Florida Guide > Dining
Cafe Tu Tu Tango
Unlike most people, I do not like food.
My siblings just shunned me for admitting this out loud, so let me amend that statement before cries of “Anorexia! ” stream past your lips. Many people will list some type of food among their favorite things, say that food is one of their passions, or state that food is their favorite thing in the world.
Ever since I went away to university, my enthusiasm for food has dwindled. I simply wouldn’t eat if I didn’t have to. I love my mother’s cooking, and I do enjoy eating it when I am home, but I do not like food in the same way that others claim to love food. I am for the most part simply indifferent.
However, I do have some interest in tasting strange and unique foods because I have always been fascinated by other cultures and I have found that I usually tend to enjoy ethnic much more than the common dining hall variety. So whenever my family goes out to eat, I usually lobby for a strange and exciting sounding ethnic restaurant.
I’ve never been to Spain, but I’ve heard quite a lot about Spain’s infamous tapas bars. Tapas are supposedly different types of light foods that are served in appetizer portions. My family and I went to Café Tu Tu Tango recently to try out Orlando’s version of tapas.
Café Tu Tu Tango is best summarized as eclectic. Its claim to fame is serving “food for the starving artist. ” I suppose this means that the food is priced reasonably, but it also means that various starving artists quite literally find a haven at Café Tu Tu Tango, which makes it much more interesting than expected. Local artwork varying from realism to abstract to metalworking plasters the walls and conflicts in a riot of colors to create a cheerful, engaging atmosphere. The pieces are festooned with price tags, because the real reason behind the cluttered walls is for the artists to promote their work. Several artists actually come in and work in studio spaces near the front, lending to the sophisticated and chic feel of the place, which was carefully crafted to accent the food
The food, for a lack of a better word, was stupendous. Our very helpful waiter explained that as a tapas style restaurant, all of the dishes would be in smaller portions, arrive at the table in a staggered fashion, and were intended to be shared. All of the food that my family was presented with was artful, tasteful, and interesting.
There is something for everyone at Café Tu Tu Tango. From exotic dishes such as tropical jerk flatbread to simple delights like strawberry salad; we thoroughly enjoyed everything. My brother is rather finicky about ethnic food, so he stuck to a pepperoni pizza and tried some calamari. My sister is attached to Italian food so she had a roma tomato and goat cheese flatbread. My father and I split crusted mahi mahi skewers and the tropical jerk flatbread topped with beef, mangos, grilled onions and cheese. My mother enjoyed roasted pears and pecan crisps as well as filet on skewers smothered in a bourdelaise sauce and gorgonzola fondue served with wonderful crispy chile scented potatoes.
We thoroughly enjoyed the unique flavor sensations that the tapas presented to us, and I would recommend Café Tu Tu Tango to anyone looking for an artsy and delicious evening. I—to my dismay—found myself liking food.
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