Amy Drew Thompson

1 week ago | orlandosentinel.com | Amy Drew Thompson

I was something of an early bird on my first visit to Caravan Uzbek & Turkish Cuisine, a place I'd been wanting to visit for some time, but hadn't managed to until happenstance had me in the right part of town at the right time. Interestingly, there was a teenager out in the restaurant's driveway, managing the flow. It was interesting for a few reasons. It was barely 6 p.m.It was a weekday. And from the looks of things, we were about to be the lot's only occupants.

1 week ago | orlandosentinel.com | Amy Drew Thompson

I just crushed about a quarter of this vegetable egg foo young, which according to my brief research has more than a few acceptable spellings and a tremendous number of fans. It is my favorite American-Chinese takeout staple. Done perfectly, it's wok-fried in a generous pool of oil, soft and tender inside with a crispy, wispy exterior and heavy with vegetables - all of them. Broccoli and carrot, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, mushrooms, cabbage, rough-chopped hunks of baby corn.

2 weeks ago | orlandosentinel.com | Amy Drew Thompson

"You have to try the Labotocotta," Robert Martinez Jr. tells me. "The what now?"He laughs. "The Labotocotta," he repeats. We are sitting inside the soaring space at Mead Hall, the most epically designed dining space in the How To Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk world at Epic Universe. And on this morning, the space that perfectly captures the town-hall essence of this whimsical Viking world, so beloved by fans, feels surreal for many reasons.

2 weeks ago | orlandosentinel.com | Amy Drew Thompson

Restaurants and resorts around the city and throughout Central Florida are celebrating Memorial Day weekend with fun events and specials, as well as discounts for and charitable efforts toward military personnel and nonprofits that support them. Read on for a delicious selection:American Social Bar & Kitchen: This Memorial Day, come "Tip Your Troops." In partnership with Horse Soldier Bourbon, the restaurant is bringing back their fan-favorite Peach Tea Cocktail for the weekend.

2 weeks ago | orlandosentinel.com | Amy Drew Thompson

Ain't nothin' broke at Henry Moso's chic Winter Park handroll bar, so there was nothing to fix when its swanky sister opened in Sand Lake. Also noteworthy: You won't go broke eating there.