DALI’S LAO THAI CAFE
Some of the best Laotian and Thai cuisine can be found at this six-table, family-run establishment in a Sanford strip mall. From the gravy in the seafood lad na to the stellar laab laced with orange Thai hots, everything is made from scratch in-house. The khao poon, a Laotian coconut curry soup of rice noodles and shredded chicken, is worth the drive alone. Closed Tuesdays. 1181 Rinehart Road, Sanford, 321-363-3728; $$
BAGEL BRUNO
Vegan, hearth-baked Montreal-style bagels lend much gratification to breakfast and lunch routines. Purists beware: Sandwiches, be they egg and cheese or smoked salmon with capers, come toasted, but toasted is the way you’ll want such specialty items as the pizza bagel or the classic reuben – which comes with bagel tops sliced off for an added crisp. Foxtail Coffee shares the space. Open daily 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 3405 Edgewater Drive, 407-601-2914; $
HUNGRY PANTS
Hungry Pants’ menu of mostly veg and vegan rice bowls, salads and handhelds caters to flexitarians and semi-vegetarians, though meat-cravers can opt for a salmon wrap, turkey reuben or cheeseburger. Of note are the chilled soba noodles with shiitake and bok choy, the beet and citrus salad, and black bean and sweet potato wontons served with a delightful house-made hot sauce. End with a slice of sour orange pie, or two. Open daily. 3421 S. Orange Ave., 407-412-6300; $$
SEA THAI
Chef Jack Jone’s specials (offered four days a week, Fridays through Mondays) advance Thai cuisine in this city like no other, with dishes like khao soi in an incredible curry broth and tempurabattered soft-shell crabs pan-fried in red curry paste with shrimp fat and palm sugar. Pastes and broths are painstakingly made – sample the delicate wontons in broth fashioned from pork bone, soy and ginger for a small taste. Soy-tamarind wings and a haute seared salmon salad are must-haves if available. 3812 E. Colonial Drive, 407-895-0985; $$
ALEX’S FRESH KITCHEN
Chef-driven diner in Casselberry serves breakfast and lunch items a notch above others in the area – mini chicken & waffles over a drizzle of vanilla sauce, chicken cheesesteak with white cheddarand-garlic aioli, and a gratifying turkey club. Potatoes are given the proper treatment here, be they home fries or French fries. Desserts, like chocolate banana cake and red velvet cupcakes, are baked in-house, gluten-free and shockingly moist. Closed Mondays. 1015 State Road 436, Casselberry, 407-636-5048; $$
orlandoweekly.com
●
MARCH 18-24, 2020 ● ORLANDO WEEKLY
29
