The Wawa has Landed!

In Central Florida.  With plans to expand to 100 stores in just 5 years, the East-Coast Chain called Wawa (named for the bird) has hit central Florida like a Hurricane; with six brand new stores having opened in 2012 and lots more on the way.  Being from Michigan, I did not really understand what all the fuss hype was about, but as my friend Christine, and just about anyone else from the East Coast, will tell you: Wawa knows what’s up!  Way more than “just a Gas Station”, Wawa serves up convenient food at a convenient price.  Everything from salads to cream cheese stuffed pretzels grace their menu, and it’s all served up fresh, fast, and hot.

Starting with their hoagies.  This is what the hype is all about!  Anyone from the East Coast will tell you that Wawa serves up a hoagie that ranks at the top of the charts, and, as hoagies are found about as frequent as UFOs in central Florida, the taste of home was well received.  With a variety of sizes, from two feet (!), to classic, shorti, and junior, there’s a size appropriate for any amount of hunger.  Stuffed with premium meats, cheeses, and vegetables, the variety is impressive as well, everything from hot meatball and beef cheesesteak to smoked turkey and Chicken salad, even a vegetarian option or two.  All built to order and served hot or cold:

But maybe a sandwich is more your thing?  Wawa has you covered with customized sandwiches made just for you.  Pick out a fresh deli meat(s) and cheese(s), pile on the veggies, spreads, and other delicious ingredients, then slap it between the layers of freshly baked white, wheat, or rye bread.  I am a big fan of the smoked turkey myself:

Craving hot soup?  Living in Florida you may not think so, but Wawa’s chicken noodle soup is just too good to pass up!  Chicken stock, real pieces of chicken, thick noodles, and a savory broth; Wawa’s chicken soup will cure whatever ails ya (and can really hit the spot on a sick day).

And for something a bit more out the ordinary, check out Wawa’s quesadilla menu.  The cheesy goodness begins with cheddar and pepper jack cheese, salsa, and your choice of chicken or beef, all folded in a warm tortilla. And because the Quesadillas are Built-to-Order^®, you can go-wild and add ingredients like onions, peppers, or sour cream…okay so maybe those aren’t the craziest choices…jalapenos anyone?.   You crazy person, you:

So be on the look-out as Wawa spreads its name far and wide over Central Florida in the coming year.  And stop by for a snack or two; trust me you won’t regret it.

For a location near you be sure to check out their website at – – www.wawa.com

A Breakfast Cafe that serves an Appetizer?

Yes!  It’s a bit unusual, but at the Peach Valley Cafe off Dr. Phillips Boulevard in Orlando Florida they offer a unique appetizer option by serving up their signature Apple Fritters.  Part donut, part pancake, (part nirvana) these wonderful fried fritters come in a white bag that is shaken, table-side, to infuse them with the Cinnamon Sugar topping and then popped onto your plate next to fresh strawberry yogurt.  Perfectly poised for dipping, these tasty bites are perfectly crisp on the outside and gooey and chewy on the inside.  Completely guaranteed to start your meal off right.

The Apple Fritters may be a tough act to follow, but the Peach Valley Cafe rises to the occasion.  My entree, the A1A Breakfast Wrap combined scrambled egg whites, turkey, baby spinach and tomatoes in the soft flour tortilla.  Heated like a panini, and served with a side of fruit, this delicious combination was served hot and fresh.

John enjoyed some wonderful French Toast!  Dipped in a homemade batter, dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar, and served with warm syrup, his six pieces of Texas -french- toast were quickly savored devoured:

Our service was friendly, our food nice and hot, and our experience priceless.  Put this on one on the list!

The Peach Valley Cafe is located at 5072 Dr. Phillips Blvd in Orlando Florida.  You can join them for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday from 7am- 2:30, and they are open until 3:30 pm on the weekends.

Please visit their website at: http://www.peachvalleyrestaurants.com/

No need to have Mom cut off this Krust!

Because at Hot Krust Panini Kitchen, located at the corner of Sand Lake Rd and Turkey Lake Rd, you can get a fresh baked-to-order Panini that is so good you would want to eat the crust – if you could find it that is!  All the paninis at Hot Krust are made on a round tick “bun-like” bread, containing only 134 calories each, and nothing resembling a crust: finally a sandwich perfect for the kid in all of us!

Hot Krust is a unique healthy take on the oasis in the fast food industry preparing only the freshest, never processed, house roasted deli-meats and cheese By making everything in house, they are able to offer a little bit for everyone.  Feeling adventurous?  The menu offers some unique options, including the Sangria Shrimp Panini: a sandwich with grilled shrimp glazed in sangria vinaigrette sauce, pesto, red roasted pepper, spinach and provolone cheese.  Other unique offerings include Mango Chardonnay dressing for salads and Cactus Chili, which blends savory cactus, ground beef, tomatoes, onions, corn, northern beans, and spinach in a spicy broth.

Or is the familiar more your style?  Don’t be ashamed, the classics are just as good!  I ordered a Grape Valley salad with romaine, seedless grapes, feta cheese, toasted almonds, avocado, red onions and fresh chicken with Golden Italian dressing.  Everything was incredibly fresh, even the romaine had a crunch to it:

John enjoyed the Veggie Vacation Panini: Freshly roasted Portobello Mushroom, swiss cheese, bell peppers, fresh pesto, spinach, red onion and tomato.  No lack of flavor here:

And together we split sweet potatoes waffle fries, which at Hot Krust are baked – never fried.  In fact, in accordance with Hot Krust’s strict healthy fast food philosophy, there is not deep fryer to be found in their kitchen!  Still, you would never know these babies weren’t fried to begin with – they still had the wonderful fry “crunch” and great sweet and salty flavor.

Hot Krust Panini Kitchen is open Monday through Saturday from 11 am – 8 pm and Sunday 11 am – 7 pm. They are located at: 8015 Turkey Lake Rd. Suite # 200, Orlando, FL. 32819 inside the Whole Foods plaza.

 

Would you like some liquor with that Cupcake?

The Cupcake Lounge, located on International drive, can help!  There, every Friday and Saturday night, from 5-10pm, they serve up a full bar of alcohol laced-cupcakes featuring flavors such as Strawberry Daiquiri, Cherry Vodka, and Guinness cake with Bailey’s frosting.  This is in addition their rotating mix of wonderful flavors including Yellowcake with Buttercream icing, Red Velvet,  Strawberries and Cream, and even, occasionally, Bacon.

 

A new-comer to I-Drive, The Cupcake Lounge celebrated its grand opening on July 7th.  And Jessica, the owner of this wonderful lounge, could not have been happier.  “Actually opening was the most rewarding part of this of this shop so far!”  She exclaims, “nobody wanted to deal with us because we were a small business.  So to actually open was a huge achievement.”

Recently I introduced my friend Christine to this sugar-y oasis hidden along I-Drive.  Walking inside she promptly exclaimed “I am in my element” as we walked past the lounge of modern red couches and headed towards the back for the reason we came: the display case proudly showcasing the freshly baked cupcakes of the day.  (In both regular and mini size!)

The cupcakes flavors range from classics like Chocolate and Vanilla, to the more exotic such as Cherry Limeade and Creme DeMenthe.  “The biggest surprise,” Jessica says, “is when people come in and see all our gourmet flavors and then get Chocolate.  We have to keep baking it because otherwise we’ll sell out!”  Chocolate is certainly Jessica’s favorite, “the more chocolate I can fit on a cupcake, the better!” she raved when I asked her about her preferred flavor.

As expected in a southern Cupcake Lounge Red Velvet is their best seller, with its cream cheese frosting and rich, moist cake.  But The Cupcake Lounge are really renowned for their Buttercream Icing.  Their top-secret recipe is simplistic, and lighter then most other Buttercreams, not drowning out the cake but adding to the flavor; not to mention downright yummy!

Dawn is the baker behind these wonderful creations.  Originally from St. Louis Missouri, she serving up a these sweet treats daily, and raves about each and every one.  When pressed, Dawn told us that her favorite was the Carrot Cake Cupcake, describing her original recipe as “moist, with the perfect amount of cinnamon and carrot.”  And this tasty morsel did not disappoint; Christine remarked that the “the bite ratio of the flavoring is in good balance”, and that’s hard to do with carrot cake.

In other words: we’ll be back!

The Cupcake Lounge is located at 6400 International Drive, Suite 103, in Orlando, FL, near I-Drive Trolly Stop 10 in the Lighthouse Plaza. They are open Monday to Sunday from 11am- 10pm, with Happy Hour every Friday and Saturday from 5pm-10pm.  They also mix in large order and bake for special events, creating custom cupcakes and displays that will “rock your world.”

You can visit them online at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cupcake-Lounge-Orlando/372966266097374

E-mail them at:

Cupcakeloungeorlando@yahoo.com