This spot transported me to NYC. It felt like a trendy spot you could find there, and it made me realize how Orlando really is a foodie hotspot now. My friend recommended it and I’m glad she did. d.b.a. is the cocktail bar extension to The Strand. I have yet to try The Strand, but if it’s as good as this sister bar, I can’t wait to try it. My friend also gave me some recs on the blog. So, expect to receive the address and location details moving forward!
The Parking: We had the luxury of getting driven there by my friend’s husband. He was an excellent car service. If you don’t have a personal car service, d.b.a. is on my favorite foodie street in Orlando, Mills 50. There’s usually plenty of street parking, but it can get hard to find during peak times. Highly recommend a friend’s husband.
The Atmosphere: Small, intimate, moody, and well-decorated. The mood lighting randomly dimmed through the night. The music was a bit too loud. As a quiet person, I don’t stand a chance against loud music. I really did love the decor, from the wood stand as soon as you walk in, to the gorgeous bar and plants everywhere. It was subtle bougie vibes. Like a hipster hit the lotto decor. I had a great girls’ night out with a couple of friends. We were seated at the one long table, which became communal. It was the right party size. Considering this spot is so small, I’d recommend going with a small group as I did. Also, a great date night spot (not that I’d know anything about that).
The Drinks: There’s a happy hour menu with $10 cocktails from 5-7PM. A nice combo of classic cocktails and a couple of unique options. We arrived just after, but the drinks I was intrigued by were on the regular menu. I started with the little bear, which came with a cute bear toothpick. It was, of course, a tequila drink with a splash of sweet fruityness with blackberry and honey. The drinks here are definitely booze-forward. Which, truly, I’m not mad about. My one friend started with the pretty please, a gin-based drink with lemon, raspberry, and thyme. It was decent, but not my fav, I don’t go for things with herbs.
Her second drink was good, the pool boy. She is clearly a gin girly. This one had gin, lime, cucumber, and absinthe. I really enjoyed the touch of anise absinthe flavor. If you want something refreshing and unique, I’d go for this one. My second drink was the cold brew, which I was warned would be strong; I knew it would be. It had coffee-infused cynar, rum, pot still rum, demerara, and candied orange. A good, strong, old-fashioned-esque drink. I enjoyed it, a sipping drink for sure.
My other friend had a bit of trouble ordering. Our host told us most of the drinks were not sweet. Ultimately, she asked to be surprised with a vodka-based, strawberry sweet drink. Her’s ended up being the most balanced, while all of the other drinks we ordered were spirit-forward. We all enjoyed whatever it was she got. It was refreshing and fruity, sweeter, but not overly sweet. Really awesome that the bar was open to creating something on the spot for us. And that it was a solid cocktail. They should put whatever it was on the menu. Vodka, strawberry, lime, and who knows what else.
The Food: As per usual, I ordered almost everything. The food menu here is shareable tapas-style dishes. We loaded on the potatoes, never mad at that. Our first round included the warm pretzel with pimento cheese spread, Old Bay chips with French onion dip, and the patatas bravas. Of this grouping, the patatas bravas were the highlight. Can’t go wrong with friend potatoes, but I enjoyed the sauce, and the pickled zucchini was a nice bright addition. The chips and dip were good and a solid shareable option. At the end of the day, it’s chips and dip for $12. I’m glad the pretzel was on the cheaper side at $6.5 because I wasn’t a huge fan. The pretzel didn’t really taste like a pretzel. It tasted fried, and fried food is delicious, but this was unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the pretzel. The pimento cheese spread was lackluster.
Our next batch was more promising with the shrimp cocktail and buttermilk chicken tenders, and fries. I’d recommend both of these. The portion of shrimp cocktail is small, but they were plump and delicious with a fantastic remoulade that we dipped almost everything into. It’s crazy and unsurprising that the highlight was the chicken tendies. I mean, you can’t really go wrong, but I had no idea it could go so right. The chicken was so juicy, and the batter was light and crispy, almost tempura-like. It didn’t feel greasy and was perfectly seasoned. Even the fries and honey mustard were fantastic. My friend went as far as to say it’s the best honey mustard she’s ever had. Definitely get these.
The last round of food included the mini Caesar salad and the confit duck flatbread. Both of these were good, but not overly exciting. You can’t really go wrong with a Caesar salad, and this was pretty standard. There were a couple of unique aspects, like pickled eggs and fried capers. I don’t love capers, but they added a nice saltiness, and I really enjoyed the pickled egg; it gave a good acidic element. I was expecting a bit more wow from the duck flatbread. The duck was cooked well, and I appreciated that it didn’t taste gamey. I just felt like it was missing something like an extra pop of flavor, whether a sweet, salty, or even spicy element.
The dessert menu wasn’t online, and considering this was more of a bar vibe, I wasn’t expecting dessert. My friends and I talked about getting ice cream after (which of course I did too), but then our host came out with the dessert menu. I originally didn’t even look, but my friend – my one consistent blog reader – saw they had a corn-based dessert. Done deal! It was sweet corn panna cotta with a sweet tart cherry compote. This was the highlight of my entire evening. The panna cotta was luscious and creamy, yet light, with a fantastic corn flavor. It wasn’t overly sweet, and the tart cherry worked well with corn. Meanwhile, one of my friends truly did not enjoy. Not everything is for everyone. I would never think of this flavor combo, but this may be one of my favorite desserts ever. For that alone, I would come back.
Overall: I enjoyed this spot. I’d like to try more of both the food and drink menu. I appreciate that their menu is basically elevated versions of usual bar items. It’s unique and familiar at the same time. There are a few things that I think could be better, and then it would be excellent.
Rating: 8.7/10
Address: 809 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803; North Orlando
Tis Me Michelle 
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