I say that Orange Blossom Trail is one of Orlando's treasures. Yes, it's got porno shops and hookers. I vividly remember the night I took the wrong exit off I-4 and before I could turn around, a nice young man in a red mesh tank-top asked if I wanted to give him a “ride.” That said, SOBT is also a strip where non-corporate bars and restaurants can survive and even thrive. The rent's not too bad and, let's face it, Applebee's isn't going to set up competition on the same block as the stripper boutique.
Rossi's Pizza & Pasta has been around for more than 40 years. (That's six or seven generations in Orlando time.) There's no windows, so Rossi's looks a little like a bunker from the outside. Inside, it's a roomy sports-bar atmosphere – so roomy that even when the back rooms are full, the front might look a little deserted. Keep walking, even through what looks like a kitchen prep area, and you'll find everybody else.
The wood panel walls are hung with beer signs and Florida sports memorabilia. The digital jukebox has Jill Scott right next to George Strait, though it's turned low enough not to interrupt any of the sports on the TVs. If you need to smoke, you can step out the back where the rear parking lot overlooks a drugstore drive-up.
Scoping: I saw everybody at Rossi's. On one side of the bar, a young couple. On the other, a woman with a cane and a crossword puzzle. Down the way, a guy in an Ace Ventura Hawaiian shirt and a trio dressed in faded black like union stagehands. Over in the booths, families with grandparents and grandkids.
Drinking: I came to Rossi's for the beer. Hell, the Central Florida Home Brewers meet here. One waitress bragged to me that Rossi's has more ales than the Ale House – not more beers, just more ales. The most unusual offering is a revolving selection of hand-drawn ales on two taps. On my visit, it was a smooth, chocolately brown ale with hints of coffee ($3.99) and a surprisingly sweet India pale ale ($3.79). Hand-drawn ales are cloudy with live yeast and either lightly carbonated or nitrogenated by gas pumped in to replace beer as it's drawn out.
On the carbonated taps, I tried Shipyard's Nitro, aka “Winter Ale” ($3.79). It's sweet, though not as sweet as the IPA, almost floral. A better choice for the Italian food to come might be a Brooklyn brown ale ($3.79), dry and spicier. I've seen Brooklyn Brewery showing up in local supermarkets lately, but it's good to know it's also around on tap.
Like the beer prices so far? Well, on Mondays, all draft beers are half-price. I'm not talking happy hour. Nope. All day. Am I coming through? A pint of quality brew for under two bucks. (I resisted the urge to use an exclamation point there, but it was close.)
Yes, there's a full liquor bar at Rossi's. I'm ashamed to say I was lured in by a handmade sign offering “mojito shooters” for $2. It tasted like sour mix and Doublemint and I kept tasting it all night.
Chewing: Mozzarella bread ($6.99) can come in many different forms. At Rossi's, it's a half-circle of thick pizza crust, spread with garlic butter and cheese, and then broiled until it's lightly crispy on top. Spaghetti and/or Alfredo sauce come on the side. The Alfredo is thin, but that's my only gripe. The bread is so garlicky that it doesn't need sauce.
The combo Stromboli ($7.49) is filled with cheese, sausage, pepperoni, green pepper and onions. Red sauce, again, comes on the side. The dough that wraps all the ingredients is thinner than I've had before; pleasantly crispy on the outside while remaining just a little chewy (but not doughy) on the inside. It's a lot of food. After I ate my way through half, the waitress asked if something was wrong. She thought I wasn't eating fast enough.
The lasagna ($9.99) looks and tastes like homemade with real ricotta cheese. You get breadsticks on the side that have that same crispy/chewy combo as the strom. The side salad is adequate, but unexceptional, and could use a bigger dollop of dressing.
Rossi's does a bunch of different pizzas, but how can I not try a cheeseburger pizza ($10.99 for a 10-inch thin crust)? Yes, there is ground beef, yellow cheese, diced pickles and mustard on this one. As untraditional and oily as it is, it works. The garlic and vinegar in the pickles cuts through the grease. I will say that it's really salty. That wouldn't help sell more beer, would it?
Going: The “Men” and “Women” bathroom signs are spelled out in mirrored mosaics and a little tough to read. I'm just saying that if any beverage has blurred your vision, double-check before you barrel through a door. Metal plates that used to hold ads hang over the urinals. Now, you just get to stare into your own reflected eyes.
Departing: In a town where ancient history means “pre-Backstreet Boys,” it's reassuring to still have some bars around that were here before the theme parks.
