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Takeout Reviews and Other Stuff

Written By Scott Joseph On April 23, 2020

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News from the Flog  

Recent Takeout Reviews

Takeout Review: Taverna Opa and Tapa Toro

Tapa takeout pickup

Two of my favorite International Drive restaurants, Taverna Opa and Tapa Toro have reopened after being closed a month and are offering curbside pickup from the menus of both restaurants out of the Tapa Toro space.

That’s good news to anyone who can’t decide between Greek and Spanish – now you can have both.

I placed a phone order as soon as I heard the restaurants were back open. I requested an appetizer of Spanish Tortilla from the Tapa menu and entrees of Kleftiko and Pastitsio from Taverna’s menu.

Tapa Toro is located at Icon Park, under the Ferris wheel. A table and tent has been set up near the driveway in the center of the complex, within view of the restaurant but far enough away as to discourage anyone from going inside. So customers just need to pull up to the tent, call inside and let them know you’re there for your order. When it’s ready, someone will bring it out to you. And if you do as I did and authorize payment with gratuity on your credit card in advance, the server can just place the order in the trunk and you’re good to go, contact free.

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Takeout Review: Tamale Co.

Tamale takeout truck

Some of the more enterprising restaurants aren’t just sitting by the phone waiting for takeout orders to come in. Instead, facing the prospect of going out of business, they are going out for business, targeting neighborhoods and turning takeout to bring-in cuisine.

4 Rivers Smokehouse is doing that. On the Saturday before Easter, the popular barbecuerie set up a van and tent in downtown Orlando’s Bel Air neighborhood where residents could pick up preordered dinner packages. It turned out to be a big hit with the neighbors.

And because the people who organized the pickup with 4 Rivers also invited the next-door neighborhood of Lancaster Park to participate, Lancaster Park returned the favor the following week when it arranged preordered pickups with the Tamale Co. Never mind that the rendezvous site in Lancaster was almost as close as Tamale Co.’s restaurant in the Hourglass District; it was a nice gesture nonetheless.

And I was happy to participate.

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 Other Stuff

Have an NFL Draft Watch Party at Home with Amso Eats

Amso exterior

What would you do on NFL Draft Day in a normal year? I’m guessing you’d head to a sports bar to watch the proceedings with other football fans while eating some wings or pizza and chugging a few beers.

Well, you can’t. Not this year. But the draft is going on anyway, on Thursday, April 23, with the fully optimistic belief that there will indeed be a season this fall.

So let’s pretend right along. And instead of going to a sports bar, let’s do the next best thing and order some wings, pizzas and beers from American Social, the usually bustling sports themed bar and kitchen on Restaurant Row.

Amso has put together some special packages for NFL Draft Day to help you create a sports bar in your very own isolation chamber. The packages, shown below, include wings, pizza, pretzel sticks with beer cheese and, most importantly, beer. You can get the 1st Overall Pick or the Sleeper Pick, which are the same thing with different amounts. You can also just go to the Draft Board and order a la carte. I like the option of buying an extra six beers for 10 bucks

It’s best to preorder your package by calling Amso at 407-454-9992. Then on Thursday, during the show, take a picture of your draft party – no outside invitees, please – and tag American Social on Instagram – you could win a $50 Amso gift card. That’ll get you a bunch of beers.

Or you could hang on to the card and treat some friends at American Social this fall for the season opener kickoff.

Here are the menu options:

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Bullet Point Buffet: Memories Edition

Kona contact free

  • In an effort to allay concerns, Kona Poké is promising a one hundred percent no-contact food prep guarantee for its takeout orders. KP assures its customers that fresh gloves are used for each order and that employees routinely sanitize their hands. And it is checking its employees’ temperature before they begin their shift. But all restaurants offering takeout these days are doing that, aren’t they? Please tell me they are. Anyway, the press release announcing the guarantee reminded me of a television commercial when I was a kid. I don’t remember what the ad was selling but I remember its tagline: Untouched by human hands.

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Dining Options: Delivery, Takeout, Curbside Pickup

Takeout sack

Central Florida restaurants are adapting to the changing strictures being imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here are details that some of your favorite restaurants want you to know regarding how they’re dealing with the crisis and what they’re doing to keep their kitchens busy and people fed.

We’ll share the information from other restaurants as it becomes available, so check back often.

Each entry has the information that was submitted by the restaurant, including, where available, hours of operation and links to menus. In most cases, menus are limited. All information – including menus posted here – is subject to change so be sure to check with the restaurant before ordering.

Key: TO=Takeout, D=Delivery, CP=Curbside Pickup

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 Taproom curbside

 
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We hope you find our reviews and news articles useful and entertaining. It has always been our goal to assist you in making informed decisions when spending your dining dollars. If we’ve helped you in any way, please consider making a contribution to help us continue our journalism. Thank you.

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