Nostalgic candy, Skyline Chili and Buc-ee’s top the year in review for foodies

“Happiness comes in small doses, folks.”

It’s a nice quote. Meaningful when we reflect on the years behind us. Or, in this case, year. 2023. And it’s not brilliance from the mind of Mandela or Mother Teresa or even Oscar Wilde (though I’d bet he’d appreciate the cheeky rant in its entirety). It’s from a now-vintage bit by comedian Denis Leary, wherein he champions life’s simple moments of pleasure. He chooses three examples. One of them is a chocolate chip cookie.

Of course, it is. Can you think of anything more comforting than a bite that reminds you of when life was simpler?

As the world blasts forward into the future, many of us love holding onto the past. That’s what the numbers are telling me, anyway, as many of the most popular food stories of 2023 are rooted in the flavors of childhood.

Nostalgia fills the bins at Rocket Fizz in Winter Park. And it was lovers of salt water taffy and candy cigarettes and Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, among other delights, that propelled “5 nostalgic candies for National Candy Day” to the top of the heap this past year. But admittedly, there were a lot of cherished food memories to go around.

5 nostalgic candies for National Candy Month

Portillo’s, White Castle and Jollibee all made a splash among the locals when they entered the fast-food fray of the greater Orlando market. And there was an awful lot of breadstick love for Fazoli’s when it made its return to the city back in September, so it wasn’t surprising to note that one of the most popular food stories for the Sentinel this year featuring the beloved, if divisive, chili that’s been keeping Cincinnatians warm since 1949 (no small feat, mind you).

Skyline Chili opened its doors in Winter Garden in November, and a steady stream of Midwesterners and eager noobs have been filing through to get their first taste of home in ages — or simply their first taste of this adored-and-abhorred Ohio original. It was my maiden voyage here, too, and while I’m not sure I’d do two hours in the car for another 4-way (before you start writing that Letter to the Editor, that’s Skyline chili with cheese, onions and oyster crackers), I can certainly appreciate why folks from Cincy will travel for a treat that’s been absent in Orlando all this time.

Orlando’s first Skyline Chili has Cincinnatians lining up

Beef on Weck and Buc-ee’s were big, too. The Buc-ee’s exploration, a redux from 2022 when its opening won the most-clicked award, did well in 2023, too, as I delved further into the delights of this national treasure of a truck stop, but Buffalonians who clamor for the specificity of sliced beef on a real Kimmelweck roll were delighted to find that there were places around town that could deliver.

But even as our palates, primed for exotic jerky and banana pudding in a plastic cup, made haste for Daytona, the restaurateurs and chefs of Orlando kept shooting for the stars. We didn’t get any new ones in what was Year Two of The Michelin Guide’s presence in the City Beautiful, but all the current starred eateries retained — and we saw several more welcomed into the Michelin fold, as well.

8 Orlando restaurants added to Michelin Guide selection

Doshi, Edoboy, Juju, Kaya, Otto’s High Dive, Toledo, Twenty Pho Hour and Victoria & Albert’s all made the grade, and when the James Beard Foundation came back to town, Kabooki chef/owner Henry Moso, made the leap from multi-year semifinalist to the finalist round. First-time semifinalists Jimmy and Johnny Tung of The Bento Group had an incredible 2023, even without moving past their inaugural Outstanding Restaurateur nod, adding Foreigner, Camille, Danilo’s Pasta Bar, Zaru, Kosen (Tampa) and Norikase (Jacksonville)t, plus one new Bento at the Waterford Lakes Town Center, to their restaurant portfolio.

Everything I ate — and drank — at Foreigner Restaurant’s 10-course dinner

There were too many notable openings in town to cite all of them. Names from outside the city (Jojo’s Shake Bar, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, Rise Southern Biscuits, Superica) made some splashes, but so, too, did some we already know as the legendary Norman Van Aken’s new joint in Doctor Phillips launched, along with a host of fun collaborations where this pre-social media culinary influencer paired up with some of the city’s hottest up-and-comers.

Jeff’s Bagel Run began its mission of taking over bagel ops around the city, opening a bunch of new shops and aiming to cross state lines before too long, and there were scads of new local indies from burgers and pub grub (Papi Smash, Cow & Cheese, The Classic) to a rampant run of noodle joints specializing in authentic/imported and hand-pulled squiggles (Sanshi Noodle House, Mr. J’s Hand-Pulled Noodle, Red Panda Noodle). The Chick, however, proved to be the magnet; Chicken Salad Chick was the most-read review of the year.

For all my perceived chain disdain, perhaps I’ll hit a few more in 2024, but it deters me from trying all the pizza. Two installments of local-joint love (one in June, the other in November) were high in the mix, too, proving that having solid ‘za on dial-up is among those simple pleasures folks value most. Keep sending in those recommendations.

Notable moves included that of Johnny’s Diner, which, having been jettisoned from its longtime spot on Semoran in Winter Park, at last landed in a new space on University. Bittersweet, as the spot was previously home to the enticing Taiwanese of Mei’s Kitchen, which was among those that shuttered in 2023. Another Johnny’s, from the other half of the original team, announced plans to open in Casselberry, as well, but appears in a holding pattern. Keep an eye on their Instagram account for updates.

After nearly 50 years serving Orlando, Le Coq au Vin closes its doors

While many reader eyes were on Johnny’s, they also shed tears for favorites, including the legendary Le Coq au Vin and Linda’s Winter Park Diner, two of the stalwarts we said goodbye to this year. More recently, local favorites Create Your Nature and Hungry Pants served their last veg-friendly plates in Winter Park and SoDo.

Other notables we’ll miss include The Meatball Stoppe (now a full-time catering operation, so you can still get your fix), Chicago Dog & Co., Sweets by Holly and Mx Taco. Fans of Winter Springs’ Thai Basil: you still have a little time before this family-owned favorite shuts its doors on or before Jan. 31.

Big was also big in 2023, in the form of Primrose Lanes’ lengthy housemade hot dog, which prompted all kinds of chatter on the social feeds for its $15 price tag, inspiring a pro-shop T-shirt and making it a must-try for the lovers and the haters out there, both of whose money is green. (One point each to executive chef Jason Campbell and his team of wiener artisans and the folks behind Team Market Group.)

And if you’re looking for the biggest lobster roll in the state (and a place to try out your New England accent while doing so), the folks at The Nauti Lobstah in Apopka will be happy to load you down with two pounds of tender meat — Maine or Connecticut-style — on a custom roll for market price. More, if you want to “shell out” the extra.

Things will change quite a bit between now and next year’s look back. They always do. I’ll try to make sure the puns remain a touchstone amid the tumult.

Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie or email me at amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.