Orlando Home & Leisure March 2012

MIKE THOMAS THE SECRET TO A HAPPY LIFE (MAYBE)

M a r c h 2 0 1 2

$ 3 . 9 5$ 3 . 9 5

CUSTOM BUILDINGWITHOUT FEAR

SHOW-OFF CHEFSAT FLYING FISH

PLUSA NOSTALGIC

GULF RETREAT

FASHION IN FULL BLOOMFASHION IN FASHION IN

FULL BLOOM

Spirit SpringSpirit

SpringSpirit

SpringSpirit of

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Don’t wait to start livingCHANGE YOUR

VIEW TODAY

W P T C T ~ ..

Come for the Lifestyle. Stay for a Lifetime.

Visit us and enjoy the view

of our beautiful lakefront

community. Stay a while,

and become familiar with our

wide variety of active living

choices. You may just decide

not to leave!

TM

WinterPark Feb12.indd 1 2/17/12 4:26:40 PM

Victor Farina is pictured with his father Mario on the cover of

Remodeling Magazine, honoring the nation’s 50 most distinguished remodeling companies. Praised for his professionalism and high

aesthetic standards. Large or small, each project receives our trademark

attention to detail and teamwork approach. Farina & Sons is family owned, with a 61 year tradition of

award winning renovations, additions and custom homes in Orlando’s finest neighborhoods.

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Don’t wait to start livingCHANGE YOUR

VIEW TODAY

W P T C T ~ ..

Come for the Lifestyle. Stay for a Lifetime.

Visit us and enjoy the view

of our beautiful lakefront

community. Stay a while,

and become familiar with our

wide variety of active living

choices. You may just decide

not to leave!

TM

WinterPark Feb12.indd 1 1/24/12 5:16:45 PM

Victor Farina is pictured with his father Mario on the cover of

Remodeling Magazine, honoring the nation’s 50 most distinguished remodeling companies. Praised for his professionalism and high

aesthetic standards. Large or small, each project receives our trademark

attention to detail and teamwork approach. Farina & Sons is family owned, with a 61 year tradition of

award winning renovations, additions and custom homes in Orlando’s finest neighborhoods.

CGC027598 PHOTOGRAPHY ©EVERETT & SOULE

PHOTO

© P

HEL

AN M

. EB

ENHAC

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F&S OHL Mar 2012 Ad.indd 1 2/10/12 12:28 PM


2 ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE MARcH 2012

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FEATURE: MARCH 2012

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SLIP INTO SPRINGThe Mayan-themed architecture at the Maitland Art Center makes the perfect backdrop for a rite of spring: our preview of the new season’s styles. by Marianne Ilunga • photographs by Rafael Tongol

LESSONS LEARNED FROM MR. BLANDINGSAll those screwball-comedy nightmares that plagued Cary Grant and Myrna Loy when they embarked on a big-screen building project are easily avoidable, with a little preparation. by Randy Noles

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ON THE COVER: For our spring fashion preview, Gabrielle, of Prodigy Model Management, is wearing a floral Dolce & Gabbana dress, $2,225, and pink snakeskin shoes by Stuart Weitzman, $415, both from Neiman Marcus, The Mall at Millenia. Her floral necklace, $145, by Laura Kelley, is from Blue Door Denim Shoppe, Winter Park. Wardrobe styling by Marianne Ilunga; hair and makeup by Elsie Knab; photograph by Rafael Tongol.


WWW.OHLMAG.COM ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE 350

JAY BOYAR’S AGENDAStandup comedians Joan Rivers and John Leguizamo visit Lake-land Center’s Jenkins Arena and Orlando’s Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, respectively; the Winter Park Art Festival overtakes Park Avenue; a collaborative event brings sculpture and dance together at the Orlando Museum of Art; a “modern King Lear” pays a visit to the Shakespeare Theater; and a globe-trotting conductor brings her well-traveled baton and a passion for Prokofiev to town for a guest-conductor gig with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESSColumnist Willow Shambeck makes her Orlando Home & Lei-sure debut, reporting on what’s new around town on the retail, restaurant and entertainment fronts. by Willow Shambeck

DAY’S DRIVEAt Clearwater Beach, a posh resort delivers all the pampering you’d expect while paying homage to its laid-back predecessor. by Laura Bluhm

FLAVORDining editor Rona Gindin indulges in high-end foodie fun at Disney’s Flying Fish Cafe, and offers a wide-ranging list of dining options in and around Orlando. photographs by Rafael Tongol

SEENFrom High Tea & Hats at the Peabody Orlando to the Sweet-heart Ball at the Hilton Altamonte Springs, Orlando Home & Leisure is out and about.

RESTLESS NATIVEIs the recipe for happiness family-friendly? by Mike Thomas

KITCHEN & BATH RESOURCE GUIDEProfessional advice and resources for remodeling the two most important rooms of your home.

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F I R S T

For several years I had a wrItIng job that required me to travel. Whenever a trip came up, my wife and I would argue. She’d be upset that I was leaving, which I understood. What I didn’t get

was that she always seemed upset with me, as if somehow I was complicit. So I would become defensive and argumentative, and we’d wind up talking in circles.

We certainly started off on the wrong foot about it: Our first fight came on our wed-ding day.

Cindy and I had just been married in a no-frills civil ceremony when the news broke that a hurricane was headed for Key West. My bosses at the Orlando Sentinel wanted me to cover it. I wasn’t happy about it, but it wasn’t as if we had some la-di-da honeymoon plans. There was tension and impatience in my voice as I stocked my car for the trip south and tried to explain professional ethics and the demands of a newspaper job to my wife.

She just stared at me in disbelief. “Your bosses want you to drive straight into

a hurricane? On your wedding day?”From that point on, there was an argument

to go along with every out-of-town assign-ment. I always felt like logic was on my side, to no avail. Take the Hawaii trip. She kept bring-ing up hula girls. In truth, I might as well have been headed for a Tibetan monastery.

I was writing about a team of University of Florida astronomers who were working out of an observatory at the top of Mauna Kea, a re-mote, 14,000-foot volcanic mountain on the Big Island. Sometimes it gets cold enough on Mauna Kea that the loonier locals snowboard down the slopes. I spent a week living in a dorm with brainy nerds, struggling with alti-tude sickness and wishing I’d brought woolen socks. I came back home with a candle shaped like a pineapple as a make-up gift.

Eventually the traveling feature-writing job went away, but only recently did my wife and I get to the source of all those nettling pre-trip arguments. We didn’t have to go to marriage counseling to do it. We just traded places.

A year and a half ago we bought a small business, and my wife gave up her part-time job as an adjunct professor to run it. Suddenly she is making more money and working lon-ger hours than I am. Her 60-hour week is oc-casionally punctuated by whiny and entirely illogical phone calls from her lonely husband.

The other night, in a rare moment together, we found ourselves conversing at a whole new level of understanding that has opened up for both of us lately. The Hawaii trip came up. “I wasn’t jealous of hula girls,” she told me. “I was jealous of your job.”

“I know just what you mean,” I said.

Michael McLeodEditor in [email protected]

Trading Places

Take NoteWhat’s ONLINE For your guide to the region’s leisure activities and cultural events, check out our expanded listings of Central Florida happenings at ohlmag.com.

What you CAN DO See comedian Dan Aykroyd and actress Cheryl Hines at the charity gala for United Cerebral Palsy at Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa on March 10 (ucpgala.com).

What’s ON DECK A special section, Choices, is all about local educational options for kids and adults. Plus, a tour of the area’s most popular neighborhood diners.

What’s ON FACEBOOK and YOuTuBELIKE us on Facebook and check out our YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/orlandohomeleisure.

CORRECTIONGotthilf Oscar Kummer, the original owner of a Winter Park home that was the sub-ject of a story in our February issue, was a manufacturer of burial vaults, not coffins.

Who needs marriage counseling when role reversal’s so cheap?

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Winter Park • Maitland • Orlando#1 Agents in Luxury Home Sales since 1988

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6 ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE MARCH 2012

MICHAEL MCLEODEditor in Chief

HARRY WESSELManaging Editor

LAURA BLUHMArt & Production Director

RONA GINDINDining Editor

JAY BOYAR, MARIANNE ILUNGA, WILLOW SHAMBECK,

MIKE THOMASContributors

GREG JOHNSTON, COURTNEY SHAPIRO, RAFAEL TONGOL

Contributing Photographers

SOPHIA GRANIELA, MEGHAN LINDNER, ELIZABETH PRATS,

CHELSEA ST. JOHNEditorial Interns

Editorial: [email protected]

MIMI BRIEGELPublishing Director/Director of Sales

LORNA OSBORNSenior Associate Publisher

Director of Marketing & Public Relations

ADVERTISING: [email protected]

ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE2301 Lucien Way, Suite 190

Maitland, FL 32751Phone: 407-647-7598 Fax: 407-647-7796

Subscription questions: 954-653-3923 or visit our website ohlmag.com

FLORIDA HOME MEDIA, LLC

DANIEL DENTONPresident

RANDY NOLESGroup Publisher & Chief Operating Officer

CARRIE KINGGeneral Manager

Copyright 2012 by Florida Home Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without written permission of the copyright holder. ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE (USPS 000-140) (Vol. 13/Issue No. 3) is published monthly by Florida Home Media LLC, 2301 Lucien Way, Ste 190, Maitland, FL 32751. Periodicals Postage Paid at Maitland FL and at additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Orlando Home & Leisure Magazine, PO Box 5586, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310-5586

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Orlando Museum of Art | 2416 North Mills Ave. Orlando, FL 32803 | www.omart.org

Shield de Pyrenees, 2007, Stoneware and stones, 33” x 30” x 4”, Collection of Kristine Sorensen Griffin

Visit Made in Florida – three consecutive exhibitions celebrating our state, opening January 2012 at the OMA. Experience Barbara Sorensen’s geologically inspired Topographies and see Florida from a different perspective.

7 0 %Ye l l o w

O M AR e d

O M AG r e e n

O M AB l u e

B l a c k

topographies1.7.12 through 4.1.12

Barbara Sorensen sculpture




Secrets of Tiffany Glassmaking March 1-31Morse MuseumA teaching exhibit uses photographs, models and tools to reveal the craftsmanship underlying Tiffany’s otherworldly creations. morsemuseum.org

Swans: Black and WhiteMarch 30Bob Carr Performing Arts CentreOrlando Ballet’s Artistic Director Robert Hill reinvents , the Tchaikovsky classic.orlandoballet .org

Private LivesMarch 30Mad Cow TheatreA divorced couple encounters each other years later while honeymoon-ing with their new spouses in Noel Coward’s comedy of manners. madcowtheatre.com

Plan On It

AGENDAEight Decades, Four Letters:That’s Bad Girl Joan Rivers

BY JAY BOYAR

CAN WE TALK? ABOUT JOAN RIVERS, I MEAN. PRACTI-cally everyone does – and no wonder.

If she’s not appearing with her daughter on their cable series, Joan & Melissa, she’s crushing the competition on Celebrity Apprentice, confessing her deepest desires in the recent documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work or popping up on QVC to peddle such semi-essentials as the “Joan Rivers Color Theory Jacket (with Topstitch Detail).” And she’s still hard at work as a stand-up co-median, with a March 22 performance at Lakeland Center’s Jenkins Arena as part of her latest tour.

That’s a pretty full plate for anyone. For a woman who’ll turn 80 next year, it’s more like a full place setting.

Rivers is an icon, a true pioneer and reigning matriarch among women in come-dy, though stand-up isn’t even her fi rst love. As she reveals in A Piece of Work, she set out to be an actress and still considers herself to be just that: an actress, as she puts it, who is playing the part of a comedian.

But then, what else would you expect from a graduate of classy Barnard College, where she studied English literature sometime back in the Paleozoic Era?

I’m thinking it’s OK for me to make fun of

•AGENDAEight Decades, Four Letters:That’s Bad Girl Joan RiversCAN WE TALK? ABOUT JOAN RIVERS, I MEAN. PRACTI-

does – and no wonder.If she’s not appearing with her daughter on their cable

, she’s crushing the competition on , confessing her deepest desires in

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work or Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work or Joan Rivers: A Piece of Workpopping up on QVC to peddle such semi-essentials as the “Joan Rivers Color Theory Jacket (with Topstitch Detail).” And she’s still hard at work as a stand-up co-median, with a March 22 performance at Lakeland Center’s Jenkins Arena as part of her latest tour.

That’s a pretty full plate for anyone. For a woman who’ll turn 80 next year, it’s more

Rivers is an icon, a true pioneer and reigning matriarch among women in come-dy, though stand-up isn’t even her fi rst love.

A Piece of Work, she set out to be an actress and still considers herself to be just that: an actress, as she puts it, who is playing the part of a comedian.

But then, what else would you expect from a graduate of classy Barnard College, where she studied English literature sometime back in the

••

Swan Lake

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WWW.OHLMAG.COM ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE 9WWW.OHLMAG.COM ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE 9

UCF Book FestivalMarch 31UCF ArenaThe annual literary event features publisher displays, book appraisals, author forums and children’s activities. James McBride, bestselling author of , is the keynoter.bookfestival.ucf.edu

Downtown Food and Wine FestMarch 31, April 1Lake Eola areaMore than 20,000 foodies will pack Lake Eola Park to enjoy live entertainment and sample offerings from more than 30 local restaurants.downtownfoodandwinefest.cbslocal.com

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BY JAY BOYAR

her age because she does so herself. Plus, calling attention to her advanced years only helps to emphasize how much energy she clearly has, how great she looks (insert obligatory cosmetic-surgery joke here) and how up-to-date she seems.

But if Rivers is comfortable with her advancing years, she defi nitely does not like to hear herself described as a trailblazer for such tart-tongued funny girls as Chelsea Handler, Kathy Griffi n, Whitney Cummings and Sarah Silverman. She sees herself not as their role model but as their competitor. In Han-dler’s case, in fact, she’s embroiled in a nasty, ongoing media cat fi ght.

“Whatever she is, she’s a drunk,” Rivers recently said, adding several other vividly unprintable descriptors.

Her effrontery usually strikes me as funny because it often has an element of surprise, such as this quip about our beloved Sunshine State: “Florida wants to change the state’s motto to attract younger people. They’re thinking about: ‘More than just a great place to die.’”

Other times, I feel that Rivers is trying a little too hard to be outrageous. (I have the same problem with her friend and fel-low comedy icon, Don Rickles.) But trying hard, and working hard, seem to be central to who Joan Rivers is – as is a certain sense of irritation and injury.

“I’ve never been in the ‘in’ group,” she was quoted as saying not long ago. “But that’s what keeps me punching, if that makes sense. I’m still in the ‘I’ll show you’ mentality.”

Visit thelakelandcenter.com for more information.

AS A STAND-UP COMEDIAN, JOHN LEGUIZAMO HAS the manic energy of a Jack Russell terrier. On fi lm he has portrayed everything from a gangster to a drag queen. But it all goes back to the role he has played most of his life, which happens to be the title of the one-man show he’ll perform March 6 at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre: Ghetto Klown.

“A ‘Ghetto Klown’ is somebody growing up mad poor, but he made you laugh on the block, ’cause that’s all you got … that’s how you pass your time,” Leguizamo explains. “I was the class clown, the ‘Ghetto Klown.’ You know, I was that guy.”

After growing up in a tough neighborhood in Queens, Le-guizamo took acting classes and soon earned critical atten-tion with a series of brash one-man shows. That led to roles in dozens of movies, including Righteous Kill with Robert DeNiro and Carlito’s Way, whose veteran star, Al Pacino, of-fered Leguizamo some valuable advice: “‘Be yourself.’ That was a big lesson I learned from him.”

Leguizamo invests almost every character he plays with a Latin fl air that draws on his own roots. He bases much of his comedy on the people he grew up with, using their man-nerisms as inspiration.

“I always had a good ear,” he says. “I really like the chal-lenge of transforming and becoming somebody else, and bringing them to life.” But it’s the one-man-show format that “feels like home to me. It’s a mix of everything that I like to do: I get to dance; I get to sing along; I get to do serious acting; I get to do clowning.”

Or is that Klowning?Visit ghettoklownonbroadway.com for more informa-

tion.– Sophia Graniela

Leguizamo Brings His Classy ‘Klown’ to Carr

The Color of Water

2OHL_Mar12_Agenda.indd 9 2/21/12 10:27:35 AM


WHEN THE WINTER PARK SIDEWALK Art Festival overtakes the city March 16-18, 225 artists from all over the country will temporarily set up shop downtown. If you see one of them paying particular attention to the vintage buildings lin-ing Park Avenue, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered Iris Ledesma.

A graduate of the University of Flori-da’s School of Architecture with a Mas-ter’s degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, she says she fi nds inspiration for the jewelry and other accessories she crafts from the structural design elements she notices on a much larger scale.

“If I see a building or just some detail, then I just create something out of that,” Ledesma says. Not long ago she decided to create several clutches using a tech-nique called “cladding,” which architects

use to create decorative ceilings or walls by bonding one kind of material to another. She’s hoping to have fi ve of the clutches fi nished in time for the festival.

Ledesma, 32, is one of three art-ists honored by the festival’s selec-tion committee with its “Emerg-ing Artist” designation. The other two are from Ohio: Robert Coby, a glassmaker from Cleveland, and Mike Davis, a pottery artist from Cincinnati. Though she cites ar-chitecture as inspiration for her ar-tistic creations, she also credits her DNA: Her grandfather crafts jewelry and furniture; an aunt works in ceramics.

According to the Art Fes-tival’s committee chair, Alice

Moulton, the Emerging Artist Program helps encourage new-er, younger artists to exhibit their

work. Exhibitors compete for 62 cash awards totaling $67,500. Visit wpsaf.org for more information.

– Meghan Lindner

An Art Fest Newcomer With Lofty Inspirations

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by bonding one kind of material to another. She’s hoping to have fi ve of the clutches fi nished in time

Ledesma, 32, is one of three art-ists honored by the festival’s selec-tion committee with its “Emerg-ing Artist” designation. The other two are from Ohio: Robert Coby, a glassmaker from Cleveland, and Mike Davis, a pottery artist from Cincinnati. Though she cites ar-chitecture as inspiration for her ar-tistic creations, she also credits her DNA: Her grandfather crafts jewelry and furniture; an aunt

According to the Art Fes-tival’s committee chair, Alice

Moulton, the Emerging Artist Program helps encourage new-er, younger artists to exhibit their

work. Exhibitors compete for 62 cash awards totaling $67,500. Visit wpsaf.org for more information.

– Meghan Lindner

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Florida Hospital’s Gastroenterology Program is proud to be ranked nationally by U.S.News & World Report.

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Ledesma and her “long

dimple” earrings.


Scan the QR code above with your mobile device and see more at FloridaHospitalCancer.com or call (407) 303-5981.

Colon Cancer Can Hide Anywhere. Except AT FLORIDA HOSPITAL CANCER INSTITUTE.

At the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute, patients bene�t from a bigger picture in cancer care. We are the largest provider of cancer services throughout Florida and the southeast United States, with outcomes that exceed national standards. Our exceptionally talented multidisciplinary team of oncology specialists—including gastrointestinal/colorectal care experts and personal care coordinators—employs the latest techniques to both �nd and eliminate cancers before they spread throughout the body. Along with our extensive network of hospitals and imaging centers located across Central Florida, we provide advanced treatment o�erings—where patients have direct access to a dedicated team of physicians to meet their needs. If cancer comes into the picture, you can �nd treatment at the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute.

Florida Hospital’s Gastroenterology Program is proud to be ranked nationally by U.S.News & World Report.

ORL

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MANY OF THE BARBARA SORENSEN sculptures that are on display this month at the Orlando Museum of Art don’t re-ally move. They just seem to do so.

One of her creations is a slew of white, rope-and-wire objects that resemble bas-kets. The piece is called Pools, as in whirl-pools, and includes a shifting set of lights that creates a sense of swirling motion. The female fi gures in Sorensen’s Sirens installation seem like they might, at any moment, twirl off their pedestals and glide around the room.

Something a bit like that will actually happen when seven members of Orlando Ballet and Yow Dance perform an original ballet, choreographed by Eric Yow and in-spired by Sorensen’s kinetic creations. Set to the sounds of Bach and other compos-

ers, Art & Dance: A Pas de Deux will be presented on March 18 at the museum, where Topographies, an exhibition featuring 76 Sorensen works (including Pools and Sirens) is on view through April 1.

A nationally recognized artist, Sorens-en spends half of the year in Winter Park. Her current exhibition is one of three that comprise Made in Florida, a celebra-tion of Sunshine State-related art.

Refl ections, the next show in the se-ries, features paintings by such artists as Audubon and Wyeth, will open April 21. The third, Southernmost Portraits featuring Jimm Roberts’ photographs of noted artists and writers, opens August 4. Visit omart.org for more information. – Jay Boyar

A Celebration of Fluid Forms

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Art & Dance: A Pas de Deuxwill be presented on March 18 at

Topographies, an exhibition featuring 76 Sorensen

Sirens) is Sirens) is Sirens

A nationally recognized artist, Sorens-en spends half of the year in Winter Park. Her current exhibition is one of three

, a celebra-tion of Sunshine State-related art.

, the next show in the se-Barbara Sorensen’s Shield de

Pyrenees was inspired by the

sight of stucco peeling from the

walls of 15th-century homes in

the Basque region of Spain.

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Actors dreAm of being cAst As King LeAr, shAKe-speare’s tragically embattled patriarch. John Herrera sees his role in Red as something like the next best thing.

Herrera will play the part of Mark Rothko – a 1940s’ abstract expressionist in the twi-light of his career – in the Orlando Shake-speare Theater’s production of Red, which opens March 21 and runs through April 22.

“He’s like a modern Lear,” says the New York actor, who has been visiting the city’s art museums to study some of the paintings that Rothko created to depict, among other modern-day traumas, the horrors of World War II.

“His process took months, if not years, be-cause it was layer upon layer. He was very se-cretive about what he used and how he used it,” Herrera says.

Red – so named because the color fasci-nated Rothko – is a bio-drama that focuses

on the artist’s conversations with an argumentative, newly hired apprentice named Ken. “Sometimes he [Rothko] is full of it and grandiose. Ken calls him on it,” says Herrera.

The play depicts Rothko as a brilliant but bitter and isolated man, aggravated by Ken’s preoccupation with art-world gossips who have written him off as a painter long past his prime. The artist eventually committed suicide.

Herrera’s research into Rothko’s life is paying off in ways he didn’t anticipate. In addition to performing, he teaches in New York’s public school system. In one of his classes, he has begun using sketches as a way to connect with special-needs students.

“I started around the time I got cast for Red,’’ he says. “I’ve gotten to the point where some teachers are keeping the work I draw.”– Elizabeth Prats

At the Shakes, an Artist’s Life is Portrayed in Shades of Red

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Call 321.8HEALTH (321.843.2584) to get connected to our physicians and services,and go to orlandohealth.com/careholders to hear more about Jamie's story.

Jamie’s Health

Everything we do starts with you.

We become

12ORH027_OH_BRAND_OHL_MARCH_PRESS.pdf 1 2/9/12 10:21 AM


Call 321.8HEALTH (321.843.2584) to get connected to our physicians and services,and go to orlandohealth.com/careholders to hear more about Jamie's story.

Jamie’s Health

Everything we do starts with you.

We become

12ORH027_OH_BRAND_OHL_MARCH_PRESS.pdf 1 2/9/12 10:21 AM



Falletta Brings Baton to TownIt’s quIte a commute from Buf-falo to Belfast. Toss in periodic trips to Israel, Lithuania, Japan, China and points beyond, and you get a sense of JoAnn Falletta’s globe-trotting lifestyle.

Falletta is music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. She’s also principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra in Bel-fast. She’ll bring her well-traveled baton with her for a performance with the Or-lando Philharmonic Orchestra at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre March 24.

But Falletta isn’t just well-traveled: She’s well-rounded, as a writer of musi-cally oriented essays and poems (joan-nfalletta.com).

Falletta’s style has been compared to that of Leonard Bernstein, whom she cites as an early influence, thanks to his occasional visits to the Juilliard School while she was a student. “The whole school would come alive when he was there. Our dreams would come to life.”

The program for Falletta’s Orlando appearance consists of Prokofiev’s Sym-phony No. 5, Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, and the world premiere of Overture to the Old Man and the Sea, by John Callahan, winner of the 2009 Young Composer’s Challenge.

For more information visit orlando-phil.org. – Michael McLeod

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Style & GraceThe Michael and Marilyn Mennello Collection

January 20 - March 18, 2012

THE MENNELLO MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART 900 E. Princeton St. � Orlando � www.mennellomuseum.comOwned and operated by the City of Orlando

MMAA

THE MENNELLO MUSEUMOF AMERICAN ART

Nelson Norris Bickford (1846-1943), In the Tuilleries Garden, Paris, 1881 (detail),oil on panel, 12 × 16 inches. Collection of Michael A. Mennello.

Mennello-OrlHome&Leis (12-9-11).indd 1 12/9/11 1:48 PM

SOPHISTICATED COMFORTS. UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS.

Waldorf Astoria® Orlando is an ideal environment in which to rest and enjoy some well-deserved pampering. �e world-class Waldorf Astoria Spa by Guerlain® offers customized treatments and products from the famed Parisian skin care and fragrance company. Treat yourself to an exceptional experience.

Florida residents receive 20% o� spa services Monday through Friday.* For spa reservations, please call 407-597-5360.

EXTRAORDINARY PLACES. A SINGULAR EXPERIENCE.At each of our landmark destinations around the globe, experience the personalized Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts service that creates unforgettable moments. waldorfastoriaorlando.com

©2012 Hilton Worldwide

*Florida residents save 20% on spa services Monday through Friday only. Florida residents must provide proof of residency at check-in. Based on availability. Cannot be combined with any other o�er, and is not applicable to group or negotiated rates. A 20% service charge will be added for your convenience.

HBC-302.indd 1 2/1/12 5:06 PM2OHL_Mar12_Agenda.indd 16 2/21/12 2:46:53 PM

A G E N D ASOPHISTICATED COMFORTS. UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS.

Waldorf Astoria® Orlando is an ideal environment in which to rest and enjoy some well-deserved pampering. �e world-class Waldorf Astoria Spa by Guerlain® offers customized treatments and products from the famed Parisian skin care and fragrance company. Treat yourself to an exceptional experience.

Florida residents receive 20% o� spa services Monday through Friday.* For spa reservations, please call 407-597-5360.

EXTRAORDINARY PLACES. A SINGULAR EXPERIENCE.At each of our landmark destinations around the globe, experience the personalized Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts service that creates unforgettable moments. waldorfastoriaorlando.com

©2012 Hilton Worldwide

*Florida residents save 20% on spa services Monday through Friday only. Florida residents must provide proof of residency at check-in. Based on availability. Cannot be combined with any other o�er, and is not applicable to group or negotiated rates. A 20% service charge will be added for your convenience.

HBC-302.indd 1 2/1/12 5:06 PM2OHL_Mar12_Agenda.indd 17 2/17/12 3:59:52 PM


Good news for ‘cue lovers. This summer The 4rivers smokehouse in Winter Park will relocate across the street to what was once the J&w landscaping parcel. As patrons and neighbors of the Fairbanks Avenue restaurant know all too well, it’s become too

popular for its own good. Long lines can test the patience of even the most avid 4Rivers fans. And parking is problematic. The new location will boast 128 seats and more than 80 parking spaces. There’ll also be an in-house bakery featuring more than 60 outrageous sweet treats. The new loca-tion should be a boon to the Fairbanks Avenue business corridor, says rich palmano, Winter Park real estate broker for palmano group real esTaTe. He predicts the move will accelerate improvements and attract new businesses. Sprucing up Fairbanks, the de facto entryway to Winter Park proper, has long been a priority for local boosters. Meanwhile, 4Rivers owner and pit master John rivers now boasts three locations, with sister restaurants in Winter Garden and Longwood. (4rsmokehouse.com / 321-972-4398)

T A K I N G C A R E O F B U S I N E S S

by Willow Shambeck

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John Rivers

World of Beer

James and Julie Petrakis

Buh-bye to Long BBQ Queue?4Rivers Lining up Roomier Digs

A P P L I E D

Future. Home.The learning opportunities are numerous.

The list of amenities is nothing short of

impressive. The retail and entertainment

options are growing. And the selection

of homes and neighborhoods is

becoming more diverse, intriguing and

forward-thinking with each new day.

The future of Central Florida is taking

shape at Lake Nona.

Find your future home at Lake Nona by visiting the Lake Nona Info Center, or learnlakenona.com

A P P L I E D

Future. Home.

12NON006_ORLANDO_HOME_LEISURE_MARCH_PRESS.pdf 1 2/7/12 3:50 PM

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nEw shOp mEans it’s millaR timE On paRkwinTer park’s park avenue is Joining the ranks of The Hamptons and Palm Beach’s Worth Avenue with the expected opening this month of a peTer millar store. It’s only the third Peter Millar store in the United States and the first to be owned by a retailer, craig de-longy of John craig cloThier and cur-

renT. “I guess you can say I’m invested in Park Avenue,” says Delongy, whose store will feature Peter Millar’s high-end clothing and accessories for men. Delongy notes that John Craig Cloth-ier has been carrying the Peter Millar line for at least eight years, and that Peter Millar’s two head honchos, scoTT mahoney and chris knoTT, are longtime friends. “They love Win-ter Park and loved the idea of a store on the Av-

3OHL_Mar12 TCB.indd 18 2/21/12 10:29:50 AM

A P P L I E D

Future. Home.The learning opportunities are numerous.

The list of amenities is nothing short of

impressive. The retail and entertainment

options are growing. And the selection

of homes and neighborhoods is

becoming more diverse, intriguing and

forward-thinking with each new day.

The future of Central Florida is taking

shape at Lake Nona.

Find your future home at Lake Nona by visiting the Lake Nona Info Center, or learnlakenona.com

A P P L I E D

Future. Home.

12NON006_ORLANDO_HOME_LEISURE_MARCH_PRESS.pdf 1 2/7/12 3:50 PM

3OHL_Mar12 TCB.indd 19 2/17/12 4:00:52 PM



SHORT TAKESPETERBROOKE CHOCO-LATIER has closed its shop in the Winter Garden Village. Its two other Central Florida locations remain open (peterbrooke.com / 407-644-3200). ... SHIPYARD EMPORIUM in Winter Park has changed its name. The Fairbanks Avenue restaurant, bakery and brewery is now the SHIPYARD BREW PUB (shipyardemporium.com / 321-274-404). ... SPICE STEAKHOUSE on Winter Park’s Park Avenue has closed, but a new restaurant is expected in the same space soon. The Thornton Park location remains open (spicesteakhouse.com / 407-481-9533). ... MONKEY JOE’S, a kids’ play area featuring infl atable structures, is leaving its FESTIVAL BAY location and moving to a 17,250-square-foot space at the POINTE ORLANDO dining and entertainment complex on International Drive (monkeyjoes.com). ... WET ‘N WILD has announced that its fi rst new attraction in more than four years will be a giant water playground aimed at kiddies (wetnwild.com), while LEGOLAND in Winter Haven is also adding a water park geared toward toddlers and preteens (fl orida.legoland.com). ... New restaurant openings: CRICKETERS PUB & EATERY, on Sand Lake Road in Orlando, (cricketersarmspub.com / 407-730-2111); MAXINE’S ON SHINE, in Orlando’s Colonialtown, (shine-kitchen.com / 407-674-6841).HERITAGE HOME MUSIC SCHOOL

Piano, guitar and drum lessons for all ages. www.heritagehomemusic.com

The quality of an academy in the comfort of your home.



enue” says Delongy. Peter Millar started as a cashmere sweater line and evolved into a lifestyle collection, featuring casual clothing from footwear to sports coats to outerwear and formal essentials. (john-craigclothier.com / 407-629-7944)

IN ALTAMONTE, A BRAVENEW WORLD OF BEERTHE WHOLE PLANET LOVES BEER, right? At least that’s the philosophy be-hind WORLD OF BEER, a Tampa-based company about to open its fourth lo-cal outlet, this one on bustling Crane’s Roost Boulevard in Uptown Altamonte. The newest WOB is owned by franchi-see JERRY PAULSON, who already has a thriving location near UCF. “Our staff is well trained to educate everyone from beginners to hopheads,” says Paulson. Most WOB staffers have attended the company’s “Beer School,” whose students pore over every nuance of the sudsy brew. There are 18 WOBs statewide, but expect exponential growth. Two years ago, when founders SCOTT ZEPP and MATT LE-FON decided to expand, they partnered with Tampa businessmen BEN NOVEL-LO and JIM POLLARD, who knew a little

Craig Delongy

Be the new you.

MARIANNE ILUNGA DIOUFSTYLISSIMA FASHION CONSULTING

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Stylissima from flyer.indd 2 1/5/11 9:41:49 AM

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something about national rollouts. You may have heard of their previous venture: an Aussie-themed eatery called OUT-BACK STEAKHOUSE. (wobusa.com)

A YUMMY NEW EATERYOPENS IN MILLS DISTRICTROSA PHAN, OWNER OF PHO 88, AMills Avenue Vietnamese eatery, has in-troduced a new concept to the burgeoning Mills 50 district, with its eclectic coalition of Asian eateries, gay-oriented retailers and trendy nightspots. YUM MI, which opened earlier this year, is a Vietnamese sandwich shop featuring bánh mi – sand-wiches made with French bread and a choice of meats and traditional toppings. “We wanted to let Orlando locals open their eyes to something new,” says Phan. “Bánh mi [sandwiches] have become a sort

of foodie craze. They’re regularly featured on the Food Network, so we thought we could bring them here.” (yummisand-wiches.com / 407-894-1808)

PLANS PENDING FOR NEW PORCINE PUBTHE OWNERS OF THE AWARD-WIN-ning RAVENOUS PIG have announced plans to open their second restaurant in Winter Park, a new brewpub at the old HARPER’S TAVERN site. That’ll do, Pig! CASK & LARDER is scheduled for an August opening at the corner of Orange and Fairbanks avenues, according to own-ers JAMES and JULIE PETRAKIS. The pub will feature handcrafted beer brewed on site, and Southern artisanal food with locally grown ingredients and Florida-caught fi sh. (theravenouspig.com)

Inspired by life.

A Masterfully Planned Community Close to the beach and convenient to Orlando,

Viera is a Master Planned community offering

A-Rated schools, championship golf, nature

preserves and endless dining and shopping.

Visit us online at and discover why

so many Central Floridians are making the move.

VIERA DISCOVERY CENTER 7350 SHOPPES DRIVE, SUITE 103 VIERA, FL 32940

A Living Inspiration.

17785_VRA_ORLHomeLeisure_F.indd 1 2/1/12 3:24 PM


WILLOW SHAMBECK is president of

the Winter Park commercial real estate fi rm,

Cursor Realty Corp. She is a Winter Park

resident and former Park Avenue business

owner. She is active with Rollins College,

the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and

the Park Avenue Area Association.


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ORLANDOORLANDOORLANDO

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OIAOIAOIA

Inspired by life.

A Masterfully Planned Community Close to the beach and convenient to Orlando,

Viera is a Master Planned community offering

A-Rated schools, championship golf, nature

preserves and endless dining and shopping.

Visit us online at and discover why

so many Central Floridians are making the move.

192192192192192192

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KISSIMMEEKISSIMMEEKISSIMMEE

DISNEYDISNEYDISNEY

VIERA DISCOVERY CENTER 7350 SHOPPES DRIVE, SUITE 103 VIERA, FL 32940

A Living Inspiration.

17785_VRA_ORLHomeLeisure_F.indd 1 2/1/12 3:24 PM3OHL_Mar12 TCB.indd 23 2/17/12 4:01:55 PM


Stargazing, strolling along the sand, com-muning with dolphins: People have been doing those things on Clearwater Beach for generations. Why stop now?

Such decidedly low-tech pastimes drew me to this laid-back community, where the genteel hospitality and leisurely pace harkens back to Old Florida.

I checked in at the Sandpearl, a AAA Four-Diamond resort, for a weekend getaway. Originally built as the summer home of Edwin Timanus Roux, a Florida banker and businessman, it

was converted into the Clearwater Beach Hotel in the 1920s. A half-century later it was demolished, making way in 2007 for the Sandpearl, with 50 suites and 203 guest rooms.

The casual atmosphere is immediately evident in the lobby, appropriately dubbed the Living Room and appointed with soft couches and deep, cushioned chairs – perfect perches for viewing the lagoon pool and the white, sandy beach. But I’m headed for the Tate Island Grill, named after Ernest Tate, who, back in the 1890s, owned the island on which Clearwater Beach is nestled.

by Laura Bluhm

D AY ’ S D R I V E

Beach Lux ReduxBlending Old Florida traditions with new-wave pampering at a laid-back getaway on the Gulf.

The Sandpearl’s plush lobby,

where comfy couches and

strategically stationed

checkerboards invite guests to

unwind, offers beautiful views

of the hotel’s lagoon-style

swimming pool and the white,

sandy beaches beyond.

4OHL_Mar12_Days Drive.indd 24 2/17/12 4:02:39 PM


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A wall of old photos and postcards illustrates

the history of the Sandpearl’s predecessor, the

Clearwater Beach Hotel. A dinner bell that once

invited guests to a communal dinner at the

Jazz Age enclave still tolls three times at dusk.

A signature cocktail called the Blue Pearl, featuring Cruzan coconut rum, blue Curacao swirl and crème de banana, helps me adjust to beach time. With it, I enjoy the traditional grou-per sandwich and the pulled pork nachos. The nachos – piled high with fried jalapeño peppers, white queso, lettuce, tomato and pork smoked on the property – are delicious. The grouper is light and crispy, accompanied by crunchy Tate Island Chips, made fresh on the premises.

As sunset draws near, the restaurant and the beach begin to buzz. The fi re pit is glowing and so are the guests, who have eased into the Adirondack chairs surrounding it as Calypso music pro-vides the soundtrack. At dusk a bell rings three times – a tradi-tion set long ago during the Clearwater Beach Hotel days, when guests were called to a communal, boarding-house style dinner.

SEE THE SIGHTS FROM A JOLLEY TROLLYWalk, ride or glide to PIER 60, BEACH WALK, the MARINA and the shops and restaurants of Mandalay Avenue. Beach Walk, located south of Pier 60, is a half mile of winding, seaside sidewalk, a perfect place to bike, roller blade or stroll. Catch the JOLLEY TROLLEY, purchase a pass, and hop on and off all day (once around the island only takes an hour). Trolleys also connect Clearwater Beach to St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs. If two-wheel touring is more your speed, Sandpearl’s resort fee includes complimentary bike rentals. For a more adventurous way to see the sights, try a Segway. The SEGWAY ADVENTURE offers tour routes that vary, and all riders receive safety orientation and rider training.



D AY ’ S D R I V E

These days, a more formal dining option is offered at Caretta on the Gulf, Clearwater Beach’s only AAA Four-Diamond res-taurant, offering an extensive wine list and delicious local seafood as well as stunning Gulf views. Every Saturday, chef Steve Jordan prepares a three-course, organic lunch for parties of six or more. It’s part cooking exhibition and part comedy act, although the meals, boasting fresh, seasonal ingredients and paired with or-ganic wines, are showstoppers in and of themselves.

A wall leading into the resort’s restaurant is decorated with nearly 100 vintage images that represent what life was like on the island in years past. My favorite is from Ripley’s Believe It or Not: a 1941 photo of the fi rst female porter in the United States, Marion Darling, at work at the Clearwater Beach Hotel.

After dinner, once the sky has darkened over the Gulf, guests may observe the planets and constellations through a powerfultelescope. Their intergalactic tour guide is an astronomer from the nearby Museum of Science and Industry.

It’s also a short stroll to Pier 60, where you might see magicians, balloon artists, fi re-eaters, stilt walkers, living statues, dancers, per-forming pets and jugglers. Local merchants set up shop beneath col-orful umbrellas to sell jewelry, paintings, photographs and candles.

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WHERE THE SCENE IS TRULY GREENWhile its predecessor, the Clearwater Beach Hotel, had no air conditioning or heating – on cold winter nights patrons received bottles of bourbon to keep warm – the Sandpearl is on the cut-ting edge when it comes to energy use and conservation. In addition to its participation in the Florida Green Lodging Program, it’s the only resort in the state with Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifi cation from the U.S. Green Building Council. Many LEED elements, such as the use of low-emission construction materials, geo-thermal pool heating and the resort’s heat-recovery exhaust system, are invisible to guests. Others are more obvious, such as the double-paned, tinted windows and sliding glass doors, which reduce outside noise while providing increased insulation and protection from UV rays. Take a long swim in the resort’s pool and you won’t emerge with stinging eyes or chlorine-smelling skin, thanks to an ozone sanitizing system.

4OHL_Mar12_Days Drive.indd 26 2/21/12 10:33:57 AM


Across the street from Pier 60 is the Marina, which is home to fi shing and sailing charters, sightseeing boats, dinner cruises, dolphin tours and parasailing adventures. The facility encompasses 207 slips plus 25 transient slips for those who arrive by boat. Dur-ing a weekend morning visit, I am momentarily convinced that the Marina is under attack by tiny pirates. I quickly learn, however, that the invasion is just a birthday party, and the costumed invitees are setting sail on Captain Memo’s Pirate Cruise.

Passing through the Sandpearl’s lobby, I hear a melody from the unmanned Steinway player piano, and watch as it bewilders several small children. Later in the evening the music fi lling the lobby will be noticeably different. I’ll watch an older man wear-ing a baseball cap and khakis tickle the ivories.

Turns out he’s one of the resort’s part-owners, who stops in now and then to play just for fun. And why wouldn’t he? ●

MEET A PAIR OF DOLPHIN DIVASWhile in Clearwater Beach, visit the CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM’S most acclaimed resident, Winter, an Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin and star of the fi lm A Dolphin’s Tale. Winter lost her entire tail and two vertebrae after being caught in a crab trap line. The heart-tugging fi lm is about the team that rescued her and developed her prosthetic tail. Winter shares the facility with several other dolphins, including Hope, who was stranded the night of the Dolphin Tale wrap party. Hope was named as a result of a contest held by the aquarium. The aquarium offers an assortment of animal interactions and behind-the-scene tours that include Hope and Winter.

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Chef Steve Jordan prepares an organic lunch

for small parties every Saturday, pairing fresh,

seasonal ingredients with comic patter and

cooking tips.



5OHL_5OHL_Mar12_Spring Fashion Feature.indd 28 2/21/12 12:20:33 PM


Gabrielle is luminous in a sunny yel-low dress by Roland Mouret, $1,790. She’s also wearing coral wedges by Miu Miu, $690; an aquamarine and gold ring, $275; and an orange stud-ded bangle, $295; all from Neiman Marcus, The Mall at Millenia. Her ear-rings, $34, by Taj Designs, are from Blue Door Denim Shoppe, Winter Park. Christian’s purple sweater, $145, and blue-and-white striped shirt, $98, are by Ralph Lauren; his green pants, $115, are by Original Paperbacks and his blue watch, $795, is by Brera Orologi. All are from Nei-man Marcus, The Mall at Millenia.

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The colorful, Mayan-theMed architecture of the historic Mait-land Art Center, part of the Art & History Museums-Maitland, pro-

vides a perfect backdrop for showcasing this season’s bright and breezy fashions.Slip

ping

into Springby Marianne Ilunga

hair & makeup by Elsie Knab

photographs by Rafael Tongol


30 ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE fEbRUARy 2012

Gabrielle models a stone-colored dress, $1,370, with a brown leather belt, $295, both by Bruno Cuccinelli. The stone-colored jacket, $1,350, is by Akris Punto. The brown wrap-around sandals, $1,095, are by Yves Saint Laurent. The set of three horn-and-gold bracelets, $295, and cuff, $225, are by Ashley Pittman; the pearl ring, $245, is by Alexis Bittar; the bangles, $215, are by Kara Ross. All from Neiman Marcus, The Mall at Millenia. The shell, jasper and coral necklace, $110, is from Chronicle Stones at chroniclestones.com.

5OHL_5OHL_Mar12_Spring Fashion Feature.indd 30 2/21/12 10:37:01 AM


Christian is wearing a beige jacket, $495, and beige pants, $225, both by Theory. His grey suede shoes, $480, are by Prada. All are from Neiman Marcus, The Mall at Millenia.



Gabrielle’s teal skirt (right) by Oli-vaceous, $112, is from Blue Door Denim Shoppe in Winter Park. Her tribal-print shirt, $295, by Tory Burch, is from Thread in Winter Park. The oversized pink leather clutch, $895, by Balenciaga, is available at Neiman Marcus, The Mall at Millenia. The brown gold-stone and crystal necklace, $110, is by Chronicle Stones, available at chroniclestones.com.

Gabrielle (left) models Roberto Cavalli silk pants, $1,170; a Nina Ricci floral top, $590; turquoise green necklaces by Anzie, $2,500 to $2,650; green earrings by Anzie, $650; a black-and-gold stud bracelet, $395, and a gold lion ring, $295, both by Ashley Pittman; all from Neiman Marcus, The Mall at Millenia. Her clutch, a hand-woven African print, is $50 at fulanihandbags.com




34 ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE fEbRUARy 2012

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis sed aliquet lorem. Pellentesque vestibulum commodo sem eget auctor. Vestibulum at sapien arcu. Morbi scelerisque eleifend sapien id tempor. Suspendisse condimen-tum interdum nunc, at tincidunt erat pretium a. Morbi dictum euismod mauris, at lacinia lectus sodales sed. Pellentesque pharetra nisi nec odio congue posuere. Ves-tibulum rutrum, neque et convallis volutpat, tortor ipsum lacinia nunc,

Gabrielle models a paisley print jacket by Etro, $1,605, and a beige and gold stripe tank by Akris Punto, $325. She is also wearing turquoise cropped pants by Dianne von Furstenberg, $298, and turquoise and gold earrings by Brera Orologi, $365. All from Neiman Marcus, The Mall at Millenia. Her multicolored recycled rubber bracelet is by Made With Love in Brazil, $25, from Blue Door Denim Shoppe in Winter Park.

5OHL_5OHL_Mar12_Spring Fashion Feature.indd 34 2/21/12 10:37:57 AM


Christian’s black Diesel blazer, $650; Diesel jeans, $230; denim shirt by Vince, $185; and brown Prada belt, $190; are from Neiman Mar-cus, The Mall at Millenia.



It’s a conspiracy, I tell you. The minute you start, they put you on the all-American sucker list. You start out to build a home and wind up in the poorhouse. And

if it can happen to me, what about the guys who aren’t making $15,000 a year? The ones who want a home of their own. It’s a conspiracy, I tell you – against every boy and girl who were ever in love.

Lessons Learned FromMr. Blandings

ALTHOUGH CARY GRANT AND MYRNA LOY HAD PROBLEMS,BUILDING A DREAM HOME CAN BE EXCITING AND REWARDING.

HOW TO BUILD A DREAM HOME

By Randy Noles

6OHL_Mar12 Dream Home Feature.indd 36 2/21/12 12:48:07 PM


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Manhattan adman Jim Blandings (Cary grant) has had enough of city life. Instead of a crowded apart-ment, he envisions a spacious, single-family home in rural Connecticut where he and his wife, Muriel (Myr-

na Loy), can put down roots and raise their two daughters in a bucolic, stress-free setting.

The 1948 film, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, fol-lows the travails of the hapless Blandings family as they buy a home, tear it down when they find it’s on the verge of collapse, and then build anew with the help of a flinty assortment of tradespeople who explain that most aspects of the project are either impossible or twice as costly as anticipated.

It’s a screwball comedy, but also a horror story. And more than 60 years later, Mr. Blandings’ experience remains a cau-tionary tale for those who wish to build a custom home but

begin the process uninformed and unprepared.If Mr. Blandings had started out by talking to a builder like

David A. Konkol of Dave Konkol Homes in Winter Park, he could have saved himself time, aggravation and money.

Konkol wrote the book – literally – on how to build a cus-tom home. Building A Luxury Custom Home: What You Need to Know (Builders Publishing Group) is a primer on avoiding

The 2012 New American Home, by Phil Kean

Designs, is a re-interpretation of the classic

“white box” homes of the 1960s and 1970s.

Located on an infill lot in Winter Park, it debuted

at the recent National Association of Home

Builders’ International Builders Show.


38 ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE MARH 2012

pitfalls based on Konkol’s nearly 25 years of experience.He and other custom builders say that building a home to your

specifications need not be an ordeal. In fact, they say, the experi-ence should be rewarding and fun. Here, then, are some ques-tions commonly asked by buyers and answers from the experts.

All right, I want to build a custom home. I guess I need to find an architect first, right?That’s what Jim Blandings did, and you can see how that turned out. He and Muriel engaged an architect, bombarded him with ideas (sometimes conflicting ones) and ended up with a set of plans that cost far more to build than they had wished to spend.

“Call the builder before you go to the architect,” says Konkol. “That way you won’t overdesign. I’ve had people come to my office with a set of plans they’ve paid $30,000 or $40,000 for, and I have to tell them the home can’t be built for anywhere close to their budget. Their dreams are crushed.”

But there is substantial controversy over this point. While many builders believe they should control the process from start to finish, many architects and building designers strongly dis-agree. (A building designer, by the way, is not an architect, but has been certified to design single-family homes).

Jim Lucia of Lucia Custom Home Designs in Orlando says he and his design colleagues are quite adept at assessing client needs and creating plans that can be built within the confines of a bud-get. “This method, which we’ve perfected over our 38 years in the design business, has been very successful,” Lucia says.

Lucia gets several builders involved early in the process to offer preliminary estimates based on sketches and notes. Once plans are finalized, they’re sent out for formal bids, which Lucia evaluates on behalf of the client. He continues to act as a liaison between the builder and the client through the duration of the project.

Of course, with a design-build contract – in which the builder drives the process from concep-tion through construction – the architect doesn’t answer directly to you. That may be unappeal-ing, particularly if you find the idea of significant hands-on involvement appealing. On the flip side, a design-build contract has the advantage of offer-ing a single point of contact and, arguably, tighter cost controls.

Phil Kean of Phil Kean Designs in Winter Park is both an architect and a builder, so the issue rarely arises. In fact, Kean says he hasn’t yet built a home that wasn’t of his own design. “However, I would say [the issue of who to contact first] depends on the

architect,” Kean notes. “Many are very good, and can establish realistic budgets with you in the same way that a builder can.”

Indeed, builders often successfully work from supplied plans. Jorge Ulibarri of Cornerstone Custom Construction in Orlando has certainly done so, but warns that few clients have the kind of technical knowledge required to accurately assess competing bids from builders.

how to build a dREaM hoME

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This Mediterranean masterpiece in a gated Win-

dermere community was built by Dave Konkol

Homes. Konkol also wrote a consumer-oriented

book (below) on how to avoid pitfalls when build-

ing a custom home.



“A house is made from thousands of components, so even with the same set of drawings, you can end up with very differ-ent prices,” Ulibarri says. “The client must invest a lot of time to compare apples to apples.”

It is, of course, extremely time-consuming to prepare a bid on building a custom home, and not every variable can be taken into account. That’s why simply awarding the job to the lowest bidder isn’t always preferable. Better to spend a little more and choose a builder with whom you feel most comfortable.

I’ve got a set of plans I like, but my lot is kind of vertical and the house is kind of horizontal. Can we move a few walls around and make it fit?Drawing up plans before you have a specific lot in mind is of-ten futile. Not all homes fit on all lots for a variety of reasons. “Custom homes maximize the views and the space provided by the individual homesite,” says Dave Rauh of Brierhill Homes in Orlando. “That’s why we never design the home until the homesite is selected.”

Some neighborhoods and municipalities have size restrictions, setback requirements and even tree ordinances that can impact what kind of home you’re able to build. “You may find there’s a tree on your lot that will cost you $30,000 to remove,” says Kean.

Also, lakefront lots often contain muck and may require thousands of dollars worth of fill dirt to make them buildable. You’ll also need to know whether you can connect to a sewer system or if you’ll have to install a septic tank.

Unless your lot is in the sticks, you won’t be needing a well. But it’s worth remembering that Jim Blandings found, much to his dismay, that the water on his lot was as corrosive as, say, bat-tery acid, requiring installation of a water-purification system.

“Request a meeting with your builder and look at the lots you have in mind before buying one,” says Konkol.

My brother-in-law is a cabinet-maker and my sister is an inte-rior designer. Can I use them for my project?“Personally, I don’t have a problem with a client who wants to sug-gest a few subcontractors or vendors,” says Ulibarri. “It’s not un-common for clients to have family or friends in the industry, and I understand if it can save them some money. I’m open for that.”

But Ulibarri has a caveat: If you want to select your own sub-contractors, then the builder will not be held accountable for sub-par workmanship, missed deadlines and cost overruns. “I would advise any client wishing to help assemble the team to understand what he or she is getting into.”

Konkol also says he’s willing to “listen to suggestions” about subcontractors, but prefers to use only builder-approved ven-dors. He and other builders typically have a cadre of trusted tradespeople with whom they’ve had long relationships.

“The dream team of specialty contractors should be provided by the builder,” adds Rauh. “These specialists are leaders in their individual fields.”

And the dream team is typically a large one, consisting of a builder – “the quarterback,” according to Konkol – as well as an architect or building designer, an interior designer, a land-scape architect, a lighting designer, a kitchen designer and a

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A spectacular courtyard highlights this European-

style home built by Jorge Ulibarri of Cornerstone

Custom Homes. Ulibarri, like most builders, pre-

fers to work with a builder-approved subcontrac-

tor list.


40 ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE MARH 2012

pool contractor, among many others. One thing the clueless Jim Blandings did right: He

let the contractor, Mr. Retch, and the architect, Mr. Simms, select and supervise the subcontractors.

Speaking of interior designers, when do they get in-volved? How about kitchen designers?As soon as you have a floorplan. That’s when you’ll begin to choose furnishings, fixtures and materials for floors, cabinets and countertops. “Everything should mesh and be coordinated,” says Francia Fusik of All in One Decorating Solutions in Orlando. “The builder won’t do that. They leave it all on you, and it becomes very stressful for a person doing a custom home.”

The kitchen designer should be involved before the slab is poured, says Brendan O’Mahony of Cabin-etry Creations in Orlando. Plumbing must be placed properly and lighting, electrical and ventilation plans must be finalized before the fun part begins.

“If you do all those things correctly, then you can focus on the selection of materials for the floors and walls,” says O’Mahony. “A lot of times we’re doing marble or stone walls. That has to be decided early.”

Adds Fusik: “If you’re going to spend the money for a custom home, you might as well do it right. In the long run, it’ll mean, ‘Oh my God, I love my house!’”

I’d love to build a custom home, but don’t they cost a lot of money compared to a production home?Many – but not all – custom homes cost from the high six fig-ures to more than $1 million, in large part because they’re larger and feature upscale finishes and leading-edge technology. Also, custom builders may build only a handful of homes each year, lavishing many months of attention on every project, while pro-duction builders make their money on volume and replication.

Most custom builders say they can build a home for between $150 and $200 per square foot, but there’s no average because

each home is one of a kind – and each client has his or her costly quirks. One client might spend tens of thousands of dollars on a specially designed spiral staircase. Another might insist that ceiling beams be salvaged from a barn in Vermont.

Most custom builders work on either fixed-price or cost-plus contracts. With a fixed-price contract, the cost of the home is predetermined and is unaffected by fluctuations in labor and materials costs. Cost-plus contracts take the actual cost and tack on percentages for overhead and management.

Fixed-price contracts have the advantage of predictability but, in the final analysis, are usually more expensive than cost-plus contracts because the builder mitigates his risk by adding a small premium.

Although many production builders allow buyers to make changes and add upgrades to their models, a production home is still a production home. It’s basically a stock plan that’s replicated hundreds or even thousands of times every year.

A true custom home is literally one-of-a-kind, built from an original set of plans created for a specific client. Plus, most custom homes are built on lots owned by the buyer rather than in subdivisions on

land owned by the developer.Custom builders typically build fewer than 25 homes a year,

virtually all single-family. Most custom homes are high-end, while production homes can be found in a variety of price points.

Many of the region’s most accomplished custom builders are members of the Master Custom Builder Council (MCBC), a selective organization of just 26 custom builders who abide by a code of ethics.

For more information, visit custombuilt.com


CUSTOM MEANS ONE-OF-A-KIND

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The kitchen designer needs to be involved in your cus-

tom-home project before the slab is poured so plumbing

and electrical systems can be properly installed. Then the

fun part, like picking cabinets and surfaces, can begin.

These cabinets were crafted by Cabinetry Creations.



Jim Blandings didn’t set out to Build a new home. He and Muriel originally bought a ramshackle, Revolutionary War-era relic with the idea of restoring it to its original glory. The purchase prompted this memorable exchange between Jim, Muriel and their naysaying friend,

attorney Bill Cole (Melvyn Douglas):Muriel: The house and the lilac bush at the corner are just

the same age, Bill. If a lilac bush can live and be so old, so can a house. It just needs someone to love it, that’s all.

Bill: It’s a good thing there are two of you. One to love it and one to hold it up.

Jim: It just so happened that General ... uh ... Gates stopped right there at that very house to water his horses

Bill: I don’t care if General Grant dropped in for a scotch and soda. You’re still getting rooked.

Bill was right. A succession of contractors was summoned, took one look at the dilapidated structure and rendered the same opinion: “Tear it down.”

These days, most families are lot more savvy than Jim and Muriel. They’re doing their homework and studying their op-tions before deciding whether to remodel or rebuild. Increas-ingly, they’re deciding to remodel.

By 2015 remodeling is expected to outpace new construc-tion for the first time ever, according to the Harvard University Center for Housing Studies. In fact, the poor economy and the collapse of the housing market in 2008 and 2009 may have hur-ried the process along.

“As more consumers remain in their homes rather than move in this economy, remodelers have benefited from a gradual in-crease in home improvement activity, taking us to a five-year high,” says Bob Peterson, chairman of the Remodelers Council of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

“People are very loyal to their neighborhoods,” adds Victor Fa-rina of Farina & Sons in College Park. “We’ve done several projects for people who actually bought the home where they grew up.”

Still, a remodel or addition is only as good as the company responsible for the project – and choosing the right remodeler requires a bit of research. So where do you begin? Here are some commonly asked question and answers from the experts.

what kind of qualifications should a remodeler have? do all those fancy-sounding certifications really mean anything?

Yes, they do. In recent years, the remodeling industry has worked hard to differentiate professional, credentialed contrac-tors from the ubiquitous guys in trucks that local TV stations so love to confront.

Both the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) offer certification programs.

NAHB programs include Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR), Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) and Certi-fied Green Professional (CGP).NARI programs include certifi-cation for five distinct groups of remodeling professionals. For example, a specialist in kitchen and bathroom rehabs may earn a Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler (CKBR) designation to his or her resumé.

At the very least, a remodeler should be licensed by the state as a contractor. And membership in one or more trade asso-ciations is usually a good sign that the remodeler cares about professionalism and continuing education. Locally, the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando (HBA) has an active Remodelers Council.

How much should i spend on remodeling my home? will i ever recoup my investment when i sell?The days of buying a home, remodeling it and flipping it a few months later for a fat profit are gone, probably for good. If you choose to remodel, do so because you want to make your home a safer, stronger and more comfortable place to live.

“If you’re planning to stay in your home five years or more, and you want to build your dream kitchen or a spa-style master

The Case for Remodeling: When to Simply Stay Put IF YOU LOVE IT, DON’T LEAVE IT.

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Skilled remodelers, such as Victor Farina of Fa-

rina & Sons in College Park, can not only rejuve-

nate a home – they can also turn a bland back-

yard into a spectacular outdoor living area.



What if your home was so energy effi-cient that the utilities company sent you a check every month instead of a bill? It’s rare, but the technology is available to build so-called “net-zero” homes, which actually produce as much or more

energy than they consume.These days, even with green building becoming more popu-

lar, net-zero homes are rare. A production builder, KB Home, built one last year in the Lake Burden development near Wind-ermere. The 2,600-square-foot home from the company’s Mar-tha Stewart line was Builder magazine’s 2011 Concept Home, built specifically for the International Builders Show.

The $380,000 price tag included $70,000 worth of net-zero technologies. There’s a payback, of course, but at $350 to $400 per month over the life of a typical mortgage, it would take 30 years to start pocketing money.

Not all net-zero homes are built for show, according to Jim Lucia, owner of Lucia Custom Home Designers. Last year he designed one for an actual person – albeit a celebrity – that earned Platinum Certification from the Florida Green Build-ing Council (FGBC) and won a Grand Aurora Award as Best Water-Wise Home.

“This is really not experimental any more,” says Lucia, whose celebrity client was Dr. Anna Marie, Health Specialist for The Weather Channel. She bought a 1970s South Florida ranch-style home in Umatilla, on the southern edge of the Ocala Na-tional Forest, and vowed to make it energy independent.

The home, which Marie dubbed Terra Verde, has all the fea-

tures you’d expect to find in a typical certified green home, such as countertops made of recycled materials – beer bottles, in this case – as well as dual pane, low-e windows, low-flow faucets and sprayed foam insulation. Power-generating photovoltaic cells are integrated into the standing seam metal roof.

What helps take Terra Verde off the proverbial grid is a geo-thermal heating and cooling system. Water is heated naturally in a series of underground pipes and then transferred to a heat exchanger, which concentrates the energy and releases it inside the home as heat. In summer and in warmer climates, the pro-cess is reversed to fill the home with geothermal-cooled air.

But just because you aren’t ready to go net-zero doesn’t mean you can’t go green, notes Lucia, who’s designing another net-zero home in Volusia County. Many green features require little additional upfront investment and pay dividends over time. Energy-efficient windows, Energy Star-rated appliances, sustainable or recycled building materials, foam insulation and low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint all reduce a home’s carbon footprint and enhance its health quotient.

“There are still misconceptions out there about what green features cost,” Lucia says. “If a builder or a home designer tells you something is going to cost too much, ask them to be spe-cific. It’s just not always true.”

In fact, the current state of mortgage lending may present the most significant roadblock to green-leaning consumers. Many buyers would prefer to build smaller homes and invest the sav-ings in environmentally friendly technologies. The problem is, appraisals – and mortgage loans – are still based primarily on comparable sales and square footage.


What if the Utility Company Sent You a Monthly Check? with NEt-ZERo hoMES, it’S PoSSiblE.

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The Weather Channel’s Dr. Anna Marie wanted a

home that was energy independent. Jim Lucia of

Lucia Custom Home Designers delivered a net-

zero project that generates more energy than it

consumes.



Newly built green homes comprised 17 percent of the residential market in 2011. But by 2016, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) expects that figure to be between 29 percent and 38 percent.

In sheer dollar volume, that means green building will balloon from $17 billion in 2011 to as much as $114 billion in 2016.

Those are some of the conclusions gleaned from The Green Home Builders and Remodelers Study, a report spearheaded by NAHB.

“The housing market is critical to the U.S. economy,” says Harvey M. Bernstein, vice president of industry insights and alliances at McGraw-Hill Construction, which helped fund the study. “This report shows that despite the drastic downturn in housing starts since 2008, green has grown significantly as a share of activity.”

But what does “green” really mean? Like “high-fiber” and “all- natural,” it’s a phrase that gets thrown around in marketing cam-paigns, but there are as yet no uniform standards defining “green building.” Consumers, therefore, need to educate themselves.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC has 78 local affiliates, more than 20,000

member organizations and more than 130,000 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credentialed professionals.

LEED for Homes is the most established green building program in the country. It’s the most difficult certification to achieve because LEED homes are green in every way, including energy, indoor air quality, building materials, land use and landscaping.

It’s difficult to meet LEED’s requirements, and every home is inspected and tested to ensure that these requirements are met. Every LEED home is a green, high-performance home. But higher-scoring homes within LEED may earn Silver, Gold or Platinum certifications.

In the Sunshine State, the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) has endorsed the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) Green Home Standard, a statewide green building program that addresses Florida’s climate-specific issues.

The partnership between the two organizations has helped to unify Florida’s green building standards and has developed a wealth of resources to educate builders and the public on the health and economic benefits of green buildings. To date, more than 1,700 homes statewide have been FGBC certified, according to Suzanne Cook, FGBC Executive Director.

Visit floridagreenbuilding.org for more information on FGBC’s Green Home Standard. For more information on LEED, visit usgbc.org.

WHAT GREEN REALLY MEANS

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In other words, you might opt to build a 2,000-square-foot home instead of a 2,500-square-foot home and spend what the additional 500 square feet would have cost on enhancing energy efficiency. But, despite the enhancements, the smaller home won’t appraise for the amount of the mortgage you need to build it.

That’s shortsighted and behind-the-times, say Lucia and oth-ers. “Should people be penalized for building smaller, more ef-ficient homes?” Lucia asks. “Of course not.”

A few bankers are adapting to new realities. Locally, First Green Bank, with branches in Eustis and Clermont in Lake County, and Ormond Beach in Volusia County, was recently named the U.S. Green Building Council Central Florida Chapter’s 2011 Business of the Year.

The bank has been able to find a few green-conscious ap-praisers who usually assign appropriate value to technological enhancements, says Nancy Huff, senior vice president for mort-gage lending. “Things are slowly moving in that direction,” Huff says. “But there is no list of green appraisers.”

Green Bank has a special loan program for green homes: it’s an adjustable rate, 30-year mortgage that resets every five years.

The loan-to-value ratio can be as high as 89 percent, and no pri-vate mortgage insurance (PMI) is required. The bank also offers a quarter-point interest-rate discount for loans on green homes.

The 2011 New American Home, located near

downtown Orlando, earned Platinum Certification

from the Florida Green Building Council. The

classically styled home was built by Continental

Homes & Interiors.

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Lucia Custom Home Designers, Inc.Established in 1974

Connect with us on

bathroom, then you should do it,” says Marion McGrath of Jonathan McGrath Construction in Longwood. “Maybe you’re doing it 75 percent for investment value and 25 percent for pure enjoy-ment. Long after you’ve forgotten about scrimping and saving a few dollars, you’ll be enjoying having your home the way you really want it.”

Of course, when remodeling you shouldn’t over-improve for the neighbor-hood you’re in. A good remodeler or a knowledgeable realtor can help you as-sess what’s reasonable for where you live.

Still, if you’re the sort who must quantify everything, Remodeling Magazine publishes a Cost vs. Value Report that estimates the cost of various improvements and the like-ly return at resale. Among relatively major projects, a basement remodel is the best in-vestment, returning 92 percent of the cost, followed by a minor kitchen remodel (89 percent) and an attic remodel (88 percent). Replacing siding and windows and install-ing a wood deck return more than 80 per-cent of the cost.

The contract with my remodeler is 25 pages long. I need a lawyer to review it. What really needs to be included?A detailed contract is for everybody’s pro-tection. But you should be certain that you understand it and that it includes, among other things, these elements: a timetable for the project, a price and pay-ment schedule, detailed specifications for all products and materials, insurance information, permit information, proce-dures for handling change orders, provi-sions for conflict resolution and notice of your rights under the Fair Trade Commis-sion’s “Cooling Off Rule” (your right to cancel the contract within three days if it was signed someplace other than the re-modeler’s place of business).

Details on issues such as access to your home, care of the premises, phone and bathroom use, and cleanup and trash re-moval should also be dealt with. l


continued from page 41




pROMOtIONAL fEAtURE pROMOtIONAL fEAtURE

The kitchen is, of course, the heart of the home. And that’s never been more true than in the past decade or so. Modern kitchens are bright, welcoming spaces that facilitate socializing as well as preparing meals. In addition, today’s appliances, surfaces, fixtures and cabinets are better than ever, using state-of-the-art technology for durability and energy efficiency. If you’re looking to completely remodel your kitchen or to simply freshen it up, then check with the professionals listed on the following pages. They’re among the very best at what they do, and can help you make your vision a reality.

BusBy CaBinets800-654-7090busbycabinets.comBusby Cabinets specializes in custom cabinetry for virtually any room in your new or remodeled home. Family-owned and operated for nearly 40 years, Busby Cabinets manufactures and installs everything it sells – which means customers buy directly from the factory, thereby enjoying the best quality at the best price possible. The company’s showrooms – in Alachua, Naples, Orlando and Tampa – provide a design center ex-

perience created for homeowners, architects, builders and interior designers. These showrooms also offer full displays of the company’s custom manufacturing capabilities, including sample doors, finishes and decorative hard- ware. The staff of

certified kitchen designers represents more than 80 years of combined design excellence. They have been honored as finalists in more than 15 national design competitions.

CaBinetry Creations538 Virginia Dr. Orlando, FL 32803 407-897-8988cabinetrycreationsinc.comFounded in 2003, Cabinetry Creations is a highly respected, award-winning cabinet provider. Whether you’re building a new multimillion dollar estate or remodeling the kitchen in a 50-year-old Florida classic, you’ll appreciate the one-on-one attention you’ll receive from the company’s design and

installation teams. In fact, that commitment to personal service is why clients are seen by appointment only. Cabinetry Creations has the expertise and the commitment to help you achieve a perfect balance between your wish list and your budget.

The company’s design studio is centrally located near the Lake Ivanhoe District in downtown Orlando.

Kitchen&BathResource Guide

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CENTRAL KITCHEN & BATH935 Orange Ave., Winter Park FL407-629-9366centralkitchen.comCentral Kitchen & Bath is very excited to announce the opening of its brand-new design studio located on “Designer Row” in Winter Park. After 23 years at its Fairbanks Avenue location, the company now begins a new era in the heart of Central Florida’s design district. The beautiful new showroom offers the opportunity to showcase the very latest interior products, finishes

and trends in the kitchen and bath industry. In addition, Central Kitchen & Bath has diversified its product offerings to make certain that every customer, regardless of his or her budget, gets

maximum value. The location is new, but the focus remains the same: providing each and every client with professional, award-winning design, unparalleled customer service and exceptional product quality. You’re invited to come by and visit this highly respected company’s new home.

FERgusoN BATH, KITCHEN & LIgHTINg gALLERy1200 Alden Rd., Orlando, FL 32803407-893-5452 ferguson.comWhether you’re remodeling a tired kitchen or bathroom or creating your ul-timate dream home, at Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery you’ll find an unparalleled selection of high-quality plumb-

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ing, lighting and appliances from today’s most respected manufacturers. Ferguson’s showrooms offer an array of luxurious and functional options to suit any taste or budget. Schedule an appointment today with a friendly and knowledgeable consultant or visit the company’s Orlando showroom. Homeowners as well as builders, contractors, engineers and other trade professionals trust Ferguson to provide exceptional service, quality products and the expertise required to make their projects successful.

Jonathan McGrath construction1681 Powell St., Longwood, FL 32750407-260-8077jonathanmcgrathconstruction.comJonathan McGrath Construction is a full-service remodeling and design/build company offering a full range of services, including whole-house renovations, second-story additions, summer kitchens and outdoor living areas as well as kitchens, bathrooms and bedroom suites. The company also builds new custom homes and provides design consultation and cost-management solutions. Known for great design ideas, hands-on super- vision and expertise in all phases of

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construction, the McGrath team consists of talented, dedicated craftspeople who maintain the highest professional standards. The company’s seasoned professionals guide you through the process step by step, ensuring that your dreams become reality. Best of all, in a field where experience truly counts, Jonathan McGrath Construction has specialized in remodeling for more than 28 years.

Master Chef applianCe Center3801 W. Lake Mary Blvd., St. 167Lake Mary, FL 32746407-330-6850masterchefappliancecenter.com The professionals at Master Chef Appli-ance Center believe that innovations in upscale appliances have driven the most profound changes in kitchen design. The world’s top appliance manufacturers, such as Viking and Miele, which had the passion and the expertise to spearhead advances in design and technology, have led the way in creating 21st century kitchens that are more beautiful, practical and user-friendly than ever before. Lake Mary’s new Master Chef Appliance Center is poised to become the venue


44 ORLANDO HOME & LEISURE OCTOBER 2011

including a licensed interior designer, who are available help you make the right decisions – from concept to completion. In the company’s fully appointed, 2,200-square-foot design center, you’ll fi nd a wide selection of fl ooring from distinguished manufacturers such as: Fabrica, Masland, Stanton and Dixie Home for carpet; Provenza, Anderson and Baltic for wood; and Cobsa Emil and Walker Zanger for tile. An international collection of natural stone offers options for everything from pavers to countertops. To fi nish your room in style, enhance your windows with custom window treatments or select from the beautiful Hunter Douglas line. Stop by and let Flooring by DeLoreto Interiors show you how 45 years of combined experience can make the difference in your next design project.

Lamar Design1326 Palmetto Ave.Winter Park, FL 32789407.645.5262lamar-design.com

Lamar Design’s outstanding attention to detail results in award-winning

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For the perfect products for your kitchen

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of choice for the chef in all of us. Come in and discover the latest, most leading-edge product offerings, all installed in working kitchen displays so you can see exactly how they’ll look and be used in your own home.

Signature KitchenS3801 W. Lake Mary Blvd., St. 169Lake Mary, FL 32746407-330-6860signaturekitchenslakemary.comSignature Kitchens is Central Florida’s premier, full-service kitchen and bath design showroom, offering complete design services and furniture-quality cabinetry. Signature Kitchens is family-owned and operated by Lee and Julie R. Collier, who both have more than 25 years of experience. Their attention to detail and commitment to using only high-quality products have rewarded them with hundreds of satisfied clients and a business that thrives on repeat customers and referrals. With Signature Kitchens, you’re guaranteed a kitchen that’s an extension of you, your home and your lifestyle. Handle-free kitchens, interior concealed lighting and floating shelves are just a few of the possibilities on display at the company’s newly remodeled showroom.



FLAVOR•

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Restaurant insiders chat incessantly, off-line and on, about the latest on-your-plate trends, from pork cheeks and cloudberries to Peruvian cuisine and so-called black-market foods. Rarely does the chatter turn to how restaurant meals are delivered.

Perhaps it should. In Orlando, at least, we’ve seen restaurants reach far beyond the typical table-for-two dinner, often with great success.

On the lower end, we have quality-conscious food trucks dol-ing out dishes from various locations twice a day, and hybrid establishments such as Pei Wei, where the dining room is invit-ing and the food is decent enough, but guests have to line up, McDonald’s style, to place their orders.

Our more pampering restaurants have concocted all sorts of multicourse experiences for that special night out. They stage wine-pairing dinners that allow adventurous eaters to feast on a set series of courses created for that specific evening. A different wine is poured as each dish is served, while a sommelier – or a reasonable facsimile thereof – discusses the beverage’s origin and flavor profile.

Many upscale eateries now list a three- or more-course option on their regular dinner menus, often for a lower price than those courses would be a la carte. Others present custom-designed meals to groups that reserve a chef ’s table, which is generally set apart from the main dining room.

Five Courses of High-End Fun atFlying Fish Cafe

FLAVOR

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A recent Chef’s Tasting Wine Dinner at the

Flying Fish Cafe, Disney’s signature seafood

restaurant, featured (clockwise from top left):

Maine lobster in a fennel-dill emulsion; fresh

Asian greens clipped just before serving;

veal tenderloin coated with pepperberry and

exotic wattleseed; a view of the café’s chefs in

action; and an “egg shake” topped with caviar.

Overseeing the culinary extravaganza was

Tim Keating, chef de cuisine.



Then there’s the Flying Fish Cafe. Five nights a week, Disney World’s signature seafood restaurant combines high-end service offerings into one unusual – and exceptional – experience.

Under the banner “Chef ’s Tasting Wine Dinner,” Flying Fish invites up to 10 guests at once to sup together at the L-shaped granite counter that frames its exhibition kitchen. Bring your own friends, or share the experience with strangers. Either way, your group will be presented with a five-course repast that can legitimately be called gourmet, all in a setting that is far from being hoity-toity.

Throughout your meal, you may watch as chefs toss and stir and sear. “This is the same kind of experience you’d have in a serious restaurant, in a more fun, bistro-type environment,” notes Tim Keating, chef de cuisine.

Flying Fish is located along the boardwalk at Disney’s Board-Walk Inn, so you’ll be eased into vacation mode as you enter through the seaside-themed hotel lobby and grounds. The eve-ning’s printed menu, which might describe your upcoming ex-perience as “an exploration of ... gastronomical treasures,” will await you at your seat.

Not that you’ll need it: A chef will personally deliver each dish and explain the foods in detail, sharing inside informa-tion about where the ingredients are grown and how they’re prepared. He or she might even reference a photo on the menu. During a recent meal, the image was of kaffir limes, which are grown specifically for Flying Fish in Epcot’s Land Pavilion.

Before you receive each plate, your server will pour your wine and share interesting details about it – the vineyard, the history, the variety of grape, the subtle notes of, say, honeysuckle and chamomile. And if wine doesn’t win you, go non-alcoholic. The bar staff will offer a different handcrafted, spirits-free beverage with each course. Expect, perhaps, a virgin blood-orange mar-garita enriched with a house-made sour mix, or the team’s black currant soda.

The menu changes frequently, in part to keep wowing the regulars. In fact, the restaurant keeps a log of all Chef ’s Tasting visitors and the meals they were served to avoid repetition, un-less, of course, an encore is specifically requested.

A recent meal began with an amuse-bouche (a “gift from the chef” pre-appetizer). Using farm-fresh, free-range Rhode Is-land Red chicken eggs from Ocoee’s Lake Meadow Naturals, the chefs whipped up an “egg shake”: ultra-creamy, custard-like liquid flavored with a tomato-basil relish and topped with American Siberian sturgeon caviar from Sarasota. It was like the best deviled egg ever made. Alongside, atop a crisp slice of lotus, was a mound of silky cubes of raw tuna gently coated in sweet miso glaze.

For the official first course, the chefs brought sweet Maine lobster meat that had been herb-roasted and dolled up with a

dose of fennel pollen. It rested in a puddle of frothy and flavor-ful fennel-dill emulsion, along with cucumber, shaved fennel, finger limes and tangelo from the nation’s largest organic citrus farm (Uncle Matt’s, which happens to be in Clermont).

Large enough to be the only entrée (it wasn’t), the next course was duck breast glazed with Saba, which is similar to syrup made from balsamic vinegar. The breast sat on luscious duck leg confit scented with Chinese five spice. Beneath that was a bed of Napa cabbage, tiny potatoes, salisfis (a vegetable also known as oyster plant) and the Italian bacon called pancetta.

That’s enough for the evening, honestly. But after an inter-mezzo of lemon sorbet with a side of limoncello, a liqueur from central Italy, we were ready for another round of indulgence.

And that, officially the main course, was a whole veal tender-loin coated in two Australian ingredients: native pepperberry and exotic wattleseed, which at $85 per pound is not an ingre-dient you’re likely to use at home. (“I like to include ingredients that I’ve come across in my travels that you can’t pick up at

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After four courses, you may think you can’t eat

another bite. But somehow you’ll find room for

delectable desserts such as the Frangelico

hazelnut white-chocolate mousse with glazed

strawberries.

8OHL_Mar12_Flavor.indd 56 2/21/12 11:01:19 AM


Whole Foods,” Keating says.) Buffeting the meat was Belgian endive that had been wrapped in bacon and braised for four long hours, along with herb-roasted forest mushrooms and a richly fl avored sauce of red wine, truffl es, cassis and veal.

Obviously, you won’t be famished by the time dessert is served. However, if des-sert is Frangelico hazelnut white-choco-late mousse with strawberries glazed with tart pomegranate balsamico, you may be able to polish it off anyway. Before you sip your coffee and waddle away, you’ll be handed a second, keepsake menu – this one signed by the chef and featuring a photo of him with your party.

Whether you sit at the counter or in the dining room, know that the Flying Fish team develops the same kind of rela-tionship with its suppliers as it does with its guests. Keating himself found a way to get those kaffi r lime plants to Epcot, which also supplies his tilapia, hybrid striped bass, lettuces, cucumbers and peppers. Most of the fi sh is from Florida’s coasts and most produce is from local farms. He leads a monthly staff fi eld trip to a grove, ranch or processing facility to “put a place with the cuisine.”

The Flying Fish’s Chef ’s Tasting Wine Dinner, which was introduced last sum-mer, is available Sunday through Thurs-day at 5:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. and costs $149 per person; tax and tip are includ-ed. You’ll need to prepay when you make reservations. Call 407-WDW-DINE or visit disneyworld.com/dining. ●

FLYING FISH CAFE WHERE: Disney’s BoardWalk Resort, Lake Buena Vista WHEN: dinner dailyHOW MUCH: $$$$WHERE TO CALL: 407-939-3463

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AFRICANNile Ethiopian 7048 International Dr., Orlando, 407-354-0026 / nile07.com. Locals willingly navigate International Drive to dine at Nile, a family-owned res-taurant specializing in the exotic cuisine of Ethiopia. Order a few dishes to share and scoop up the intrigu-ing concoctions with the eatery’s signature spongy bread. End with a strong cup of aromatic, brewed-to-order coffee. $$

AMERICANCitrus 821 N. Orange Ave., Orlando, 407-373-0622 / citrusorlando.com. A clubby yet stylish restaurant in a convenient downtown Orlando location, Citrus features modern American cuisine with a nod toward regionally grown and produced ingredients. International influ-ences also highlight the menu, from smoked chili aioli complementing herb-marinated chicken to balsamic rum glaze topping juicy pork chops. $$$

Graffiti Junktion 900 E. Washington St., Orlando, 407-426-9503; 2401 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, 407-377-1961 / graffitijunktion.com. The Graffiti Junktions in Thornton Park and College Park are loud and pur-posely grungy looking, hence “graffiti” in the name. But this ultra-casual duo dishes up great burgers, wings and zucchini fries. Live entertainment ranges from per-formance art to trivia contests. Watch for daily happy-hour specials. $

• Rusty Spoon 55 W. Church Street, Orlando, 407-401-8811 / therustyspoon.com. Foodies flock to this Church Street gastropub, a warm and welcoming space at which meals are described as “American food. European roots. Locally sourced.” Your salad will con-sist of über-fresh greens, your sandwich will be filled with slow-braised lamb, your pasta will be hand-rolled and your meat will be robustly seasoned. $$-$$

• Seasons 52 7700 Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-354-5212; 463 E. Altamonte Dr., Altamonte Springs, 407-767-1252 / seasons52.com. A Darden concept founded in Orlando, the two local locations turn out creative and tasty meals in grand, bustling spaces. The food happens to be low in fat and calories; that’s just a bonus. The wine selection is impressive and the itty-bitty desserts encourage sampling without guilt. $$$

Shipyard Brew Pub 200 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 321-274-4045 / shipyardemporium.com. This ultra-casual brewpub has been packed night and day since it opened in 2011, and not just because it pours a great lager. To complement suds brewed both in-house and elsewhere, a from-scratch menu offers Buf-falo chicken dip, amazing white-bean hummus, sand-wiches, flatbreads and entrées, including étouffée and pot roast. Stop in any time to pick up a loaf of some of Orlando’s best bread. $-$$

Tap Room at Dubsdread 549 W. Par St., Orlan-do, 407-650-0100 / taproomatdubsdread.com. One needn’t play golf to dine at this historic course-side tavern, a College Park icon offering a varied menu – and a reputation for fine burgers. Options other than the famous half-pound patties include steaks, salmon, tequila-citrus chicken and a dandy Reuben sandwich. $$

TooJay’s Various locations / toojays.com. When it’s time for a taste of Jewish Brooklyn – pastrami on rye, latkes, blintzes, knishes – the six local outlets of this South Florida-based chain have it all. You’ll also find diner foods such as omelets, sandwiches and pot-roast dinners. Take home some black-and-white cookies. $

ASIAN• Hawkers 1103 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, 407-237-0606 / facebook.com/hawkersstreetfare. This Mills 50 mainstay, named for street vendors of Asian fare, serves up generous tapas-size portions of curry laksa

(an aromatic Singaporean soup), roti canai (Malaysian flatbread with a hearty curry sauce), five-spice tofu, chilled sesame noodles, smoky mussels and sensa-tional beef skewers with peanuty satay dip. $$

Sea Thai 3812 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, 407-895-0985 / seaorlando.com. Start with a green papaya sal-ad and beef yum, then feast on steamed whole fish with garlic chili sauce, pad Thai and green curry chicken. But you can’t go wrong with any of the Thai classics offered at this welcoming East Orlando eatery. $$

BARBECUE4 Rivers Smokehouse 2103 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park; 1869 W. S.R. 434, Longwood; 1047 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden / 407-474-8377, 4rsmoke-house.com. A diverse array of barbecue specialties – from Texas-style brisket to pulled pork, smoked turkey and bacon-wrapped jalapeños – has gained this rapidly growing homegrown concept a large following. The Longwood outpost even includes a bakery and an old-fashioned malt shop featuring homemade ice cream. $

BURGERS Johnny’s Fillin’ Station 2631 S. Fern Creek Ave., Orlando, 407-894-6900 / johnnysfillinstation.com. Neighbors gather for hearty burgers, along with wings, subs and wraps, at this homey spot in a residential downtown neighborhood. Beer flows, TVs broadcast big games, and families love the pool tables and dart boards. $

Pine 22 22 E. Pine St., Orlando, 407-574-2160 / pine22.com. Burgers go chic at this fast-casual down-towner, where every ingredient is special. The burg-ers are from happy cows, the eggs from free-roaming chickens, the pork from lovingly raised pigs. Mix and match your toppings over a patty of beef, turkey or black beans (or pulled pork), with options ranging from mango salsa to sautéed mushrooms. $$

CONTINENTALVenetian Room 8101 World Center Dr., Orlando, 407-238-8060 / thevenetianroom.com. Walk though a run-of-the-mill convention hotel to reach the AAA Four-Diamond Venetian Room, an elegant, domed-service, continental restaurant that hearkens to the heyday of unapologetic, butter-and-cream-enhanced fine dining. The lobster bisque is an absolute must. After that, try the filet mignon, duck a l’orange or Dover sole. $$$$

CREATIVE/PROGESSIVE/FUSIONCirca 1926 358 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-637-5903 / circa1926.com. Circa is four restaurants in one. The main dining room is a suave space serving trendy foods. The front lounge-like area is popular for its piano music. Some evenings, an upstairs area becomes a dance club with a DJ. And outside to the right, Circa Pub is a cozy hideaway offering simple fare. $$$

Funky Monkey 912 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, 407-427-1447; 9101 International Dr., Orlando (Pointe Orlando), 407-418-9463 / funkymonkeywine.com. Every meal begins with complimentary lime-garlic edamame at these eclectic eateries, known as much for sushi and intriguing wine lists as for creative American cuisine and an ever-changing menu. FMI Restaurant Group also owns Bananas, Nick’s Italian Kitchen and Prickly Pear as well as a catering arm and the Funky

Monkey Vault, a wine shop that also sells gifts, apparel and furniture. $$

Hue 629 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, 407-849-1800 / huerestaurant.com. Hue is a progressive American restaurant on a busy corner in trendy Thornton Park. Well-dressed 30-somethings sip colorful martinis at the bar and dine, indoors and out, on of-the-now items such as tuna tartare, duck breast with cranberry reduction and amaretto risotto, and grouper with smoked paprika olive oil. $$$

• Luma on Park 290 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-599-4111 / lumaonpark.com. If there’s pancetta in your salad, the salumi was made in the kitchen, by hand, starting with a whole pig. Most herbs are from local farms, fish from sustainable sources, pickled vegetables jarred in house and desserts built around seasonal ingredients. Luma’s progressive menu, which changes daily, is served in a sleek and stylish dining room in the heart of Winter Park, under the passion-ate direction of Executive Chef Brandon McGlamery, Chef de Cuisine Derek Perez and Pastry Chef Brian Cernell. $$$

• Norman’s 4012 Central Florida Pkwy., Orlando, 407-278-8459 / normans.com. Celebrity Chef Nor-man Van Aken’s restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, Grande Lakes, turns out artistic New World cuisine combining the flavors of Latin America, the Caribbean, the Far East and the United States. The dining room is dramatic, the food astounding and the service polished. Be sure to begin with a Norman’s classic: foie gras “French toast.” And you’ll be delighted with the Mongolian veal chop. $$$$

Park Plaza Gardens 319 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-645-2475 / parkplazagardens.com. After 30-plus years, Park Plaza Gardens is practically an institution on Winter Park’s tony Park Avenue. People-watchers gather at the small bar and sidewalk tables to linger over casual meals and cold beers, while those look-ing for an indulgent experience dine in the garden-like back dining room, which boasts atrium windows and plush décor. The menu features a melding of American, European and Asian flavors and cooking techniques. $$$-$$$$

• Ravenous Pig 1234 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park, 407-628-2333 / theravenouspig.com. After leaving their hometown for serious culinary training, Winter Park natives James and Julie Petrakis returned to open the region’s first genuine gastropub. Dinner reserva-tions have been tough to snag ever since. The ambi-tious menu changes daily based on the fish, meat and produce that’s available, and it’s executed by a dedi-cated team that abhors shortcuts. Besides daily spe-cials, The Pig always serves up an excellent burger, soft pretzels, shrimp and grits and a donut dessert called Pig Tails. $$$

HAWAIIAN/POLYNESIANEmeril’s Tchoup Chop 6300 Hollywood Way, Or-lando, 407-503-2467 / emerils.com. Emeril Lagasse’s Polynesian-fusion fare is executed by locally renowned chef, Greg Richie. Within a dramatically decorated space, diners enjoy tropical cocktails, steamed dump-lings and creative entrées such as pan-roasted duck breast with gingered pear chutney and umeboshi (pick-led) plum glaze. $$$$

Roy’s 7760 W. Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-352-4844 / roysrestaurant.com. Hawaiian-fusion flavors en-hance familiar and exotic fish dishes at this Restaurant Row pioneer, a link in a Honolulu-based chain owned by namesake chef, Roy Yamaguchi. $$

INDIAN Aashirwad 5748 International Dr., Orlando, 407-370-9830 / aashirwadrestaurant.com. Begin with kashmiri naan, a slightly sweet bread stuffed with nuts, coconut

R O N A’ S F L AV O R L I S T I N G S

THE KEY$ Inexpensive, most entrées under $10$$ Moderate, most entrées $10-20$$$ Pricey, most entrées over $20$$$$ Very expensive, most entrées over $30

• indicates the restaurant is a 2011 Silver Spoon winner (Judges’ Choice).

8OHL_Mar12_Flavor.indd 58 2/21/12 11:11:53 AM


and raisins, and continue with chicken biryani, cauli-fl ower in exotic Manchurian gravy and a mixed tandoori grill. Whole spices are roasted and ground daily on site, further enhancing the cuisine’s authenticity. $$

Memories of India 7625 Turkey Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-370-3277; 3895 Lake Emma Rd., Lake Mary, 407-804-0920 / memoriesofi ndiacuisine.com. Excep-tionally good Indian fare draws diners in Dr. Phillips and Lake Mary to these twin restaurants, where dishes such as palek paneer (creamed spinach) and lamb masala in rich ginger-garlic gravy always satisfy. $$

ITALIANAntonio’s 611 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland, 407-645-5523 / antoniosonline.com. Fine Italian fare comes at reasonable prices at Antonio’s, proprietor Greg Gen-tile’s culinary homage to his ancestors. The upstairs restaurant, recently remodeled and expanded with a balcony overlooking Lake Lily, is somewhat formal, al-though the open kitchen provides peeks of the chefs in action. Its downstairs counterpart, Antonio’s Café, is a more casual spot that doubles as a market and wine shop. $$$

Bice 5601 Universal Blvd., Orlando, 407-503-1415 / orlando.bicegroup.com. Bice, with 50 locations around the world, has a local outpost of ambitious Italian cui-sine at the Loews Portofi no Bay Hotel at Universal. Homemade egg pasta is used for several dishes, such as spaghetti Bolognese; other choices include veal pic-cata and steak with a Gorgonzola-demi sauce. $$$$

Prato 124 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-262-0050 / prato-wp.com. This is one of Orlando’s very best Italian restaurants, but don’t expect a classic lasagna or chick-en parmigiana. Executive Chef Brandon McGlamery

and Chef di Cucina Matthew Cargo oversee an open kitchen in which pastas are made from scratch, pizzas are rolled to order, sausages are stuffed by hand and the olive oil is a luscious organic pour from Italy. Try the chicken liver Toscana, a satisfying salad Campagna with cubes of sizzling pancetta tesa, shrimp tortellini and citrusy rabbit cacciatore. Begin with a Negroni cocktail; it’s possibly the best around. $$-$$$

Rocco’s 400 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-644-7770 / roccositaliangrille.com. Calabria native Rocco Potami oversees this romantic Italian eatery, where fi ne authentic fare is presented in an intimate dining room and on a secluded brick patio. Classics include carpac-cio (raw, thinly sliced beef with white truffl e oil and aru-gula), ricotta gnocchi and a breaded veal chop topped with a lightly dressed salad. It’s easy to miss, tucked away in a Winter Park strip center, but once you fi nd it, you’ll be back. $$$

LATINMi Tomatina 433 W. New England Ave., Winter Park, 321-972-4317 / mitomatina.com. This eatery bills itself as a paella bar, and indeed guests share a half-dozen varieties of the signature Spanish rice dish. Yet oth-ers come for a mellow meal over tapas (garlic shrimp, potato omelet, croquettes) and sangria, enjoyed while seated within a small contemporary dining room or out-doors overlooking Hannibal Square. $$-$$$

Pio Pio 2500 S. Semoran Blvd., Orlando, 407-207-2262; 5752 International Dr., Orlando, 407-248-6424; 11236 S. Orange Blossom Tr., Orlando, 407-438-5677 / piopiointernational.com. Latin American-style marinated roast chicken is a mainstay at the three Orlando locations, each a dark, mid-scale den where families fuel up on heaping platters of pollo along with

garlicky salad, fried plantains (sweet and green) and rice and beans. $$

MEDITERRANEANAnatolia 7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd., Orlando, 407-352-6766 / anatoliaorlando.com. Sensational Turkish food in an upscale-casual setting makes Anatolia a popular choice in the Dr. Phillips area. Start with any of the “cold salads” and a piping hot puffy lavash bread, then try chargrilled whole fi sh, tavuk doner (Turkish gyro), lamb chops or spinach-feta pide, sort of like a boat-shaped fl atbread. $$

• Bosphorous 108 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-644-8609 / bosphorousrestaurant.com. This is the place for fl avorful Turkish fare in either a white-tablecloth setting or alfresco along Park Avenue. Many couples fi ll up on the appetizer sampler with oversized lavash bread. For a heartier meal, try the ground lamb “Turkish pastry,” a shish kebab or a tender lamb shank. Outdoor diners can end their meals by smoking from a hookah. Or not. $$

Tavern Opa 9101 International Dr., Orlando, 407-351-8660 / opaorlando.com. The food is excellent, but that’s only half the reason to visit Tavern Opa. On busy nights, the place is festive indeed: Some guests join a Zorba dance around the dining room. $$

MEXICAN/SOUTHWESTERNCantina Laredo 8000 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, 407-345-0186 / cantinalaredo.com. Modern Mexican cuisine in a spiffy setting draws lovers of cilantro, ja-lapeño and pico de gallo to this Restaurant Row eat-

8 1 0 1 W o r l d C e n t e r D r i v e I O r l a n d o , F l o r i d a 3 2 8 2 1

T H E C A R I B E O R L A N D O . C O M

Make plans today to join us for a sumptuous Easter Sunday Buffet at The Tropicale Restaurant, served from 1pm - 7pm.

Enjoy our smoked seafood station, a tantalizing array of sushi, roast pork loin, beef short ribs, three-cheese ravioli, specialty entrees,

vegetables and salads, plus a lavish display of homemade desserts! All accompanied by the captivating sounds of live jazz.

Adults — $42, children 3-9 — $15, kids under 3 eat free. Seating is limited, so make your reservation early by calling 407-238-8020.

Celebrate Easter at Caribe Royale



RONA’S FLAVOR LISTINGS

• Seasonal American Cuisine

• 8 American Microbrews On Tap

• Extensive Wine List and Full Bar

407-628-2333 1234 N. Orange Ave.www.theravenouspig.com

ery, where the margaritas flow, the guacamole is made tableside and the portions are generous. The spinach enchilada is a vegetarian-friendly treat. $$

• Cocina 214 151 E. Welbourne Ave., Winter Park, 407-790-7997 / cocina214.com. Tex-Mex food is top quality here (214 is the Dallas area code), with salsa, savories and even margarita flavorings made from scratch. The spinach-mushroom quesadilla and braised pork tacos with “orange dust” are especially notewor-thy. $$

El Tenampa 11242 S. Orange Blossom Tr., Orlando, 407-850-9499 / eltenampaorlando.com. Many Or-landoans make El Tenampa part of their Costco shop-ping ritual, since the restaurant is located only a block from the OBT warehouse store. This authentic eatery features fresh fruit juices, spicy chicken chilaquiles (a Mexican breakfast, available all day long, made with fried tortilla pieces and a green sauce) as well as a satisfying shrimp quesadilla in addition to the standard enchiladas and fajitas. $

SEAFOODCityfish 617 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, 407-849-9779 / cityfishorlando.com. Feast on slabs of grilled, black-ened or fried fresh fish at this hip Ts-and-flip-flops Thorn-ton Park hangout. The atmosphere is ultra-casual and the sidewalk seating is great for people-watching. $$

Ocean Prime 7339 W. Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-781-4880 / ocean-prime.com. Designed to evoke the ambience of an old-time supper club, Ocean Prime’s white-jacketed servers offer sensational steaks and fish dishes along with creative options such as sautéed shrimp in a spectacular Tabasco-cream sauce, crab cakes with sweet corn cream and ginger salmon. End with the chocolate peanut butter pie. $$$$

Todd English’s Bluezoo 1500 Epcot Resorts Blvd., Lake Buena Vista, 407-934-1111 / thebluezoo.com. Creatively prepared seafood is served in an over-the-top undersea setting at this fine-dining restaurant, lo-cated in Disney’s Swan and Dolphin hotel. The fashion-forward choices might be a miso-glazed Hawaiian sea bass or fried lobster in a soy glaze. The desserts are among the best in town. $$$$

Winter Park Fish Co. 761 Orange Ave. Winter Park, 407-622-6112 / thewinterparkfishco.com. Fish and seafood dishes are fresh and well-prepared at this hum-ble Winter Park spot, where a counter service format helps keep the prices reasonable. Crab cakes, lobster rolls, mahi-mahi sandwiches and more ambitious dishes such as grouper cheeks in parchment and stuffed grou-per are among a day’s assortment. $$

STEAKBull & Bear 14200 Bonnet Creek Resort Lane, Orlando, 407-597-5410 / bullandbearorlando.com. Orlando’s Bull & Bear looks similar to New York’s leg-endary steakhouse (except for the pool and golf course views), but ours has its own ambitious menu. Guests of the Waldorf Astoria’s fine-dining spot can feast on tra-ditional items such as veal Oscar and prime steak that’s dry aged for 21 days, and intriguing ones like appetizers of gnocchi and escargot with crescents of black gar-lic, and shrimp and grits presented under a dome that, when removed, introduces a waft of aromatic smoke. The chocolate and lemon desserts are superb. $$$$

Capital Grille 4600 N. World Dr., Lake Buena Vista, 407-939-3463 / thecapitalgrille.com. Capital Grille tries to one-up its upscale steakhouse competitors by dry-aging its beef, an expensive process that results in especially flavorful meat. Try a beautifully unadorned chop or a more creative dish, such as citrus-glazed salmon or Kona-crusted sirloin. The setting is clubby; the wine selection is generous. $$$$



Del Frisco’s 729 Lee Rd., Orlando, 407-645-4443 / delfriscosorlando.com. This Del Frisco’s, owned by the Christner family since its founding in 1993, is only marginally related to the national chain of the same name. Locals have been choosing this prototypically masculine, dark-wood-and-red-leather enclave for busi-ness dinners and family celebrations for a decade, end-ing meals of USDA Prime, corn-fed Midwestern beef or Australian cold-water lobster tails with a slice of the restaurant’s legendary mandarin orange cake. And there’s a loooong wine list (6,500 bottles). On select nights, Kostya Kimlet hosts magic shows along with a prix-fi xe menu in a private dining room. $$$$

Fleming’s 8030 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, 407-352-5706; 933 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-699-9463 / fl emingssteakhouse.com. Fleming’s puts a younger spin on the stately steakhouse concept, featur-ing sleek décor and 100 wines by the glass along with its prime steaks and chops. The tempura lobster “small plate” with soy-ginger dipping sauce is a worthy pre-entrée splurge. For a taste of the old-fashioned, visit on Sunday, when prime rib is served. $$$$

Ruth’s Chris 7501 W. Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-226-3900; 610 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-622-2444; 80 Colonial Center Pkwy, Lake Mary, 407-804-8220 / ruthschris.com. With three stately steakhouses and corporate headquarters by Winter Park Village, Ruth’s Chris, a native of New Orleans, has become an Orlando special-occasion mainstay. Its service-oriented restaurants specialize in massive corn-fed Midwestern steaks served sizzling and topped with butter. $$$$

Shula’s 1500 Epcot Resorts Blvd., Orlando, 407-934-1362 / donshula.com. Coach Don Shula, who led the Miami Dolphins through a perfect season in 1972,

is now in the restaurant business. His Orlando outpost, located in Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin resort, is a dark, tastefully sports-themed steakhouse where the menu is painted on a football. Offerings include Pre-mium Black Angus beef as well as barbecue shrimp, wedge salad and crab cakes. $$$$

VEGETARIANDandelion CommuniTea Café 618 N. Thornton Ave., Orlando, 407-362-1864 / dandelioncommu-nitea.com. Proprietor Julie Norris meant to open a crunchy teahouse, but her organic, locally sourced foods were such a hit that the Dandelion is now a hot spot for lunch and a mecca for the “OurLando” movement. Even carnivores can’t resist Henry’s Hearty Chili, Happy Hempy Hummus, and wraps and sandwiches. As for dessert, Razzy Parfait’s vanilla soygurt is delicious, fi lling and healthful enough to be a meal. $

Café 118 153 E. Morse Blvd., Winter Park, 407-389-2233 / cafe118.com. Raw foods – none cooked past 118 degrees – are the focus of this crisp Winter Park café, attracting raw foodists, vegans and vegetarians. The spinach and beet ravioli stuffed with cashew ricotta is an impressive imitation of the Italian staple. Thirsty Park Avenue shoppers might stop by for a healthful smoothie. $$

Ethos Vegan Kitchen 1235 N. Orange Ave., Or-lando, 407-228-3899 / ethosvegankitchen.com. Orlando’s Ivanhoe District is home to Ethos, a vegan restaurant with a menu that also satisfi es open-minded carnivores. Fuel up on pecan-crusted eggplant with red wine sauce and mashed potatoes or a meat-free shep-herd’s pie, if salads, sandwiches and coconut-curry tofu wraps won’t do the trick. $-$$

RONA GINDIN is a freelance writer

specializing in restaurants and travel. A

native New Yorker, she hosts the TV show

On Dining celebrating local restaurants

(Bright House Channel 300/Food & Drink),

and is the author of The Little Black Book

of Walt Disney World. She contributes to

many national magazines.

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W i n t e r P a r k400 South Orlando Avenue 407-644-7770

Reservations online at www.roccositaliangrille.com

W I N N E R



High Tea & HatsThe 5th Annual High Tea & Hats fundraiser for Seniors First honored philanthropist Harriett Lake at the Peabody Orlando. 1. Georgia Williams, Eva Krzewinski, Lindsay Harnish, Holly Luisi.2. Lois Silverberg, Harriett Lake, Tari Kazaros, Lauren Rowe, Marsha Lorenz.3. Pinky O’Neil, Terry Vece (Ms. Florida).4. Audrey Luck, Maureen Smith.5. Doris Duan-Young, Josie NeJame, Rebecca Grossman.

Culture & CocktailsMusic, poetry and mixed-media artwork were the focus of the monthly Culture & Cocktails gathering at the Maitland Art Center, part of the Art & History Museums-Maitland.6. Lindsey Von Weller, Meghan Post.7. Josh Garrick, Cherie Dacko, Andrea Bailey Cox.8. Alan Brown and Katy Brown.

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United Arts 2012 CampaignUnited Arts of Central Florida kicked off its 2012 fundraising campaign at Orlando’s Citrus Restaurant.1 Diane and Michael Levine, Terry Olson.2. Donna Dowless, Sigrid Tiedtke, Jeff Spoeri, Elizabeth Tiedtke.

3. Commissioner Jennifer Thompson.4. Joann Tyson, Maria Elena Augustin.5. Julie Wolf, Marena Grant Morrisey.6. Commissioner Jennifer Thompson, Linda Landman Gonzalez, Marcia Hope Goodwin, Juliana Steele.

Sweetheart BallAll Saints Church of Winter Park held its annual Sweetheart Ball at the Hilton Altamonte Springs to benefit MOPS – Mothers of Preschoolers International.7. Susan and James Girtman8. Father Stephen Rhoades, Anna Notation-Rhoades.9. Nate and Ashley Martin, Kelly and Tony King.10. Mary MacDonagh, Tom Garrett.11. Rae Ward.

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9aOHL_Mar12 Seen.indd 63 2/21/12 11:16:01 AM


Does Bob Hold the Keyto a Blissful Lifestyle?

Bob Schmerling of AltAmonte Springs has achieved the remarkable feat of happiness.

Such are the times that this earned him top billing on the Orlando Sen-tinel’s web site.

The key to bliss, we learned from Bob, is to shun the evils of corporate America by working mundane jobs and adjusting your standard of living accordingly.

The new American dream is not to dream.Such a lifestyle requires a complete lack of obligation.“The most important decision was to not have any children,”

Bob told the Sentinel.No mouths to feed. No minivan to buy. No tuition to pay. I know whereof he speaks.For more than 40 years I lived the life of Bob, albeit with a bit

more ambition. I worked harder and made enough money to at least reside in a higher tax bracket than Mitt Romney.

And it was mine, all mine. I lived a frugal life but still could afford expensive boy toys and play with them at will.

If I kept Bobbing along, I would have survived the Great Re-cession with my blood pressure intact. I would now be in a po-sition to retire early on ObamaCare, my Vanguard Wellington Fund and my Hope-It’s-Still-There Private Pension Fund.

But I broke Bob’s No. 1 rule: I had children. Just as my friends were becoming empty nesters, I loaded up mine with a couple of pink eggs. No more boy toys. No more out-the-door until I decide to come back.

Retirement is about as attainable as Gisele Bündchen.You would think that God, or at least the Republicans (more

on them later), would bless me for embracing family values and rejecting a life of me-me-me.

But no-no-no. Bob has it right.Social scientists have sent out their surveys and tabulated the re-

sults. New York Magazine announced their conclusion in a 2010 ar-ticle entitled, “All Joy and No Fun, Why Parents Hate Parenting.”

“Most people assume that having children will make them happier,’’ it said. “Yet a wide variety of academic research shows that parents are not happier than their childless peers, and in

many cases are less so.”Children create demands on time. They elim-

inate adult spontaneity. They cost $291,000 each, according to babycenter.com. They are a huge guilt trip, because no matter how much more time we spend with them than our par-ents spent with us, it is not enough time. And then when they turn 13, there’s Glee.

More children mean more misery. Having that second kid is like sticking your finger in the electric socket a second time.

Is this right? Could the two creatures I love most have me on the road to mental and financial ruin? Am I a sap, working until I drop dead at 75, producing the labor force that will help pay for Bob’s Social Security well into his 90s?

Yes, yes, yes. There are disturbing truths here we cannot deny.With ultimate love, joy and commitment comes ultimate

fear, frustration and stress. Over in Europe, Big Government helps out with extended maternity leaves, guaranteed medical care, daycare and a free education. Parents are happier.

We get a tax credit.Maybe we Republicans have our pro-family agenda all wrong.I confess to wondering what life would have been like if I had

stayed on my past course.And the conclusion is that I wouldn’t be up writing this col-

umn at midnight because I wouldn’t need the money. I’d be drinking another beer and cueing up Terminator on Netflix. I know, because that’s the ghost of Mike Thomas past.

That I would be any good at this parenting thing was a com-plete shock.

But I am. I’ve grown addicted to the word “daddy.’’ And the highs that being a daddy bring are so intoxicating that, like any addict, I will do anything to keep them coming.

Last weekend I took my 8-year-old for her first spin on Rip Rocket. Last night I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer with my 13-year-old.

Silly little things. Big rushes. Priceless ... l

Native Floridian and longtime Orlando columnist Mike Thomas is a freelance writer.

R E S T L E S S N A T I V E

by Mike Thomas

Or: Could the two creatures I love

most have me on the road to ruin?

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9OHL_Mar12_Restless Native.indd 64 2/21/12 12:22:45 PM

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