On the Road, Again...

Located in a large shopping mall, it would be easy to miss this place...

I'm in Orlando on a brief business trip, supporting a Camber proposal effort.  Whenever I travel I look for those little out-of-the-way restaurants that the locals frequent.  One of my favorites was El Coyote right here in Orlando.  So I invited my nephew David and his wife Laura to join me there on Monday night.  Sadly, El Coyote has bitten the Florida dust.  We did have a delightful dinner at the Bahama Breeze, a Caribbean restaurant owned and operated by the same organization that runs the Olive Garden chain.

The portions are generous and the food is
very well prepared.
What more could you ask for?

I began my quest to find another small, local Cuban/Caribbean restaurant.  An Internet search uncovered several but one had especially high ratings and very favorable comments.  Last night I tried it, the "Rice & Beans Cocina Latina."  It was wonderful.  I came right back to the hotel and wrote this review on Urban Spoon,

"My New Favorite Restaurant!

by Bob Mead

While visiting Orlando I decided to search for some Cuban cuisine. Rice & Beans Cocina Latina had good ratings so I went there for dinner. On the recommendation of one of the very courteous staff members, I decided to have the "dinner special." It consisted of two types of rice (done to perfection), fried plantains, steamed yucca, and pork with a mild garlic sauce that I selected from a wide variety of meats. I also had Cuban expresso (fabulous!) and a cheese-based flan that was absolutely spectacular. What more can I say? I'll be back there tomorrow."

And so, according to plan, I went back.  Tonight I had a spiced roast chicken dish along with a variety of rice and beans.  I did a repeat of the Cuban expresso but decided I really didn't need the flan.  Again, everything was beautifully prepared and most flavorful.

Highly recommended!