Graze is throwing a Mardi Gras Seafood Boil

Graze Restaurant (located in the Sanctuary building on S Eola Dr) is throwing a Mardi Gras Seafood Boil on Sunday, February 22.

The event takes place from 12pm-7pm and includes traditional boiled shrimp, crab legs, crawfish and mussels in addition to New Orleans favorites such as spiced oysters and gumbo. All food is ordered by the ½ pound and pound and comes with spicy red potatoes, corn, garlic bread and lots of wet-naps. You can also take advantage of the Sunday drink specials in addition to all you can drink beer for $10.

I attended Graze’s first Seafood Boil last month and it was fantastic. The food was good, the prices were great and there was a big crowd. It’s a great alternative to the usual Sunday brunch if you’ve had enough omelets and mimosas.

Blues-B-Q in Downtown Orlando

Mayor Buddy Dyer is throwing the city a free Blues-B-Q Sunday, February 22, 2009! The event will take place in front of Orlando City Hall from 2-9pm. The area will be blocked off surrounding the stage that will feature Grammy award winning artist Jonny Lang, Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials and BB King All Star Band. There will also be beer and BBQ from Sonny’s, Porkie’s Original BBQ, Uptown Cuisine, Bubbalou’s Bodacious BBQ and Mike’s BBQ available for purchase. If you’re one of the first 5,000 people to show up and grab a sticker you can use the sticker to take advantage of free drinks and food specials from local places such as CityFish Restaurant, 310 Lakeside, Graze Restaurant, Wall Street and The Social. There is always a crowd and it’s definitely worth the trip. For more information click here. See you there!

Ignite is coming to Orlando!

Ignite Orlando is an event that takes place at various cities in order to give selected locals a chance to get on their soapbox and present on any topic they wish (and is approved by the Ignite staff) for 5 minutes. Topics in other cities were generally presented by professionals, artists, musicians, techies and community workers in their areas of expertise. The event is free and takes place Wednesday March 4 from 6pm-9pm at Slingapours in the Wall Street Plaza. For more information and to RSVP (and get a free t-shirt) click here.

Happy Hour at Spice Steakhouse

After a rough week at work, the hubby and I headed to Spice to give their happy hour specials a whirl. We sat inside at the bar (which gives you a great view of the Lake Eola and protects your from inclement weather) and ordered off the very limited 2-for1 wine menu. I ordered the pinot grigio (ok for the price) and he had the pinot noir (barely drinkable, but again the price was good). I suggest going for the a mojito, sangria or beer instead, which are all at happy hour prices from 3pm-7pm. We shared two appetizers as well – the Baked Brieen Croute and the Prosciutto Sea Scallops. The brie was good and exactly what you would expect, but the scallops were a true stand out. They were huge, fresh and seared to perfection and then drizzled with a sweet chili infused oil. Yum! We went on a Friday about 6pm and were disappointed to be one of only two couples there. Maybe it was the weather (60s) or the happy hour wine, but we expected at least a few other people on a Friday afternoon happy hour. Bottom Line: The food was great and the drink prices good, but Urban Girl likes a crowd so we’ll probably stick to Brunch and Dinner at Spice.

Mexican Food Downtown!

I love, love, love Mexican food, so I've been eagerly anticipating the opening of the new Mexican restaurant in the 101 S Eola building on S Eola Drive. The new restaurant will be across the street from and owned by the same folks that own the Beacon. The restaurant, currently under construction and rumored to be named either Mucho Tequila Bar & Mexican Kitchen or Tequilaz, has no opened date and very little in the way of construction progress. I live nearby, so I’m keeping a close eye on this one and will update you accordingly. Until then, I’m getting in the car and driving out to PR’s in Winter Park for my Mexican fix.

Friday Happy Hour at Graze

Friday Urban Hubby and I trekked over to Graze, located in the Sanctuary building on S. Eola Dr, to try out appetizers from their new menu and sip cheap Happy Hour wine at the bar. The wine list featured four decent wines for $5 a glass (I had the Sauvignon Blanc, he had the Pinot Nor). After a futile attempt by the bar tender to upsell us to $7 a glass wine, we started in on the food. The Sweet and Spicy Hoisin Glazed Lamb Ribs were spectacular. A generously glazed treat in bite size portions, they were messy, but worth every sticky finger. The same can be said for the Lollipop Wings (asian spice marinated drummies) – they were coated in a fantastic sweet and spicy ginger plum sauce.

Later we attempted to order the Escargot, but were discouraged by the bar tender. We took his advice and instead ordered the mussels (served in a white wine garlic sauce) and the Spicy Edamame. The mussels were mediocre, perhaps even “off” and the Edamame was good, but not noteworthy compared to our earlier choices.

We arrived about 7pm (happy lasts until 10pm on Friday) and there was a small crowd at the bar, but within an hour the restaurant was about 75% full. The atmosphere was great, exactly what you would expect from a trendy Thornton Park restaurant, and the crowd was mainly professionals and large groups of 20 to 30 somthings. Staff, as always, was friendly, but as the night progressed our wine glasses spent longer and longer periods empty.

Bottom Line: We’ll be back for happy hour (and those lamb ribs) again and we’re looking forward to trying the entrée menu.

One Last Drink at The Globe

The Globe, located at and operated by Wall Street Plaza has stopped food service and will soon close for good. The owners plan to rebrand the space and reopen soon after closing. No word yet on an official closing date. For now, grab your last drink at the Globe either Friday or Saturday night (the only two days it remains it open).

A Downtown Orlando Movie Theater?

After two years of numerous hiccups and delays, there may be a light at the end the tunnel. Downtown Orlando will finally get a 1400 seat movie theater in the Plaza building on Orange Avenue. The Orlando Movie Company will operate the new theater that is set to open in July. Thankfully, this will not be just another theater - it will feature faux-leather seating, fold-out tables, a full dining menu, including beer and wine, and two wine bars that will open onto Orange Avenue. The Orlando Movie Company has been given $6 million by the city to finally make this theater a reality. We will of course keep you updated.

Fifi’s Out, Sanctuary Diner In

While out last night for a cocktail at Beacon, my husband (Urban Hubby) noticed Fifi’s Patisserie (located in the Sanctuary on S Eola Dr) was closed. A note on the door explained they were closing after Valentine's weekend as Fifi’s and opening a few days later as Sanctuary Diner. We later learned the owners were trying a new concept with help from Graze chef Jephanie Foster. We’re huge fans of the new Graze menu, so while we’re sad to see Fifi’s go, we’re looking forward to something new from Sanctuary Diner.

Hello Orlando!

Welcome to Urban Girl Orlando, a guide to living, working and playing in downtown Orlando. Urban Girl lives in Thornton Park and will provide you with the latest information and reviews on downtown restaurants, bars, condos, nightlife, brunch-life, shopping, construction and what’s new. If you’re looking for a guide to always keep you in the loop, you’ve found your girl! Cheers!