasn't part of the meaty marathon I was participating in. Ah well, next time, right?


And next time has to happen not only because the food is so good, but also because I had just experienced one-third of the eatery, as apparently there are a wide variety of dishes and succulent desserts hidden within the confides of the restaurant. Lastly, I went for some dessert in the buffet section. The after-dinner hit of the night was their chocolate mousse blended with dulce de leche. While the result tasted much more like pudding with globs of dulce scrambled about, it was a fine way to close out the evening.

Bottom Line: Cafe Minero turned my evening from disappointment into delight with its array of great food, quick service, and surprising variety. Your plan of attack when eating here can range from a nice romantic dinner to a cuisine marathon through the cooking styles of Southern Brazil. While the I-Drive area is known for having a slew of knock-offs and half-arsed attempts, this place easily stands out from the crowd with its popularity, late-late hours (Runs until 2 a.m. nearly every night), and high-quality cuisine. While the place doesn't reveal much outside or inside, the food does all the talking. And its speaking Portuguese.

Verdict: Recommend

Cafe Mineiro
6432 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819

Seprock's Snow: One Year Later

In the two years that I’ve traveled Florida to find the best local cuisine in Florida, not a single location has really benefited from me visiting and raving about the place. Most of the spots we’ve hit were already successful locations that didn’t need any extra publicity, or were spots that remain secretly hidden away from the public. However, there was one location that we visited early in its existence and got to see it slowly grow into a powerhouse hit in the neighborhood area. Similar to watching a child grow to become a rock star, Seprock’s Snow in just one year emerged into one of the most popular places in the entire Hunter’s Creek area. And it helps the special relationship knowing that this publication discovered this place first (In your face, Rori and Orlando Sentinel!).


With wait times running past 30-40-45 minutes on your busiest nights, the local scene has fallen in love with the variety of snowballs and scrumptious desserts that this place is known for. As part of its one-year anniversary I decided to stop by, congratulate Dave on his success, and of course tackle another snowball. Now I didn’t notice or realize it until I reflected upon the past year of working on this blog, but this has been the one location I have visited more than any other local Floridian institution throughout my journeys. And while location is definitely an added plus since it is about 10 minutes from where I live, there are plenty of other places I have found in the same city that doesn’t warrant repeat visits.



So what is it about Seprock’s that makes me visit on a near-consistent basis? It is a combination of great prices, great variety, relaxed atmosphere, family-friendly attitude, and of course, consistently awesome dessert that perfectly compliments the sometimes-brutal weather in Central Florida. Seprocks still rocks over 50 flavors of snowballs, and you can spice things up by adding chocolate, caramel, condensed milk, ice cream, etc.


Although this place is strictly dessert, drinks, and candy, it makes for a great second stop during an outing with the family, friends, or significant other. The flavors range from your simple mango and orange to more complex flavors like Old Fashioned Nectar and Bananas Foster Cream. Some are sweet, some are sour, some have a massive fruit kick, while others taste like other desserts (Wedding Cake flavor being the best example). We even have some quirky flavors made up by the owners themselves and frequent visitors (Latin Explosion is the most popular fanmade flavor). I am still waiting on my Key Lime Pie flavor to make it to the list (grrr).


While the snowballs are great by themselves they obtain a new level of quality when mixed in with classic vanilla soft serve. Every snowball I have gotten has included the ice cream, as its mixing with the flavorful syrup and ice results in a creamy mix of pure happiness. Over the months, the flavors that had grown on me the most have been the chocolate cream, the dreamsickle, the Foster's Banana, and mango. 50+ flavors is more than enough, but with the ice cream and toppings options the possibilities are endless.

As for looking ahead, I can see the "snowthes" being the future. Turning snowballs into smoothies? More potential. More flavors created by the frequent visitors? Also more potential. Even if both possibilities aren't tested, this place will continue to thrive as long as the same amount of tender and care is placed into each snowball and into the overall eatery. As long as the neighborhood of Hunter's Creek continues to thrive, so will this place.

Bottom Line: Seprock's Snow is more than just a place that we've visited and enjoyed extensively, it is a place that we've watched grow into a success story. And it is more than just a success story, its become a spot that me and family frequently visit with good results each and every single time. The dessert is great, the prices are even better, and lastly the service has always been top-notch (even though they hired a Yankee fan, but I can let that slide). Seprock's is one of my favorite eateries in Florida, and as long as they keep cranking those delicious snowballs, I will be there visiting and getting my fix.

Verdict: Highly Recommend

Seprock's Snow
3708 Town Center Blvd suite A
Orlando, Florida
32837

Bananas: Great Diner with a Downtown Twist

Florida is a state in the Southern borders, but rarely qualifies as a true Southern state because of its insane diversity, Disney effect, and very unique set of cities that each carries its own personality. Florida is a melting pot that meshes cultures from all over the world and establishes itself as its own separate entity in the United States much like Texas and California. With that being said, there is a lack of true-blue Southern cooking out here. Unlike your Georgias and Mississippis, you won’t find Southern comfort food left and right. I had been clamoring for chicken and waffles for quite some time, as it’s an odd soul food dish that combines a classic breakfast item with a classic lunch meal.



Bananas is the answer to my prayer. This restaurant classifies itself as a Modern American Diner, but more importantly has chicken and waffles as one of their signature dishes. Located in the infamous Mills Ave area in Downtown Orlando, this place is tucked away in the area sandwiched between a couple small businesses and a seafood joint. On the outside this place boasts several pride flags, pretty much signifying that they do not, will not, and shall not discriminate or incriminate anyone. Seeing that Orlando is one of the 15 most culturally diverse and accepting cities in the country, it makes plenty of sense that the staff is just as diverse as most of the South. The inside had a funky décor, dim colors, a fish tank tucked away in the corner, and lastly 90s music blasting away.



The menu has a very diners touch as it combines breakfast classics with an array of burgers and plenty of other options. The interesting one I even thought of trying was the Garbage Plate: Chicken (or hot dogs or burgers) layered with hash browns, mac salad, and plenty of fixings to top it off. Sounds like a crazy array of food---but I came here for the soul food so I stuck to my plan. I ordered one of their unusually-expensive milkshakes (Death by Chocolate: yoo-hoo syrup, chocolate chips left and right, and chocolate ice cream) and of course the chicken and waffles. After a decent amount of waiting, the milkshake arrives first.


One of the thickest and biggest milkshakes I’ve ever fought, this milkshake is chocolate goodness with a heavy dosage of the Yoo-Hoo touch while also pitting you with dozens upon dozens of chocolate chips. It was a sight to behold as even the very bottom of the milkshake was about 2 centimeters of chocolate chips. Yoo-hoo is a very hit-and-miss drink amongst the chocolate milk consumers, but I personally am a fan. It was a fantastic thick drink that can pose as a dessert that will comatose you by the end. This is among the best milkshakes/smoothies in Florida, ranking way up there with the Princess Marigold at Margaritaville and the milkshakes of Jaxson’s Ice Cream.






The chicken and waffles finally arrive; one of my foods in my cuisine bucket list can be scratched off. Next up, gator ribs. Anyways, the waffles were big, very fluffy, and makes for a very easy chew. The chicken itself gives you plenty of fight (You can’t cut through this chicken with any regular knife) but once you dig past the tough exterior you have some juicy chicken as a reward. The outside was tough, but it was nice and tender on the inside. Combining the chicken with the sweet waffle makes for an interesting combination that tickles most of the taste buds. Helping the chicken was the gravy, which was fantastic—creamy, smooth, and danced with the chicken like the best of em’. Now I fully understand the appeal of mixing chicken and waffles.


Bottom Line: Bananas is an interesting place because it has the food, atmosphere, and pricing of a typical diner, but has a modern touch with its 90s music, diverse cast of workers, and a hipster décor that can definitely appeal to the inner counterculturalist in you. The food is fantastic, the service was phenomenal (Morgan was great), and with a very friendly atmosphere and overall vibe this definitely warrants a repeat visit from me. Unlike most of my restaurant picks, this one was chosen by Orlando Sentinel as being the best diner in the Greater Orlando area. While I disagree with most (almost all) of their stuff in the paper (See note on the bottom), they definitely got Bananas correct.

Verdict: Recommend

Bananas: Modern American Diner
924 N. Mills Ave.
Orlando, FL 32803


P.S. On a sort-of cuisine note, Orlando Sentinel once gave Ratatouille 3/5. I still have not forgiven them on that one.