This past Sunday I met up with a few friends I hadn't seen in a while. We hooked up downtown Orlando for some brunch, and then checked out the farmer's market around Lake Eola.

For brunch we went to Graffiti Junktion, (an american burger bar) a new spot that opened on that same day. Their motto is simple: Eat, drink, paint! Yes  paint...you are free to leave your artistic marks on their Graffiti walls! The bartenders are fun and entertaining, the atmosphere is very pleasant, the service is fast, and the staff is very courteous.  

Overall, I think we all had a good time at this new spot. We met one of the owners (really cool guy), and enjoyed some free bloody maries and screw drivers. For my brunch meal, I ordered the french toast sticks, topped with fresh fruits and maple syrup. (The zucchini fries appetizer is also a must!)

Later that afternoon we took a walk down the downtown back streets, checked out the farmer's market, and sampled varieties of foods and treats such has rum cake, cheese, and funnel cake...perfect weather for a Sunday Fun Day in Orlando.

I decided to spend my Saturday evening at home tonight, so I made a simple and tasty dinner for my girlfriend and myself to enjoy on a chilly, and cozy night, and enjoyed it with a few glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Feel free to try it because it's really easy (serves 4):

• 4 to 8 tomatoes (or 2 cans of diced tomatoes)
• 4 to 8 servings of fresh goat cheese
• 2 table spoons of olive oil
• cracked pepper (garnish)
• parsley (garnish)
  
• 2 to 4 cloves of garlic (or as much as you like)
  
• salt (to taste)
  
• black pepper (to taste)
  

Cut the tomatoes in large chunks, and put them in an oven safe cook pot. Drizzle the olive oil on top, add the salt, pepper, and garlic, mix it all up (adjust seasoning to taste) and put the tomatoes in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Cook the pasta in salty water 10 minutes before the tomatoes are ready (you are free to use which ever pasta you prefer such as penne, linguine, bow ties etc).

When the pasta is ready, drain it and put it back in a moist cooking pan (a bit of butter can be used here) and pour the roasted tomatoes over the pasta with all the juices and gently stir.

Serve in your favorite pasta dish, and garnish with parsley, and cracked pepper, with a side of your favorite garlic bread, and sprinkle some goat cheese on top, and around the plate...and enjoy.

This past weekend was pretty relaxing for me. Besides the intense headaches from getting my pupils dialated at the eye doctor on Saturday morning, I mostly relaxed with my girlfriend, watched a lot of T.V, and enjoyed a ton of good home made food and treats. We spent the entire day on Sunday watching season 1 of Heroes. Good times!

We had a few friends over the house for dinner on saturday night, enjoyed some great sushi, courtesy of my girlfriend Anabela; and some delicious assortments of fresh fruits, pound cake, and ice cream with a home made chocolate syrup dip, courtesy of me.(Yay workout week!)

This past Friday, I invited and hosted my good friends Colleen and Brittany, which are also my coworkers, to join my girlfriend and I for a cool and cozy sushi dinner at my place.

Colleen brought a bottle of Chateau Ste Michelle, a 2007 Columbia Valley Riesling, and Brittany got us a delightful Fu-Ki Sake bottle, just perfect for the evening. 

My girlfriend, Anabela, amazed us with a full course sushi meal, and I handled dessert:

Drinks for the night: Watermelon Martinis, Apple Blueberry Martinis, and Apple flavored Sake.

Entree: Miso Soup, followed by a Hiashi crab salad, and Green Mussels.

Sushi Rolls: Naruto Maki, Extreme Roll, Dragon Roll, Volcano Roll, Smoke House Roll, Crunch Crab, Shrimp Tempura, Philadelphia Roll, Dancing Eel Roll, Fantasy Roll, and Bubba Roll. 

Dessert: French Crepes, stuffed with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, chocolate chips, home made whipped cream, with a drizzle of home made chocolate syrup on top.

Dexter's Restaurant is a nice hangout spot well known for its great tasting foods and wines, a nice urban feel, and a cool atmosphere. They have been in business in the Orlando area for 20 years, and are well known around town as they have been crowned for being the Best Brunch in Orlando for 2007. They also have one location in Winter Park, and another one in Lake Mary.

I met with a friend of mine there earlier today for brunch. I thought it was pretty neat hangout spot. The people were friendly, the staff was very attentive and responsive, and the food was delicious. I was not sure what to order so our waiter recommended the Malted Waffles from the brunch menu; and as you can see, I was not disappointed! My friend ordered the Peach French Toasts...which I will try the next time I go there. Enjoy.

Bento Cafe is an urban style restaurant Downtown Orlando, near Church street. Its trendy atmosphere and pan-asian style cuisine will leave you wanting for more.

It is a great place to meet up, hang out, and catch up with friends while enjoying some sushi or Japanese inspired "Bento Box" meals. The service is fast and the food is tasty.

My favorite dish so far is the teriaky chicken rice bowl, served with brocoli and dark meat chicken. My bill was $7.51, and the serving size was very generous. The music is nice and upbeat, and set at a decent volume making the overall atmosphere enjoyable.

I made quick and simple dinner this evening. I had a productive day off today (labor day). By the time I finished with all I had to do, it was about 7pm, so after a quick shower, I threw a little something together for dinner...just in time to watch the season premieres of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill on the WB network.

I made a chicken friend rice, with garlic, green peppers, white onions, mixed vegetables and dressed the whole thing up with some parsley, sesame oil, and some dried crispy noodles for a little crunchy kick.