So not a massively great 1st impression. My ticket said 6-10pm for event time, and so I got there…read moreat 6:30. But I had General Admission tickets and entry for that was from 7pm onwards so had to wait 30 mins!! I wish the tickets had the correct time printed on them. Luckily the rain had stopped but if I had known then would have come a bit later.   The location was great for this event - the always excellent Orchid Ballroom and so the food was spread out over 3 floors.   Ramblings and thoughts on the vendors for 2018 are as follows:   * Publix Aprons - The UnRav (fresh pasta with rock Shrimp). Tried this twice - the first time it was piping hot and silky, not so great when it got cold. * Hunger Street Tacos - Watermelon in Mezcal (brilliant!) also tried their octopus crudo which packed an unexpected punch but I didn't like as much as the Watermelon * Urbain 40 Tuna Tatiki was a miss for me. Too chunky and the tuna taste was dull. Acidity was too mild/ non-existent for me. * Publix Aprons Mahi Mahi Ceviche ditto as above. * All 3 items at The Stubborn Mule too were either too salty or bland for me and yet I thought their table showed the most thought (there was a chicken mojo with rice and beans for the meat lovers, a roasted balsamic vinegar cauliflower for the vegetarian and a lemon coconut cheesecake for dessert). * DeVine Wine & Grill's ahi tuna was meh when compared to some others served at the event. * I skipped Artisan Tables Kiebelsa sandwich as it was beef + Pork. (I don't eat Beef). * The Shrimp ceviche served by Ceviche restaurant may not also have the best showcase of their namesake item. * Orlando Meats had lovely tasting pork rillettes and donuts. Some of their toast pieces, on which the rillettes were showcased, got burnt to a crisp, and then the burnt flavor wasn't that great. * Castle Hills crudo was my fave of the night - bright, flavorful, wonderful acidity. I want to go back and try other things on their menu. * Best desserts - hands down The Glass Knife! So good! Each bite was a gorgeously rich hit of sugar. They had x4 and it was hard for me to pick my fave - they were all that good!   *  Tartine's menu was a revelation! French meets the South But not New Orleans! Restaurant most excited to go back and try. They had a Escargot pastry that was the most exciting bite of the night for me! Overall, I am pleased that I went and checked out this event, as have discovered some new restaurants (Tartine and Castle Hill, I am looking at you) to go and try. Also apart from wait-time issue, this is one event its okay to go GA rather than paying the extra VIP cost, as the food and goodies were still in plenty Yelp 115/2018

4 stars for a solid yearly Orlando Weekly event…read more For the last several years, Orlando Weekly has worked with several restaurants around the area to put together something called "Bite 30." It entails each restaurant offering a menu of pre-selected items for $30 for an entire month (usually in June). This month long event culminates with an event called "Bite Night." I have attended Bite Night for the last 3 years. While I won't go into specifics on previous years, I will generally say that the first year I attended was fantastic and the second year was pretty bad (overcrowded, food ran out, etc.). This review will focus on my 2017 experience. My wife and I arrived at the Bite Night event, which takes place at the Orchid Garden located at the intersection of Church and South, and stood in line to go inside. There is a 6pm VIP time to enter and a 7pm general admission time to enter. I would recommend getting there pretty early because the lines to get in can can be pretty long. Once we got inside (we went in to Garden entrance), we were greeted with some Orlando Weekly swag and a huge open area full of people, food vendor booths, and bars. Unlike last year (and some other Orlando Weekly events), this event had plenty of places serving alcohol and wasn't too crowded. Overselling has been a problem with Orlando Weekly events, so I commend them for selling just the right amount this time. My wife and I walked around to the various restaurant tables, which included places like Nova, Maxines on Shine (the meatball welllington was my favorite non-dessert item), Season's 52 (their chocolate dessert was my favorite item), and many more. The event was split up into the Garden room area (2 floors with about 10 vendors throughout) and the Ballroom area (about 10 vendors upstairs and 3-4 downstairs). In the Garden area, a set of ladies with electric light-up instruments (mostly violins) played various modern songs! They show up at various Orlando Weekly events and are always fun. During the event, a silent auction for various items was held in the lower Ballroom area. Around 9pm, a live auction was held where you raise up a sign with a pre-assigned number (don't forget to get yours beforehand) to bid. Bidding in an environment like this is a little frustrating, but super fun at the same time. We didn't win, but we enjoyed participating. Overall, Bite Night at the Orchid Garden presented by Orlando Weekly is a fun event that lets you eat and drink with some of Orlando's best restaurants and foodies in general. While a little chaotic, this event ranks as one of the better (non-alcohol centered) Orlando Weekly events each year and is worth checking out.

Otronicon 2017. It…read moretakes place inside the Orlando Science Center. There is parking right in front, on Princeton Street, in the big parking garage. For 2017, the price to park was $5. The fair brings many technology schools, which set place in the main floor, with their displays, software, students, alumni and faculty. I was able to go into many virtual reality worlds, which is the hot things now, and I can say that the technology is pretty cool. On the floor above, there was a medical application exhibit, for kids who are inclined towards healthcare. And then on the top floor, you find the graphic designers and artists who use electronic medium. On the top floor also, you could find other interactive equipment used by the military. You could fly a helicopter, drive a tank, fly a plane, etc. My favorite, and main reason for going, was the Indie Game Showcase. I love animation, I love video games although I don't play, I love graphics and I love basic human ingenuity. Talking to all these developers and creators was amazing, as well as trying out their games. The bottom floor was part of the permanent exhibit, no technology there. Overall, I liked the expo, although I did not see ground braking technology. It is more like a massive school fair where kids checkout future schools. But it was fun, although I would have given more emphasis to the game developers. My opinion. Oh! Yes, before I forget. They also had tournaments (meh) and workshops, but I didn't attend any of those, though I feel I should have...

Otronicon 2016 was SO fun! I got to take my husband and little toddler, and clearly a 1.5-year-old…read moredoesn't care about fun tech gadgets the way a 36-year-old does. He did enjoy the revamped KidsTown, and there were some things he could watch and interact with around the event. I kinda wish we had gotten a sitter just so I could have enjoyed it a lot more but it was still a lot of fun! I'm constantly blown away by the creativity and the genius behind a lot of the showcases from Full Sail University, University of Central Florida, and other colleges and high schools. Gives me hope for the future. Anyway, I've added a few pictures so you can see how much my man-child enjoyed himself! While it's a kid-friendly event, I definitely think I'll wait until he's a little older to bring him back!

What a nice event for Orlando. We went on the last day of the 2020 event and arrived around 2p…read more We were lucky enough to find a close parking spot so we started off great. We had free tix courtesy of a local radio station contest. I can still hear the busy signals in my ear from dialing in. This year, the event was "cashless", which doesn't mean you can't bring cash, but it means you pre-load your bracelet with money that you can use to purchase items from various vendors. It sounds like a good idea, but you have to guess as to how much to load, then do math all day and remember how much you have. When you purchase something, you can ask the person what your balance is. It's nice to not have to get out your wallet every time, but also a pain if you want something that's $7 and you have $6 left. You can't combine "bracelets" either so if someone had $1 left, they'd either have to reload or lose it. There was also a $1 service charge for the privilege of using the bracelet. As far as food options, there were plenty. Various restaurants from around town were there serving up some of their favorites. Gringos Locos, Dixie Dharma, Kaizen Something or other, American Social, Jeremiahs Italian Ice, Jimmy Hula's, and many others were there. It's a great way to try things without driving all over. Many places also had vegan and vegetarian options. There were plenty of wine vendors as well, and those lines were the shortest (or non existent). There was something you could buy that was a sampling of wines for $20. I think they punched or scanned something with each vendor. Most wineries were charging $7 for a glass (plastic cup) of wine. I would think if you want people to try your wines, you'd have it at a lower price point. Are they there to make money or get people to love their wine? (Gringos Locos got it with their $2 Double Decker Tacos, the line was nuts). The event ran till 7 but around 4p, some vendors were already closing up shop. That would be disappointing to me if I was arriving later in the day. There was also Mixed Drinks, Bloody Mary Bars, Beer, Hard Seltzer, and water/soda if you weren't there to get Lit. Prices were good for these options. There were plenty of porta-johns and hand washing stations which is nice. There was a stage with rotating bands. Lots of security as well. I'd recommend going as a nice day out. I wish they'd improve the cashless payment method though. At least let people combine. I'd give it 4 stars if it wasn't for that.

An A OK event that has some ups and downs. This is an annual event that takes place in the heart of…read moredowntown. There are tons of parking garages and lots in the local area that are within walking distance, most are around $5-7 dollars, so it's not too bad. It's about $20 for entry into the event, which seems a bit steep to me, since you have to pay for tickets for the food and drinks on top of that. Each ticket is $2 and most drinks and food are between 3-4 tickets ($6-8). It's a pretty expensive event overall once you tally up parking, entry and tickets. There are a lot of vendors, especially local vendors, which is great, cause I love to support local. There were about 40 tents, about half drinks and half food. There is a menu of options when you arrive, so you can know what to expect. Overall: B- A good locals event, but a pretty steep price tag on it once you add it all up.

SO. MANY. VENDORS…read more Wowza! First year attending and I'll definitely be back. I am not a vegetarian by any means, but I really appreciated the effort the festival put behind informing the general public about the basics of the lifestyle. There were plenty of tents, speakers, and demonstrations about vegetarianism and, in general, living a healthy lifestyle. I loved the dedication and thought behind the event as well. None of the vendors had anything that contained made from animal products, and the Vegan Tent was my personal favorite. They had TONS of free samples of vegan food and snacks -- little packets of vegan coconut oil (LOVE), "burgers", "chicken" nuggets, health bars, Zevia All Natural Sodas, and chips. My ultimate faves were the Beanfields' Bean & Rice Chips (Nacho flavored); I think I came back and grabbed three bags in total throughout the day. The amount of food vendors was really great too. I tried the "Meatball" Sub from Ethos, a Blueberry-Basil popsicle from POP Crafts, and a chocolate cupcake from Raphsodic. The sub and the popsicle were amazing -- I could eat a sub everyday and those popsicles were the perfect treat on a warm day. I did not enjoy the cupcake though; it was dry and the frosting was just really dense. All in all, this was a great festival and I'm glad to see it circulating nationwide!

And so; the long awaited Vegfest of 2017 has come and gone, and in my personal opinion; it was a…read morereally good time. Loved that there was a lot of variety of food and samples, speakers, live music, and that nice little garden that was lovely to take a stroll in. One of the highlights for me personally as a Vegan is that you don't have to ask at the food stalls: "Does this have dairy?" "This doesn't have any meat in it does it?" It was nice to have so many choices all at the same space. I think however that most things were a little more expensive than I thought it would be. One food item in particular from the Boca fresh stall which I personally thought was insanely overpriced and didn't taste good was the Mac n Chip meal. A whopping $12 (see pic) it looks appetizing though, which explains why we were in line for about 30 minutes, and then when you taste it you're like "ok flavor, I know you're hiding in there somewhere." Did they focus more on visual appeal than actual taste? Apparently so. Well, at least Vegan hot dog cart was there to save the day because their doggies were outstanding, really, even the carnivore amongst us thought it was one of the best hot dogs he's ever eaten. He also liked the 'fake steak' kebabs from loving hut which I agree were REALLY good, they really did taste like chewy steak. I also really enjoyed the fresh coconuts. I bought a medium sized one and I was drinking out of that baby for almost the entirety of my time there, it just wouldn't stop giving coconut juice; it was great! Valkyrie was also there but I didn't get to try it as we had gotten lots of baked good samples at other tents and were full already. I can't wait for next year honestly, and I'm definitely be keeping an eye out for Vegan hot dog cart, and those fresh coconuts :)

In my opinion this is one of the best food and wine events in Central Florida! I've been three…read moretimes I think and each year I'm blown away. Are tickets expensive? Yes. But you'll definitely eat and drink your way through some of the best food you'll ever get at an event of this type. I ate tomahawk steak and caviar within minutes of each other. One of the vendors (maybe Jack Daniels?) was custom fitting cowboy hats, for free! Aside from the food and the drinks there were two stages this year and of course this event is a fundraiser so you know your money is going to a good cause. If you are on the fence about attending this event I urge you to just do it! You won't regret it!

Welcome back to arguably the biggest charitable/foodie event in Winter Park, or maybe all of the…read moreOrlando area. It is a one-night-only event for the purpose of raising funds for a couple of charities, chosen every year by co-founders John Rivers (he of 4 Rivers fame) and David LaRue, who's with ABC Fine Wines and Liquors. Their charities of choice this year are 4Roots and After School All Stars. Tix were $240 for VIP, $140 for general admission. It is western-themed, held under a big tent in the center of WP, with over 30 restaurants participating and contributing their time and treasures. That's right: the food and time are donated by each participating restaurant, and the drinks, by the fine wine / beer / spirit distributor. It is quite the show! Covid caused a reluctant cancellation in 2020 - a date had been set, but alas, with the surge, it had to bite the dust. Absence clearly made the heart (and palate) grow fonder - this year's resurgent event was sold out, with the VIP ones gone a week before the event. This year, VIPs are allowed an extra 30 minutes early check-in (in addition to the 60 minutes that's part of the VIP treatment: they get to go in when it's still light out, at 5:30, while general admission starts at 7 pm. You'd also get to ogle at the silent auction items (many wines/liquors donated by the same liquor distributors), and sample early foods before the crowd hits. The 'big hitters this year are a couple of champagnes from Taittinger, and two offerings from Caymus (one a Suison-Caymus Petit Sirah that's not easily available here, being so much in the shadow of its better-known siblings), along with quite a few big Napa Cabs. For us, the winners in the food area are Luke's 'duck ham', a Reel Fish snapper canape, a very smokey paella from 4 Rivers, the j'ne-sais-quoi taste in the Morimoto ramen, and a surprisingly good congee-thing from Hawkers. Just how many oysters the folks from 1921 served I can't tell. As in past years, we did not get to sample everything - you just run out of time and room in the tummy. I do think it'd be very helpful if they can provide some sort of map as to where everyone is: down to where the wines/spirits they tout can be found. I couldn't find where Norman Van Aken was at all night long... a big miss on my part. If you do go next year, and I'd highly recommend it, get your tix early or risk being disappointed. Also, consider either a ride-share option or park yourself: valet gets pretty crazy coming AND going. I know the price of admission is high, but it is a great event, and it's for a good cause.

We went to the Orlando Beer Festival with VIP tickets, which were supposed to include early entry,…read morea commemorative glass, a t-shirt, a private VIP area with food, covered seating, bathrooms, and private parking. On paper, it sounded great, but the event itself felt very unorganized. When we arrived, the VIP parking lot was completely unmanned. I spent about 30 minutes trying to find someone to confirm we were parked correctly, but no one seemed to know anything about the parking or who I could even talk to. Honestly, anyone could have parked there without being checked. Inside, the beer stations were set up way too close together, which made the flow of traffic feel cramped even though there was plenty of space available. It was a hot day, and unless you were in the VIP area, there was no shade to take a break. The food trucks were outside the event space with no seating, which made grabbing food inconvenient. The turnout was low, and overall the vibe felt pretty "blah" compared to other beer festivals I've attended. On the positive side, there were a lot of quality vendors, and we had fun interacting with them. I even discovered a few new breweries I'll visit later. But the organization issues kept piling up. As we were leaving, we asked about our VIP glasses at the entrance, and the staff had no idea what we meant. We were sent to the information booth, where my husband was questioned about whether he was really leaving before they finally pulled the glasses out from under the table. There was no signage or clear instructions for VIPs about how to get them. We did get our t-shirts in the VIP section, but again, nothing was clearly communicated. Overall, despite some good beer and friendly vendors, the event was poorly organized from start to finish. Between the parking confusion, lack of shade, and unclear VIP perks, it just wasn't worth it. I won't be going back to this particular beer festival.

I've been attending this event for a couple of years now, and I really enjoy it--even though I'm…read morenot a beer drinker. What I love about this festival is that it offers so many options beyond beer, giving you the chance to sample a wide variety of products. This year, we had VIP access, which included food from restaurants like Marlow's and Solita's. The food was delicious. One thing that stood out this year was the number of THC-infused beverages and hemp products available, which was new to me. Overall, I enjoyed walking around, trying different products, and collecting the fun swag they hand out. The event is always hosted in the Milk District, and I'm already looking forward to next year's festival.

3.5 stars for a fun foodie event at City Hall…read more My wife and I decided to check out the Taste of Downtown event due to seeing it randomly pop up on our Facebook newsfeeds (guess it knows we Yelp). Taking place on Orange Avenue in front of City Hall, the Taste of Downtown Orlando event involved about 15-20 restaurants and vendors that were giving out food and drinks in exchange for pre-bought $1 dollar tickets. The food and drinks range from 1 to 8 tickets, and most items average about 4 tickets. We arrived at the event around a little after 6 so that we could avoid the crowds. After getting through the security gate, we went up to the table and bought about 40 tickets to ensure we could try everything we wanted to try. We then proceeded to walk around the outside area, where about 1/3 of the vendors were located. Rather than get all the food and drinks at once, we mostly tried to look over all the vendors once and buy food and drinks on our second round. However, some of the food and drink from the vendors really stood out. The 4Rivers table was giving out tasty chicken sandwiches for about 3 tickets, which seemed like a good deal, and the Chef Nite table convinced us to spend 5 tickets on some spicy yet tasty jerk chicken (which was a pretty decent-sized portion). Also outside were several blowup basketball courts, free Red Bull stands, and other random non-food vendors. After about 15 minutes, we proceeded inside, which is where most of the food vendors were located. We walked around from table to table looking at the various foods offered by places like Kasa, Artisan Table, and The Boheme. Aside from the tables, there was also a huge pile of free shrimp offered by Red Lobster! One of the best deals of the night was a 1 tickets seasoned pork stick from Dovecote (good way for a young restaurant to draw attention). While it was fun going from table to table, many of the options usually weren't some of the restaurants' better options. Additionally, when you think about giving 4 or 5 tickets (aka 4 to 5 dollars) for what was essentially a glorified sample, it did give us a little pause. However, the food was decent and the experience was fun. After walking around and trying some options, we went back outside to give a second look at those vendors. What turned out to be the best option of the night was some ahi tuna nachos from Ferg's Depot, which were tasty, messy, and huge! World of Beer (which had two tables for some reason) was offering drinks for 2-4 tickets and free food tickets at their Lake Eola location if we signed up for their raffle/email list. The final option that we grabbed was from City Diner (probably the only food vendor there we haven't dined at), who made a deal with us to get their brisket and cuban for a combined discount ticket price. While we thought things were pretty much over when we went outside, our second run-through was probably equally as fun as the inside experience with the higher-class restaurants. We finished around 7:15 and headed home with full and satisfied bellies. Overall, Taste of Downtown Orlando is a fun and relatively cheap (compared to other similarly-constructed events) 2-hour festival that lets you try some of Downtown's better restaurants. While the food offered is pretty average to your more dedicated foodies and the event pales in comparison to Yelp-sponsored events, the price, location, and experience make this a festival worth checking out each year.

Delicious delectibles, free Stella Artois, and all the food your hungry heart could desire. All…read morethe food was really good. Standouts were shrimp ceviche from Hue, waygu meatballs from Kres, and the best was waygu carpaccio from The Bohemian Hotel! I know they treat their cows better than most humans, but DAMN! That beef is goood. It was a bit smaller than most tastings I've been to, but it was a professional/business focus in mind, and not so much the general public-feed your face extravaganza. Of course that didn't stop me from scarfing food like a wildabeast. My only regret was coming here dressed in sandals and shorts, bc I seriously was the only one, and felt like i had snuck into the event through a sidedoor.

At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, this has been used for the runDisney race expo. I have…read morebeen coming here first to pick up my race packet. It is a big venue and more than adequate to handle the large crowds for runDisney events. Everything here has been well maintained and always looking fresh and new. The restroom facilities are kept clean and well stocked.

Small basketball sports stadium inside ESPN wide world of sports complex. Plenty of food/drink…read moreoptions.