Build Your Own Downtown

Tailoring your food to order is all the rage with today’s culinary crowd. Downtown Orlando is leading the charge. To get you started, here’s a brief list of eateries where you can tailor your meal:




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Frank & Steins is Downtown’s newest addition boasting “made your way” hotdogs and over 300 beers on tap. When I went we experienced the typical issues one would expect with a new opening but overall had a good experience. I enjoyed the Southern BBQ Frank including Cuban pork, coleslaw, and tobacco, for those brave enough. Yum!


Photo by Jason Greene

Pine 22 is a gourmet burger bar offering over 300,000 possible burger combinations…seriously! I enjoy my burger with a fried egg, bacon, cheddar cheese, and garlic aioli on the side. But don’t expect the best service here as this is primarily an order-at- the-counter joint.

Want to build your own sandwich? 903 Mills Market, in the Greenwood/Lake Davis neighborhood will let you do just that. Plus their roast beef and whole bread are out of this world. Having trouble deciding? Stick with The Grateful Bread. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

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The White Wolf Café in the Bohemian/Antique district boasts pancakes that can be customized with goodies added straight to the batter, amazing toppings, or a combination of both. The pancakes are huge so one is more than enough. If it’s not then where to customize your food may be the least of your worries.

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This next one is a freebie You’re welcome. Bikes, Beans, and Bordeaux, is just north of Downtown Orlando in the Audubon Park Neighborhood. Here you can build your own flatbread complete with choice of veggies, meat, and cheese. If that doesn’t appeal to you go in and order The Messenger and add turkey if you’re feeling adventurous. Amazing.

Have other ideas of where to ‘build your own’ Downtown? Leave a comment below and maybe I’ll feature your suggestion next.

Coffee For A Cause

Delicious French Press Coffee with a Mini Vegan Chocolate Cupcake

There's the most amazing place in downtown College Park just outside of downtown Orlando,
Downtown Credo. It's a coffee shop but it's also a nonprofit. You see the folks there belive some truly transfomative things:

"Life is worth living. I refuse to merely exist. I pursue a life of meaning and purpose, fulfillment and joy.

The world is not yet as it ought to be. Niether is Orlando. Niether am I. Yet, I reject apathy and despair. I engage the world, Orlando, and myself to make an impact for good.

I am not alone. I press through narcissism, isolation and self-sufficiency striving to live in authentic community."

The Downtown Credo gives people the opportunity to drink coffee for a cause, develop community, and make a mark on the city of Orlando through strategic partnerships. Plus it's the only coffee shop in Orlando that's run on donations. So stop by, name your price, and make an impact for good.

A Unique History of Orlando

If you really want to fall in love with "The City Beautiful" then you must learn some of its history. From the landmark Greenwood Cemetery, to the timeless OUC, as well as the streets lovingly named by historical figures like Lee and Bumby, Orlando is full of historical treasures.

There are countless ways to learn the classic stories of this beautiful city but a new player has just taken the stage. Written in Stone is an autobiography of one of Orlando's greats who has lived in the city since 1924. In the author's own words his "lifetime spanned a period from seeing horse-drawn wagons delivering ice on the streets of Orlando up to the present time when a rocket delivered a man to the moon and everyone has a personal computer and a cell phone."

Written in Stone is available at http://www.loustone.com/ where you can also leave comments and interact with the author.