Keke's Breakfast Cafe

345 West Fairbanks Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
407-629-1400
View Website Here

Keke’s Breakfast Cafe has always been a favorite of a lot of people I have spoke to over the years, but I never got around to trying them out until a few weeks ago. If you are not familiar with Keke’s they are a small chain of breakfast and lunch only restaurants that opens at 7:00 am and closes at 2:00 pm. Currently there are 13 locations with more soon to open throughout Central Florida.

Breakfast covers the usual line up of omelets, pancakes, waffles, french toast etc. Lunch includes selections of burgers, wraps, and a variety of sandwiches and paninis. All of the food at Keke’s is handmade, using quality ingredients and fresh fruits and vegetables that are delivered daily and served up in a clean environment with great service.

The food here can best be described as American comfort food with a gourmet twist. On my visit we did breakfast items only, and selected a few dishes. All of our food was excellent. It was crowded when we arrived around 11:00 and we were told there would be a wait of fifteen minutes, but we only waited about five minutes.

The Home Fries with Bacon and Cheddar Cheese were pretty awesome, and are really great for a hangover remedy. This comes in a large enough portion that if you just wanted to order this only, you would be satisfied.

The Southwest Omelet is filled with tomatoes, onion, jalapeño and pepper jack cheese, petal sauce and is served with salsa a side of home fries and your choice of bread. This was omelette was fluffy and tasty with a touch of spice.

I ordered the “Create Your Own Combo” with French toast, two eggs sunny side up and two strips of bacon. The French toast at Keke’s is not to be missed. I only had the basic regular version, and it was among the best French toast I have had. I hear that the stuffed versions are pretty spectacular as well.

Whatever part of town you are in, look up the nearest Keke’s Breakfast Cafe location the next time you are in the mood for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or whatever you want to call it. There is a reason they have won Orlando Weekly’s Best Of Orlando award for breakfast two times in three years.

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McFadden's

8291 International Drive

Orlando FL. 32819

407-930-2550

View Website Here

Ever since the Orlando Eye announced plans to open on International Drive, businesses and restaurants alike were in a hurry to open up shop and get in on such a great attraction that was sure to draw customers and plenty of tourists. Over the past year during the construction of the eye, and since its opening, there have been quite a few restaurants to open, and I can tell you with certainty, a few more are still in the process of being built.

I have had the pleasure of dining at almost all of those restaurants that are filling up the I-Drive complex that hosts the Orlando Eye, but Mcfadden's took me a little longer to get around to, so with haste, my sister and I made an appointment a few weeks ago to check out one of the newest tenants to the attraction.

McFadden’s is a franchise of sorts with 15 locations throughout the U.S. The original location was founded by an Irishman himself... Steve McFadden. That restaurant was established in New York City in 1977 and was called McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon, after the owners namesake. it is rumored that over 35 years later you can still find Steve enjoying a pint at the historic mahogany bar at the NY mainstay on the corner of 42nd and 2nd street.

McFadden’s has maintained its traditional Irish essence while establishing itself as a respected restaurant, after work meet up destination, and the ultimate party bar at night. When the lights go down the party turns up. With an attractive and fun staff, customers are always guaranteed to have a good time. Through special events, theme nights, drink specials and live DJs there is something to celebrate every night at McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon.

McFadden's Orlando features two outdoor patios, HD TVs for the ultimate sports viewing experience, and a delectable food menu featuring authentic Irish fare and American comfort food like gourmet burgers and signature appetizers and a mouth watering drink menu that features famous Fishbowl drinks.

The menu here is pretty big and has plenty of Irish favorites like Shepherd's pie, Fish & Chips and Corned Beef & Cabbage to name a few. The rest of the menu is laced with distinctive American style bar food creations that feature such oddities like Chicken & Bacon Pancakes, Loaded Tater Tots and Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings. Of course Guinness beer and a host of other beers are on tap at the bar as well as a slew of crazy cocktails like the “Leprechaun's Revenge”

Although it’s certainly not an authentic Irish creation, I could not refuse the Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings. Pretty simple beer battered rings, wrapped in bacon and served with a spicy ketchup for dipping, and yes they were pretty tasty because Bacon.

One of the many cocktails I sampled was the Mcfadden’s Mai Tai with Don Q and Myers Dark Rum, Grenadine, Orange Juice and Pineapple Juice. Of course we had quite a few Pickle Back shots as well. 

For something more authentic, my sister ordered the Shepherd's Pie made with ground beef, vegetables, mashed potatoes and a red wine reduction. This was actually quite tasty, and spot on flavor wise.

Once again, I saw something strange on the menu that I had never eaten before, so I had to order the Chicken and Bacon Pancakes. This is two gigantic pancakes stuffed with fried chicken, bacon, smothered with sausage gravy and topped with maple syrup. It actually worked well together, but proved to be a bit more than I could eat in one sitting. 

Although my heart was set on the bread pudding, my sister insisted on the Chocolate Lava Cake. This was a warm and gooey on the inside chocolate cake drizzled with chocolate sauce and served with ice cream. It was a good ending to a fun night.

The service was fast and attentive and we enjoyed all of our food and drinks. We arrived around 8:00 pm and found that as it got later in the evening, more people were arriving to get their party on. By the time we left, half of the restaurant was in full club mode full of young and old alike all enjoying themselves.

McFadden’s is open from 4 pm until 2 am everyday with various happy hour specials throughout the week and a $0.15 cent wing night on Wednesdays. You can stay updated on all of the happenings at McFadden’s Orlando by going to https://www.facebook.com/McFaddensOrlando

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First Watch: New Summer Menu Items

3402 Technological Ave.

Orlando, FL, 32817

(407) 823-8146

View Website Here

First Watch, the breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant, has added three new seasonal menu items that will be available through Sunday, August 17.

In addition to the food offerings, long time fans of First Watch will be happy to know that the brand has finally added Iced Coffee to the menu that is available year round. 

Those new menu items include the BLT Benedict, Shrimp and Grits, and the Bruleed Banana Waffle. Chris Tomasso, chief marketing officer for First Watch says "they are very excited to offer a new spin on some breakfast and brunch classics that offer a little bit of everything, a little sweet, a little savory and we think our guests will thoroughly enjoy them.”

The BLT Benedict is served with two poached eggs on toasted ciabatta with bacon, tomato, hollandaise sauce, lemon-dressed arugula, avocado slices, fresh herbs, and includes a side of fresh seasonal fruit. 

I really liked the flavors and textures of this dish and would certainly order it again. The ciabatta added a nice crispy layer of support for all of the toppings.

The Shrimp & Grits features sautéed shrimp and Andouille sausage in a Cajun low-country reduction with house-roasted tomatoes, onions, peppers, corn and fresh herbs on Cheddar Parmesan cheesy grits served with ciabatta toast.

First Watch has done a pretty good job of creating an authentic "Low Country" shrimp and grits. The flavors were light and fresh with an earthy note, and the Andouille sausage added the right amount of spice.

The Bruleed Banana Waffle is a light and airy waffle that  is topped with caramelized bruleed bananas, brown sugar glazed bacon, a sweet cream sauce drizzle and bacon-infused syrup.

This was really good, but it was really sweet. I like sweets, but this was too much for me. I recommend you order this and split it with at least one other person.

I personally am a big fan of iced coffee, don't get me wrong, I like it hot too, but sometimes I just want iced coffee. That being said, I don't why it took so long to add iced coffee to the menu at a place that specializes in breakfast and brunch. So all my fellow iced coffee drinkers out there can now rejoice as First Watch has finally decided to make it a staple. My coffee was perfectly sweetened and ice cold, and I will certainly have some again on my next visit.

First Watch is a recipient of more than 200 “Best Of” accolades in markets across the country and was recently recognized with a 2014 “MenuMasters Award” by Nation’s Restaurant News for Best Healthful Innovation for its Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl. The “Daytime Café” features traditional favorites including pancakes, omelets, salads and sandwiches, as well as signature specialties such as the Chickichanga, Healthy Turkey Omelet, and Fresh Fruit Crepes.

First Watch serves its entire menu seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The restaurant also offers guests complimentary newspapers and free Wi-Fi Internet access.

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