The Monkey at Carlos and Charlies Lake Mary

Ok, so before it looks like I am secretly paid by Carlos & Charlies I will keep it short… It just happens that we hang out a lot here and it happens to be my daily pic (again, I know!), not sure if it’s the music or atmosphere but it’s just what I need sometimes after a long work week. So tonight we met up with friends and just had a great time. I even learned how to shoot a Tequila “the smooth way”.

Friday Night at Carlos and Charlies Lake Mary

Friday Night at Carlos and Charlies Lake Mary

Applebees Lake Mary FL

Since I grab lunch here every once in a while I didn’t want to leave an old classic unmentioned: Applebee’s. This location is right on the Park Place at Heathrow Plaza in Lake Mary. What I like about Applebee’s is that I always get what I expect. It’s also a great spot for casual meetings and of course to quickly pick up food and bring it back to the office ;o)

Here is their information:

Applebee’s
7055 County Road
46-A Lake Mary, FL 32746
(407) 444-9930

Caddies Pub Heathrow FL

Caddies Pub is open! I am definitely planning on stopping by soon (especially since I walk by several times every day) so I can write a bit more about what this new pub offers.

To be continued ;o) …

Memories of India - Indian Restaurant in Lake Mary

When Jose invited me to an Indian Brunch I first wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Indian cuisine is not exactly what I connect with anything breakfast related. Since I am a fan of Indian food though I was defintiely willing to try it. Well, it turns out, Memories of India is not actually offering an Indian brunch, their lunch buffet on Sundays just opens early enough to technically make it a “brunch”. On top of that they offer a free glass of champagne.

We got here quite early, even before 12pm (which really never qualifies as lunch for us since we rarely have lunch before 2:30pm). I liked their selection and was hungry enough to try a little bit of it all ;o) The place was quite busy so more people must have found out about this “Indian Brunch”.

Here is their information:

Memories of India
Shoppes Of Lake Emma
3895 Lake Emma Road
Lake Mary, FL 32746
Phone: (407) 804-0920

Gourmet 2 Go in Sanford FL

If you are in need of a quick bite that actually tastes good, or like their slogan says “Fresh Food Fast” you should check out Sanford’s Gourmet 2 Go on First Street (the location used to be Rubyfruit Juice and Smoothies, see Day 61).

Try the Creamed Celery Soup (called a Sanford tradition due to Sanford’s history as “Celery City”) and one of the delicious paninis for lunch, stop by for an afternoon latte with a $1 dessert shot or meet up your friends and enjoy a glass of wine in the evening while overlooking life on First Street in downtown Sanford.

Prices are very reasonable and I like that you can chose from different serving sizes depending on your appetite.

Here is their complete info:

Gourmet 2 Go
101 W 1st St Ste A
Sanford, FL 32771
(407) 322-3779
Closed on Sundays

Wolfy's Bar and Grill Sanford FL

Wolfy’s Bar and Grill has without a doubt one of the best locations in Sanford – right on Lake Monroe with fantastic lake views! This Key West style bar is a great place to meet up with friends for drinks. The atmosphere is very casual so you will certainly feel comfortable. Their motto “Food, Spirits and Sunsets” fittingly describes what awaits you here ;o)

We have had great times here, however I have to say I personally wasn’t to fond of their food but the location and view makes up for that. It may just be the type of food (lots of fried stuff and mainly bar food) so you might have a different experience and I encourage you to give it a try! Fridays and Saturdays there’s mostly live music and Wolfy’s has a daily Happy Hour from 11:30am to 7pm.

Since Wolfy’s is under new ownership their web site will get a different look soon but for now here’s a link to it along with their info:

Wolfys Bar and Grill
530 N Palmetto Ave
Sanford, FL 32771

Column at Colonial Town Park

Today I just couldn’t resist to take some pictures of one of our favorite nightlife spots in the Sanford/Lake Mary area: Colonial Town Center, consisting of Colonial Town Park on the South side of H.E. Thomas Boulevard (46A) and Park Place at Heathrow on the North side. I have written about it several times on this blog, including the many restaurants, bars and stores, so this time just a quick picture tour of the “facility” in general.

Colonial Town Park

Since the list of restaurants has recently changed (sadly, the Coffee Cafe is gone, luckily there is now a Carlos & Charlies and Vamonos Taqueria), here again a list of bars, restaurants and entertainment at Colonial Town Park Lake Mary:

• AmStar Stadium Cinema
• Amura Japanese Steakhouse
• Liam Fitzpatricks
• Dexter’s of Lake Mary
• Metro Burger
• Crispers
• Papa Joe’s Pizza and Pasta
• Cold Stone Creamery
• Pint American Gastro Pub (formerly Vamonos Taqueria)
• Subway
• Corona Cigar Company
• World of Beer
• Ruth’s Chris Steak House
• Lake Mary Vineyard Wine Company
• Carlos & Charlies – closed January 2011 – I know, bummer – space currently available!
• Cozee Cafe
• Shanghai Express
• Shula’s 347 (across the street outside of the new Westin Hotel)

Coming Soon:

• Menchies

And here a list of the restaurants across the street (at Park Place at Heathrow, also part of Colonial Town Center):

• Fishbones (Seafood Restaurant)
• Friendly Confines (Former Caddies Pub, Spice Steakhouse and Harvey’s Bistro)
• Finesse (former Athenian Garden, Silvestro’s, Wine Down, Urban Flats)
• Terra Mia (Italian Restaurant)
• Bermuda Bar (former The Bar, Cigar Bar)
• Moe’s Southwest Grille
• High Five Frozen Yogurt
• Applebee’s
• Patisserie (Coffee Shop)
• Rikka (former Shan, and Jinja) – closed Spring 2011

Restaurants at Colonial Town Park Lake Mary

Colonial Town Park Lake Mary

Mccormick & Schmick's Orlando

Basti is back in Orlando to celebrate his b-day with Lupe and us, so after a day of shopping at the Prime Outlet Mall in Orlando we decided to eat at McCormick & Schmick’s by the Millenia Mall. I had never been to this elegant seafood restaurant so I was quite excited to be able to try something new. Honestly, the plan though was to go to P.F.Chang’s right next door but the waiting time for a Friday night were just too long… McCormick & Schmick’s on the other hand though was empty! We thought that was quite suspicious so were wondering if it was because of their food… But hey, how could you afford staying in business for so many years in such a hot area as the Millenia Mall if your food isn’t pretty good? So we were quite confident we would get good seafood – and luckily we  were not disappointed.

Halibut on Mushroom Couscous

It was quite a challenge to select from their more than complete seafood menu. I finally decided to have the halibut, but there was also a mahi mahi, trout, salmon and sword fish that I would have enjoyed just as much. We all ordered different dishes so we were able to try a bit of each other. Each of us was more than happy with their entree. The serving sizes were just right and flavors were paired to perfection (I rarely say that but this is how I felt about it!). The halibut came on a mushroom couscous with asparagus and fennel. Delicious!

Now, the only thing I have to mention here is that we weren’t too happy with the service and the fact that there was hardly any light outside. Sure, it brought up a bit of a “candle light” atmosphere but honestly, I think if you own a restaurant in Florida you should offer a decent dining option on the outside patio just as much as inside restaurant. Nevertheless, the excellent food made up for this shortcoming and we will gladly return whenever we feel like seafood in Orlando ;o)

Mahi Mahi

Here is their complete info:

Mccormick & Schmick’s Seafood
4200 Conroy Road
Orlando, FL 32839
Phone: (407) 226-6515

Silvestros Opening in Heathrow FL

The location that was formerly the restaurant/bar Wine Down (before that Urban Flats) at Park Place at Heathrow will soon be home to a new Italian restaurant, Silvestros. Silvestros actually has its original location in Cocoa Beach, FL and they are now opening their new location here in the Sanford/Lake Mary area. I am excited to see yet another restaurant open so close to my office – also gives us some more lunch options )

The official opening date of Silvestro’s has still not been released but for the curious ones, here is a link to their web site so you can find out what they’re all about.

It seems like this will be an elegant and quite upscale Italian restaurant. Clearly, the place will be some good competition for Terra Mia (also located at Park Place at Heathrow) and I can’t wait to try their food.

Will keep you posted!

Sanford Farmers Market

Sanford FL is a great place to enjoy a relaxed Saturday morning, away from all the hustle and bustle. Since I also wanted to check out the new covered shade I had written about during the week, I decided to visit the weekly Sanford Farmers Market on Magnolia Square and then walk a bit through downtown Sanford to see what was new in town.

It was quite hot but nevertheless there was a good amount of people out here enjoying Sanford, listening to live music at Magnolia Square and visiting the surrounding stores, cafes and restaurants. The shade on Magnolia Square by the way turned out great and I was happy to spend some minutes under it ;o) After buying some fruits we walked along First Street and just took some pictures (see below).

Maya's Book Store

Maya Books and Music is a wonderful place to browse and find some used books. It’s located right on Mangolia Square. I had previously written about this unique book store on Day 6 when it was still located next to the Willow Tree Cafe (German restaurant).

When we walked by the German restaurant (who wouldn’t know this one by now?) I saw the weekend issue of the Sanford Herald displayed in front of the restaurant and found out that the Willow Tree Cafe is competing to be named the top German restaurant in the US! As a big fan of the Willow Tree Cafe, they definitely have my vote. In case you want to cast your vote, visit GermanDeli.com where you can vote once a day until September 1st. Support “Gemuetlichkeit” – there is no better place to live this very “Gemuetlichkeit” than Sanford ;o)

Willow Tree soon #1 German Restaurant in the US? You decide!

I am always amazed by the detail in the beautiful “art wall” (that’s how I call it) on First Street so today I took some more pictures of it… You can really get inspired here and I think I must have spent 20 minutes just looking at it. Very inspiring!

First Street Art Wall

After this quick stop on First Street and Magnolia Square it’s always nice to walk a bit around the Riverwalk or sit on one of the swings overlooking Lake Monroe.

Click the link below to see some more pictures taken on a Saturday in Sanford FL

First Street Art Wall

First Street Art Wall

Sanford Farmers Market

Sanford Farmers Market

Willow Tree Cafe on First Street

At the Sanford Farmers Market

The Art Wall

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