(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
When my boss told me I was going to Orlando for four days to represent a client at a conference, I had mixed emotions: on one hand it would be great to go somewhere warm &, as a teenager growing up in Tampa, I spent a decent amount of time making the 90 minute trek across the state on I-4 to O-town. On the other hand, Orlando is the home of everything excessive: an excessive number of children, riding along in an excessive number of minivans, causing an excessive amount of traffic as they shuttle from one excessively expensive theme park to another, stopping at one of many excessively overpriced chain restaurants on the way.
But I smiled & boarded the plane to the “House of Mouse” (as the flight attendant put it), determined to have a good time regardless – even it meant resting my laurels on my “must eat local while traveling” rule. Accompanied by my friend of 17 years, Mark, who drove up from Ft. Laderdale to hang out with me when I wasn’t working, I figuring I’d at least have a like minded person to have overpriced Denny’s or Red Lobster with.
But guess what? We didn’t eat at a single chain restaurant the entire time (except Starbucks which you’ll remember is exempt to my “always eat locally when traveling” rule). Granted over 75% of my meals were eaten in my hotel (which had five restaurants) or at the Convention Center (which had horrible food options), but still. Dinner Friday night was at Cafe Tutu Tango. Their tapas were eclectic & tasty: the steamed edamame came with a sweet & sour sauce we were practically drinking it was so good, the steak skewers were perfectly seasoned, & the goat cheese & tomato flatbread was the perfect sharing size. The restaurant is funky for sure: it’s decorated like an artists studio & there are always sporadic performances of art (example: the night we were there, an African drum player & two tribal dancers were making the rounds, as well as a photography student from a local school).
Dinner Saturday night was a total crap shoot. I had seen a little Italian restaurant in a strip mall near my hotel while traveling back and forth from the convention center. After looking it up online, and seeing decent reviews, we decided to give Ciao Italia a try. We walked in without a reservation, hoping we could grab a table since it was only 6:30. The hostess who greeted us looked identical to my Italian grandmother – same hair, same nose, same smile: a promising sign that the restaurant might be decent. As she led us to our table, I resisted calling her Nona.
The menu was filled with pasta & fish dishes, all infinitely more interesting sounding than anything you’d find at Olive Garden. Our waiter (more Hispanic than Italian, but hey, it’s Florida) shared the specials: frutti di marr pasta & a veal chop. We settled on glasses of chianti & heaping bowls of tortellini: mine with prosciutto & peas in a cream sauce, his with sundried tomatoes in a pesto. The bread was served piping hot with perfectly seasoned olive oil. It was an absolutely delightful.
Usually when traveling, especially for business when someone else’s schedule dictates yours, you have to roll with the punches & eat what you can find. Too often this means greasy chain restaurants or the same old boring chicken Cesar salad. However with a little research, & a little luck, you can find solid, local options even in the most touristy of destinations.
Cafe TuTu Tango
8625 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 248-2222
Ciao Italia
6149 Westwood Blvd
Orlando, FL 32821
407.354.0770
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