68 AMERICANWAY
JULY 15 2007
E A T L I K E A L O C A L
ILLUSTRATIONBYKATEMILLER
Sure, tourist-area strip centers
such as Crossroads (which is lit up
likeCinderella’s castle and home
to nearly every chain restaurant
imaginable) offer easily accessible
— and familiar—dining. Butwho
wants to eat like a tourist? In-
stead, indulge like a local andgrab
a table at one of these favorite
spots. —RonaGindin
Early-Bird Special
THEOLD SPANISH SUGAR
MILL
The indisputably best pancakes
in town are at a restaurant called
theOldSpanishSugarMill. You
cook the regular orwhole-grain
flapjacks on a griddle right in the
center of your table. Be sure to
get some smoky bacon on the
side. 601PonceDeLeonBou-
levard, DeLeonSprings; (386)
985-5644;
.com/sugarmill
Lunchof theDay
ÁNHHONG
In the LittleVietnamdistrict,
Vietnamese-Americans cram into
this bare-bones corner restau-
rant, where every steamingbowl
of soup is servedwith a “salad”
— a plateful of herbs still on
their branches. For the perfect
mix, add a leaf of culantro, a
rip ofmint, and a sprinkling of
cilantro, and then add a spritz of
lime and toss it all into the bowl.
1124East Colonial Drive, (407)
999-2656
HANAMIZUKI JAPANESE
RESTAURANT
Merely blocks away from theOr-
angeCountyConventionCenter,
this truly authentic restaurant
employswaitresseswho speak
very littleEnglish and caters to
a crowdmainly consisting of
Japanese businessmen. Order
the sukiyaki, which is cooked
right at your table, or sample the
grilled rice ballswith plum, the
fermented soybeanswith tuna,
or theAsian seafood salad.
8255 International Drive, Suite
136; (407) 363-7200; www
.hanamizuki.us
Dinner Is Served
FIFI’S PATISSERIE
At this bistro, where stylish
downtowners congregate from
dawn until thewee hours, the
people-watching is as good as
the food. But there’s a dilemma:
Albert’sBenedict, madewith
latkes and lox instead ofwith
Englishmuffins andCanadian
bacon, or hearty osso buco, a
fork-tender stewed lamb shank
with farm-fresh vegetables?
100SouthEolaDrive, (407) 481-
2251,
JOHNSON’SDINER
The same family has been serv-
ing up smotheredpork chops,
fried chicken, and sweet-potato
pie here for years. The digs are
kind of spiffy because the restau-
rantmoved into a newbuilding,
but that hasn’t hurt the old-time
flavors one bit. 595West Church
Street at SouthTerryAvenue,
(407) 841-0717,
diner.com
JOURNEYS RESTAURANT
When it’s time to get fancy
—without fanfare— cuddle
into teensy Journeys (wedged
into a suburban shopping center)
for creativemeals like juniper-
berry-crusted venison loinwith
five-spice sweet-potatomash
andblackberry-Madeira reduc-
tion. 1831West StateRoad434,
Longwood; (407) 629-2221;
Orlando
Dining
An Inside Look
Fifi’s Patisserie; below,
prawns peri peri at
JourneysRestaurant
Fifi’s Patisserie
