Dexter's
558 W. New England Ave.
Winter Park, Florida
407-629-1150
Overall:
A trendy little place in Winter Park with great location, interesting decor, and unusual dishes. A good option if you're looking for a happy-hour location and live music on a Friday night. Although an appealing happy hour location for co-workers, I can't say I'm rushing back any time soo.
Who's who:
A mixed crowd of both young and older professionals. Relatively busy for Friday at 6pm but not too busy to get a table with just a short wait. I would have expected that the well-known happy hour location would have been busier but maybe the rain kept the usual crowd away.
Cost Factor:
Not terribly high-priced given I was able to get a chicken and shrimp salad for less than $20. Overall, I'd consider them moderately priced.
Atmosphere:
Overall, I think they were going for the trendy, artsy look and accomplished it. Local artists displayed their pieces on the walls which not only made for non-classic art but also showed obvious support for the community that I can appreciate. The server, however, did not go out of her way to make us feel welcome and in fact, gave us the distinct impression that we were bothering her. We had to reorder appetizers after waiting and never receiving them. I'm not sure if that's the expected attitude in this particular restaurant but admittedly left a bad taste in my mouth for the restaurant as a whole.
Tastey:
The food options were a little more unusual than the typical chain restaurant. I debated on a coconut curried chicken with jasmine rice dish but eventually opted for a blackened chicken and shrimp salad with the feta ranch dressing. The presentation of the salad was appealing but ultimately the blackened chicken was a bit dried out. In trying a couple different appetizers of baked asiago, artichoke and crab dip, grilled salmon sate skewers over vegetable lo mein noodles, and buffalo mozzarella & plum tomato flatbread, I can't say that any of them were overly outstanding . The dip wasn't overly creamy, the 'skewers' were actually just one skewer, and the flatbread looked dried out.
Liquid Courage:
A full liquor bar with a few limited happy hour options. The drinks were slow to arrive - though the server claimed that the bar was backed up. One of my dinner-mates went up to the bar to order and had no wait at all so we're not sure where the service breakdown actually occurred.
Flirtability:
The crowd looked like one that was open to mingling and overall was an attractive group. I'd give the place a 10 in pick-up possibilities given that I watched two people meet (the woman had been at a table of four initially), make-out unabashedly at the bar, and quickly exit. Heck, given the amount of time and drinks needed to hook up at a club...this would be pretty good place for a quick and cheap pick-up.
Funness:
Around 7:30pm a hip rock band set up and played some well known covers such as Oasis and Dave Matthews. I imagine as the night wore on and the liquid courage continued to flow, dancing would be inevitable.
Insider Scoops:
Parking is kind of tough and requires a patron to park in the residential areas. Keep an eye out for no parking zones in these areas...I was lucky not to have been ticketed myself when I later realized I had inadvertently parked in a No Parking Zone.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
It's late, it's Friday, where do you go?
Mellow Mushroom
2015 Aloma Ave
Winter Park, FL 32792
(407) 657-7755
Overall
The restaurant was not spectacular in appearance when you walk in but the food was good, hot, and abundant in regards to portions. Not to mention both classic and unique options when it comes to pizza. A good option when you want late-night food and a drink in the Winter Park area.
Who’s Who
Dana Says: For a Friday night at 11pm, the place was pretty empty with more servers than patrons. My guess is that despite the availability of both bar-space and alcohol, the place isn’t known as a weekend hotspot. The general crowd tended to look like edgy college kids from local Rollins College.
Liz Says: Even though it was a Friday night (and a UCF football was the next day), the place was near deserted. We were one of the few tables along with several young, funky college kids. This place definitely looks like it would be a college hotspot when it does get busy.
Cost Factor
Dana Says: Depends on whether you consider a gourmet personal-pan sized pizza at $11 expensive. Although wine and beer were available, I was quite pleased with a reasonably priced hard apple cider option.
Liz Says: For a personal gourmet pizza and a pitcher of hard cider, my pocket was only $16 lighter. My tummy definitely thought it was worth it.
Atmosphere
Dana Says: The place was definitely going for the quirky look with a bit of grunge, not to be confused with dirty. It had a relaxed collegy-feel. Our server was super friendly, knowledgeable, and personable.
Liz Says: The environment was fun, casual, and easy going along with our server's personality. She was quirky, informative and very attentive to our needs (No waiting...Yay!).
Tastey
Dana Says: A gourmet pizza of pesto, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and other various things was good. What was most outstanding I thought was the crust. Not being a pizza-crust kind of girl I usually avoid it. However, this crust was a lot like garlic cheesy bread that would have been good for dipping if given the option (hint, hint MM).
Liz Says: I had the gourmet white pizza consisting of aromatic garlic, flavorful sun dried tomatoes, and smothered with an abundance of different cheeses. And last but not least...the Parmesan crust (Yummy!)
Liquid Courage
Dana Says: We chose a pitcher of hard apple cider. Cold, crisp, and pretty good match for pizza when if you’re like me and not a big fan of beer. Reasonably priced at only about $4.50 per glass in the pitcher. Personally, I really appreciate a server that will tell you it’s cheaper to go by pitcher than by glass. Plus, how often does a non-beer-drinker ever get to order a pitcher anyway? There was a pretty extensive selection of unusal and seasonal beers, wines, and liquor.
Liz Says: Both of us being cider drinkers, we decided to go with the cheaper version and split a pitcher; however, if we were so inclined, there was a variety of beer, wine, and liquor to choose from. And had we been more observant, we would have noticed the martini special being offered that night. (Maybe next time)
Flirtability
Dana Says: I’d vote this an absolute zero in regards to available men (or women I suppose) or even the set up for mingling if you were so inclined.
Liz Says: I'd have to stay that I certainly wouldn't be looking for a date at the MM anytime soon. Keep looking ladies...and gents.
Funness
Dana Says: Wasn’t a super-fun place but it looks like it could be or wanted to be at one point. I did love the quirky food names like Kosmic Karma pizza and the play on the drug culture (um hello, mellow mushroom…no, totally not drug related at all. Right.).
Liz Says: Although it wasn't the place to be that night, there is certainly some potential. Being a laid back kinda place, it's perfect for a big, loud group of people. There are even a couple of televisions at the bar for those T.V. watchin types.
Insider Scoop Tidbits
Dana Says: If I’d have noticed before I ordered, I might have gone with their Friday night $3 martini special. Looks like there was patio seating too for once the weather cools down.
Liz Says: If you're looking for a quick slice of cheese pizza, go during the week not on the weekend (Can't order by the slice Friday, Saturday, or Sunday)
2015 Aloma Ave
Winter Park, FL 32792
(407) 657-7755
Overall
The restaurant was not spectacular in appearance when you walk in but the food was good, hot, and abundant in regards to portions. Not to mention both classic and unique options when it comes to pizza. A good option when you want late-night food and a drink in the Winter Park area.
Who’s Who
Dana Says: For a Friday night at 11pm, the place was pretty empty with more servers than patrons. My guess is that despite the availability of both bar-space and alcohol, the place isn’t known as a weekend hotspot. The general crowd tended to look like edgy college kids from local Rollins College.
Liz Says: Even though it was a Friday night (and a UCF football was the next day), the place was near deserted. We were one of the few tables along with several young, funky college kids. This place definitely looks like it would be a college hotspot when it does get busy.
Cost Factor
Dana Says: Depends on whether you consider a gourmet personal-pan sized pizza at $11 expensive. Although wine and beer were available, I was quite pleased with a reasonably priced hard apple cider option.
Liz Says: For a personal gourmet pizza and a pitcher of hard cider, my pocket was only $16 lighter. My tummy definitely thought it was worth it.
Atmosphere
Dana Says: The place was definitely going for the quirky look with a bit of grunge, not to be confused with dirty. It had a relaxed collegy-feel. Our server was super friendly, knowledgeable, and personable.
Liz Says: The environment was fun, casual, and easy going along with our server's personality. She was quirky, informative and very attentive to our needs (No waiting...Yay!).
Tastey
Dana Says: A gourmet pizza of pesto, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and other various things was good. What was most outstanding I thought was the crust. Not being a pizza-crust kind of girl I usually avoid it. However, this crust was a lot like garlic cheesy bread that would have been good for dipping if given the option (hint, hint MM).
Liz Says: I had the gourmet white pizza consisting of aromatic garlic, flavorful sun dried tomatoes, and smothered with an abundance of different cheeses. And last but not least...the Parmesan crust (Yummy!)
Liquid Courage
Dana Says: We chose a pitcher of hard apple cider. Cold, crisp, and pretty good match for pizza when if you’re like me and not a big fan of beer. Reasonably priced at only about $4.50 per glass in the pitcher. Personally, I really appreciate a server that will tell you it’s cheaper to go by pitcher than by glass. Plus, how often does a non-beer-drinker ever get to order a pitcher anyway? There was a pretty extensive selection of unusal and seasonal beers, wines, and liquor.
Liz Says: Both of us being cider drinkers, we decided to go with the cheaper version and split a pitcher; however, if we were so inclined, there was a variety of beer, wine, and liquor to choose from. And had we been more observant, we would have noticed the martini special being offered that night. (Maybe next time)
Flirtability
Dana Says: I’d vote this an absolute zero in regards to available men (or women I suppose) or even the set up for mingling if you were so inclined.
Liz Says: I'd have to stay that I certainly wouldn't be looking for a date at the MM anytime soon. Keep looking ladies...and gents.
Funness
Dana Says: Wasn’t a super-fun place but it looks like it could be or wanted to be at one point. I did love the quirky food names like Kosmic Karma pizza and the play on the drug culture (um hello, mellow mushroom…no, totally not drug related at all. Right.).
Liz Says: Although it wasn't the place to be that night, there is certainly some potential. Being a laid back kinda place, it's perfect for a big, loud group of people. There are even a couple of televisions at the bar for those T.V. watchin types.
Insider Scoop Tidbits
Dana Says: If I’d have noticed before I ordered, I might have gone with their Friday night $3 martini special. Looks like there was patio seating too for once the weather cools down.
Liz Says: If you're looking for a quick slice of cheese pizza, go during the week not on the weekend (Can't order by the slice Friday, Saturday, or Sunday)
Welcome!
Let's say it's a Tuesday evening and you've got something to celebrate. Or, let's say it's a Saturday night and you've got a hot date. Or, let's say you've got a couple of pals that just want to go somewhere a little different.
Where would you go? What would you do?
We don't know the answers either but we're taking a stab at going to some of the run of the mill places as well as some of the lesser known places. We'll try out restaurants, happy-hours, and any other night time activity. We will provide you reviews of what we think is special and not so special and you can make your own decisions.
Why?
Cause we're the Ladies on the Town!
We've picked some general criteria for rating a place but plan to add our own special flare to each review. Depending on our mood you may get one-sided reviews by Dana or Liz, and other times we'll provide a Dana Says/Liz Says perspective.
We don't promise to be objective or sober in our reviews, just genuine and entertaining.
Where would you go? What would you do?
We don't know the answers either but we're taking a stab at going to some of the run of the mill places as well as some of the lesser known places. We'll try out restaurants, happy-hours, and any other night time activity. We will provide you reviews of what we think is special and not so special and you can make your own decisions.
Why?
Cause we're the Ladies on the Town!
We've picked some general criteria for rating a place but plan to add our own special flare to each review. Depending on our mood you may get one-sided reviews by Dana or Liz, and other times we'll provide a Dana Says/Liz Says perspective.
We don't promise to be objective or sober in our reviews, just genuine and entertaining.
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