Month: August 2026

The Corner Pizza Bar

The Corner Pizza Bar (https://thecornerpizzabar.com/) is a super-casual pizzeria and bar in downtown Orlando, located at 150 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801.  It is one of the closest restaurants within walking distance to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and I was on my way to a show when I met a friend, his girlfriend, and another friend of his there for dinner.  They were kind enough to invite me to join them, or otherwise, I would have gone straight from work to the concert, skipping dinner and some really pleasant human contact with really pleasant humans.  I wasn’t expecting the pizza would be so good, either!

First of all, I liked that The Corner Pizza Bar was kind of dark and somewhat cavernous inside.  I love restaurants like this, where you aren’t being blinded by bright light and don’t feel like other diners are right on top of you.  This was late June, when the World Cup was happening, so most people in there were watching socc… um, footba… nah, whatever, soccer on the large-screen TVs.  We were just there to eat and chat before seeing the brilliant British singer-songwriter-piano player Joe Jackson, an underrated musical legend who has been reinventing himself since the late ’70s.  Yes, he’s still around, and he’s still got it.

Since this has been my year of cutting carbs and losing weight, I figured I was at a new pizzeria, so I might as well treat myself and try their pizza.  I appreciate any pizzeria that sells slices, so I went with a plain cheese slice.  Toppings are fine, but you can really size up a pizzeria and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses by ordering a plain slice and enjoying it on the premises.  Well, for one thing, this slice was HUGE.  At a glance, it reminded me of Lazy Moon Pizza, that Orlando institution with three locations that I have a lot of nostalgic love for.  But I thought The Corner’s slice was much better than Lazy Moon — more like a traditional thin and crispy New York slice. 
I appreciated that the crust wasn’t burnt to a crisp, the cheese was melty, and the robust sauce didn’t feel like an afterthought.  Of course I fold my slices, and this one flopped a little due to sheer size, but it did not affect my enjoyment at all.  It was a lot better than some of the better-known and highly vaunted local pizzerias, I can tell you that.

The other thing I ordered was my other go-to at any pizzeria: a Sicilian slice.  I love Sicilian pizza more than anyone else I know, again due to nostalgia.  I would always get one of these thick, rectangular slices at Cozzoli’s Pizza at the Dadeland Mall food court as a kid in the ’80s, and I’ve been chasing that high ever since.  It is nothing like Chicago-style deep dish pizza, and it is less greasy than the rectangular slices of a Detroit-style pan pizza with its caramelized cheese “frico” edges.  I love that the Sicilian crust is crispy on the bottom, but underneath the mozzarella cheese and thick tomato sauce, it is pillowy soft.  This was a fantastic Sicilian slice, especially in a city where not enough pizzerias offer this option.  I have no complaints, no nitpicks.  

My friend and his girlfriend ordered this calzone to share with each other, but when they started getting full, they asked if I wanted any.  Since we were all heading to the concert, I took it upon myself to finish it, and I have no regrets for stepping up.  I don’t always go crazy for calzones, but this one had a nice, light crust brushed with garlic butter.  Some places overbake them so the crust becomes a bland, dry impediment, rather than an enjoyable component of the finished product.  They chose meatballs to go inside, along with the mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, and I forget what else, but you can’t ever go wrong with meatballs at an Italian restaurant.  I honestly prefer them to pepperoni or sausage as a pizza topping — either sliced or crumbled.  And if you don’t know, now you know!

I have to admit, I avoid going to downtown Orlando whenever possible, after two hectic years of working down there, twenty years ago.  The parking can be a nightmare, although I paid extra for guaranteed parking in a garage for the Joe Jackson concert, and that put me mere steps away from The Corner Pizza Bar.  The nighttime crowds can be intense and intimidating, but this was a quiet Monday night.  It’s just a schlep in general, or else I would consider returning to The Corner Pizza Bar somewhat regularly.  But next time I attend a concert downtown, I will absolutely go back for a pre-show dinner.  The pizza and calzone were better than they had any right to be, the good conversation with friends old and new elevated the entire meal even higher, and then I got to see a musical legend perform for the first time.  The Corner Pizza Bar helped make that a memorable, magical Monday.

Guelaguetza (Los Angeles)

Guelaguetza (https://www.ilovemole.com/) is an Oaxacan Mexican restaurant in L.A.’s Koreatown, founded by chef-owner Bricia Lopez.  I first became aware of her as one of the guests on celebrity chef David Chang’s Netflix series Dinner Time Live, where he cooks for famous friends on an actual live (recorded) show from a set somewhere in L.A.  She was vivacious and telegenic, with a big, fun personality.  It almost seemed like she was auditioning for a cooking show of her own without even trying, and she really should get one.  I had never heard of her before, but I thought she had everything it takes to become a household name.  I looked Bricia Lopez up online, found out her parents founded Guelaguetza in 1994, they serve ancient family recipes, and she has even authored two Oaxacan cookbooks.  After reading the menu, I had been wanting to go there ever since.

I actually work and stay in Koreatown on my occasional work trips to L.A., but I mapped out the route, and it was too far to walk from either my work site or my hotel, and public transportation wouldn’t take me there easily.  Plus, I knew if I went there solo, there were so many things I would want to try, and the main thing I wanted would just be too much for a single diner.  I honestly don’t eat as much as I used to, I swear!  But I’m writing this review the day I had lunch at Guelaguetza with two of my wonderful local work colleagues.  I had been bugging them to go out to lunch with me, of course I had a list of suggestions, and this place was the most appealing to everyone.  It was the first time for all of us, and needless to say, everyone was thrilled.

We all ordered sparkling aguas frescas: lemon (left) and passion fruit (right).  I am deeply skeptical of any Mexican restaurants that don’t offer aguas frescas in at least a couple of different flavors.  I admit I like them better when they aren’t sparkling, but they were still nice and refreshing.  No free refills, though.

Freshly fried tortilla chips weren’t salted, but they were nice and crunchy and not too greasy.  They were topped with crumbled queso fresco and a thick, rich dark red sauce I figured was a type of mole.  It wasn’t spicy, but it was very savory and had a hint of chocolate.  More on that later, I swear!

My colleague suggested we order the molcajete de guacamole Oaxaqueño.  It wasn’t made tableside, but that’s really not necessary for me.  It was thinner guacamole than I’m used to, but it was so fresh and bright-tasting, with fresh lime, topped with cilantro, serrano peppers, diced tomatoes, and crumbled queso fresco, and it came with another order of (plain) chips.My well-traveled colleague said an authentic molcajete (the mortar bowl that guacamole and salsa are often mixed and served in, usually made of volcanic basalt rock) would have been in the shape of a pig, but that was news to me.  As a Florida Man, I’ve eaten plenty of Mexican food, but I’ve never seen a pig-shaped molcajete at any of our Mexican restaurants.  Of course, I’ve never found a Oaxacan restaurant anywhere in Florida!

This massive platter was the tlayuda Guelaguetza.  A tlayuda is a 15” crispy corn tortilla, handmade in Oaxaca from heirloom corn and grilled over fire.   It was layered with bean and chicharrón spread (mmmm, pork rinds), shredded cabbage, quesillo (salty shredded Oaxacan cheese), queso fresco (crumbled fresh cheese), pork cecina, pork chorizo, and beef tasajo.  The tlayuda itself was cut into slices like a pizza to make it easier to eat, and we just shared the meats. 

This is the pork cecina, pork loin that is rubbed or marinated in chile paste, pounded very thin, and air-dried before being grilled.  It was a bit dry, but it had so much flavor.

The chorizo sausage on the left may not be the most appetizing-looking, but it was one of my favorite things we tried at this sumptuous lunch.  Each round link was dark red on the inside, firm and slightly crumbly, and they could be easily cut or pulled apart.  It was much less greasy than any other Mexican chorizo I’ve ever had (I love chorizo, but it always drenches everything in orange grease, except this one), and the outer casing had a nice snappiness.  The beef tasajo on the right was salt-cured, pounded thin, air-dried, and grilled.  It tasted like really good carne asada, but was closer in consistency to high-quality beef jerky (just not as dry).

The thing I had been dying to try ever since discovering Chef Lopez and Guelaguetza was the Festival de Moles, a sampler of four different moles, the specialty of the house.  But that would be way too much food for one man, especially staying in a hotel room.  I was thrilled that my colleagues decided to join me, so we could share all this deliciousness.  The moles came on a long wooden serving board in four separate bowls that were all a lot deeper than they first appeared to be.  These first two were laden with pieces of boneless pork spare ribs.  On the left you see mole rojo, a “rich, spiced red mole featuring chilhuacle rojo and ancho chiles, heirloom tomatoes, toasted almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, and aromatic spices.”  Despite the chiles, it was more savory than spicy.On the right you see mole estofado, a “mild almond-based mole balanced with raisins, olives, and pickled jalapeños, creating a uniquely sweet and savory profile.”  I didn’t fully read these descriptions until after we ate, so I never would have guessed it was almond-based, but I can tell you I’ve never had anything quite like it.  I thought the raisins and olives were interesting additions, especially because both of them end up in Cuban picadillo, a seasoned ground beef dish that otherwise has nothing in common with mole estofado, or any mole.

These other two moles came stuffed with shredded chicken breast.  On the left, you see mole negro, Guelaguetza’s “signature smoky black mole crafted from chilhuacle negro, ancho chiles, toasted almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, and traditional spices.”  This was another banger.  On the right, you see mole coloradito, the same mole served on our complimentary chips at the beginning of the meal.  It is a “sweet and mildly spicy mole with guajillo chiles, toasted almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, spices, and a subtle hint of chocolate.”

Damn, son.  I’ve tried a few mole dishes in my lifetime, but only ever thought they were okay.  I’ve even bought a jarred, pre-made version that was terrible.  I don’t think I could even finish the jar, which hurts, because I hate wasting food, but I couldn’t do it.  But these four moles were not just streets ahead, but worlds apart.  They were so rich and complex, I have never tasted anything like them, and I doubt I ever will again.  If you go to Guelaguetza, I strongly recommend ordering one of these moles, or ideally, drag friends and share this Festival de Moles.

Even the veggie rice that came with our Festival of Moles was delicious, although we couldn’t finish it.

My other colleague ordered something else I had my eye on: the memelita sampler with five memelitas, small corn tortillas each topped individually with chicharrón spread and queso fresco, with additional different toppings on each one.  From left to right, they were topped with pork cecina, nopal (cactus) salad, beef tasajo, quesillo (fresh, shredded, salty Oaxacan cheese, with the consistency of mozzarella string cheese), and papa con chorizo (diced potatoes with crumbled sausage), kind of like corned beef hash, but so much more flavorful.   
I ended up eating most of the nopal salad memelita, and it was wonderful. Again, I’ve had pickled nopal cactus from Florida taqueria salsa bars and even out of a can, but these were fresh, and there is nothing quite like them, especially combined with the flavor of fresh diced tomatoes on top.  They reminded me a bit of fiddlehead ferns, but maybe just texture-wise.

My female colleague’s birthday was the next day, so of course I had to mention it to our server.  He brought her a complimentary piece of flan with a candle and three spoons, and we serenaded her with “Feliz cumpleaños a ti” (or “Happy birthday to you” in Spanish).  I’m not a flan guy — never have been, even after growing up in Miami — but even I could appreciate this rich, decadent flan. 

So anyway, that’s how you should do Guelaguetza.  The three of us ordered a lot of food and still ended up with a bunch of leftovers, most of which I schlepped back to my hotel room, since at least I have a fridge and a microwave here.  It wouldn’t have been the same going alone, especially because I would not have been able to try so many of Chef Bricia Lopez’s mind-blowing Oaxacan dishes.  And the way the three of us ordered, I think we really maximized being able to taste as many different things on the menu as possible.  Props to them for having such good taste and being willing to share.  Plus, these two are always great company, and I’m grateful to be able to work with them and see them two or three times a year.

Several publications have named Guelaguetza one of the best restaurants in Koreatown, one of the best Mexican restaurants in all of L.A., and one of the best Oaxacan restaurants in the world, if not the best.  It deserves all of those fabulous superlatives and more, and it’s a huge, festive, fun place — perfect for a celebratory dinner or just a weekday lunch with co-workers you actually like.  Angelenos have no shortage of Mexican restaurants to choose from, but in my three years of traveling out to L.A., I am sure I’ve tried two of the best in the city: Holbox and now Guelaguetza.

Sushi Rock and Grill

Last time I donated blood in Altamonte Springs, I was feeling quite empty, so I decided to drive across the street and treat myself to an all-you-can-eat sushi lunch at Sushi Rock and Grill (https://www.sushirockorlando.com/), one of the many recently opened all-you-can-eat sushi spots in and around Orlando.  On the weekends, lunch is the same price as dinner: $35, but I feel like I got my money’s worth.  Plus, there are more options on the dinner menu than the weekday lunch menu, which normally costs $22.  There is also an a la carte option for people who don’t want to eat all they can eat.

I started out with two of my all-you-can-eat sushi standards: some smoked salmon and mackerel sashimi, my tribute to Ashkenazi Jewish appetizing stores that specialize in cold-smoked nova salmon and pickled herring.  I love mackerel sashimi, because it is usually lightly vinegary and slightly sweet, just liked pickled herring in wine sauce.  You get two pieces per order of each, so I got two orders here.On the a la carte menu, an order of smoked salmon is $7 and an order of mackerel sashimi is $5, so this along would cost $24 ($7 + $7 + $5 + $5).  I’m going to keep a running tally so you can see what a great deal this is.

I followed that with some small plates from the Sushi Bar Appetizers menu.  This is another dish I love at any Japanese restaurant, even though it was created in Los Angeles in the 1980s: spicy tuna crispy rice.  These deep-fried mounds of rice are topped with spicy tuna, masago (the bright orange, salty fish eggs), scallions, and a sweet chili cream sauce.  These are always perfect bites of food with so many great textures as well as flavors.   
On the a la carte menu, this would be $10, so everything I ordered so far would be a total of $34.

This was salmon passion, thinly sliced salmon in a mango-passion fruit sauce.
This isn’t listed on the a la carte menu on the website, but very similar appetizers like the salmon tango are $12, so I’ll use that as a guideline.  Now everything I ordered so far would be a total of $46.

This is the spicy tostada: an order of three crispy wonton skins topped with spicy tuna or salmon (I think I asked if I could get a little of each), guacamole, fresh jalapeño curls, masago, sweet chili cream sauce, and eel sauce.  These were more perfect bites of food.
On the a la carte menu, this would be $11, so everything I ordered so far would be a total of $57.

Then all four of my rolls came out at the same time.  Hopefully I can remember them all!

This was the Captain America roll, which was labeled “BEST” on the menu.  I’m not sure of the connection, but I couldn’t resist a roll named after my second-favorite Marvel superhero.  This roll contains tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and avocado and was topped with “white fish” (probably escolar) and miso sauce.  To paraphrase Steve Rogers, I could eat this all day.   There is also a Spider-Man roll, so you could always have a sushi superhero crossover.
On the a la carte menu, this would be $14, so everything I ordered so far would be a total of $71.

This was the tropical salmon roll (also labeled “BEST”), with salmon, cream cheese, and mango inside the roll and topped with more salmon, sweet and tangy mango sauce, and “rice crackers” (those tiny round spheres, which added a really pleasant crispy crunch).On the a la carte menu, this would be $14, so everything I ordered so far would be a total of $85.

This was the summer crunch roll, with spicy tuna inside the roll, topped with spicy salmon, jalapeño, eel sauce, and “crunch” — referring to the crispy tempura flakes.  I loved everything about this roll.
On the a la carte menu, this would be $13, so everything I ordered so far would be a total of $98.

This was my last choice, the crazy combination they call the Buffalo jalapeño roll.  It contains a deep-fried stuffed jalapeño with spicy tuna, escolar, and cream cheese inside the roll, and it is topped with eel sauce, chili sauce, spicy mayo, and more crunch tempura flakes.  I love spicy food, but for me, this was delicious rather than challenging, uncomfortable levels of heat.   
On the a la carte menu, this would be $13, so everything I ordered so far would be a total of $111.

Since I didn’t get a good angle earlier, here’s a close-up of the cross-section so you can see all the good stuff inside.

So I paid $35 (plus tip, of course, always!) for what would be $111 worth of food, had I ordered everything separately.  I was starving and regaining my strength after donating blood, so I came to play and played to win.  But you can see what a bargain Sushi Rock and Grill and similar all-you-can-eat sushi establishments like Sushi Yama and Sushi Island are.  How would I compare them?  Even though everything was good here, I don’t think I enjoyed the experience as much because the restaurant was almost empty, and I still got seated right next to a really loud, obnoxious table, so that affected my enjoyment of the meal itself.  But the sushi was super-solid, so  I have no doubt I will return.

Tuun (at Sea Thai)

Tuun (https://www.instagram.com/tuunorlando/) is essentially a restaurant operating within a restaurant, at Sea Thai (https://seathaiorlando.com/), located at 3812 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.  Sea Thai has been in that location near the Fashion Square Mall and Orlando’s Milk District neighborhood since 2007), so it was still new in the early days of my old job, when I had lunch there a few times.  I don’t know why I never worked it into my regular rotation, because it was always solid.

But I had been dying to get back over there to try the special menu offered at Tuun, coming out of the same kitchen as all of Sea Thai’s regular dishes.  It’s the brainchild of Chef Jack Jone Tawa Chavitranurak, the brother of the owner of Sea Thai.  He started Tuun in 2020, so it took far too many years to finally try it, but better later than never.

We got together with a super-cool couple for dinner (literally the coolest people we know), and it was the first time we’ve ever had a chance to sit and eat and chat, all four of us.  You see, I would run into them on the rare times I go anywhere cool or do anything fun in Orlando, first meeting them at a Kyle Kinane show at The Abbey in Thornton Park, then at Neko Case at the Beacham in downtown Orlando, then at J.G. Thirlwell at the Timucua White House, and I saw him flying solo at a Surfragettes show at Will’s Pub and a couple of comic conventions.  We’ve also had lunch at Black Bean Deli and Isan Zaap Thai Cafe before.  I’d always come home raving about how cool they are, and my wife finally met this mythical couple when we all saw Fred Armisen perform at The Abbey last year.  We’ve been wanting to hang out with them in a place we could talk and hear each other ever since, and we finally made it happen at Sea Thai!

Our friends ordered these spring rolls off the regular Sea Thai menu to start with.  They are filled with glass noodles and mixed vegetables, fried in their tightly rolled wrappers until crispy, and served with plum sauce for dipping.

And here is a shot of the Tuun menu, since it isn’t on the Sea Thai website, and there isn’t a Tuun website:

This is the watermelon salad, two round watermelon slices topped with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, fried shallots, and chili watermelon dressing.  Both couples ordered a watermelon salad to share, and I think everyone liked it a lot.  My wife enjoyed it even more than I.

This was the roti, a crispy, crackly fried savory pastry topped with boneless beef short rib curry, chili oil, kaffir lime, and fried shallots.  It felt so much more delicate than the flaky, buttery roti canai that everyone always orders at Hawkers Asian Street Fare.  I’m not convinced the roti at Hawkers isn’t a frozen version, since I’ve bought very similar ones at Asian and Indian markets around Orlando.  But there is nothing like this roti anywhere, I promise you that!My wife has really been expanding her palate since some surviving some medical issues earlier this summer, and she loves trying new foods more than ever before, which is a joy to watch.  She was undaunted by the short rib curry, something she never would have messed with before, but it wasn’t spicy, just flavorful.

The roti was served with cool, crisp cucumbers and some thin-sliced red onions pickled in sweet vinegar.  As a fan of so many things pickled and vinegary, I just loved this.  It worked well for cutting the salty, fatty, spicy qualities of the other dishes. 

My wife is always an octopus lover, and she chose this beautiful, lightly grilled octopus tentacle, served with mango salad, fried shallots, cashews, and garlic lime dressing. 

I ordered the Tuun noodles, assuming we would split them, but she didn’t really want any.  They were very similar to drunken noodles, also known as pad kee mao or pad kee mow, one of my all-time favorite Thai dishes, and these were served with spicy braised beef, bell pepper, basil, and a big fried egg in the middle.  They come with mushrooms too, but I asked our server to hold the mushrooms.  I’m sorry I didn’t take another photo to include a view of the flat, wide noodles, but you can kinda-sorta make them out around 6:00.  Funny thing, my wife and our friends thought I ordered “tuna noodles” and were surprised when I mentioned beef.  I remember eating tuna noodle casserole as a kid, but these Tuun noodles are a world apart from that.  Drunken noodle lovers (by which I mean lovers of drunken noodles), don’t sleep on these.

And now, seared duck confit, a dish my wife and I both loved.  She’s a superfan of it now, served with more of those fried shallots and tangy-sweet tamarind sauce.  I now realize it was supposed to come with fried eggs, but they left them out.  We didn’t even notice at the time, but the duck legs were so rich and decadent, cooked to perfection, that we were distracted. 

A few weeks later, we had to return to Sea Thai ourselves to go through that Tuun menu again and revisit some of those killer dishes.  My wife started with a creamy, smoky Thai iced tea, and this time I remembered to get a picture of it.

This was very much a “greatest hits” meal, because we couldn’t stop thinking about it.  I think my photo of the watermelon salad came out better this time.  But she loved it so much, I let her have it all.

I think my roti photi (sorry, photo) came out better this time as well.

And the sweet, pickled cucumbers were even more delicious and refreshing this time.

She got the duck confit again, and this time they included the egg, which were jammy in the center and lightly fried. 

Me being me, I had to switch it up this time, so I tried Tuun’s stir-fried soft shell crab, with tom yum powder, kaffir lime, fried garlic, and fried shallots.  I always like crispy soft shell crab, especially at Thai restaurants, and I was not disappointed.  The sauce had a bit of tangy sweetness, maybe also from tamarind (I think the menu was the same on this second visit, but it didn’t mention it), and I swear I tasted ginger as well.   

Here’s another angle on the soft shell crab dish:

We will definitely keep returning to Sea Thai for those Tuun specialties, and next time, I might actually order some things off the regular menu.  I noticed they have khao soi noodles, which I fell in love with at Thailicious in Longwood last year.  But I tell ya, if you go to Sea Thai on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday evening, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t sample some of the dishes off the special Tuun menu.  We are huge fans now, and I can’t imagine anyone could sample these gorgeous plates and not be blown away by their presentation and perfection.