IT'S BACK... Plug-a-way Friday is Here!

Yep, it's that time of the month again! Plug-a-way Friday has arrived. That means I'll be raising hype about new chizz, because new chizz is fun and often times delicious. Incidentally, I'm super excited about this month's plug because it involves one of my favorite things in the whole wide world:

FOOD

Which happens to be the best thing since sliced bread... Oh wait, bread is a food... 

Man, now I feel like a real loaf.

Hmm...all this talk about bread is making me hungry. 

*digs around in drawer for carbohydrates* 

Okay...

Carb craze mollified. I'll bring on the food-dom now.

Logo property of Se7enbites Bake Shop

Recently, I was lucky to discover a delicious gem residing in Orlando's Milk District. Located at the corner of Primrose Dr. and E. Jefferson Street is Se7enbites, a sweet and savory bakeshop specializing in nostalgic southern comfort foods with a modern twist. The story behind the bite, which I will get into later, is pretty interesting, but first...the provisions. I read about Se7enbites on yelp! Floored by the crazy amount of love my fellow yocals had showered upon said bakeshop, I decided to meet a friend there for lunch and give her the ol' college try. It was a little later in the afternoon so the lunch crowd had thinned out, but there was still a pretty healthy line when we walked in. Being newbies, it gave us a chance to check out the digs and scour the menu.

Wait, did I say menu? Perhaps I should call it the Devil's Contract because the offerings at Se7enbites are downright sinful. But I digress... 

The shop itself is pretty small yet its rustic contemporary vibe is appealing. It's a bake shop first and foremost so it's set up in the typical bakery style. You order at the counter and then take a load off to wait for your food. 

*Super Awesome Detail Numero Uno*

The counters are topped with glass partitions so you can see what's going on "behind the curtain". I like that. It makes you feel like you are part of the magic. 

The bakeshop offers a broad selection that includes a mean Southern breakfast. We're talking cheese grits and biscuits and Benedicts, oh my! I didn't have breakfast but yelpers! are tenacious and like to talk about their food so I advise that you go there to see some of the amazing breakfast dishes this joint has whipped up in the past...

The shop owner is a sly one, as she keeps the daily baked goods laid out beside the register to entice customers as they place their orders. Let me tell you, the selection leaves nothing to the Southern imagination. It's all there: tiny tins with homemade cobblers, hand pies, moonpies, coconut cream pies (yes, there is a minor theme here), and cakes...cakes so amazing and succulent that my friend and I were downright lewd, pressing our noses up against the glass and drooling like a couple of cracked out St. Bernards. The most evil cake on display was by far the Dark Chocolate Stout Cake. Beer and chocolate in the same concoction? Um, yes please! 

The staff at Se7enbites is delightful. The girl working the register was knowledgeable and super cool. She was hopping to show us all of the different sweets they featured that week and practically burst with excitement when we ordered items from the menu she seemed to love. I went with the Chicken Salad sandwich on grilled sourdough and opted for a side of Southern potato salad in lieu of chips (I ended up with the chips anyway - guess they wanted to hook it up). My friend ordered the Five Cheese Macaroni that comes with potato chip bacon crumble. She got it without, as she's not a big bacon fan. 

*gasp* Yes, I did just say that... 
(I was actually happy she ordered it sans bacon as I do not consume pig, which meant I got to have a bite...or four) 

The dining situation is pretty compact. Okay, so maybe it's "intimate". Tucked into a corner of the bakery, it spills out onto a deck beneath an awning out front. In the South, we get to know our neighbors, and we have learned to sweat gracefully while we eat. Se7enbites embraces both ideologies rather well. While the compressed seating may sound uncomfortable, the closer you sit to your neighbor, the better the view of what they ordered. 

Call it positive foodie perspective.

 AND NOW... A REVIEW OF THE FOODAGE!

Chicken Salad Sandwich on Grilled Sourdough
Southern Potato Salad
Half a Blueberry Peach Cobbler Tiny Tin

The sammich rocked. The chicken salad was not too mayo-ee and included a generous portion of what tasted like dill, cranberry, and almond slivers. They were well-balanced - no overkill on a particular ingredient - and the sourdough bread was grilled to perfection. I like mine slightly crunchy but with a little "chew" in the center, and this was dead on. The Southern potato salad was incredible. Again, the mayo amount was conservative (which is good for me because, unless it's in tuna or some sort of side salad dish like this, I ABHOR mayonnaise) but here it was perfect and they balanced it out with mustard, so it kicked ass. The chips were great, too. Whether they were from a bag or homemade, I couldn't be sure, but the idealist in me is betting on the latter. In fact, I was so blitzed out on savory goodness, I argued the side of homemade just because...

*Super Awesome Detail Numero Dos*

They serve all their meals in baking pans instead of on plates!

(I loved this because it really ties in the bakery vibe AND it catches any "spills". 

Not that I had any...)

The dessert was Blueberry Peach Cobbler Pie, or should I say, Heaven in a Tiny Tin. The fruit was still hydrating, even after being scorched in the oven, and the crumbly, crunchy crust was a fantastic compliment to the ooey-gooey center. The whole thing was no bigger than my fist and my friend and I split it. Next time I'll probably just get my own...

Finally, I washed everything down with their hand blended Orange Blossom Iced Tea. That chizz was refreshing and super yummy. Here in Florida, the scent of freshly bloomed orange blossoms is something of a staple. Citrus is tricky and the trees seem to bloom when they damn well please, but the aroma of their blossoms will linger from time to time, filling the humid, and often times, stagnant air with a sweet, light scent. It makes a trip outdoors pretty delightful and this was like drinking that experience. I enjoyed it a lot.

*Side Dish Discoveries*

I had a few bites of my friend's 5 Cheese Macaroni. All I can say is, I don't know what kind of cheeses they used, or even the style pasta, because halfway through my second bite, I lapsed into a macaroni-induced coma. The weirdest part about the dish? It didn't LOOK cheesy! But it was! It was so gosh darn cheesy and glorious and mouth-watering and if I don't stop talking about it I will get in my car, drive there, and place an immediate order... 

The Se7enbites Story

    

The story behind Se7enbites is pretty amazing. The head chef and owner is Trina Gregory-Propst. She started the restaurant with one aim: to provide delicious, homemade delicacies that could fill you up in just seven bites. Trina was overweight growing up and had a gastric bypass after she gave birth to her son. Now, her methodology is seven to nine bites per meal, so whatever she puts into her mouth better be delicious! With that in mind, the dishes at Se7enbites are meant to be savored over a couple of days...or right then and there if you so choose! Learn more about Trina here:

*Super Awesome Detail Numero Tres*
Se7enbites is SUPER affordable! 

So now that I've yapped your ear off about this place, I hope that if you're ever in the Orlando area you give Se7enbites a try. In my opinion, it is a moral imperative. You can learn more about the shop on their Facebook page and on their yelp! page. 

********

All right, most of my blog posts usually boil down to one, simple message, and that be authenticity. I love seeing people live their lives in accordance with their dreams. Trina is just one of many who have taken what they love and turned it into profit. Yet, she doesn't just make money. She builds relationships and connections. There is nothing more important than that. When we share what and who we are with the world, we learn from one another and become better at the things that we do. Never forget that you are here not just to feed, but also to be fed.

So go eat!!