Chef Mashup to Feature Culinary Talents from K, Rusty Spoon

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Published on Thursday, 06 June 2013 15:30

Written by Scott Joseph

This sounds like a terrifically fun evening. Linda K. Sullivan of Noble Wine Estates has put together a chef mashup event featuring two of my favorites, Kathleen Blake of the Rusty Spoon and Kevin Fonzo of K. The two will duke it out, culinarily speaking, at the Rusty Spoon on Wednesday, June 12, and you can expect the knives to fly.

Actually, it really isn’t a competition, and very little is expected to fly except kudos for these two exceptional talents. The event is an opportunity to enjoy the food of two of the area's top chefs under one roof and at one meal.

Sullivan says the evening will begin with a sparkling wine reception and then each chef will alternate courses, each paired with a wine. Fonzo will have French vintages and Blake will have Italian. And don’t expect cheapo wines from Sullivan -- some of the wines that will be served retail for over $120 a bottle.

The Mashup will be at Rusty Spoon, 55 W. Church St., Orlando, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $100 per person plus tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made by calling the Spoon at 407-401-8811.

Christner's Prime Steak & Lobster: Orlando's Newest Restaurant is 20 Years Old

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Published on Wednesday, 05 June 2013 19:24

Written by Scott Joseph

David, Carole and Alice Christner in front of a commemorative display of Russ Christner's familiar uniform.

Allow me to introduce you to Orlando’s newest restaurant. You know, the one that’s been around for the past 20 years.

On June 2, Christner’s officially dropped the Del Frisco’s from its name and hereafter will be known as Christner’s Prime Steak & Lobster. Nothing else has changed. It still has the same owners, still the same skilled, professional staff, and still the same high-quality oh-my-God wonderful steaks.

So why the name change?

Because the original agreement that allowed Russ Christner to open the restaurant with the Del Frisco’s name has come to an end. The company that now owns the Del Frisco’s franchise and the Christner family came to a mutually beneficial agreement that necessitated the rebranding. And when you get right down to it, the steakhouse should have been called Christner’s all along.

I’ve told the story many times before, but to recap: The first Del Frisco’s was started by a man named Dale Wamstad. It was originally in New Orleans, but Wamstad moved it to the Dallas area in the early ‘80s. Russ Christner was a good friend of Wamstad’s, and for years Christner begged his friend to let him open a restaurant under the Del Frisco’s name. In 1993, Wamstad finally agreed, and Christner opened Del Frisco’s Steak House in a restaurant space on Lee Road.

That One Spot

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Published on Tuesday, 04 June 2013 10:42

Written by Scott Joseph

I had been hearing a lot lately about That One Spot, the flippantly named burger flipper in Ocoee, and just about all of it good. So when I found myself in the neighborhood, I stopped by to give it a try. Frankly, I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Except for receiving a burger that was cooked precisely to my preferred temperature, a beautiful medium rare, there was nothing else about the experience that would make me return.

Crooked Spoon Food Truck in Park; Gastropub Coming Soon

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Published on Monday, 03 June 2013 11:03

Written by Scott Joseph

The Crooked Spoon, one of the area’s first food trucks and one of the most consistent in food quality, will shift into park permanently following an event on Wednesday. Thereafter, owner/driver/chef Steve Saelg will focus his efforts on opening Crooked Spoon Gastropub, a conventional unwheeled restaurant at 200 Citrus Tower Blvd. in Clermont.

Saelg is aiming for a mid to late July opening for the new restaurant, which will feature menus that will change weekly, including the children’s menu. “I have four kids of my own,” Saelg said, “and I can’t stand it when they have the same crap on the kids’ menus all the time.”