November 29, 2012

Josie’s Pizza & Wings ^Reply

I have been out on the search for the best Buffalo wings in town for quite sometime. I tried the wings from all the usual suspects or most of the usual suspects in town. I went to Hooters, Wing House, Buffalo Wild Wings, Ale House, Millers Field, tried the smoked wings at 4 Rivers, Flyers, Bloodhound Brew and just too many other bars and restaurants to list. Why? Simply because I wanted to find the best Wings in town.

After trying place after place sports bar after sports bar dives diners and drives after dives diners and drives I kept coming back to one place for the Wings. I am talking about Josie’s Pizza and Wings. Josie’s Pizza & Wings is located on South Hiawassee Rd in the Metro West area.

These wings $8.99 (10) was succulent, crispy and are fried to perfection and are made to order every time. Just like the 1964 buffalo style recipe Josie’s Wings are not breaded. Their rich buffalo sauce is made fresh on the premises daily. This recipe and their wings at Josie’s are the closest thing to the actual Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY. These wings are that good in my humble opinion. I also equally loved their Butter Garlic wings. They were fried to the requested well done, extra crispy. You could taste the butter and garlic flavors with every bite. The wings are simply very good! The service was attentive and friendly on all visits, the staff members seemed genuinely happy to be there. All the HDTVs are centrally located, great viewing in all areas of the restaurant. Great place to watch your favorite game. They have a regular bar area when you first walk in on the left. They have plenty of high tops and regular table seating. They only serve beer and wine only. Parking was fine no issues. Priced right always a plus.

This sports bar is not your average sports bar located in Metro West. Josie’s Pizza & Wings has been around for 20 yrs. There are reasons for this. They make a good quality pizza pie and they make the “Best” wings in town. Forget about it!! Why go to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY when we have Josie’s!

Josie’s is located at 1225 South Hiawassee Rd, Orlando, Fl 32835.

Ph# – 407-296-4009

They are open Mon-Thur 11am-11pm. Friday 11am-12am. Sunday 11am-11pm.

Website= www.josiespizza.com

My runner up for Best Wings in town was from Bloodhound Brew. Bloodhound Brew is located at the corner of Kirkman Rd and Conroy Rd. I really like their Grilled Wings. I had mine made with their Bloodhound style sauce

www.bloodhoundbrew.com

November 27, 2011

Prato ^Reply

Tags: italian food, italian food winter park, italian restaurant, pizza orlando, pizza winter park

I am usually hesitant to write about a new establishment. I like to give them time to work out the kinks. However, I decided to give Prato a early try anyway. It has been open for a few weeks at this point. Prato is the new Italian restaurant located on Park Ave in Winter Park. It is always a treat to hang out on Orlando’s version of Rodeo Drive especially when it comes to dining.

Prato is inspired by plates crafted from market fresh ingredients and proudly prepared in a Acunto oak burning oven. It’s my understanding these ovens were imported from directly from Italy. On that thought this place is serious about making pizza and other Italian dishes. Those are very special ovens. More about Prato . … Prato celebrates cuisine from Italy’s rich culinary landscape, seamlessly blending Italian classics with modern techniques and seasonal ingredients. The warm space welcomes guests with its contemporary design balanced by rustic elements, including a long bar, which encourages a vibrant and communal atmosphere. With its window-paned doors and year round patio seating, Prato emphasizes the “Park” of Park Avenue.

The Prato team are not newbie’s to the restaurant business. The chef and team also run the popular and successful Luma on Park Ave. So this team is seasoned and understands what it takes to create a brand.

My guest and I started off with the Chicken Wing Candito $9. The whole wings were baked and prepared with lemon, parsley, and calabrian chile peppers. I asked for all drummetes but they only prepare them one way. One starter that I can’t wait to try is the meatballs $12. They looked really good.

Since I am fan of their ovens from Italy I had to try Prato’s pizza. I went with the Positano $15 (all the pizzas are one size one price). The Positano pizza is prepared with mussels, clams, shrimp, pancetta tesa, castelvetrano olive. If you like pizza, and if you like seafood, this is a combo you might want to try. This is also the only place in the Orlando area I know of that serves a authentic seafood style of pizza. It is not uncommon in NY and CT but I rarely see it served in Cen Fl.

I also tried the Margherita Pizza. This was the best of the pizzas I sampled. This pizza came with mozzarella, passata pomodro, and fresh local basil. The sauce and cheese had the right balance with the fresh basil. This was a good pie, especially for the Orlando area I might add. But don’t think of Prato as just another pizza joint. Prato even serves dishes like Rabbit Cacciatore and Duck bolo (Italian style), ok did those dishes grab your attention? Their menu is quite interesting and diverse, in a good way. It has something for everyone.

I also really like the atmosphere in Prato. It has a very nice bar, it has TVs around the bar. They also offer seating outside so you can do some people watching. I found it to be a very neat place to hang out at.

We were there on a very busy nite and for a place that just opened the service passed the exam. Parking is always tricky around Park Ave, but you will always find a spot.

Prato is located at 124 N Park Ave, Winter Park, Fl. Currently they are serving Dinner 5:30-11:00 Mon-Sat, Sun 5:30-10:00. Lunch is Wed-Sun 11-3.

Ph # 407-262-00250.

website – www.prato-wp.com