WildSide BBQ Bar and Grill

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Last night we headed out to Thornton Park’s WildSide BBQ Bar and Grill. Once we were seated, we discovered that they revamped their menu, so I was excited to see what they had to offer.

Kevin ordered their brisket platter with a side of French fries and garlic bread. I may have snuck a piece of his bread…

I ordered a new item: mahi fish tacos. The mahi was encrusted with tortilla chips, and it comes with a side of their pasta salad. I love WildSide’s pasta salad. It’s a vinaigrette based dressing and is light and delicious. I was glad to see they didn’t change this recipe. I need to recreate it as soon as possible.

It was a lot of food. I got three fish tacos. Each taco had a big piece of mahi with the tortilla chip crust and then was topped with cabbage, corn and tomato salsa, and jalapeno ranch dressing. The flavors were really good, but the fish was a little dry. I’ve definitely had fresher fish elsewhere. I really liked the crunchiness of the cabbage and the spiciness of the salsa. I was stuffed after only eating two tacos (and of course, all my pasta salad).

After my disappointment in myself yesterday for a  weak workout week (say that three times fast), I managed to will myself to the gym despite having a slight stress-induced panic attack as I was walking inside. I kept thinking, what am I doing here? You see, I had gotten out of work an hour later than usual, had a longer-cook-time dinner planned for tonight of which some was going to our next door neighbor who just had a baby a few days ago, and I really need to read a book for work within the next few days. Yes, I have to read a book for a project I’m working on at work. The book is actually really interesting, but I still have a ways to go and probably should have had it done already.

But I knew I had to start out the week right, correct my mistakes from last week and get moving. I felt really good after my workout and not as stressed (maybe because of the endorphins?).

Now stuffed chicken is in the oven (with extra to be brought next door later tonight or tomorrow as to not disturb a sleeping baby), and I plan on hunkering down and reading tonight.

Has you Monday been as busy as mine?

Yesterday, I asked all of you if you ever felt guilty for missing a workout. Do you ever feel guilty for working out when you know you have a ton of other things to do? Today I definitely felt a little bit of guilt, but I feel better now that I know I can still get everything done. I would also never put working out before a friend or family who really needed me or before my health.

Shari

Last night my friend and former coworker from my previous job, Phillip, and I grabbed dinner and caught up at Shari Sushi in Thornton Park. I had never been there before, but I had always heard good things about the food; however, I was warned that sometimes the wait staff can be a little snooty.

Shari was hopping for a Wednesday night! The space looks like it could have been a night club at one point. We were seated in the upstairs balcony section, which overlooks the rest of the restaurant. Despite what I had heard about the snoot snoot level, out waitress was really sweet and attentive.

It is definitely a hipper and trendier atmosphere and menu than the other sushi places I’ve been to. Just look at their funky water glasses.

Yes, I did almost spill it a few times.

Their menu is very unique with nontraditional sushi rolls. I didn’t see any plain California rolls or spicy tuna rolls here. Everything had some sort of twist. Phillip ordered a Rainbow roll and their Chiquita roll, which has bananas on top. I’m definitely going to try this one my next trip. He said the Chiquita roll was awesome and really liked the banana flavor.

I ordered the Mt. Chau roll, which is a California roll with real crab (as opposed to krab) with a seafood medley baked on top. I also ordered the dragon roll, which had shrimp tempura, asparagus and avocado.

This may look like a lot, and you’re probably right. But, of course, I cleaned my plate. Everything tasted really fresh and went well together.

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of their menu, but it was a little pricier than most sushi places I’ve been to. All of the rolls were at least $10 and some were more than $20 per piece. It’s good, but be prepared to spend a little more. Also, if you’re in the mood for simpler or more traditional rolls, you may want to look elsewhere.

I think it’s a great post-work place, and I had a wonderful time catching up with Phillip.

Are you a fan of sushi? What is your favorite roll or sushi ingredient? My favorite is raw salmon. I could eat it for days!

Graffiti Junktion

First of all, thank you for all your support and encouragement on my running rut. I was feeling really down on myself because I felt like I wasn’t at the fitness level I should be, and I feel ready to go down the process of slowly building up speed and endurance. So the plan is to have all of you meet me at my gym tomorrow after work and applaud and throw confetti as I run on the treadmill. Good?

But seriously, I am going to do as many of you suggested—take it slowly week by week building distance and incorporating intervals and cross training to build up endurance. I just need to be more diligent in documenting it and making sure I’m progressing. Wish me luck!

The other evening, Kevin and I went out to dinner with my friend Erica and her fiancé Brian. It was such a fun night. We went to the Graffiti Junktion in Thornton Park and unbeknownst to us, it was trivia night. I am awful at multitasking even though I attempt it often. I kept striking up conversations and couldn’t stay focused on the trivia, so we ended up dropping out in the last round. Whoops.

Kevin ordered a hot dog, Erica ordered a taco salad, and Brian and I both ordered burgers. I wasn’t really sure what I was in the mood for so I finally settled on pepper jack cheese, avocado and bacon on my burger. It may be random, but those were just the ingredients I was in the mood for.

The burgers were cooked really well, and they are very generous with their fries. I think the atmosphere is what really keeps people coming back to Graffiti Junktion. It is a very laid back place, and they often have events like trivia or dating games going on. I had a great time catching up and chatting away.

Rainier cherries are buy-one-get-one-free at Publix so I wanted to give them a try. I’ve actually never had them before. I’ve only had the deep red cherries. These are delicious! They almost taste like a sweet peach or nectarine. I’m so excited that I have two big boxes of them. They’re a great work snack, even though it’s kind of gross to spit out the seeds at your desk. I try to be discreet though.

What restaurant serves your favorite burger? Graffiti Junktion claims to have the best burger in Orlando, but I like the burger at Hillstone better (which is also way more expensive). I’m also a huge fan of Pine Twenty2’s burgers because you can get goat cheese on the burger there. Confession: I also adore Big Macs. I know it’s gross, and I can’t even remember the last time I had one, but I have such a soft spot for them.

Anthony’s Pizzeria: Love at first slice

Last night Kevin and I were contemplating dinner options. We could eat left over pea pesto (which is what was planned), throw something together from random things in the fridge and freezer, or go out to eat. We decided on a classic for us: Anthony’s in Thornton Park. Since I had just returned from working out and was still a hot, smelly mess and in gym clothes, we ordered it to go (you’re welcome, fellow diners).

A favorite of ours off their menu is the Sicilian pizza. It has a thick, doughy crust with a ton of flavor. We ordered half pepperoni for Kevin and half veggies for me. The veggies were piled on. I got green peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms and tomatoes in every bite. We also now have pizza for a week.

The best part is the melted mozzarella on top of the thick crust. It’s like eating really cheesy breadsticks.

Getting take-out from Anthony’s is nice because you don’t have to deal with their parking lot, which can sometimes be a pain. I don’t think there’s anything actually wrong with the parking lot, but it seems like their patrons like to park their cars in the middle of the lot while they pick up their food, so I’m always ended up blocked in for a little while.

I also love the Anthony’s Special calzone, which has sausage, pepperoni, meatballs, mozzarella, ricotta, mushrooms, green peppers and onions. Yes, it’s a lot of food. And a small size is plenty.

I definitely recommend you try Anthony’s for a great neighborhood slice.

We’ve made it halfway through the week! I’m excited because my workouts have gotten exponentially better due to Kevin buying me new earbuds for my iPhone. My old ones broke, so I had been using the standard ones that come with the phone, but they always fall out of my ears. Maybe my ears are abnormally small? I got a pair of New Balance over the ear, behind the head buds, and they’ve been working fantastically. Now I can focus on running instead of poking my ears every 30 seconds.

What is your favorite pizza topping? I usually prefer sausage, but with a thick crust, I like some veggies.

 

Raphsodic Bakery

This morning Kevin and I took Parko for a walk around Lake Eola. We usually take him around Lake Baldwin or Lake Highland, which are great walking routes. Lake Eola is a little further but a nice change of pace for a weekend morning stroll. When we got to Lake Eola we discovered that the Central Florida Earth Celebration was taking place. There were all sorts of tents set up featuring environmentally friendly groups and businesses. By the time we got to the tents, my stomach was growling so it was time to grab some breakfast.

There were a lot of choices from Ethos Vegan Kitchen to Loving Hut to Infusion Tea. I knew I wanted something savory and a breakfast food. I spotted the Raphsodic Bakery tent and it looked promising. I was not familiar with them, but the girl at the tent said that all of their baked goods are vegan and gluten free. I haven’t had too much experience with vegan cooking, so I was eager to try it. I got a sheesey biscuit and an Izze sparkling blueberry soda water. Sheese is a vegan cheese made in Scotland.

The biscuit was very good. It was pretty dense and one biscuit is a nice, hearty snack. If I didn’t know it was a vegan product, I would have never guessed. It did just taste like a cheese biscuit. The biscuit was a little on the salty side from the sheese (almost like a parmesan flavor), so the Izze was a good compliment.

If it wasn’t so early, I would have loved to try some of their other baked goodies. The cookies and cupcakes looked delicious.

On our way home, we also stopped by Planet Smoothie in Thornton Park so Kevin could get a Grape Ape (also my favorite Planet Smoothie flavor). The employees at Planet Smoothie were so nice and even offered Parko a cup of water.

So far it’s been a great Saturday. Tonight we’re off to spend the evening with my family in Oviedo. Happy Saturday!