Best Bets


Voting continues through February 28th for the Orlando Sentinel’s Best Bets. I hope you will vote for Analog Artist Digital World in the Best Local Blogger category. They encourage people to nominate in as many categories as possible. Since the list is dauntingly large, I thought I would share my votes. I voted for places I have sketched, and spots that I return to often. This sketch is of Stardust Video and Coffee which I nominated as the Best Local Bar and the Best Local Restaurant to bring clients. This list should give you a running start. Of course mold this list to suit your tastes. For instance you might actually know who the best cosmetic surgeon is in town. If you disagree with any of my Best Bets, let me know!

Best Chain Restaurant……….Firehouse
Best Local Bar……………………Stardust Video & Coffee
Best Local Nightclub ………….I-Bar
Best Local Bar/Restaurant to see Live Music …..Tanqueray’s
Best Local Wine Bar……………Cavanagh’s Fine Wine
Best Local Beer Selection……Redlight Redlight
Best Local Martini Bar………..Bone Fish Grill
Best Local Hole in the Wall….Back Booth
Best Local Happy Hour……….Will’s Pub
Best Local Brunch……………….Dandelion Communitea Cafe
Best Local Burger………………..Hamburger Mary’s
Best Local Steak………………….Dexter’s
Best Local Seafood………………Bonefish Grill
Best Local Pizza…………………..Mellow Mushroom
Best Local BBQ…………………….Bubbalou’s Bodacious BBQ
Best Local Frozen Desert……..Tutti Frutti
Best Local Sushi……………………Amura
Most Local Romantic…………….Social Chameleon
Best Local Thai……………………..Viet Garden
Best Local Cuban…………………..Cuban Sandwiches to go
Best Local Mexican………………..De La Vega’s
Best Local Italian…………………..Antonio’s La Fiamma
Best Local Indian………………….Spice Cafe
Best Local Chinese………………..Ming Court
Best Local Sub Sandwich………Publix
Best Local Wings……………………Buffalo Bill’s Wild Wings
Best Local Vegetarian…………….Loving Hut
Best Local Dessert………………….Rhapsodic Bakery
Best Local Outdoor Dinning…….310 Park South
Best Local Place to Bring Fido…Doggie Door, Winter Park
Best Local Coffee……………………..Austin’s Coffee
Best Local Caterer…………………..Bubbalou’s BBQ
Best Local Restaurant to take Clients…..Stardust Video and Coffee
Best Local Bachelor/bachelorette….Brian Feldman, Hannah Miller
Best Local Gay/Lesbian Bar………The Parliament House
Best Local Radio Personality…….Jim Phillips
Best Orlando Sentinel Columnist…..Matthew Palm
Best Local TV Personality………..Peter Murphy
Best Meteorologist………………….I don’t have time for TV
Best Local Celebrity……………….Mark Baratelli
Best Local Blogger…………Analog Artist Digital World
Best Local Band…………………….Kaleigh Rose Baker and the Absinthe Trio
Best Theme Park Ride…………..Carousel of Progress
Best Water Park……………………Wet and Wild
Best Live Show………………………Orlando Live
Best Annual Event at Theme Park…..Food and Wine Festival Epcot
Best Local Resort………………….Wilderness Lodge
Best Wildlife Encounter…………Manatee Festival Blue Spring State Park
Best Community Festival………Fringe Festival
Best Museum………………………..Orlando Museum of Art
Best Weekend Getaway………..DeLeon Springs
Best Wedding Venue…………….Orlando Shakespeare Theater
Best Golf Course…………………..Bay Hill
Best Movie Theatre………………Enzian Theater
Best Concert Venue………………Plaza Theater
Best Video Gaming Spot……….Aloma Bowl
Best Shopping Mall………………..Mall at Millenia
Best Arts and Crafts Store…….Michael’s
Best Sporting Goods Store…….Bass Pro Shops
Best Home Furnishing Store…Rob and Stucky’s
Best Local Bookstore…………….Bookworm
Best Specialty Food Store……..Rhapsodic Bakery
Best Local Wine/Liquor Store…..Eola Wine Room
Best Day Spa…………………………….Baden Baden Germany
Best Local Hair Salon………………..I cut my own hair
Best Cosmetic Surgeon……………..You are kidding, right?
Best Mens Clothing Store………….The Gap
Best Womens Clothing Store……..The Gap
Best Jewelry Store …………………….P.J. Abramson Inc
Best Department Store………………Stein Mart
Best Discount Department store…..K Mart
Best Shoe Store…………………………The Track Shack
Best Fitness Facility………………….Anytime Fitness
Best Tattoo Parlor…………………….Black Chapel

Fab Fringe Fundraiser

Beth Marshall suggested I stop down to the Fab Fringe Fundraiser that was held at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. I had to attend a Bella Fleck concert later that night so I knew my time to sketch was limited. I arrived straight from downtown where I dropped off several of my prints to a client. I was a bit early and I decided to sketch, Carla Davis, the woman who sells the tickets to the event. Pricilla who had attended the Fringe eight times, was at the next table selling Fringe tee shirts and buttons. Within minutes the first Fringe button was sold kicking off this years Fringe festivities. There were three or four photographers buzzing about the event and every one of them wanted to get pictures of me at work. I am getting used to the mild distractions of the sounds of shutters clicking as I sketch. When I finished this sketch I wandered into the Patrons room where tables lined the walls of the circular room with various auction items waiting for bids. I took the business cards of any artists whose work interested me, so I might contact them and see if they were interested in allowing me to visit their studios to sketch.
Tisse Mallon found me and said I had to experience “Theater in a box”. Theater in a box was a small fabric box just big enough to seat two people. A woman had just entered the theater so Tisse suggested I get some food and come back. I loaded my plate and then Tisse told me the theater was waiting. I ducked down and entered the totally dark cave sitting in the empty seat. Jeff Wirth who was sitting opposite me turned on a small pen light which was dangling from the ceiling. As my eyes adjusted, he looked around nervously wringing his hands. Finally he said, “I don’t know how we will get out of here alive.” Slowly our precarious situation was discussed. We were lost on a cave spelunking expedition. This improve drama required that I join in the drama offering my feeble attempts to comfort Jeff, and find a way back to the surface. We had left no trail and there were hundreds of passageways and turns. Outside our dark shelter, I could hear the crowd gathering to enter the theater, but that just reminded me of how desperate the situation was. I realized suddenly that I had bought the Fringe food into the enclosure so I reminded Jeff that at least we had some food. He pointed out that it would not last long. My only way to put a positive spin on the situation was through humor. Then the thought dawned on me, park rangers would certainly send a search team after us when we did not check back in at the end of the day. I also told Jeff that they most likely would have search dogs who would be able to sniff out the food. Jeff took two small pinches off of my roll on the plate. He gave me one pinch of bread. We toasted by tapping the two crumbs together as he said, “here is to survival”.

“Dressed to Kill” New Years Eve at the Enzian

This is officially my first sketch of 2010. I had four other parties I was considering for New Year’s Eve, but Brian Feldman and Tisse Mallon told me about this $5 James Bond themed party at the Enzian Theater. At $5 admission, it may have been the best deal in town. Approaching the theater, I could feel the electric excitement of the crowd. Terry and I had to park several blocks away because the lot was overflowing. At the Eden Bar outside, people were packed shoulder to shoulder. One man in a black jacket had a huge scar down the side of his face and he was petting a white rabbit. This villain explained that the rabbit was much more sinister than the cat used in the Bond movie, From Russia with Love. Beautiful women were everywhere, dressed in gorgeous gowns. Groups were voguing for the cameras. There was a red carpet to the theater entrance. A movie screen was set up outside and crowds were seated at the tables watching. Gunfire ricochets could be heard from every angle.
I found Brian, Tisse and Mark Baratelli almost immediately. It turns out Mark had scored a table thanks to his Blog, The Daily City.com, so we tried to get in. Everybody but Mark was turned away at the door since we did not have wristbands. So we stood in the line for wristbands. The line never seemed to move. Terry proactively sought out the General Manager of the Enzian and got us wristbands.
We squeezed past the bouncer and found Mark’s table. There were only two chairs at the table and four of us, so I hiked back to my truck and got my portable chair. Once seated, I scanned the crowd and started sketching. Faces were lit everywhere by the warm loving glow of iPhones and other portable devices. The music was so loud that you really could’t talk, so I imagine people might have been texting one another even as they were seated at the same table.
After the ball dropped, Terry and I got on the dance floor. We got caught up in a line dance to a song I had never heard before. The music roared “To the left, to the left, to the right, to the right, turn yourself around, turn yourself around!” It involved a few chorus line kicks and shuffling left and right. We caught on pretty quick, although the crowd itself was never very organized. The smooth slippery beat was addictive. Dancers batted blue and white balloons around the dance floor. The strobe lights tended to blind me so I usually danced with my back to the stage.
We left the Enzian and then headed over to Matt McGrath’s house. His place had a group of actors and actresses all shoulder to shoulder at the backyard bar. Leander Suleiman, an actress I had sketched before, was there and I introduced her to Terry. We all toasted with champagne when New Year’s came around for Chicago.
Matt and I chatted for a while and I found out he is going to be a producer for a possible Orlando Fringe show called “Project F.” The show is fourth on the waiting list to get into the Fringe, but he’s excited about the project, and we discussed it for quite a while. Other than talking to Matt and Leander, I didn’t socialize much. I was winding down. Matt claimed that his party would be going strong till 11:45 AM, but I didn’t have the ambition to keep partying. We returned home happy and pleasantly exhausted.

All Hallows – Full House

The Friday night performance of the 6th annual All Hallows hosted by Beth Marshal was completely sold out. All Hallows is a fund raiser and benefit that offers 10 plays from Fringe acts each taking about 10 minutes. The event cost just $10 and helps raise funds for next years Fringe Festival. People were encouraged to wear costumes and the top prize for best costume was a 2010 Super pass for the Orlando Fringe Festival. At 7Pm there was a reception in the patrons room with food and drink as well as a silent auction with such items as tickets to theaters museums, art work by local artists, the list goes on. In attendance at this nights performance were representatives form various cities who are members of the United States Association of Fringe Festivals.
This event offered an amazing variety of fabulous entertainment. One of my favorites was a scene in which a wolf man and a cross dresser sit on a park bench and they both discover that their partner has certain secrets. Chantry Banks played the wolf man and he didn’t utter a single line of dialogue which is very refreshing. Christopher McIntyre as the cross dressing fiance was also over the top funny.I was laughing out loud the whole time. Lindsey Cohen presented a short film about an old couple who are using youtube to try and raise funds for Halloween candy for their diabetic child. It was fun watching them bicker and fight revealing the worst in each other.
Since the place was packed, I sat on the sidelines and looked away from the stage at the audience. There is one more performance Saturday October 16th at 7PM at the Shakespeare Theater. I believe there are a few tickets left. For advance reservations call the Fringe office at (407) 648-0077 (MC/Visa). Cash Only on the day of event. Box office opens at 6pm. Trust me these are the hottest tickets in town. This show is a blast.

Brian Feldman – Under the Covers

At the first Thursday of this month Brian Feldman held a cabaret by request called “Under the Covers” at the Orlando Museum of Art. Back on the first Thursday in May, Jeremy Seghers performed, an act by the same name, singing cover songs requested by the audience for a Fringe Festival Preview. Brian used Jeremy’s performance as inspiration to literally go under the covers.
Accompanying Brian was Isaac Schankler on a Kurzweil SP-76. The performance was developed and first presented in July of 2009 at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach Florida. When the audience entered the theater, they could faintly make out the form of Brian lying under the covers on a mattress on stage. Isaac introduced the act and sat at the piano. Brian explained that he didn’t actually sleep on a mattress himself, but instead slept on the floor of a friend’s house. He was recently separated from his girlfriend, Jessica, and many of the songs in his first set seemed directed to her. An unexpected development towards the end of the first set was that Jeremy Seghers got on stage and joined Brian to sing a duet. At first, Jeremy just sat on the bed next to Brian’s form hidden by the covers. Then, Jeremy lifted the covers and joined Brian underneath, singing “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues”. This song was a show stopper.
I returned to see his second performance which featured a Queen song requested by Katie Windish from Frames Forever titled “Fat Bottomed Girls”. Don’t ask why she needed to hear that song at this time in her life. After the last song, Brian had to explain that the performance was over since he was still on stage, though under the covers. I am sure some people like myself lingered to see the performance artist in person. But Brian consulted with stage hands and shouted out, “No really, the show is over! Get out of here, people!” When everyone had left, he sprinted into the wings.