More Better Bonanza
This week, we trawl the waters of all-you-can eat sushi, hot pot, Korean BBQ and more. Bitcoin alert!
The phrase “less is more” was coined by Victorian poet Robert Browning back in 1855. As far as restaurants are concerned, we don’t seem to have gotten any nearer to that ideal in the ensuing 163 years, and serving sizes remain in the category of “the more the better” (which can be traced back to at least 1768 in a tome appropriately called “An Essay on the Origin of Evil”).
In the “even more” category sits an influx of sushi places offering all you can eat nights (a concept originating in Las Vegas in the 1940s. Stop me.)
Not of the week-kneed “all you care to eat” mindset, these places want you to basically stuff yourself. Danketsu in the Waterford Lakes area offers unlimited Chinese hot pot, draft beer and sake on Mondays; Tuesday sushi; Korean BBQ on Wednesday; and endless Korean BBQ brisket and pork belly on Thursday nights.
A-Akisushi at The Florida Mall has unlimited sushi, sashimi and rolls through the week. The companion BR Sushi in Apopka and Longwood has a rewards program. Hand Roll Sushi limits the unlimited to every day but Monday and Thursday. Not to be outdone, Summer Palace serves without cease a selection of maki and nigiri daily.
And Izziban, with three Orlando locations, offers AYCE sushi, Korean bbq and Japanese shabu shabu hotpot, and accepts Bitcoin for payment.
I know where I’m taking our sushi-mad grandson next.
A Reminder:
You can still cast your ballots for the 2018 Orlando Magazine Dining Awards. Instead of complaining that your favorite restaurant gets overlooked, here’s your chance to tell the world what you think about the local dining scene. Take a peek at last year’s Reader and Critic’s choices to refresh your memory. Speaking of which, along with your picks, the May Dining Awards issue will reveal my choices for the Best and the New. Let’s see if we agree.
AROUND TOWN:
* Head out to Brevard Veterans Memorial Park on Merritt Island this Saturday and get a taste of the world’s largest Key Lime Pie (potentially). The annual Key Lime Pie Festival. The proposed 12-foot confection will weigh in at more than 1,000 pounds and beat the old world record by a delicious 4 feet in diameter.
* Wine dinners abound with Kevin Fonzo’s Emeril Lagasse Foundation House spotlighting Rioja wine for a La Tavola dinner on the 13th; a partnership with Shafer Vineyards at Capa Steakhouse at Four Seasons Resort on the 18th; and pairings by Hirsch Vineyards at 1921 by Norman Van Aken on the 25th.
* A Taste of DeLand fills W. Indiana Ave in that fair city on January 20, when more than 25 local restaurants, including De La Vega, Santorini and Byte, bring out their best.
Are you eating all you can eat? Comments? Questions? Recommendations? Stay in touch with Joseph at joseph.hayes@orlandomagazine.com. You can access a comprehensive list of his print and online reviews here!
