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Fan Friday: Fiddler’s Green

March 15th, 2013

Hey, everyone, it’s Fan Friday again! This week is St. Patrick’s Day and it just so happens to be the weekend of my best friend’s bachelor party. I don’t usually talk about local places on Fan Friday but I’ll make an exception this week. I’m talking about a great pub called Fiddler’s Green in Winter Park, FL! It’s a fantastic pub with great service, delicious food, and wonderful people. If you’re somewhat familiar with the area, it’s not very far away from Rollin’s College. http://www.fiddlersgreenorlando.com/home.htm

Hands down, this place has the best fish and chips I’ve ever had in the states. To be honest, I haven’t had anything at this place that I didn’t like. For a while, a few friends and I would go there every week. We would each order something different and share our dinners. So we’ve tried just about everything on the menu and it’s all really fantastic. As for drinks, they have quite a large selection. The bar is huge and their beer menu is quite enormous. From seasonal beers to everyday favorites, they really have it all.

This is a great place to go if you want dinner with your friends, if you want to go on a date, if you want to watch a big game, or if you want to sit as the bar. From the outside, it doesn’t look very large. I don’t know if they’re using Timelord technology, but it’s definitely bigger on the inside. The seating is varied. When you walk in, to the left, a quarter of the pub is dedicated to seating for two. The lighting in this area is a little lower, it’s not right on top of the live music (if you’re there on a live music night), and it’s a great spot to sit and talk. The center of the pub is where live music takes place and there’s a lot of group seating there. This is great for drinking and eating with a bunch of friends. To the right, is a room somewhat separated from the rest of the pub. There’s a large screen in the room where they’ll play big soccer games and whatnot. This is great for large parties or groups of friend. The back quarter is dedicated to a long bar with no shortage of seating.

The atmosphere is really great. When there’s live music, the place really comes alive. Without live music, the place is has the amazing look of a classic Irish pub. Dark wood throughout and a varied collection of Irish items are scattered throughout the bar, but don’t call attention to themselves. I had the good fortune to visit Ireland years ago and this place is the best representation of an Irish pub that I’ve ever seen. If you’re ever in the area, stop in and grab a bite to eat. Their burgers are great but if you like fish and chips, you really can’t go wrong here.

Now it’s your turn! What are some local places that you love? If you like the pub feel, what are some great ones that you really like?

Fan Friday: Coheed and Cambria

March 8th, 2013

Hey, everyone! It’s Fan Friday and I’m really excited about this one! Last night I got the chance to see Coheed and Cambria live in Orlando. I’ve been waiting to see them play for a while and the whole experience was amazing. I wanted to feature them earlier for Fan Friday but I decided to wait because I knew the concert would be coming up.

If you haven’t heard of them before, I would definitely suggest checking them out. They’re not for everyone, but what band is? I love music and so do these guys, it’s apparent in every song they write.

Their most recent albums, sold as two parts, are The Afterman: Ascension and The Afterman: Descension. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that these albums collect their best songs to date. I’ve been a fan for quite some time but I was never really a die-hard fan. I didn’t feel the urge to attend one of their concerts, I listened to their stuff often but I enjoyed being a big fan from afar. I’m not particularly fond of crowds, so concerts are a rarity for me anyway.

A friend of mine put on Ascension the night is came out and suddenly I found myself ordering a collector edition box set. Seriously, I wanted to see them play live, I wanted the early VIP pass, the collector stuff, all of it. Ascension/Descension are albums that I can put on anytime and listen to. And honestly, as much as I loved Ascension, they completely outdid themselves with Descension.

If you’re interested in checking out their music, they have videos for Dark Side of Me, The Afterman, and Domino the Destitute. I’m not a big music video person, but they’re all really solid. My personal favorite from Descension is Gravity’s Union, though it doesn’t have a video yet.

Seeing them play live was really great. They gave an awesome performance, playing lots of great selections, and the crowd was really into it. Truly an awesome night with a sold out crowd and some great friends. If you get the chance, check out some of their music. If you’re already a fan, try to see them in concert because they really don’t disappoint. The energy in the room was really amazing and their performance was flawless.

Now it’s your turn! Are you a Coheed & Cambria fan? If so, what’s your favorite album or song? What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to? Who would you like to see in concert that you haven’t been able to yet?