Larkins Famous Subs - Restaurant Review 4

Half Of A Salami Sub At Larkin's Famous Subs And Catering

Phew!  It's been a busy past couple of months, and some of you have noticed that I haven't been posting on a weekly basis like I normally do.  I felt bad that I've neglected this site and have made a resolution to get back to my weekly posting routine.

This week we are going to talk about a restaurant, and next week I will give you guys a new recipe.  Actually two recipes, a main dish and a side dish.  So make sure your check back next week for that.
Today we are talking about a place in south Orlando, who's full title is Larkin's Famous Subs and Catering.  You can find them at 7728 Daetwyler Drive Orlando, FL 32812-4077, and reach them at  (407) 859-9634.  I could not find an actual website for them, but I did find a couple of videos on YouTube that you could check out if you wanted to see a little more about them ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hohE8_E4OhM ).

I first heard about the shop from my boyfriend's brother-in-law, who was eating there quite a bit, and raving about how good the sandwiches were.  I checked the shop out on Yelp and Urban Spoon and saw that the shop had pretty rave reviews online from other customers as well.

The Steak-O-Cheese

Salami with Provolone

It's a quaint tiny shop, with a nautical themed decor.  There are newspapers to read, and our table had a list of thought-provoking questions.  There is a big screen TV, which I believe was playing the news while we were eating.  There are some tables where you can sit down and enjoy your sandwich, or you can take your order to go.  Not only do they have sandwiches, but they have salads, and they offer daily specials such as Tuesday Tenderloin (a beef tenderloin sub) and the Beef Short Rib Special.
They are a little more expensive than your average sub shop, but the quality of ingredients are very high, and the sandwiches themselves are large.  You also get chips on the side, as well of your choice of pickles or peppers on the side (pepperoncinis).  Subs can be ordered in regular or junior, the regular being 8 inches long with a pound of meat.  Junior is 6 inches.  You can get the subs with mayo, mustard, italian dressing, tomato, lettuce, and onions included.  I also counted at least 10 salads on their menu, but that could vary. 
I did not order one of the sandwiches off the menu, I just asked for a salami sub with provolone cheese and all the toppings and they were more than happy to oblige.  My boyfriend ordered the Steak-O-Cheese, with no mustard or italian dressing.  We both had potato chips with our sandwiches, and I opted for the pickles while he opted for the peppers. 
There was so much meat on the sandwich!  We both opted for the regular (the 8 inch, 1 pounder), and I don't think we realized how big that really was.  But both sandwiches were delicious, and I ate the majority of mine (although I did leave some meat behind, it really was a lot!).   

Larkin's is a very enjoyable place, with really good service.  We received our orders surprisingly fast, the food quality was high, the subs were delicious, and the staff was friendly.  I would recommend checking them out if you're in the area, visit Yelp and Urban Spoon to see what other customers said, and check out the YouTube video I gave the link to.

Picture View - Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

Cooking onions in butter

Add in flour

After adding liquid and spices

Adding broccoli and carrot

Pureeing with immersion blender

Pureed soup

Adding in cheese

Broccoli Cheddar Soup - Home Cooked Recipe 29

I recently had some dental issues and needed to have food that was easy to eat.  Instead of just going and buying cans of soup, I thought I would try my hand at making my own.  One of my favorite soups is the broccoli cheddar soup they serve at Panera, so I decided to make my own version.  Here is the recipe!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

1 package frozen broccoli

2 cups sharp cheddar, grated

1 stick of butter

1 small onion, finely diced

1/4 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 cup cream

3 cups chicken broth

1 carrot, shredded

1 bay leaf

dash of cayenne

salt and pepper

Directions:

Melt butter in large pot over low heat.  Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender.  Whisk in flour and cook an additional 4 minutes.  Whisk in milk, then cream, then chicken broth, and bring it to a boil.
Add cayenne, then season with salt and pepper.  Toss in bay leaf.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. 
Microwave broccoli for 3 minutes, then add to soup.  Stir in grated carrot.  Cook for 10 minutes, then remove bay leaf and puree until smooth (either with and immersion blender or in an actual blender in batches). 
Add cheese to soup and whisk over medium heat until smooth. 
Enjoy!
***Some fun ideas are to garnish soup with more cheese and homemade croutons, or serve the soup in breadbowls.  You can also add a dash of smoked paprika when you add the cayenne, it gives the soup a nice sweet smokiness.  Another way to impart even more cheesy goodness is to add in a can of cheddar cheese soup, I use Campbell's.

Additional Pictures From Thai Villa

Lunch Specials

Tofu & Veggie Soup

Double Delight

Pepper Steak

Thai Villa - Restaurant Review 3

This past Saturday I visited a restaurant I have never eaten at before, Thai Villa.  I had never really eaten Thai cuisine before the last couple of years, because I had heard how spicy the food can be and I have a medium spice tolerance level.  However, in my quest to broaden my culinary horizons I've been more adventurous, and have given cuisines that have previously scared me a try.  In doing so, I have discovered that not all Thai food is mouth-numbingly spicy.
Thai Villa is located in Winter Park, off of Aloma Ave. Here is a link to their City Search page, where you can find their location and a few reviews: http://orlando.citysearch.com/profile/36468287/winter_park_fl/thai_villa_restaurant.html
I've discovered that most restaurants in this area have really good lunch specials, and Thai Villa was no exception.  Even on a Saturday (where a lot of restaurants don't always offer specials) they had box lunches that included soup, a salad, dumplings, 3 little fried things that included a veggie spring roll, crispy shrimp, and crab rangoon plus the meal of your choice and white rice.  There were a few meals to choose from in each protein category of fish, chicken, beef, and pork.
For my meal I chose the Pepper Steak, which is one of my favorite Asian dishes.  If you read my PF Changs post you may remember that.  Despite it's name, Pepper Steak is not usually spicy, just a flavorful meal that includes beef, onions, and bell peppers.
My companion for this meal ordered the Double Delight, which is chicken with chili jam, cashew, and a variety of vegetables.  He really enjoyed his chicken, it was a spicier meal than my own. 
The soup was interesting, it was labeled as Tofu & Vegetable.  The broth tasted like chicken broth and had a hint of spice that neither one of us could quite identify.  It did contain tofu, and had veggies like carrots, zucchini, and green onion.  Both of us were not a fan of the veggie dumplings, they had a strange flavor to them.  The spring roll, shrimp, and crab rangoon were all good, but nothing too different than you can get at most Asian restaurants.
All in all it was a reasonably priced restaurant, with good service, and was a decent place to go for lunch on a Saturday afternoon.  I think I would try more Thai restaurants in the area before returning however.  I was looking for something more exciting, and the food itself seemed mostly standard.