Maggiano’s Little Italy is a great traditional Italian restaurant located in Pointe Orlando. It offers a classy, yet casual, atmosphere. The prices are comparable to Olive Garden, but the food is much better. It tastes like a home cooked meal and the portions are more than enough for a single meal. Make sure you save room for dessert because their cheesecake and chocolate cake are excellent. The one complaint I would have is that while their individual tables are nicely sized, the tables themselves are too close together. Maybe you could request a booth if you want a little more privacy. Other than that, I’d highly recommend Maggiano’s, for big parties, families, or an intimate dinner for two.

If you’ve read any of my reviews of one of the numerous froyo shops, they you’ve read them all. There’s really not much to differentiate one from another. All of them rotate the flavors of frozen yogurt. Some have more toppings than others. It’s 100% self serve, so service is never really an issue. They all have the same type of atmosphere, but some do have more seating, indoors or out. Every froyo shop I’ve been to so far has a loyalty card as well, usually giving you 1 free cup of yogurt after you’ve purchased 10. I think the main factor in picking which one you go to is which is the closest, considering most everything else is more or less the same.

While service is normally negligible at these shops, I will say I received some service above and beyond what was required of them. My fiance and I had gone here with our dog. He’s obviously not allowed inside, so we took turns getting our frozen yogurt. My fiance went first, and the lady at the counter allowed here to take her yogurt without paying so that I could pay for both of them when I was done. It’s a very minor thing for them to do, but that simple trust put in us (yes it was only over a cup of yogurt) for our convenience goes a long way.

There are a couple minor differences with Delish Frozen Yogurt. They give you a free cup of yogurt (up to 8oz) on your birthday. I have not seen a special like this anywhere else. While most froyo shops have a flat, per ounce pricing structure, Delish charges $0.32/oz for frozen yogurt, and $0.42 for frozen yogurt with toppings. I really don’t see the need to do this, since most people really don’t pile on the toppings, and I can’t see toppings other than fresh fruit costing much more than the yogurt itself.

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt is just one of the many self serve frozen yogurt shops to pop up. This particular establishment is generally more crowded than others in the area. There may not be enough room to enjoy your frozen yogurt there, but you can always eat it in your car in the parking lot. Menchie’s has a ton of toppings, more than any other froyo shop I’ve been to yet. While they do offer fresh fruit, most toppings are on the less healthy side, and include all sorts of candy, sprinkles, marshmallows, and syrups (caramel, chocolate, etc.). Menchie’s is self server so you can get as much or as little as you want, both of yogurt and toppings, and you just pay by the ounce.

While you can get milk shakes in several different flavors at Steak and Shake, McDonald’s, Arby’s, Sonic, and many other places, no one other than ShakeOut offers 120 flavors. They only offer French vanilla ice cream, but that is so that the ice cream does not take away from the added flavors themselves. To flavor your milkshake, you pick from over 120 options, including candy, cookies, cakes, cereal, and fruit (view their menu). The fruit they use is fresh, the cakes, cookies and pies are real, not just flavor shots, and the candies are right from the package you would get at the store, rather than bulk generic candies. They also offer boosters like, bran, energy or muscle builder, and toppings like whipped cream, sprinkles, or chocolate chips.

For $3.99 for a regular shake (16oz) or $4.99 for a large (20oz), you get to pick one flavor. If you want to create your own combination, it’s only $1 more per flavor. Or, you could try one of their custom blends created by and voted on by customers ($4.95 for a regular and $5.95 for a large). They have a customer loyalty program offering 1 free milk shake after your 10th purchase, and they also offer 10% off to military and service employees.

I really liked ShakeOut and think it has a great, unique offering. I would recommend it to anyone that likes ice cream or milk shakes. I can see them thriving, and spreading all over, much like the froyo shops you see popping up everywhere now.

This is the 8th AMC dine-in theater in the country, and the first one in Florida. However, this is not the first dine-in theater in the area, the Enzian and Aloma Cinema grill have been around for years. The AMC Dine-in Theater is much more like a traditional theater though. The AMC 24 now has 18 traditional theaters, and 6 dine-in theaters. The dine-in theaters have a separate entrance, and admittance is 18+ unless accompanied by an adult. Sorry parents, no dropping your kids off at this theater for babysitting on the cheap.

The theaters I was able to tour all had 3 sections, of 4 seat rows. Four of the theaters seat between 100 and 110, while the other 2 can seat around 200. The chairs recline, and felt larger and more comfortable than what you would typically experience. There is more lighting than a traditional theater, so you can see the menu, as well as your food and drink, as well as providing adequate lighting for staff to serve you. Lighting may be an issue for those of you that require a pitch black theater, but shouldn’t be a problem for most. There is a full bar, MacGuffin’s, in the lobby, that serves a variety of beers, wines, liquors, and mixed drinks. The beer is a hair on the pricey side, $5.99 for a pint of premium (Blue Moon, Guinness, etc.), and $4.99 for a pint of domestic (Budweiser, Coors Light, etc.), but it is to be expected because of the venue.

The food is comparable in variety to what you would get at a restaurant like T.G.I. Friday’s or Chili’s, but definitely better in quality (you can view their menu here (PDF)). We started our meal with the sampler appetizer, which came with 4 Buffalo wings, 4 mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce, kettle cooked chips with ketchup for dipping, and onion rings. The mozzarella sticks and onion rings were excellent, the wings were good, but the chips were bland without ketchup. They would have been much better if they had been salted, and could have been enjoyed on their own then. I had the Thai Coconut Chicken Tenders with french fries, and my fiance had the Bistro Chicken Mac and Cheese. The Thai Coconut chicken was good, but the Mac and Cheese was much better. They use thick spiral pasta which hold a lot of cheese, making every bite delicious, and it’s topped with bacon and breaded chicken, making it that much better.

I had talked with our server, Brad, over how they handle this unique experience. He said that one big obstacle to overcome is people’s habit of arriving at the theater right on time, or just a little late to skip the previews. It’s generally better to arrive a little early here, so you have time to look over the menu and place your order before the movie starts. While it wasn’t a full theater, distractions from servers and other patrons was minimal. Rather than the server checking on you every few minutes, there is a call button at each seat that you press if you need anything. Your check is typically delivered toward the end of the movie, which you can pay right away, or wait until the end of the movie, and even until the final credits have rolled if you feel so inclined.

I see the AMC Dine-in Theater as an excellent adult geared movie theater, providing a much needed alternative to the typical theater. While I wouldn’t consider it an optimal dining or movie going experience (it was somewhat awkward leaning forward in my recliner to eat), the hybrid experience is enjoyable. The pricing is on par with a traditional dinner and movie, but now you can do both at the same time. I see this as a great way to get people out of their homes watching movies and back into theaters.

From what I have been told, ticket prices will be as follows:

• Adult: $13.00 – After 4:00 pm
• Child: $10.00 – Age 2 – 12
• Matinee: $11.00 – Before 3:55 pm
• Senior: $12.00 – Age 60+

This is $2 more than standard ticket prices at the AMC 24 theaters in Downtown Disney.

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The great thing about Mix Frozen Yogurt, and most froyo shops, is that you pay by the ounce, 39 cents at Mix. I love this because I can get as much or as little as I want to eat. I can put the exact amount of toppings I want on my frozen yogurt. I’m not charged more for premium toppings or anything like that.

Mix is in a great location, tucked away in the shopping plaza on the southwest corner of Colonial and Alafaya. It’s close enough to the shopping area at Waterford Lakes to go there if you are in the area, but far enough away that there isn’t too much foot traffic. While the owners may disagree with me, I think it’s a good thing. The place is not too crowded, keeping it clean and comfortable. The place is mostly self serve, but the staff is friendly and courteous, and will answer any questions you may have about some of their more unusual offerings.

I appreciate the staff inviting me into their shop. It really is a great place to get a snack. You can sit around and relax, or get some work done with their open WiFi.

• Texas de Brazil: purchase $60 and get a $10 bonus, or purchase $100 and get a $25 bonus. Use code HOLIDAY214. Extended through December 24.
• Taco Bell: get a free large drink with the purchase of a gift card.
• Outback Steakhouse offers a $20 bonus card for every $100 purchased.
• Sonny’s Bar-B-Q offers $10 in bonus cards (looks like they give you two $5 cards) free with a $50 gift card purchase.
• Carrabba’s: get a $20 bonus card for every $100 gift card purchase.
• Applebee’s: get a $10 bonus card with a $50 gift card purchase.
• Charley’s Steakhouse: get a $50 bottle of wine with a $100 gift card purchase.
• Del Taco
  • Buy a $10 gift card, get 2 regular tacos free.
  • Buy a $15 gift card, get 2 chicken soft tacos free.
  • Buy a $20 gift card, get 1 free menu item.
• Fuddruckers: purchase a $25 gift card and get a bonus $5 gift card
• Jeremiah’s Italian Ice: Black Friday, November 26th only, get a free small item voucher with every $10 gift card purchase
• Arby’s: get a free combo meal with a $20 gift card purchase.
• Denny’s: get a free $5 gift card with the purchase of a $25 gift card, online or in the restaurant.
• Smokey Bones: buy a $25 gift card, get a $5 bonus card, make it a $10 bonus card if you are a Bones Club member. Bonus cards only good between certain dates, details here.
• Chipotle: buy $25 in gift cards, and get a free burrito, bowl, salad, or order of tacos.
• Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse: get 10% back in holiday bonus cards with every gift card purchase of $250 or more
• Tijuana Flats: purchase a $25 gift card, and get a bonus $5 gift card.
• Friendly’s: get a $5 bonus card for every $25 gift card purchase, must be purchased in store.
• Buffalo Wild Wings: buy a $25 gift card, get a $5 bonus card. Bonus card good from January 1, 2001 – February 28, 2011.
• Jason’s Deli: purchase a $50 gift card, get a $5 bonus card.
• Panera Bread: purchase a $100 gift card, get a $10 bonus card.
• Logan’s Roadhouse: get $10 in Logan’s Bucks for every $30 gift card you purchase.
• Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza: get 10% for yourself with gift card purchase of $100 or more.

While I do try to include any of the fine print details I can find, you should pay close attention to the deals listed here and elsewhere. Bonus gift cards often are only good between certain dates, have a minimum purchase necessary, or cannot be used with other gift cards.

• Chili’s offers a choice of 1 of 6 entrees to all veterans and active duty military.
• Outback Steakhouse offers a free Bloomin’ Onion and non-alcoholic beverage.
• Applebee’s offers 1 of 7 free meals to all active duty or retired military.
• Golden Corral offers a free meal on Monday November 15th to all military personnel. This year marks their 10th anniversary in honoring our troops.
• Pizzeria Uno offers 1 free entree with the purchase of another entree.
• Hooters offers a free meal, from selected menu items.
• Grab a free doughnut at Krispy Kreme on Veteran’s Day.
• Subway is giving away one six inch sub to veterans. Check with the location beforehand, because many locations are franchises and it is up to the owner to participate in this promotion.

If you know of any other restaurants offering deals on Veterans’ Day, leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list.