Osprey Tavern

Posted on by Thor

Pam Schwartz and I went to Osprey Tavern (4899 New Broad St, Orlando, FL 32814) for dinner. The place has a swanky vibe and service was fast to the point of hectic. I was just starting to block in the sketch when the food started to arrive so I had to juggle eating with sketching. We ordered some Brussels sprouts as an appetizer and they were well cooks and tasty. I ordered a Cider and Pam had a pumpkin themed cocktail that was really good.

My meal was a bolognese with thin noodles and a creamy sauce. In the dish were two cherry sized tomatoes that refused to be stuck by my fork. I chased them around the place endlessly and then gave up and continued to sketch. We both ordered desert as well. I had a carrot cake slice which was immense and Pam ordered a cheese board which had a smokey blue cheese that she loved.

Overall the food was good but both dishes we ordered were very similar to the dished Pam might cook on any given night at home. There was no spectacular WOW factor. One of the waiters looked like a musician I had sketched before. Apparently a lawyer for the city was having diner there as well since Pam recognized him as he made his way to the men’s room. The city sprayed cement on the paint job of Pam’s car and the city was supposed to remedy the pock marked damage but they never did. This lawyer was supposed to be the one to help.

Sette Italian

Posted on by Thor

By Pam Schwartz

Tom and I love to cook at home, but there are some nights I can’t
handle the thought of having to stop for groceries for something fun and
then cook and clean up. By 9:30 PM all we have accomplished is to have
dinner, albeit delicious.

This random weekday night I was feeling something hearty and just made
the executive decision we should go out. Its never too hard to convince
Tom, so we settled on Sette (1407 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32804) having heard good things about it. We both
love Italian food but rarely eat it out because
we often feel we can do it better at home.

With Sette this was NOT the case. It was *I think* the first time
stateside I’ve ever felt I COULDN’T make something on the same par (at
least not on my first try!) The place has a nice vibe with an open
kitchen layout. I beat Tom there and so we had to do-si-do
seats once he arrived so he could have his preferred view on things for
this sketch.

Tom and I are rarely food compatible. For goodness sakes, the man’s
favorite food is hot dogs. I eat most of what he eats but he rarely
likes to get too adventurous, though he’s gotten much better. I relented
from my wish list appetizer and let Tom get us the
Italian sausage and grapes. I couldn’t quite get behind the idea of hot
grapes and was concerned about the general levels of fennel involved.
The excellent waiter assured me that if I got a bit of each ingredient
in every bite, I’d be pleased, and I was. Surprisingly
so.

For our entrees Tom ordered the Clam Linguini (forgetting he’s not a
huge fan of anything lemony) but he still really liked it, and I had the
Amatriciana Paccheri, the rigatoni gigante was so perfectly al dente,
exquisite, and the dish seasoned so I could only
shake my head to keep myself from crying into the beautiful bowl of
noodles.  Meanwhile, we had waiters, hostesses, and the owner of the
restaurant swing by our table multiple times to check on us and have
small chat. Something I always appreciate, I like
getting to know folks and enjoy the conversation while Tom sketches. 



Trina Gregory-Propst, one of the owners, and I chatted about making ice cream and
flavor profiles, given my recent obsession with it. Tom gets homemade
vanilla chocolate chip (it is all he ever wants), which she laughed
about, while I experiment with honey lavender,
coffee, or sweet corn profiles.

Perhaps not surprisingly, she managed to talk us into dessert. I,
the lemon cake of which I’d heard rumors as to its greatness and Tom the
special chocolate hazelnut creation. They were both really excellent
desserts and enormous in portion.

It is safe to say that Tom and I will definitely be repeat visitors to
Sette, there are more scrumptious sounding items for us to sample.
Definitely the type of place to take your friends and family to for a
nice night out when they are in town.

ODD 17 at Dexter’s in Winter Park

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Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) invites artists to go to a new bar or restaurant each month to sample food and drink and sketch. I was living in Winter Park at the time so I decided to go to Dexter’s (558 W New England Ave Suite 100, Winter Park, FL 32789). My roommate went to this place religiously. There are often bands that perform but on this evening it was quiet. I usually go to ODD events a little early so that I get a good jump on my sketch before I start socializing with other artists. I ordered a beer and got to work.

As I was finishing the sketch, I realized that I had not seen any artists enter. The door was at the right of my sketch so I was looking towards the entrance and should have noticed and welcome any artists. I decided to put extra time into the watercolor on the sketch to pass the time but decided after a while that no one was going to show up. I  paid, packed up and walked back to my car. 

On the drive back to my studio, I got a text, “Where are you?” from an artist. I explained that no one had shown up and I left. What I didn’t realize was that daylight savings time had just ended, so I was at Dexter’s well over an hour before anyone else, and I left before the start time of the event I had scheduled. I had to apologize. I hope anyone who did get out to Dexter’s got a decent sketch that night.

World of Beer

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I went to World of Beer located in the Marketplace at Dr Phillips (7800 Dr Phillips Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819) to meet a friend and chat. Any time I arrive someplace first I get the sketchbook out to sketch while I wait for waiters or the person I am meeting. This is a mad dash sketch which I knew I would probably not complete. That didn’t stop me from trying. The bar has a wide assortment of beers and it fills up as people file in after work.

Besides the wide assortment of beers there is also pub grub like German Pretzels, Tater tots chicken wings, burgers and flat breads. I ordered tots to go with my brew. Later that evening I was sketching a rehearsal, so this was my dinner. Like most sports bars there is a phalanx of TV screens so that you are starting into a tube no matter which direction you look.

Bone Fish

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Bone Fish

(7830 W Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL 32819) was a regular hang out when I lived in Metro West. They have very tasty Manhattans and other cocktails. S9me dr7njs come with a glow stick as a stir stick. I would order a drink just to experience the glow. The dinner menu is also good. I almost always order a saucy shrimp dish. 


I did this sketch while waiting for a friend. I seldom post unfinished sketches, but there are rare occasions where I run out of time. A sketch is by definition incomplete, I need to keep reminding myself of that. Pictured is the waiting area outside the restaurant front door. Palm trees and evening breezes keep guests comfortable if they don’t want to muscle up to the bar.

Black Rock opens on Conroy Windermere Road.

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I teach an Urban Sketching Course at Elite Animation Academy (8933 Conroy Windermere Rd, Orlando, FL 32835). The main premise l to encourage students to keep a sketch pad with them at all times, so they can document the everyday moments of the lives. How often have you gone to a restaurant and found the wait time intolerable? If you sketched then it would see like the service is always too good since you don’t quite have enough time to finish the sketch you started. To a sketch artist sitting still, I work seems to us by. The challenge is to catch enough of those moments to bring the sketch alive. In this sketch, those two servers in aprons never actually stood and spoke to each other. Each was speaking to some one else who walked away before they could be captured. As the artist, I get to decide who interacts to each other in my world.

Service was actually very good at Black Rock (8965 Conroy Windermere Rd, Orlando, FL 32819). The restaurant gets it’s name from the sizzling steak it serves on literal hot rocks. I think the rock keep the steaks hot longer. I didn’t order a steak. I was here with my three Urban Sketches to sample an appetizer and to sketch. This was the final class so we pulled out all the stops using co to as well as line. Watercolor doesn’t hold up very well on | thin animation paper use in class, so I encouraged the student to try colored pencils to add color. I played along with them doing this sketch to show how I might approach the scene. The scene incorporate foreground, middle ground and background.

We had guacamole which was also served in a black rock dish. I can say that the appetizer was quite good, and I hope to return someday to try a full meal. The food certainly smelled delicious as servers walked past with the sizzling meals.

Ethos offers amazing vegan food and live music.

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Between sketch opportunities, I decided to have dinner at Ethos Vegan Kitchen (601 S New York Ave, Winter Park, FL.) A three piece band was setting up, so I sat at the end of the bar so that I was close enough to sketch. The bass players wife was at the bar next to me with her daughter. They had just been to the Orlando Science Center to see the Mummies Exhibit. The young girl had purchased tiny dinosaur pills that would grow when placed in water. She unwrapped the package and desperate waited for the waitress to bring her z cup of water. I of course warned her that dinosaurs are unbelievably large and it might not fit in the restaurant. The spongy dinosaur only grew to about an inch or two.

I had sketched the bass player before. He had a sheet of cardboard on the floor, and it was puncture full of holes from the bass stand. The music was in full swing, when the food arrived. I had a Sheppard’s Pie which consisted of mashed potatoes filled with vegetables in a dark gravy. It was tasty, but a bit dry. It came with extra bread which I couldn’t imagine eating since the dish was so large.

With the sketch done, I lingered a bit to hear the end of the set. The musicians then came | the bar to eat and I share the sketch. After they ate, they were going to do another set. I packed up and headed out.

The Tin Roof is a new live music venue on International Drive.

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Event Planners from around the country descended on the Orland Convention Center for an event planner’s conference. I was invited to sketch at a lunch time event of some of the countries top planners. The event was to take place at The Tin Roof (8371 International Dr, Orlando, FL). Stacey Paul Barbie was the event planner who asked me to help out. She asked me to join her for lunch at the Tin Roof in order to make plans. 

We were offered a sampler of the restaurant’s best appetizers. I was told that the chief had whipped together a new macaroni and cheese dish that had chicken and a crumble crust. I ordered that and it was amazing. I also sampled some raw tuna which was quite good as a lite bite. 

The Tin Roof has a down home country feel to it. Antique signs from the 1950s adorn the walls and the furniture feels like it was lifted straight out of a 1950s diner. I had to meet in with the venue’s tech guy and we set it up so that I could sketch on my tablet and the image would appear on every TV screen in the venue. On the day of the event, my logo flashed on the screens as an event sponsor. That was a proud moment.

After the meeting, I relaxed and sketched the venue. Being right next to the Orlando Eye Ferris wheel, there was a light crowd of tourists who would stop in for lunch. The venue probably gets much more crowded at night when live music acts hit the stage. I need to get on their mail in list so that I can return sketch some performances.

Side Show Bar and Restaurant in Downtown Orlando.

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Side Show Bar and Restaurant (15 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL) is a bright splash of color that moved into downtown after The Loaded Hog and One Eyed Jacks vacated. The last time I was here, I was sketching the fun chaos as the Packer Backers cheered on their favorite football team. The space has been opened up and filled with every imaginable form of Side Show kitch. Above the bar looms a huge poster of Alexander the fortune teller. Elaborately framed paintings showcase everything from the Fat Lady to the Swamp Gypsy. Exotic Turkish lamps illuminate the bar.

I stopped in shortly after 5pm and a table was filled with co-workers having an after hours drink. During The course of the sketch, one loner came in, placed his baseball cap on the bar and ordered a beer. e ordered a burger and a beer both of which were decent. A large lever on the back wall spins a gaming wheel above the from door which picks exotic drinks like the Bearded Lady.

On another occasion, Terry and I were meeting friends, Amanda and Matt Simantov from out of town along with Matt Rankin. They were in a bar across from SAK Comedy Club, but the place was packed and way too noisy for any form of shouted conversation. A Magic game had just let out of the Amway Arena which explained the crowd. I suggested we go up to Side Show but instead ever one agreed to go all the way to Thornton Park for a quieter spot. The women went off to get their car and the guys walked up Orange Avenue. We passed Side Show which was surprisingly empty. Just a block away the bars were crowded to overflowing and yet Side Show was vacant. Perhaps the large open space isn’t conducive to draw in the crowds. It would have been a perfect place to stop, but we were already commit to the long hike to Thornton Park, where we ended up going to Graffiti Junction.

Viet Garden is a Regular Haunt for It’s Pad Tai

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Anytime I find myself in the Mills-50 District prior to a show or a rehearsal, I stop into Viet Garden, 1237 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL, to order its consistently delicious Pad Tai. The service is quick and efficient and I suspect the staff recognize me since they always seat me at the same table with e view of the room. When they ask if I am ready to order, I think I caught a slight smile as the waiter waited for me to say Pad Tai. I get a Pad Tai and a Coke every time. I am a creature of habit and I know what I like.

The murals on the walls offer plenty for me to look at as I enjoy my meal. Clouds were quickly sponged into place and the architecture and figures were neatly placed.  A large tiger fills the hallway if you enter the restaurant from the rear door. Several times, while eating alone, people have recognized me and complimented my work. I couldn’t put a name to the faces which is a symptom of the loose connections I find when conversing on Facebook. I love when I can finally put 2 and 2 together and a virtual friend becomes real.