Smokemade Meats + Eats will softly open its new permanent home beginning Friday, Mar. 22. It will open at 11 a.m. and close when it runs out of food. So, I don’t know…noon, maybe? Anyway, if you want to try it in its first days, get there early. Pitmaster Tyler Brunache has been serving his Texas-style barbecue in a popup fashion over the past few years. Smokemade took over the former PIzza Hut hut at 1400 S. Crystal Lake Drive, Orlando, in the Curry Ford West District that most recently had been Italian House Pizza & Restaurant. Smokemade’s website currently lists hours only Friday through Sunday.
Dolce, a Thornton Park cafe, has closed. Actually this might be considered old news because it has not been open for several months. But according to a post on its social media, the closing was only temporary – a soft closing, if you will. Make that a hard closing now.
Deadwords Brewery is headed that way, too. The Parramore District beermaker announced on its Facebook page that it would close permanently on April 27, “or earlier if circumstances require.” Probably not a huge surprise seeing as how it announced last October that it would file to restructure under Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
How about some happier news? The folks at the Local Hen, the chickeneria at Oviedo’s Food Factory Foodie Collective, will host a live cooking demonstration on April 3 as part of its Wine Down Wednesday event. There will be samples of jalapeño Poppers, Gouda Chorizo Mac n Cheese and Key Lime Cheesecake from 6 to 8 p.m. (while supplies last, so, I don’t know…6:45?).
Speaking of chicken, Huey Magoo’s, the Orlando “born and breaded” (get it?) chicken tenders tender, will christen its new corporate training store in Lake Nona on Tuesday, Mar. 26, at 10:30 a.m. It’s the sixtieth company-owned restaurant for the 20-year-old business. It also has 265 franchises in 13 states. The new location is at 9470 Narcoossee Road, Orlando.
The 12th annual Pints n’ Paws Craft Beer Festival is Saturday, Mar. 23, from 1 to 6 p.m. in Historic Downtown Sanford, which is sponsoring the event along with the West End Trading Co., Celery City Craft and Wild Wild West End. Information I have doesn’t say where specifically, but I’m guessing you can just head for downtown and follow the barking. The event features beers from 100 breweries, more than a dozen food trucks and live music. Tickets are $50 to $65 and can be purchased online. Proceeds go to local animal charities.
