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Leños y Carbon in Orlando

I am planning on taking the wife out for a meal this weekend to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary. I think we will try Leños y Carbon. I will post my own report of the dining experience afterwards, hopefully it will be as good as the local food critic says.
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TABLE MATTERS
Plates are heaped with food and flavor
Leños y Carbon offers pan-Latin fare with a Colombian slant. You won't leave hungry.

By Scott Joseph | Orlando Sentinel Restaurant Critic
Posted January 9, 2005

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Lenos y Carbon

Where: 7101 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando.

When: 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Reservations: Accepted.

Beverages: Full bar.

Entrees: $8.95-$19.95

Credit: AE, D, MC, V.

Where to call: 407-251-4484.

Scott's recommendation:It's a pan-Latin American menu with an accent on Colombia. The portions are huge, so if your server tells you it's too much, believe it. Or be ready to haul home a really large leftovers box.

The first time I noticed something new was going into the space at 7101 S. Orange Blossom Trail I spotted a crude sign with the name of the restaurant on it. It looked as though it was to be called Leno and Carson. A Tonight Show theme? I wondered. I've seen stranger things.

But the actual name is Leños y Carbon. The first word has a tilde over the "n" indicating it should be pronounced with an "ny" sound. The name is Spanish for "wood and coal," and it gives no indication of the fine food that is to be found inside.

The menu is pan-Latin but has a decided Colombian slant. That's because three of the four owners, real estate investors from New York, are Colombian; the other one is Cuban.

There wasn't a thing I sampled at Leños y Carbon that I wouldn't order again. Although I might make sure I'm good and hungry before I go because the portions are ample.

None more than the picada Leños y Carbon ($19.95), a massive platter of meats and sausages and other good stuff. In fact, there was so much piled on the plate that, even after I had reached the filling point, I was still discovering new items underneath. The server tried to warn me that it was a lot of food, and indeed the menu notes that the entrée is suitable for two.

But everything included in this Colombian favorite sounded so good that I forged ahead on my own. I liked the cubes of fried pork skin the best, and the strips of grilled beef were good too. The blood sausage had a dark flavor with a soft, pebbly texture, and the red sausage was something akin to chorizo. Green plantains fried a la tostones were tasty with a little salt sprinkled on, and the breaded and fried cassava was delicious with the sauce of vinegar, garlic and herbs. A white corn cake and chunks of potatoes rounded out the platter.

One of my guests settled for the arroz con pollo ($8.95), a large mound of yellow rice with shredded chicken interlaced. Bits of confetti fashioned out of red and green bell peppers added color and taste.

Another guest chose cazuela de mariscos, a seafood stew ($16.95) that had shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and lobster in a creamy sauce. The sauce was so rich that I couldn't imagine more than a few bites, but my friend managed quite a bit more and enjoyed them all.

On a lunch visit, I had the lomo de cerdo asado ($9.95), a grilled pork loin prepared in a "Latin cut," which means very thin. Despite the thinness, the pork did not lack flavor or tenderness. It was served with a huge mound of white rice and a bowl of flavorful black beans to spoon over it.

Appetizers were just as impressive as the entrees, both in quality and quantity. An order of empanadas ($5) included five large pastries filled with a mildly spiced ground beef mixture.

Patacon pisao ($7.95) were slices of fried green plantains topped with shredded chicken and mozzarella cheese with some chopped lettuce and Creole sauce. It was sort of a cross between fried green tomatoes and a Mexican tostada. A wonderful mix of tastes and textures.

Ceviche de camerones ($6.95) was the only baffling item. Instead of an actual ceviche where the seafood is "cooked" by the citrus juices, this was merely a shrimp cocktail with the chunks of already cooked shrimp swimming in a spicy cocktail sauce.

Consome de pollo ($2.50) was as good a chicken soup as you'll find, with a well-seasoned broth, hefty chunks of chicken and carrots. It had the unmistakable attributes of a soup made on the premises.

So did the desserts, which is not surprising because the first thing guests notice entering the restaurant is a display of delectable pastries and baked goods.

The tres leches ($2) was soaking in the milk of its name, as it should be, and was a sweet surprise. Flan ($2.50) was a bit more unusual for its coarse texture, not like the creamier Cuban version. But the caramel flavor was no less enjoyable.

Mil hojas ($4.25) was as good as anything you'd find in a high-end bakery. The name means thousand leaves and refers to the flaky phyllo it was made with. A delicious creamy filling made it both delicate and rich.

Servers were hesitant at first but were quick to respond to questions or special requests. Wine is not a forte; full cocktail service is available.

Leños y Carbon occupies the space where Larry's Cedar River Seafood enjoyed a long run. It's attached to a motel on a stretch of S.O.B.T. that isn't known for its scenic attributes. But the interior of the restaurant is pleasant, with wood floors and low lighting. Tables are covered with vinyl and paper, the belt-and-suspenders of the culinary world. The place can be quite loud as Latin music is played on flat-screen televisions and over the sound system. On one visit, I noticed a manager pointing a remote control on a device near the ceiling. I was hoping he was turning the volume down so my guests and I could hear each other, but instead he was lowering a large screen for a projection TV.

But that's part of the flavor of the place, and the rhythm of the Latin music only adds to an already enjoyable meal.

Scott Joseph can be reached at sjoseph at orlandosentinel.com or

407-420-5514. Read his past reviews

at OrlandoSentinel.com/dining.

By kernow62 on Jul 26, 2005, 16:22 in Friendly Talkzone.

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jul 26, 2005, 16:56:

first let me Congratulate you and your lovely wife on your wedding anniversary and many happy returns!!!. The restaurant sound very nice, I hope next year when I’ll go to Orlando I have the pleasure to go and see it. I am hungry now

engage brain before opening mouth

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kernow62 says on Jul 26, 2005, 16:58:

Well, we promised to take you out, so if it is good perhaps we will go there for a nice meal.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Jul 26, 2005, 17:06:

Thank you K. I am looking forward to it. I will let you know the dates near the time, my husband probably will come too.

engage brain before opening mouth

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Peter Miami says on Jul 26, 2005, 17:50:

kernow62 Congratulation on your anniversary and let us know if you like the food and what you ate. I will try it out when I go to Orlando in October or November.

Peter Miami

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kernow62 says on Jul 26, 2005, 18:02:

Kat1 that would be great.

Thanks guys for the congrats. I am very lucky to have found a good woman and 11 years or actually almost 13 if you count the time we were dating has been great; to see us you would think we were newlyweds!

I will let you know Peter. You've got to keep me informed on the good eateries in Miami too. I get down that way a few times a year. I used to go twice a month in my younger days but the drive is so damn boring I cannot abide it these days.

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2retirensa says on Jul 27, 2005, 06:12:

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I love a good love story!! It's so good to hear people are actually married and happy!
Maureen

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ColombianoNY says on Jul 27, 2005, 08:42:

CONGRATS!!! Congratulations on your anniversary!!! Hoep you had a nice time at the restaurant.

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platano says on Jul 27, 2005, 08:50:

¡Felicitaciones! on your anniversary. Only one thing worries me "slices of fried green plantains"

ouch!

Plátano, el banano verde

plátano

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kernow62 says on Jul 27, 2005, 13:05:

Thanks for the nice wishes everyone.

Don't worry Platano she only likes maduros. ;-)

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Jul 27, 2005, 13:08:

Just the name of the restaurant makes me hungry

engage brain before opening mouth

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kernow62 says on Jul 31, 2005, 04:58:

my review Well as I promised, a review of Lenos y Carbon in Orlando.

I had planned a nice romantic dinner for two to celebrate our wedding anniversary; what is it they say about best laid plans? Needless to say it turned into a lunch engagement for three!

The restaurant is part of what was once a Travelodge Hotel, as such it is quite a bit larger than your typical Colombian restaurant in Orlando, most of which are mom & pop cafes. When you walk in the tiles foyer you are promptly greeted by a hostess who shows you to your table, apparently it is a very popular place with locals as we had to wait for a booth to be cleared. A busboy promptly was summoned and the table cleared and a fresh tablecloth applied (actually it is a piece of paper) with the server's name scrawled on in Sharpie marker. I suppose any chance of a classy romantic meal would have been ruined by the paper tablecloth, but this is a family restaurant and the children like to draw on the tablecloths. The place was certainly busy, lots of families, suddenly a chorus of feliz cumpleanos rang out and everyone cheered as some youngster celebrated her birthday.

Our server, Gloria, came and took our drink orders, jugo de lulo for my wife & I, and a coke for our guest. After perusing the menu for a few minutes we ordered, my wife chose cazuela de mariscos $16.95, I chose lomo de cerado asado $10.95 and our guest chose carne asada $10.95. We did not order any apetizers as we had been forwarned that the portions are very generous. In a matter of moments we received a basket of rolls and our salads, the rolls were like a yeast roll with a hint of garlic, and the salads are a simple house salad, lettuce and a bit of grated carrot tossed in a creamy vinegrette dressing. My wife doesn't eat salad, so I had two salads.

After a suitable period of time to finish our salads and enjoy a bit of conversation our food arrived. Maria's cazuela de mariscos arrived in a large bowl about 10 inches by 4 inches, packed with all manner of seafood, scallops, lobster, shrimp, clams, mussels in a delicous creamy sauce accompanied by white rice and patacones; Stella's carne asada was a well grilled piece of steak accompanied by rice, platanos maduros and frijoles antioquenos; and my lomo de cerdo asado was a 1/4" thick by 12" by 5" piece of lean pork similarly accompanied.

Maria aid her cazuela was the best she had ever had, beating out similar dishes in Colombia and at other restaurants in Orlando and Miami, they certainly didn't skimp on the seafood and she said the sauce was rich and lightly seasoned so as not to mask the delicate flavours of the various ingredients, it was more than she could eat so she will be having the leftovers today. Stella gave a two thumbs up to her carne asada, this is high praise indeed because Stella lives in Argentina where they know a thing or two about a good piece of beef, she too could not manage her entire meal and will be also enjoying a second meal for the price of one. When my lomo de cerdo asado arrived I couln't believe how big the piece of pork was, often when pork is thin cut it tends to be a dry piece of meat, happily this was not the case, you could tell that this place knows a thing or two about grilling meat, no extra sauce of any kind accompanied the meat and it didn't need anything, the frijoles antioquenos were perfectly prepared with plenty of sauce and the platanos were perfectly sweet and caramelized; I did manage to finish mine, barely!

The ladies reported that the toilets met their strict guidlines for cleanliness.

If you are looking for a place for a large group, a business lunch or a family gathering this is the place for you. If you are looking for a quiet romantic dinner for two in elegant surroundings, look elsewhere.

For those that enjoy a drink or two they have happy hour 3PM to 11PM every day, they have Mariachis in the evenings, and they have projection TVs and plasma TVs for watching football matches.

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