sometime over Christmas we went to see new Hobbit movie, The Desolation of Smaug. I liked it ok although the departure from the actual original story by JRR Tolkien was …vast. But, we saw it in Imax 3D (most spendiest tickets EVER and thankfully we had some old gift passes which saved us about $23 on the tickets!) and we really enjoyed it. On the way out of the theater we sidelined out of the theater to grab a coke for Z to take his pills and saw a new restaurant called 100 Montaditos. Actually, they kind of had a challenging logo and I didn’t know if it was SOO or 100 or what. Upon googling it I realized it was a new Spanish fast food chain in Orlando but borne in Spain. A franchise with locations mostly in Spain but quickly breaching into the US in Miami and other random locations north in New York and West in Iowa (?). I planted it on our Let’s Go! list and a friend at work saw it and said, ‘Hey, let’s go to the movies and lunch on Saturday-I really want to try that place.’ That sidebar is clearly working for me! So, we got up and saw Saving Mr. Banks and hit 100 Montaditos for lunch with him and another friend. Two movies in a week is a record for us-never happens. And a full confession: I haven’t seen Mary Poppins but I liked Saving Mr. Banks. What a great heart twisting story! After the movie we walked in and picked up menus. It could probably be overwhelming as there are 100 (as suggested in the name) options for montaditos. Montaditos are mini bocadillos which are one of my very favorite Spanish foods. Pan (Spanish bread) is split and stuffed with different tasty fillings. We each put in our order for montaditos and drinks and sat to wait. I had a classic Sangria which I watched them pour out of a bottle – I’d buy that if I ever saw it at the bottle shop. It had a big orange slice and was served over ice. At $3 it was worth it The montaditos themselves range from $1 to $3. They fairly quickly came out. I think it’s worth saying here that each sandwich is about 4 inches long. I think that people say to order 5 but I don’t see how anyone could really eat five. Maybe they could but the charm of it is I think if you really wanted more that you could order more. They are also served with a heap of potato chips on the plate so that is worth knowing. I ordered 4 with a side of papas bravas-fried potato wedges with two sauces, ali oli (garlic mayo) and brava (spicy red) sauce. They were hot and I liked them in the way I like most things made from potatoes. For my montaditos I had chorizo, tortilla, tortilla ali oli and Manchego cheese with bacon. Spanish Tortilla is basically omelet with potato and is my favorite bocadillo in general. I liked the one that had the addition of the garlic mayo too. I’d order that one again for sure. All four of my sandwiches were sold at $1 each- you can’t really beat that. Z also added a huge meat platter which could be a lunch unto it’s own – filled with chorizo, Serrano Ham, Manchego cheese and a loaf of pan and arugula. I tried a few of the meats on their own and they were all your standard Spanish cured meats and cheeses-tasty and salty. I really enjoyed 100 Montaditos as a lunch or tapas option. It sure reminded me of Spain and time I have spent there. I am sure we will be going back.
Category: orlando
giraffas
somewhere recently I read about a new Brazilian* chain that would be opening in Orlando called Giraffas. With over 400 semi-fast food locations in Brazil we didn’t totally know what to expect because the menu said steaks and burgers. I don’t generally think of steaks as fast food. We put it on our to do list and yesterday were planning on heading to Magic Kingdom when we took a look at the waits and quickly changed our minds. Giraffas is located on I-drive in the heart of the tourist district and is surrounded by loads of random one off outlets for sunglasses and sportswear. The decor was fresh and modern and had lots of touches from a cute pair of giraffes shaped like a knife and fork. It is a counter ordering scenario where they deliver your meal to you. I ordered a picanha burger with cheddar and bacon and a side of giraffas sauce which turned out to be chimichurri in butter sauce alongside a side of fries. I walked away from the counter at that point and was surprised to learn that Z ordered a steak with fries, black beans and quinoa. Quinoa? I’m not really sure why he didn’t have rice or some veggies but that is what he wanted. He thought it might be a specialty or something. Everything came out fairly quickly-I’m not sure how they stage the kitchen so that a steak takes only a few minutes to cook but it came out in under ten minutes and was definitely cooked to his specifications. My burger was nice and beefy-I’ve since learned that picanha is a standard Brazilian cut kind of rumpy. I liked to dip it in the chimichurri although it was hugely garlicky. I thought it was maybe a little expensive but not terribly so. The food was pretty good and it was fun to people watch the largely Brazilian tourist crowd.
*Brazilian. I mean the country and/or people-makes me giggle.
frozen
so, in a further attempt at Christmas cheer Z took me to ride the Jingle (formerly Jungle) Cruise. It was ok but Disney, this was a miss in the world of could have been. I had visions of Santa hats on the natives, lights in the jungle and a dance party in the temple. A miss. But the castle lights for the evening? A charming and magical win. (if you read this blog in a reader please go to my site today for a bit of winter cheer! Thanks Z for the technical support.)
bombay cafe
While we were in San Francisco a few months ago we ate at Dosa. Naturally we had a dosa. Kind of a no-brainer. A fermented rice (or lentil flour) crepe like pancake filled with masala potatoes and you dip it in sambar, a lentil dipping soup. Love at first bite with chewy crispy comfort food. I haven’t had it since and have been looking for a recipe online when it dawned on me to use my resources. I have a co-worker who was born in India and it occurred to me that very possibly she could recommend one here in town. She offered up Bombay Cafe in Laxmi Plaza right off of Orange Blossom Trail. So, we put it on our short list and headed there last night for dinner. Like most restaurants in Orlando it is located in a strip mall. I have no idea how people find these things. The hall heading into the building was redolent of incense and we passed an Indian Grocery (House of Spice), Video Store and a shop selling beautiful Indian garments. The restaurant was fairly empty and we sat down right away. We were offered help with the menu but quickly ordered chili pakora for a starter. We weren’t sure if we’d handle the spice but they were lovely. Mild to medium hot chili dunked in chickpea batter and fried. A trio of chutneys was offered and I mixed a little of the tamarind with a spicy hot chili chutney and was off to the races. Z ordered Gobi Aloo (Cauliflower and Potato Curry) and I a masala dosa. I devoured that dosa with it’s little bowl of sambar and coconut chutney. It was so good-like the best Indian comfort food. I don’t know what it passes for there but I really love it. This isn’t high end dining but complex and flavor filled. I love the warming spices. After supper we wound our way through the House of Spice looking at all the ground spices, curry sauces and huge bags of basmati rice. A man in the store was super friendly and walked us around telling us about items in the shop. We picked up a packet of paneer butter sauce-so we’ll see how that goes. I am certain we will be back.
silent night
I guess after blogging every day for a month straight I just fell off the wagon. I’ve thought about blogging in the last month and have had some adventures (good ones!) and opened up my trusty wordpress account but published nothing. Now we are hurtling headlong into Christmas. The gifts are bought (mostly) and the stockings hung (green velvet on a hook over the closet door since a fireplace would be folly in Orlando.) No tree though. I have a closet full of trees (8? 9?) and ornaments and haven’t managed to do it. I did put up a tree or three at work but haven’t done it at home. Kind of sad really. I have been missing cool weather this year. It was 80 degrees plus yesterday. I miss my sister too. I can likely plan my way out of that with a trip for later in the winter. It has been a season of terrible news. Does it come in threes? Quite a few people in and about my life have been struck down over the last year. Yesterday was filled to the brim at work with an office parade of lights and with joy from Santa’s Marketing Department. Everyone should work with a team like this and it is a privilege. Last night Z and I wrapped carefully chosen gifts that will fly to Colorado today while the sun shines. Yesterday I billed a project started 9 months ago for the 2014 Wycliffe Calendar. (If you like beautiful global images and amazingly matched Scripture you should order one-they are stunning and they support the work of Bible translation worldwide!) I feel like somewhere yesterday I turned a corner and got my cheer back. I was waiting for it.
My Urban Pantry 