tip jar

BY FAIYAZ KARA

OPENINGS+CLOSINGS:

and chunks of lamb along with shreds of khobz, a round Moroccan bread. “This is the epitome of comfort,” I said to my dining comrade, “even if the soup does need more salt.” Even better was the zaaluk ($5.99), a spiced dip of cooked eggplant that we couldn’t get enough of and that we’d come back for in a heartbeat. Store-bought pita was served with the dip, but the khobz made a far superior scoop.

After being denied chicken bastil- trotters slow-cooked in spices and chickpeas, as Instagrammable a dish as there ever was. Now, if we hadn’t eaten in a couple of days, and it was, like, minus 15 degrees outside, this hargma may have been an utterly gratifying dish. As these hoofs, um, stood, though, they were far too fatty for us to finish, the chickpeas and the marrow we managed to extract notwithstanding. instagram.com/atajmoroccanrest la on a visit to TajineXpress this past January (they ran out), I made it a point to order the flaky, sweet and savory pie ($9.99) at Ataj. So it was a shame we took issue with the shell itself. It was just too thin, and lacked the sturdiness of a proper warqa, or brick pastry. The filling of minced chicken scented with cinnamon and saffron was spot-on, however.

Instead, it was the braised beef tajine ($16.99) that satisfied both our aesthetic and caloric needs. The plume of perfumed vapor that hit my nose when the lid was lifted off the clay vessel was like an antidote to the pollen. When the steam dissipated, it revealed a chunk of beef sizzling in a honeyed sauce along with prunes and apricots. We reached for that bread and did our thing.

Moroccan and North African cuisine is tinged with the flavors of Persia and India, so it wasn’t surprising that the kefta kebabs ($14.99) very much resembled seekh kebabs. In fact, we were certain the cylinders of ground lamb were cooked in a tandoor — this space was previously home to Ataj Indian Restaurant, after all. No matter, the meat was wonderfully tender, even though it lacked any semblance of seasonings. If anything, the lamb spoke for itself. I did ask for a side of harissa, but all they could proffer was a Louisiana hot sauce.

John Zhao, the man behind YH Seafood Clubhouse, Yummy House, Pho 813 and the soon-to-open Sweet Buns Bakery & Café, will bring international big-city chain Kyuramen to the University Shoppes near UCF this summer. “Kyu” means “nine,” and the ramen-ya will offer just that — nine types of ramen in shio, miso and shoyu varieties … Nearby, Kasai & Koori, specializing in the “savory and sweet culinary secrets of the Pacific Rim” (think poke bowls, shaved ice and ribbon ice desserts, boba and taiyaki cones) has opened at 11565 University Blvd. … Prior to opening his much-anticipated concept Sorekara in Baldwin Park later this year, chef William Chen is staging a series of duck soba noodle pop-ups around town under the name Soba San. Follow @sobasan on Instagram for event details … After a six-year absence, chef-restaurateurs Henry and Michelle Salgado have revived Spanish River Grill — the restaurant that started it all for them. The New Smyrna Beach restaurant is open for test kitchen formats only. They’re awaiting their beer and wine license, so it’s BYOB only. DM them @spanishrivergrill … High-T, a trippy, immersive Alice-in-Wonderland–themed cocktail bar and tea room, will open downtown at 23 W. Church St. in May. Head to exploretock.com/high-t for rezzies … Z Asian owners Hien Pham and Huong Nguyen will open their pho ga concept, Pho Ga Hien Vuong, the first week of April at 5282 W. Colonial Drive … Look for the Castle Irish Pub and Restaurant to open later this year in the old Thai Farm Kitchen space at 2625 Edgewater Drive in College Park. The bar itself is being built in Ireland … Kolombia Cafe at the Target plaza in SoDo has rebranded itself to Viva Healthy KC, offering vegan, organic, keto, gluten-free and “non-fried, meat-friendly dishes” … Also in SoDo, an outpost of Miami celeb hotspot World Famous House of Mac has finally opened at 2435 S. Orange Ave., offering a menu of over-the-top mac and cheese, wings, burgers, pastas, pizzas and fresh-squeezed juices.

NEWS+EVENTS:

“Wow, that smells amazing,” said my pal, and we commenced slurping the thick, zesty, tomato-based broth with chickpeas, lentils

What caught our eye next was a section on the menu dubbed “Chhiwat Street Food,” offering everything from beef tongue and tripe to lamb liver and lamb brains. On this particular night, they offered hargma ($22.99) — massive, and I mean massive, cow fkara@orlandoweekly.com

After a final high pour of mint tea, we headed back out, the pleasant scent of scorched wood lending my nostrils further relief. Honestly, I was just grateful that, given the season, I was able to nose this place out.

The 29th annual Taste of Oviedo goes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Oviedo Mall. More than 20 food vendors will be on hand at the event, which will also feature culinary demonstrations throughout the day … The India Center at UCF will host “A Bengali Culinary Journey: A Discussion on Calcutta on Your Plate” with author Nilosree Biswas from 10-11 a.m. Friday, March 30. Yours truly will lead the virtual discussion as we delve into the history of Bengali food in Kolkata. Visit events.ucf.edu to register.

PREMIERES WEDNESDAY:

Money Shot: The Pornhub Story — Is the world’s most successful adult site a lifeline for the lonely, a valuable resource for sex workers or just a front for human trafficking? Experts weigh in and wag their tongues. (Which also happens to be a category on Pornhub.) (Netflix)

Ted Lasso — Ted’s AFC Richmond football club has to defy expectations that it’ll be the Premier League’s biggest loser in Season 3. Meanwhile, former co-worker Nate is sitting pretty over at West Ham United. As for me, I can’t believe I now live in a world where somebody other than Iron Maiden cares about this stuff. (Apple

TV+)

Turning the Tables With Robin Roberts — Robin’s guests in Season 2 include Brooke Shields, Dionne Warwick and Kelly Osbourne. And if you had held onto Cecily Strong, SNL, you could be doing this too.

(Disney+)

PREMIERES THURSDAY:

Era Ora (Still Time) — Italy offers its own twist on Groundhog Day in a romcom about a guy going through a midlife crisis who starts waking up every morning to find out he’s a year older. On the bright side, if he just waits a few weeks, he won’t have to worry about that midlife crisis much longer.

(Netflix)

Queens Court — The hunt is on to find new boyfriends who can handle being involved with women as famous and in demand as Tamar Braxton, Evelyn Lozada and Nivea. You’ll be hooked from the fast-paced first episode, an AMA lightning round in which potential suitors are disqualified merely for asking “Now who are all of you again, exactly?” (Peacock)

Shadow and Bone — Season 2 of the fantasy series based on the writings of Leigh Bardugo adapts her book Siege and Storm while incorporating some alloriginal characters and plotlines to keep things unpredictable. The show has also moved from a TV-14 to a TV-MA rating, so I guess it’s safe to surmise one of those new characters does drag. (Netflix)

PREMIERES FRIDAY:

Agent Elvis — Matthew McConaughey supplies the voice of the King for an animated series that sees Elvis moonlighting as a government operative. Show co-creator Priscilla Presley plays herself. And as Lisa Marie: John Edward! (Netflix)

Angel Flight — Six Feet Under meets Pan Am in a bittersweet Japanese drama about a courier service that flies the remains of the dead back to their loved ones. The easy joke here would be “So it’s the real Spirit Airlines.” But honestly, the real comparison is to Malaysia Airlines, because they give you even less chance of getting home alive.

(Prime Video)

Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, With Dave Letterman — Dave travels to Dublin so the U2 duo can show him around, culminating in a stripped-down performance of some classic tunes. But the band isn’t breaking up, honest! Larry and Adam were just holding out for Conan.

(Disney+)

Boston Strangler — Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon play the reporters who exposed the perpetrator of the most notorious killing spree of the early ’60s, fighting the sexism of the newspaper business and risking their own life in the process. But to be fair, it was also a great way to meet fellas. (Hulu)

Class of ’07 — Imagine you’re at your 10year high-school reunion and BAM! The apocalypse hits. That’s the premise of this Australian comedy series, in which the alumnae of a girls’ school fight to survive a tidal wave that threatens all life on Earth. Still, it’s gotta be better than being stuck at James Franco’s house during the Rapture. (Or at any other time, really.) (Prime Video)

Dance 100 — At last, a dance competition in which the choreographers get the prize money. That is, if the routines they come up with find favor with the dancers who have to perform them, who just so happen to be the judges as well. So expect stiff penalties for anything too strenuous. (I once fired my personal trainer because he refused to count unwrapping a Charleston Chew as cardio.) (Netflix)

Dom — Season 2 of the Brazilian crime series is the last to be directed by show creator Breno Silveira, who had a heart attack after this round of episodes was in the can. Season 3 will be directed by protégés Vellas and Adrian Teijido. Knowing streaming, we’ll then get a docuseries alleging they had him bumped off. (Prime Video)

Extrapolations — A star-studded cast including Meryl Streep, David Schwimmer, Kit Harington and Michael Gandolfini portrays the horrific complications of a future in which climate change has wreaked a perceptible toll on everyone’s life. Unlike right now, when you’re headed out to watch the Saint Patrick’s Day parade in a thong. (Apple TV+)

In His Shadow — This French flick dramatizes the violent tensions that erupt between two half-brothers after their father passes away. I tell ya, it’s a darn shame when a family can’t agree who should get the Hummel figures. (Netflix)

Leave — As a baby, she was found swaddled in satanic iconography and lying in a graveyard; now, a 20-something young woman makes a pilgrimage to Norway to find out who she really is. Well, of course it’s Norway: Her parents were clearly into black metal, and that Tampa shit was just too damn secular. (Shudder)

The Magician’s Elephant — Natasia Demetriou, Benedict Wong and Aasif Mandvi lend their voices to the animated story of a boy who tries to win a magical pachyderm. Mandy Patinkin is in the cast as well, so get ready for a teachable moment with your kids about the meaning of the word “cloying.” (Netflix)

Noise — A Belgian influencer gets sucked into his father’s secret history, threatening his own relationship with his wife and infant son. But let’s be honest, if you can live with a guy whose LinkedIn designation is “Belgian influencer,” you can weather just about anything. (Netflix)

Sky High: The Series — In a spinoff from the 2020 film of the same name, a young widow decides to align herself with her late husband’s criminal gang instead of working for her father, who also happens to be a mobster. See, these are the kind of choices you get to make when you’re a nepo baby. (Netflix)

Swarm — Atlanta’s Donald Glover and Janine Nabers reteam to tell the story of a superfan (Dominique Fishback) who’s obsessed with a Beyoncé type. The writing staff of this new series includes none other than Malia Obama. So thank God there’s no more Fairness Doctrine, because then we’d probably be forced to watch Chris Pratt stalking Jason Aldean. (Prime Video)

PREMIERES MONDAY:

Gabby’s Dollhouse — In Season 7, the feline-friendly Gabby explores the wonders of travel by train, plane and hot-air balloon. If your tightened family budget no longer allows for Netflix, you can approximate the experience for your preschooler by trying to smuggle your Maine coon onto SunRail. (Netflix)

PREMIERES TUESDAY:

We Lost Our Human — Wacky animation sparks an interactive special that sends a dog and cat in search of their owner after the world is suddenly purged of homo sapiens. Right, we all like to think our pets would immediately go looking for us. But deep down, you know the first thing they’d do would be to hijack our PayPal and go buck wild on Chewy. (Netflix)

An annual rite of passage, Spring Bloom presented by AdventHealth is the most colorful time of the year as thousands of azaleas, camellias, and annuals signal a new season. The festival celebrates the majesty of Mother Nature, now through April 30.

Concert Under The Stars Series

A partnership of the Lake Wales Arts Council and Bok Tower Gardens, enjoy amazing music, starlit nights, and the beautiful setting for a truly unique concert experience.