Lance Around Orlando

NYPD Pizzeria Voted Best In Orlando

Number One Daughter got her driving permit on Friday.  To celebrate, she wanted pizza and elected to try NYPD Pizzeria and Delicatessen which had won some local Best Pizza of the Year awards.

I spent many years working in the pizza industry. I get nervous whenever I do an unannounced review of a restaurant. I understand that even the best establishments can have an off day. When I do my reviews, I try to look deeper than the surface. I look for systems, talk to patrons, observe the crew and study the procedures. Does anything indicate that tonight is different than usual?

But this visit, I didn’t have to worry about that.

From the moment we pulled up to the NYPD Pizzeria, located on Universal Drive right near the convention center, it was obvious we were at a restaurant worthy of a Best in Orlando award.

The restaurant was doing a bustling business; phones were ringing, tables were crowded and the kitchen crew and wait staff were scurrying back and forth.

#1 Daughter Digs In

I looked at the tables full of people. They were all smiling, gesturing and talking in an animated way. On the center of most tables was a round metal plate set on a pedestal about 8 inches off the table and filled with pizza that looked expertly cooked with generous portions of toppings and cheese. Some tables (that did not have a pizza in the center) were being served with plates filled with calzones, sandwiches or pasta all of which appeared to be cooked just right.

The wait staff was hustling, but not harassed. They appeared friendly, but not overbearing. The kitchen had a half dozen team members each focused on their work. No one looked bored or annoyed. The atmosphere was pleasant.

I looked around the shop. It was obviously a new store. Even so, the walls, tables, counters and baseboards seemed clean. There were firefighter helmets and amusing signs that carried themes of New York’s Finest. Walls with accent paint, a granite countertop and dark wood molding said that someone had created this shop with care and attention to detail.

Our waitress, Ashley, was cheerful and attentive. It was a busy night so she had to hustle and she did so while not being rude or pushy. She tried to give us a few minutes to purview the menu while she attended to some pressing duties. However, when we told her we were ready to order immediately (we had a movie deadline, but we didn’t tell her that) she dropped her other duties and instantly gave us her full attention.

Toasted Just Right

Number One Daughter ordered a Bayside Bianca (white pizza), I ordered an eggplant parmsean sandwich, Number One Son got got linguine with sauce and Mrs. LanceAround shared my sandwich with a slice of Number One Daughter’s Bianca and a salad. The food did not take long to arrive–but it was long enough to indicate that it was freshly prepared. It was cooked to perfection, not over- or under-done. The crust was slightly crunchy and chewy on the outside yet moist and tender on the inside. The eggplant parmesan was on an italian roll that was toasted just right.

At the front of the kitchen, you could watch the chef hand tossing the fresh pizza dough and putting the completed pies into a large oven. It appeared to bake on a revolving stone surface, but I did not get enough of a glimpse of the oven to know for sure.

We were all smiles as we tasted each other’s fare. When our waitress, Ashley, asked why were taking so many photos, she displayed the usual nervous concern when learning we were preparing to write a post about the meal. Since we never reveal whether a review will be positive or negative, we could not alleviate her anxiety. She had nothing to worry about. It was obvious from before we even sat at her table that she is a caring, conscientious waitress who works very hard.

We gave her a good tip and went on to watch our movie–full, delicious and content. Good meal at a good price.

And lucky for our readers, there are currently five NYPD Pizza and Delicatessen Restaurants throughout the greater Orlando area. Here’s the contact info for the one we went to:

NYPD Pizzeria & Delicatessen
9900 Universal Blvd.
Suite 100
Orlando, FL 32819
407.992.8990
http://www.NYPDpizzeria.com

Kouzzina Restaurant on Disney's Boardwalk

Although Number One Son and Daughter love Iron Chef, I have never watched it. I don’t know who Cat Cora is. Mrs. LanceAround and I decided to treat Our Friend Karen to Cat Cora’s recently opened Greek/Southern restaurant, Kouzzina, on the Boardwalk in Disney World. 

According to our menu, Cat Cora was born to a family of Greek restaurateurs in Mississippi. Kouzzina means “kitchen” in Greek. Cora became famous as the first female Iron Chef on the Food Network’s hit show. This is her first signature restaurant. She has blended the Greek food of her ancestors with a Southern twist from her native Mississippi. 

I decided to begin the evening by parking in the Hollywood Studios parking lot and taking a Disney Friendship boat to the Boardwalk. The flaws in my quixotic plan soon became evident as a light rain shower, longer than anticipated walk to the boat and noise of the boat engine drowning any attempt at conversation made me wish I had just parked at the Boardwalk. 

Open Kitchen was N-O-I-S-Y

By the time we arrived at the restaurant, we were starving. Although it was late on a Tuesday night during a slower tourist season, we were dismayed when we were told the wait would be 35 to 45 minutes. Dismay turned to frustration when the wait actually took one hour, 3 minutes and 57 seconds. (a grumpy LanceAround was timing it!) 

If we were disappointed by the wait, our discouragement tripled as we encountered three unexpected things: 

1. The restaurant, with its large open kitchen, was just one room jam packed with tables and noise so loud that conversation was impossible. 

2. The waitress, while knowledgable and efficient, was robotic and inattentive. 

3. Thinking that the casual atmosphere of the boardwalk and the assembly line atmosphere of the restaurant and wait staff meant this would be a moderately priced affair, we did not expect entrees priced from $20 to $28 and appetizers approaching $10 each. 

Crammed In a Big Box

Our Friend Karen remarked that the restaurant had all the ambience of a Cracker Barrel–only with three times the level of noise! (At least I think that’s what she said. I could barely hear her.) 

Just when we thought our experience couldn’t be any more frustrating, the waitress warned us that all the food is freshly prepared so we could expect it to take longer than normal for us to eat. She then helpfully recommended that we could have something sooner by padding our bill with an order of appetizers.  (Although she did not quite say it that way.) 

Though the description of the entrees was enticing, we wound up ordering 7 different appetizers and salads. Our fear of an extended wait for food came to a sudden halt when everything was served to us in, literally, two to three minutes. All 7 items arrived before our waitress had time to get Mrs. LanceAround and Our Friend Karen the beverages they had ordered. 

“So much for ‘freshly prepared’,” I thought as I noticed that the Spanakopita, a complex phyllo pie of spinach, feta, leeks and dill, was at our table faster than it would have taken a team of chefs to put one together! The climax of our misguided adventure came when I tried to cut the Saganki (a seared Greek cheese with lemon and oregano served next to toasted bread) and got a blistery burn on my finger from the cast iron bowl. It was clear that nothing would go right tonight. 

Then, we took our first bite. 

Because of my commitment to a new, healthier lifestyle, I was not eating that late at night, so I have to rely on Mrs. LanceAround and Our Friend Karen to report on the experience of actually eating at Kouzzina.  Their opinion was quick–Mrs. LanceAround thought the food was fantastic and Our Friend Karen thought it was just OK. 

The Food Was Fantastic For Some, OK for Others

Mrs. LanceAround said the Spanakopita was bursting with flavor, the Saganki was scrumptious, the sweet potato fries were tasty, the greek salad was divine, the goat cheese stuff grape leaf was both unique and delicious, the herbed orzo provided a nice compliment to the harissa yogurt. Kalamata fig and hummus spreads served with grilled pita. 

If nothing else, it was an unusual and eclectic mix of tastes and textures. 

Seven appetizers and two glasses of wine came to over $70. Mrs. LanceAround and Our Friend Karen were now content as we rode the boat back to the Hollywood Studios parking lot under a now rainless sky. It was a more relaxing and peaceful end to the evening. 

I’m reminded of one of my favorite foreign films–Babette’s Feast–which portrays how a community can come together and enjoy each other over a delightful meal. It was interesting to note how our experience at this restaurant so closely paralleled the numerous reviews I found later when researching it on the web. 

In summary, skip Kouzzina if you want nice atmosphere or great service. Enjoy it if you are looking for a creative, unique combination of Greek and Southern food and have some money to spend. In other words, the food was good enough to recommend trying Kouzzina despite the horrible atmosphere and service–but just barely.