Looking For The Magic

One thing you’ve got to know about us, is that we are a basketball family! More specifically, a Miami Heat family! But we have an all around love for the sport! We are extremely lucky that we have amazing family in Miami so we head down there often for Heat home games. I have to admit that I have the best Dad in the world, yet he has one flaw….. he’s been a Boston Celtics fan since the day I was born. Other than that, he’s darn near perfect! Well that leads me to this particular trip! The Orlando Magic had a preseason game on a Friday night against the Boston Celtics. So with my Dad being a Celtics fan and all, it was a no brainer!

With tickets purchased, hotel rooms booked and coffee cups full, we were in the car and on our way to Orlando. One thing that I read about this arena was that they let you in 90 minutes before tip off. Other places, it’s only 1 hour. I was grateful for the 90 minutes, thinking it would allow me time to get my elderly parents in their seats and get their food and drinks and have them settled in before the start of the game. Well what Amway claims verses real life are two different things. Yes they do allow you in 90 minutes early. But that is it! You are allowed in but not allowed to your seat nor are the food stands up and running at that time.

Finally, about an hour before tip off, they allow guests to head to their seats. After we get the parents situated, Nelson and I head out and split up to get their dinner orders. Well in keeping with the unprepared theme that was running rampant within the Magic arena, the food stands were unable to make change! I thought maybe it was a joke but no, no such luck! This arena continued to disappoint us throughout the evening! The highlight of the night was that the Boston Celtics stomped the Orlando Magic!! And my parents had a wonderful time!

We were all tired so after checking into our hotel rooms, everyone went to bed. We met up the next morning and landed at a phenomenal brunch spot named Café Tu Tu Tango! None of us had ever been here before. I happened to find out about it from my best friend, Google! And boy was it heavenly!

When you first enter the large restaurant, you notice that the walls are covered in eclectic varieties of art! My hubby and I were instantly in love with the place! On the weekends, they offer a lively brunch that gives you the opportunity to visit their waffle station as well as their taco station. Not to sound like an info-mercial but that’s not all! You can also choose from their regular tapas menu and order as much as you’d like. And all of this was a bargain at $26! And don’t even get me started on the Build Your Own Bloody Mary and Mimosa Bar for $16! Can you say, best brunch ever!!

The service was outstanding! Before I would finish one mimosa, they would bring me another glass of champagne. The choices on the bar were very abundant! It was my first time having an apple cider mimosa! It was a great fall drink!

But the food, oh my goodness the food! There was not one stand out dish because they were all delicious! I fell hard for the shrimp and grits! The seasoning was perfect and the shrimp were huge! We had fun trying their banana caramel pizza for dessert! We were true food champs and I felt like we did an amazing job of trying out a lot of the menu! It was all flavorful, served hot and we loved how creative the dishes were. It was unanimous that we would be back!

The restaurant itself was very unique. They have artists creating their own works which are also for sale. We fell in love with the artist that day as she was creating stunning Dias de los Muertos skulls with 3D flowers cascading through their hair. We purchased a gorgeous piece from Jennifer Bonset! There was also a palm reader available. It was a one of a kind brunch experience!

That was the end of our short trip! It was a blast watching the Celtics win! We also could not have asked for a better meal than what we had a Café Tu Tu Tango! We also learned no more games at Amway Arena unless they figure out to run the place effectively.