Event this Saturday at Oviedo on the Park

The City of Oviedo and Helpful Hands, Inc. will host the End of Summer Bash on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Oviedo on the Park and the Amphitheatre and Cultural Center. A free concert featuring The 13th Floor Band will be had, and food, beer and wine will be available for sale during the event. 

Proceeds will help fund the athletic program administered by Helpful Hands, Inc., which provides scholarships to the City of Oviedo Recreation and Parks Youth Programs. More information is available at www.helpfulhandsseminole.com or Facebook.com/HelpfulHands

The Battle for Best Local Italian Cuisine

Talk to anyone who's lived in Oviedo for at least a few years, and you'll consistently hear one of two places as THE place to go for good Italian food: Circosta's or Stefano's.

I already talked about Circosta's in my prior entry, so I'll give my thoughts on Steffano's here.  For starters, it's not techinically in Oviedo, but it's in neighboring Winter Springs in the shopping plaza on the corner of Tuskawilla and Red Bug Lake (the one with the Chick Fil A and the UFC gym).  Despite the large size of the interior, this place has a good 15 minute wait for a table on any given night for dinner service.

The food is great, the ambiance is warm, and the service is good.  There's a beautiful bar just past the entry way where you can enjoy a drink while you wait for a table to open up.  But since I haven't actually had the opportunity to saddle up and grab a drink, I can't comment on the skills of the bartender.  But it looks very inviting.

Now, if you know me, you know I love my bread service, and this place does NOT disappoint.  They bake their bread and it tastes phenomenal.  It's brought to your table with a side of dipping oil which has already been seasoned to garlic perfection.  But try not to eat a lot of bread because the meals are fantastic and plentiful.  I've yet to finish a full entree due to the sheer size of the portions.  It's down home Sicilian style cooking, with a flair for presentation.  And the desserts are great too.  So far, I've enjoyed the tiramisu and the cannoli, and both were worth the calories.

But where this place really shines for me is the lunch service.  They have a great lunch menu where you can get several lunch sized portions of many of their entrees (still pretty big), and they have a special $8 menu where you can get half of a sandwhich and half portion of their salads (or a cup of soup).  When you see how much salad they give you and how big the half portion of the sandwhich is, you'll wonder if they are losing money on this deal.  It's a fantastic option for the lunch crowd.

So which do I prefer?  Well, it depends on the occassion.  For lunch, I have to give the edge to Stefano's.  For romantic dates, I'd also give it to Stefano's (dimmer lighting, small booths for intimate seating, nice bar for chit chat before seating, soft music in the background, etc.).  If I'm going for pizza or a more casual dinner meal, I'd give it to Circosta's.  My in laws seem to prefer Circosta's when they come for a visit, and my dad absolutely loves Circosta's pasta fagioli.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either choice, and I'm glad they are both in Oviedo/Winter Springs.  Mangia and enjoy!

Excellent Options for Italian Dining in Oviedo

If you are like me and love all things pasta and carbs, then you are in luck in Oviedo.  We are fortunate to have some really great places to satisfy that craving for Italian food.

First up is Circosta's (website here), a small family owned joint located in a small strip mall on State Road 426 by a Shell gas station.  The parking lot is enough for the patrons of the tony strip mall, and you won't regret venturing into this place.  The restaurant is small, maybe 12 to 15 tables.  But there are plenty of people who come in to pick up call in orders, especially for their pizza (which is REALLY good).  If you walk in on a Friday or Saturday night, there may be a wait for a table, but it's usually not a terribly long wait, as the service is pretty good.  The kitchen pumps out the meals quickly and the servers get them to the table efficiently (and with a smile).  They've got it down to an art here, so don't be discouraged if there's a line.  If your server is a female, odds are it's either the wife or one of the daughters of the owner (and head chef).  You really get the family feel here, which is one of the reasons I like going.

As for the food, I've already mentioned how good the pizzas are.  But the baked pasta dishes are also very good (anything with their house made sausage is highly recommended).  The meatballs are also excellent, and I suspect they add cheese to them.  And if you like garlic, I would also recomment the pasta fagioli.  Yes, you will taste garlic for a while after eating this soup, but isn't that a good thing? ;)    And save room for dessert, which they get from a local bakery (same one as Cavalaris).   Now, the portions are pretty big, and most entrees come with a salad and their amazing warm bread, so I recommend reserving half of your entree for a to-go box so you have room for dessert.  My only complaint might be that there aren't a lot of light dishes.  But, quite frankly, I don't come here to count calories.  I come for the warm atmosphere, reasonable price, and to indulge in pasta covered in delicious red sauce, bubbling cheese, and stuffed with wonderfully spiced meat, and then I have creme brûlée cheesecake (with berries on top, so it's healthy, right?)

There's no changing table in the clean bathroom, but the place is child friendly.  If you come around more than a couple times, they are likely to remember you and your family, even asking how the kids are doing.

Is it the best Italian food you've ever had?  Probably not, but it's good, and you won't regret going.

In my next entry, I'll talk about Steffano's Trattoria, which is techinically Winter Springs, but it's so close to the border being at the intersection of Tuskawilla Road and Red Bug Lake Road, then it really deserves to be mentioned.

Looking for a great bakery or cafe?

I'm a sucker for bakeries that serve fresh coffee.  There's just something incredibly intoxicating about the aroma of freshly brewed coffee crossed with freshly baked pastries.  If you are looking for a place where you can sip an espresso while enjoying a chocolate croissant (or, in my case, a gooey bacon pecan cinnamon bun), then look no further than De Azucar Bakeshop in Oviedo.  Yes, you read that correctly: Oviedo has an amazing bakery.

De Azucar is owned by Angie Lopez, who trained under a French pastry chef before owning a French  bakery in Texas for several years before taking a hiatus and moving to Oviedo.  She has now brought her talent to central Florida, and I'm thankful it's in my city.  The bakeshop is small, located next to a martial arts studio off of Alafaya Woods Boulevard.  I believe it's closed on Sundays and Mondays, but you can double check on their website:
http://www.deazucar.com

There's a small display case of all their wonderful goodies that have been prepared.  As the day goes on, more things are added to the display case, just adding to the scent of wonderful yumminess that permeates in the air.  I've yet to try something I didn't love.  They also have freshly baked italian and french breads for sale in a basket behind the register.  Unfortunately, they've often been sold out before I could buy one to take home.

There's also a small menu for breakfast and lunch.  I've only tried the mallorca sandwich (the perfect blend of sweet and savory) as I'm usually there for a pastry and coffee.  But that mallorca sandwich has made me a believer in their lunch offerings.  The sandwiches come with either chips or a salad.  I got the salad and it had a perfectly balanced mustard vinaigrette.

The coffee is also pretty good, and I've been known to buy a bag of the house blend roast to enjoy at home.

If you find yourself in that part of Oviedo on Tuesday through Saturday, defintely pop in for a visit.  You won't regret it.

Senior Living Community Coming to Oviedo

Even more residential construction is set to happen in Oviedo!  According to the Orlando Business Journal, a 60 acre senior living community named Legacy Pointe is going to be built in Oviedo.  The project is expected to be approved by zoning and development, and construction for the first phase is set to begin in 2016.

You can read the article here:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2015/07/acre-senior-living-community-slated-for-oviedo.html

Story Time at the Oviedo Library

If you are a parent or caregiver who cares for children at home during the day, you may find yourself pulling your hair out trying to come up with activities to keep the children occupied, particularly if you are trying to avoid plopping them in front of the TV for 8 hours a day.

A wonderful local resource is the story time offered by the public library.  A librarian, or library volunteer, reads the children a book and engages the kids in songs, rhymes, beats, and other activities designed to help stimulate literacy.  Yes, yes, I know infants and toddlers aren't reading yet.  But to get them interested in different sounds, language, and storybook pictures all help later on with reading skills.  The classes are divided up by age group, so your child should feel comfortable surrounded by other children his/her age.  I've only attended the one for babies (birth to 18 months), so I can't speak for how long the other storytimes last.  However, the one for birth to 18 months is about 40 minutes, and has sessions on Thursdays at 9:15, 10:15 and 11:15 am.  This was particularly useful as sometimes naptime can conflict with one or two of the sessions times.  The people who run the program are amazing, and I can't say enough good things about them.  I just wish storytime occured more often than once a week!

You can find the monthly calendars here:

http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/seminole-county-library/kids-page/story-time.stml

The Oviedo library on Division Street is the East branch.

Rock & Brews Restaurant

Rock & Brews restaurant opened a few months ago on Red Bug Lake Road, near the Macaroni Grill. I've been a few times and here are my thoughts:

I've only eaten there when I had my husband and children with me.  My kids are infants/toddlers, and so the high top seating I saw inside wasn't going to work for us.  Thankfully, they have a nice outdoor patio area (that is heated when the outdoor temps are low, and cooled when it's warm) that has picnic tables for seating.  This was more our speed, and suited our needs nicely.  That said, it is communal seating, so another party could be seated with you if it starts to get crowded.  The outdoor area is also dog friendly, which can provide for a good distraction if your kids are entertained by watching other animals.

There's rock music playing in the background (not sure how loud it sounds inside, but it's a nice volume for the patio area) and lots of music legend paraphernalia for decor.  

The menu has been pretty good, with several tempting offerings that have left me torn in selecting my entree.  We've ordered salads, pizza, sandwiches and burgers, and they've all been pretty solid in flavor, with toppings that are a creative cut above a chain like the Ale House.  I've yet to try the tacos, but they look good when I've seen them on other diners' plates.  Portions are large, and I've yet to have room left to sample dessert.  The beer selection is also pretty good, with plenty of drinks on draught.  Service has been ok, nothing impressive, but not terribly slow either.  Servers did have a pleasant attitude, but sometimes it can take a bit between the drink order being brought and the food order being placed.

Disclaimer: I've only been to Rock & Brews for dinner.  My husband has been for lunch and reported that, while the food was good, service was abysmal.  An example is that he ordered a beer with his drink order, but it did not come out until 30 minutes later and well into his meal, at which point he no longer wanted the drink as he was returning to work in less than an hour.  Honestly, pouring a draught beer should not take this long, especially when the restaurant is mostly empty.  It today's competitive market for serving the lunch crowd during the work week, the objective should be to turn tables around quickly and get the customer in and out in less than 45 minutes.  Very few people have over an hour to spare for lunch when they have to get back to work.

Still, I'd have to recommend this place for dinner, especially for those who like to dine with their dogs or are looking for a family friendly atmosphere.  The prices are reasonable ($12-$16 for most entrees), the variety of food and drinks is good, and the atmosphere is fun.  If they can work out the service issues, this can be a great addition to the Oviedo dining scene.