Welcome to the Foodies, our annual celebration of the Central Florida dining scene. It's a smorgasbord that features quick serve to haute cuisine and everything in between. In Calendar and in Sunday's Travel & Arts, I weigh in weekly with my opinion about local restaurants. The Foodies are your turn to tout your favorite restaurants from Volusia to Osceola counties. I have noted my picks, too, but yours lead the charge in this annual dinner party showcasing the best in local cafes, bistros and posh rooms.
There are two new categories this year: Best theme-park restaurant and best hotel restaurant. Dining beyond the turnstiles has made bold improvements during the last two decades, and local luxury resorts are offering travelers and locals stellar dining options.
The year ahead is exciting, Fish N Loaves, a wonderful soul-food restaurant I reviewed in 2010, is moving into Johnson's Diner's old digs.
Amway Center is pumping up business in downtown Orlando. I can't wait to see what restaurateur Manny Garcia and his partners have in mind for City Fire in the Dellagio complex off Orlando's Restaurant Row. Many of you are just discovering newbies such as Napa at the Peabody Hotel, Spencer's at the Hilton Orlando and The Boathouse in
Winter Park. And while we have had many closings, restaurants and independent bakeries are thriving in Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola and Volusia counties.
Here's your toast to the best of 2010.
Food editor Heather McPherson can be reached at hmcpherson@orlandosentinel.com and 407-420-5498.
African/Soul/Caribbean
Boma — Flavors of Africa
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, 407-939-3463
Runners-up:
Jiko — The Cooking Place (Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge);
Nile Ethiopian (Orlando)
Critic's choice:
Mama Nem's
805 S. Kirkman Road, Orlando; 407-253-7744
It's about time for an overhaul of this category's focus. Soul food and Caribbean should have their own categories to better reflect the diversity of Central Florida in 2011.
Bar
Bar Louie
7335 W. Sand Lake Road, Orlando, 407-608-5190
Runners-up:
Lucky Pig Lounge, inside Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ at UCF;
Blue Martini (Orlando)
Critic's choice: Eden Bar at the Enzian Theater
