Dear K,
Hahaha, there was actually a food truck with arepas and I immediately thought of you! You seriously have an addiction with NYC! But honestly… Who doesn’t want to have that kind of addiction?
During these last days in Orlando, my roommate had the best idea for each other’s Christmas gifts. Since we are both leaving the city for good around July, L has been making a list of all the places we have to go before we move on to the next adventure. Therefore, this Christmas each of us picks one evening and treats the other with dinner and drinks. How could I say no? Best gift ever!
So last weekend L took me to Maxine’s on Shine. The restaurant has a very intimate atmosphere, great live music and an impeccable selection of food and wine. We started with the Wine Lover’s Board that came with three cheeses of our choice: Gruyere, Manchego and Herb Crust Chevre. The combination of the different cheeses with the fruits, nuts, meat and breads was incredible.
For the main course we decided on the Cioppino, which consists of an exquisite stew with mussels, shrimp, scallop, fish, vegetables, tomatoes, chardonnay and herbs, and the pork chop with the house baked potatoes and vegetables. I don’t even eat pork anymore but in an occasion like this when I know the flavors will be worth it, I make an exception. Both dishes tasted like heaven and I definitely recommend pairing them with a glass of wine. As long as you know what you like/want, someone will be ready to guide you in the pairing process.
After the delightful dinner, we went to The Matador, a bar & lounge where we had really good craft cocktails. L had a Jasmine (Gin, Lemon, Cointreau, and Campari) and I had a cocktail that I cannot remember the name, but it contained Gin, luxardo, and bitters. The decoration is exactly what you’d expect from a place called The Matador, where the decor takes you back to the bullrings in Spain (plaza de toros) and Portugal (praça de touros).
Then we had a drink at The Lucky Lure, which I previously talked you about. It always gets my mood up for an amazing night! Later, we stopped by The Thirsty Topher, where we could choose from a selection of more than 20 brews on tap. The new location in Lake Ivanhoe area is definitely warm and welcoming!
To end my night, I met some friends and we went to Santiago’s Bodega for some late night happy hour. After midnight it gets really hard to find a place with decent food. This is THE PLACE!!! 5 tapas for $5 and half off all wines by the glass, drafts and premium drinks. What else could I ask to end this amazing evening?
I can’t wait to meet you in Lisbon in a few days and enjoy what the city has to offer over Christmas time!!!
– C
KandCtraveltheworld 
beautiful photos :)
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Thank you :)
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