Old Jailhouse opened in February. I reviewed it, favorably, here in April. And then, in May, its owner Anthony Sirica was arrested and charged with attempted sexual battery and indecent exposure. The allegations and resulting news stories had an immediate and negative effect on the restaurant’s business.

I recently contacted Sirica’s lawyer, Longwood attorney David Webster, who spoke to me by phone Monday.

From left, Denny Tornatore, Jason Wolfe and Eric Freadhoff

Tornatore’s Pizzeria, the College Park Italian restaurant, has hired Jason Wolfe as its chef de cuisine. In a Facebook post announcing the hire, owner Denny Tornatore also said that Eric Freadhoff has been hired as sous chef.

Here are some of the highlights from 2019:

Significant openings (with links to their reviews): MX Taco opened in the Milk District with authentic regional tacos. By mid year, owner Ryan Manning would open a second location in Waterford Lakes and announce a third for 2020…Tamale Co. joined the expanding Hourglass District…The long-anticipated Delaney’s Tavern debuted and proved to be worth the wait…Wolfgang Puck returned to the area after an extended absence with Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at Disney Springs…Jaleo by José Andrés also opened in Disney Springs (coincidentally in about the same spot that Wolfgang Puck Cafe had previously occupied)…City Pub moved into the former North Quarter Tavern space…The H Cuisine brought a New York style meathouse to the Dr. Phillips/Restaurant Row district…Old Jailhouse opened in an old jailhouse in Sanford, bringing the culinary talents of Bram Fowler back to the dining public. The restaurant was voted Best New and Best Overall in our 2019 Foodster Awards for Independent Restaurants…Trina Gregory Propst and Va Propst opened Sette Italian in the Ivanhoe Village…Mykonos, the popular Greek restaurant, returned to Longwood following a long absence forced by a lost lease and move…Toledo started serving from the top floor of the newly opened Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs…Chef’s Table and Tasting Room owners Laurie and Kevin Tarter took over Winter Garden’s Attic Door, expanded the menu and increased their culinary kingdom…American Social, a South Florida sports bar, took up residence on Restaurant Row…Hook & Reel started reeling in seafood fans in West Orlando…Tori Tori Pub, from Domu’s Sonny Nguyen, forever changed the notion of what bar food should be…Alex’s Fresh Kitchen changed the notion of what a cafe should be…And Proper & Wild and Hungry Pants fuel the plant-based cuisine craze.

Notable Revisits

Tasting Table is a partnership project between Scott Joseph’s Orlando Restaurant Guide and WFTV-Channel 9’s Inside Central Florida presented by Wild Florida. You can see all of the Tasting Table episodes and other icFlorida videos by downloading the WFTV Now app, available on Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire devices. Just search WFTV in your app store.

 In this edition of Tasting Table, Scott visits the Winter Park plant-based restaurant Proper & Wild to sample the food and chat with owner Chelsie Savage. Here’s a link to Scott’s review of Proper & Wild. Click Read More to see the video.

I like giving gifts for the holidays and I’m always careful to choose one for myself. I figure I’m worth it. If you’re the same way, I have just the thing for you: a trip to Tuscany.

Art In Voyage – Beyond Travel’s Food Secrets of Tuscany trip that I’m hosting next year is almost sold out. Only one room remains. Why not give it to yourself and come along?

We’ll start in lovely Florence with a food tour and a cooking class. And I have some favorite neighborhood spots I want to show you there. We’ll also go truffle hunting in the Arezzo region, visit Siena and Montepulciano, and stay at the luxurious Il Borro estate. There will be wine tastings, too, and two of our dinners will be at Michelin starred restaurants.

The dates for the journey are May 30 through June 6, and you can always extend to explore beyond Tuscany.

If you’ve never been to Tuscany, you owe to yourself to go. And if you’ve been, it’s time to go back.

Check the Art In Voyage – Beyond Travel website for details and booking information.