Presented By:
Welcome to Monday Morning in Orlando
We had a glorious Saturday morning, with perfect weather, strolling through the Fall Fiesta at Lake Eola. So happy to see all the vendors out there doing their thing and slinging goodies from top to bottom, especially those of the edible nature.
In today’s issue: 👇
- Prime Rib, Cinnamon Rolls, and a Lake View
- Your Parking Tab
- Crocante
- ….and much more
Did someone forward this email to you? Join over 20K insatiably curious Orlandoans, right here.
Let’s dive in!
- Philip
P.S. Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
(GREATER) ORLANDO REWIND ⏪
Prime Rib, Cinnamon Rolls, and a Lake View
Long before Winter Park had craft cocktail menus and chef’s counters, it had Imperial House, a lakeside dining room on Lake Killarney where a Tuesday could feel like a coronation if you ordered the prime rib.
The building went up in 1953 at 129 South Orlando Avenue, debuted as Sunset Terrace, and became Morrison’s Imperial House by 1955. Manager Dick Higley eventually took over as owner, spending 26 years turning the place into something that felt less like a restaurant and more like being invited into someone’s well-staffed home. His wife worked the host stand. His sons managed the floor. Staff member Helen Burns stayed 21 years.
The food anchored it: prime rib, warm cinnamon rolls, dessert carts, and organ music drifting through the room while the coffee kept coming. Eleanor Roosevelt, Vincent Price, Billy Graham, and Danny Thomas were among those reported to have dined there.
By May 1986, the bulldozers had come and gone. It slipped away quietly, leaving behind a few collectibles on eBay and the kind of warm memories that no chef’s counter has quite managed to replace.
Pssst. 🤫 The full story has the organ player, the caricature wall, the federal government’s lunch order, and a fashion show that somehow ended up in the same dining room as the prime rib. Read it all in here.
🎤 PRESENTED BY:
CFCARTS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Music From Middle-Earth
What do Wagner, Mahler, and Tolkien have in common? More than you’d expect.
The CFCArts Symphony Orchestra brings over 300 musicians to Northland Church to perform highlights from The Lord of the Rings trilogy alongside the classical excerpts that inspired Howard Shore’s legendary scores, and the connections might genuinely surprise you.
Whether you’re a lifelong Tolkien devotee, a classical music lover, or just ready for a great night out, this family-friendly, roughly 100-minute adventure has something for every generation. 🎻
📅 THIS Thursday, November 12th (great for date night!) & Friday, November 13th (great for families!) | 7:30 p.m. | Northland Church
There’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.
One more thing: for the scale and quality of what CFCArts puts on stage, the ticket prices are genuinely affordable. 👇
🖱️Tap/Click & Reserve Your Spots, Right Here
THE SQUEEZE 🍊
Downtown Orlando Is Picking Up Your Parking Tab, Again
Good news for anyone who’s ever circled a downtown Orlando block muttering under their breath: the City of Orlando’s Downtown Development Board is throwing another $75,000 into the Park DTO kitty, the program that hands you two hours of free on-street parking in exchange for a quick phone tap.
It’s clearly working. Monthly usage has nearly doubled this year.
The new funding keeps it alive through December 2027, a lifeline for local businesses bracing for the construction chaos coming to Church Street and the Downtown Gap Trail.
Downtown Orlando is under the drill. The least it can do is cover your parking.
🅿️ Learn how to access this free DTO parking program, right here!
This Dead Orlando Mall Wants to Party Like It’s 1985
Colonial Promenade has spent years as East Colonial Drive’s most prominent ghost town. But the developers behind its comeback grew up eating at the Sweet Tomatoes that once anchored it. That nostalgia is now a business plan!
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority’s development committee unanimously approved relaunching the site as “The Landings,” draped in vintage Atari color schemes. The iconic arches stay.
The east building gets demolished for a 125,000-square-foot wholesale store and gas station. Awnings out, covered walkway in. The developer commits $20 million within three years; GOAA stands to collect up to $86 million in rent.
Full board votes soon, on November 18th. Cue the synth music.
👉 Check out the cool proposed renderings, right here.
(Get the full buzz on Orlando’s coolest comeback story with Laura Kinsler, right here)
No Renovation Needed. This East Orlando Game Store Has Been Living in the ’80s for 15 Years
If Colonial Promenade’s Atari-colored makeover tells us anything, it’s that Orlando has a serious soft spot for the past. One East Orlando game store has been quietly building on that nostalgia for over a decade.
Gamers Inc Orlando was born in 2010 from the ashes of Play N Trade, when two former employees scooped up the leftover inventory, signed a lease on the same spot, and refused to let the good times die.
Fifteen years later, it’s the highest-rated retro game store in Central Florida, packed with Atari 2600s, Sega Dreamcasts, rare Pokémon Game Boy titles, and N64 classics like Paper Mario, all tested, graded, and priced like they actually respect your wallet.
In 2025, they went online with Gamers Go Retro, bringing that same obsessive authenticity to collectors everywhere.
Nostalgia, it turns out, scales pretty well.
👉 Partner With Orlando Signal 👈
💼 Who’s Hiring in Orlando?
Sourced from the Orlando Signal Job Board!
💼 Client Service and Product Support Specialist, Tax and Payroll ADP | Orlando (Hybrid)
Be the tax expert clients actually want to call, resolving payroll and filing headaches with empathy and expertise at one of the world’s most trusted HR and payroll platforms.
💰 Competitive salary + Day 1 benefits | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🎖️ Army Navy Business Development Manager CAE Inc | Orlando (Up to 25% travel)
Hunt new defense contracts and build relationships with military leadership, translating the Army and Navy’s training needs into winning proposals for one of the world’s top simulation companies.
💰 Competitive salary + comprehensive benefits | 👉 Learn More & Apply
📦 Customer Relations Coordinator Forward Air | Orlando (On-site)
Be the friendly, organized hub keeping freight moving smoothly, tracking shipments, handling customer inquiries, processing billing, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks at a busy logistics terminal.
💰 Competitive salary | 👉 Learn More & Apply
💻 Marketing Communications Manager Blacktip | Orlando (On-site)
Run the full marketing engine for an IT strategy firm, from demand gen campaigns and The Reef business journal to LinkedIn presence and B2B prospecting, where strategy meets hands-on production.
💰 $65K-$85K/year | 👉 Learn More & Apply
Check out 100’s of jobs on the Orlando Signal Job Board, right here.
✈️ Orlando’s best flight deal - Capitol dome and cosmic cowboys edition
Austin in early December comes with a bonus: the whole city lights up. Zilker Park’s Trail of Lights turns winter into an event, and the weather is cool enough to walk everywhere. Tour the Texas State Capitol (taller than the one in DC, and free), then visit the Bullock Texas State History Museum for the whole Lone Star story. The Driskill Hotel, built in 1886, is worth a look even if you’re only there for a drink. Line up early for brisket at Franklin Barbecue, grab enchiladas at Matt’s El Rancho, and finish with a dessert crawl along South Congress. Austin keeps its weird streak alive all year, and December is when it feels most like a hometown party.
Orlando (MCO) → Austin (AUS) for 143 bucks* (non-stop!), round-trip Friday through Monday, early-December. See the deal.
*Price shown above is accurate as of the time this newsletter was sent.
#ORLANDOSIGNAL 📸
Morning glow
📷 via @orlandosignal |📍Lake Nona
Tag @orlandosignal to get your photo featured in the newsletter!
FOODIE FIND, FORK YEAH! 🤩
Crocante
📍4311 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32803, or map to this location, right here.
There’s a word in Spanish that doesn’t quite translate without losing something. Crocante. It means crispy, but in Puerto Rican cooking, it’s closer to a promise.
At Crocante (Insta), that promise shows up in every scratch-made dish. The signature Porchetta, slow-roasted pork under shattering skin, arrives with Arroz Crocante and a pork-stuffed pastel. The shrimp Mofongo in garlic sauce lingers in memory. The Tres Leches lands with quiet confidence.
This is Puerto Rican cuisine cooked with technique and feeling in equal measure.
👉 Check out the menu, right here 👈
Source: Crocante
MORE PULP! 😎
Weekday things to check out
💃 Evening of Dance
📅 Tuesday, November 10th | 7:30-9:30pm
📍 Valencia College East Campus
Valencia dance students take the stage, joined by AdventHealth’s “Movement as Medicine” dancers, for a free night of artistry and live movement. Come cheer on the next generation!
👉 Dance the Night
📚 DIY Mini Bookshelf Workshop
📅 Tuesday, November 10th | 6:30-8:30pm
📍 BookBurn Cafe and Social
Craft your very own tiny bookshelf with Craft Club Orlando and Quill & Curio, complete with mini books, curios, and all the supplies for a $35 ticket. Book lovers, this one is yours!
👉 Shelf Made
🎬 Labyrinth In Concert
📅 Tuesday, November 10th | 8pm
📍 The Plaza Live
Step into the Goblin King’s world as the cult classic comes alive with live music. You remind it of the babe, and it’s going to be magical!
👉 Dance Magic
🎸 BBMak
📅 Wednesday, November 11th
📍 Judson’s Live, Dr. Phillips Center
Early 2000s British pop-rock nostalgia with tight harmonies and guitar-driven hits like “Back Here” and “Still on Your Side.” Throwback night, activated!
👉 Back Here
🎤 Spotlight Cabaret: Mahalia Gronigan
📅 Thursday, November 12th | 7:30pm
📍 Winter Park Playhouse
Playhouse favorite channels Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Adele, and more in “Divas through the Decades” with pianist Christopher Leavy. Sell-out alert!
👉 Divas Unleashed
🎭 Want to share an event? Use this link.
THANKS!
✅ Want to connect with 20K+ curious Orlandoans for your business?, start a conversation here.
🌟 Know a community superstar? Tell me about them, right here.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you again on Thursday’s weekend fun issue.
My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal
