All things in moderation.
It’s a solid maxim, but on National Eat What You Want Day (May 11), it’s one you can feel comfortable setting aside as you indulge in all the things from which your willpower more often demands abstention.
For chefs, of course, moderation is key because so much time is spent around food, some of which must be tasted, as dishes and their separate elements are perfected for service. Those calories add up. But on Eat What You Want Day? We don’t worry about such things.
“I would definitely have an insane amount of smashed double cheeseburger with extra cheese and chocolate milkshakes all day,” says celebrity chef and owner of Chayote Winter Park Mario Pagán.
Though Pagán came up amid fine dining restaurants, he’s far from a food snob.
Neither is chef Bruno Fonseca of Foreigner Restaurant , where locals show up for handcrafted multicourse confiance dinners featuring elements from caviar to foie gras to fine Spanish ham with curated wine pours alongside.
In fact, Fonseca created a counter to this upscale counter on the other side of town, where simplicity comes in the form of fresh-shucked oysters and, more recently, conservas — simple, delicious tinned fish — a source of comfort and a taste of the Iberian peninsula, for the Brazilian-born chef. That said, when the clock is off, two of his own local favorites include Deli Desires ‘ bacon sandwich, served with egg and jalapeno on a fresh-baked bialy and a roster of Mexican classics from Hunger Street Tacos .
“I love the machete and the carnitas tacos,” he says. “I always dive into good Mexican food, because you can have complex flavors that are so tasty, made with love and more than anything else, cooked with honesty…. I love to indulge in food that taste completely different and delicious, and from local restaurants that make food so well.”
When Kaleigh Gardner eats what she wants (and she most definitely does) she loves local, as well. But she’s less apt to lean into other cuisines like Fonseca. In fact, she flies all over the country tasting just about everyone’s pizza — she is The Pizza Slut , after all! — but here at home, Ziggie’s Pizza is one of her top go-to’s.
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“I love my Ziggie’s family!” says Gardner. “The dough is always the perfect, crispy-style bar pie and always a great bite from great people. I always let them pick my pizza, but if not, I go with mushroom and pepperoni.”
Gardner’s been traveling for pizza since 2014, studying, eating and learning from the best. Now, you can find her pop-ups all over town. On Tuesdays, she’s at Hourglass Brewing in the Hourglass District (corner of Bumby and Curry Ford in Orlando) from 6:30 p.m. to sell out. On May 15, hit her up at Wine Down Wednesday with Domu at East End Market. On May 17, you can see her at the Orlando Parking Lot Party in downtown Orlando.
“I love pizza because every single person does it differently and makes it uniquely their own,” Gardner says of her favorite indulgence. “It never gets old, and pizza always hits the spot.”
Pagán would likely relate to the travel part when it comes to his cheeseburger love.
“My favorites are smash burgers, but any good burger will do,” he says. He cites Hangry Bison, Crocante, Swine & Sons and Hillstone among his favorites here in town.
Tung Phan may have Michelin star to his credit these days , but that doesn’t mean the man behind Baldwin Park’s tony Camille doesn’t eat like the rest of us, especially on Eat What You Want Day.
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“I would go right to Stasio’s and get their signature Stasio sandwich with couscous salad, beet salad, tomato caprese, stuffed peppers and end it with their lobster tail pastry and house espresso.”
Phan puts a lot into both his real-world work and his fantasy meals, apparently.
Phan and Fonseca’s operations boast counters where guests show up for elegant, high-level experiences.
“Oftentimes, they are surprised to learn that someone who is serving them a multicourse meal leans toward something more humble,” says Fonseca.
Phan loves Stasio’s for the same reasons everyone else does.
“It’s just simple food done right. Very comforting. Nothing more, nothing less,” he says of Stasio’s. “Honest food.”
That’s what anyone wants, the chefs agree, when it’s time to eat what you want.
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie . Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com , For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group .
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