DoveCote, the sometimes French restaurant in Downtown Orlando that was recently reviewed in these pages, has closed. A notice on the restaurant’s website says, “DoveCote is excited to announce its move to a new home!” However, it goes on to say that said new home has not yet been procured. So as of now, the only place it’s moving is out.

WalletHub, an online personal finance company that also complies data-driven “best” lists and awards, has announced the 2023 Best Foodie Cities in America, and the city at the top of the list is…

Hang on, this can’t be right. Let me check something [papers shuffling, mouse clicking; bangs the side of the monitor]. 

Yep, that’s what it says: Orlando is the number one food city in in the whole United States of America. It ranked just ahead of Portland, Oregon, and far above New York City at number 20.

Monster Mash Masquerade is Sat., Oct. 28, and host restaurant Bites & Bubbles is giving away a ticket to 10 lucky winners.

MMM is a fundraiser to benefit the Restaurant & Allied Partnership of Central Florida (RAPCF), a nonprofit organization with a mission to support, promote and educate local independent restaurants and affiliated businesses within Central Florida. 

The experts who design restaurants will tell you that each one has – or should have – its own personality. You should know the restaurant’s gender, favorite color, clothing style and preferred music. These things will dictate the decor and ambience and other aspects of the design.

I doubt that there’s a better local example of this theory than Maxine’s on Shine. Everything about the place seems to be a personification of the very woman it’s named for, Maxine Earhart. It’s bold, eclectic, fun. It’s a surprise find, a lone business among the bungalows of the Colonialtown South neighborhood.

It’s undoubtedly the atmosphere that appeals most to its many loyal fans. Based on my recent visit, it isn’t likely the modest food or the laughable service. 

Pam Brandon, managing editor of Edible Orlando, announced Thursday that the October issue of the quarterly publication that has highlighted and celebrated the area’s rich food resources and culinary personalities for the past 13 years will be its last under current ownership.

Kendra Lott, Edible Orlando’s publisher, said by phone that she had been planning to sell the magazine but hoped to take the publication through the spring edition, then help a buyer through the transition. But her daughter is now in 12th grade and “parenting a senior is a lot a lot,” she said. “I realized she needs me now and I need to spend more time with her.”