I live in downtown Orlando, so I walk downtown and drink downtown. (I also occasionally dodge a guy with a crazy Manson beard who accuses me of being a clone of myself downtown.) One thing I should really do more is
eat downtown, so I hoofed it over the Wall St. Plaza.
Arriving: If you're walking down Orange Avenue, Waitiki is on the far end of Wall St. Plaza. If you're the homeless lady eating her yogurt by the alligator sculpture, it's right across the bricks.
Waitiki fancies itself a retro kitschy tiki bar. Inside, that means teak flooring, bamboo, thatch, paintings of native girls, and big-ass tiki carvings. In the corner, there's a small stage. Outside, it's patio seating like the other bars along Wall St. Plaza. The guitar guy playing Gin Blossoms covers at The Globe is just far enough away that you can ignore him without feeling guilty.
Scoping: Most of the time when I write these Bar Bites reviews, I end up saying that the crowd gets younger as the night goes on. This time, I actually found the opposite. During happy hour, everybody was under 30. After 8 p.m. is when the pleated shorts crowd starts arriving.
Drinking: Waitiki has a couple great drink deals.
Red Stripe bottles are always $2.50, not just during weekdays and not just during happy hour. Not that Waitiki doesn't have a happy hour. From 4-7 p.m., you can get
$3 mojitos. Waitiki gets as flexible with the definition of "mojito" as most places do with "martini." I tried the coconut version. It didn't taste like mint
or lime, but if foo-foo drinks are your thing, the price is right.
Chewing: I couldn't decide whether to start with the coconut shrimp ($6.95) or the conch fritters ($8.25). My waitress said she likes the shrimp better, so that's what I went with. Damn it. I can buy a big bag of frozen coconut shrimp from the supermarket too.
For $10.95, should I really get only
two fish tacos? The white fish inside was firm, but bland. Scoops of mango salsa, sour cream and guacamole come on the plate to make it all taste like something. A serving tip: You know I'm going to be picking up these tacos, so why would you sprinkle them with diced bits of tomato that are just going to fall off?
Moving away from seafood, the
smoked turkey and brie sandwich ($7.95) is the least "tropical" item I sampled. Even under the lettuce, tomato, red onion and Dijon mustard, I could tell the turkey was pre-sliced and a touch dry. For an extra dollar, I subbed a
Caesar side salad for the French fries. Instead of being topped with fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, this salad was dusted with stuff that reminded me of a tall, green can.
Going: The men's room even has a little tiki god as the handle to the toilet stall. The urinals don't even rise as high as your knees. Whenever I run into that situation, I never know whether to be flattered or look for the "big boys" room.
Departing: Waitiki's décor shows an attention to detail that just doesn't follow through in the food. Nothing I ate was bad, just disappointing in comparison to the drink specials and the surroundings.
