Halloween is a season now, apparently.

The last time checked, Halloween was only ONE day in October. But that’s not the case in Central Florida.

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios and Howl-O Scream at Busch Gardens kicked off this past Friday – (September 21st) – That’s more than a month before Halloween! Disney takes the cake though, ‘Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party’ at Magic Kingdom started on September 11th. Move over Fall – there’s a new season in town! *steps down from soapbox* Anyway, the buzz in Orlando right now is about the Halloween themed events at the parks. I want to say they do these types of events for tourists but honestly, the FL residents look forward to this every year! Basically the parks operate normally during the day, they close at 5/6 to set up, then at 6:30-7pm they reopen and you must enter with an event ticket as your regular daytime ticket will not get you in.

The first (and last) time I went to HHN was back in 2010.

Halloween Horror Nights XX [20 years of scare]

My friends always spoke about how awesome and fun it was so I wanted to experience it for myself. The fact that I was scared to even go on the website should have been the first indication that it was going to be too intense for me. I did not expect the park to look so different – It was transformed! Extremely dark pathways; scare zones with people with REAL CHAINSAWS; people walking around that looked like zombies, and haunted houses. There were about 8 haunted houses, each with a different theme. I remember 2 distinctively: ‘Zombies Geddon‘ and ‘Orphanage‘. I’m getting goosebumps just reminiscing. Universal does such a great job with casting for these events its phenomenal.  Walking through Zombies Geddon was HONESTLY like experiencing a real life nightmare/horror movie. Pale, bald men wearing orange jumpsuits were either chained by their necks to a wall or behind a chain-link fence. They all looked possessed and were determined to either eat or capture each person that walked through, reaching out as far as their chains let them. To make it even scarier, it was dark with flashing strobe lights so everything looked like it was in slow motion. I was on the brink of tears when we got out – I was so scared!!

Now, Orphanage wasn’t that scary, it was just CREEPY! Once again, the place was dark, but this time no strobe lights, just a bunch of mirrors. When you thought you were looking through a door, you were looking at a mirror that showed something on the other side of the room. There was a little girl with red eyes riding around on a tri-cycle in the distance. As you walked through you’d hear giggling and then sometimes screams.

With all that being said, I will never ever go to another HHN nor will I dare to try Howl O Scream. I refuse to pay money to experience a real nightmare. If you’re into that stuff, you’ll have a blast! But, if you are faint of heart (like me), Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party might be more suitable.

Have you ever been to Halloween Horror Nights? Were you scared out of your mind like me? Will you go back this year?

Las Olas Wine Cafe

I’ve developed a serious liking for Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. There are so many great restaurants, bars and lounges concentrated in one area that if you don’t like one, there’s another one across the street to try 🙂

I learned about  this quaint little wine cafe on WSVN’s (Channel 7) Bite with Belkys – a segment of the news where reporter Belkys Nerey goes to different restaurants in South Florida and learns how the chef makes a signature dish. I started following them on Twitter and found out about their Manic Monday specials (2 for 1 glasses of wine and tapas) so I was curious to see what the place was all about.

This wine bar has about 20-30 bottles of wine on dispensers that allow you to select ‘a taste’ (roughly an ounce or two), half glass or full glass. The cost per taste/glass differs from wine to wine – a taste is typically $1-$3, half glass is around $4/$5 and a full glass about $7. You purchase a card to use in the machines. You insert the card into the machine; place your glass under the spout; select the wine and desired size; gulp and repeat 🙂 .

The wine dispensers

‘Wine Card’

What I love about this place and other wine bars that use this technology is that you can sample so many different wines without committing to an entire glass. I’m still new to wine drinking so I’m always hesitant to order an entire glass when I’m not sure if I’m going to like it. There are descriptions below each bottle to give you an idea of the taste to expect. Our waiter was VERY knowledgeable about the different wines and made great suggestions of what I should try based on my preferences.

So many choices…

Now on to the food. 2 for 1 tapas *hearts in eyes*. The Argentinean Empanadas were the best empanadas I’ve ever tasted in my life!

Argentinean Empanadas – (Choice of Beef or Chicken) Turnovers stuffed with Certified Black Angus ground beef or Bell & Evans® Chicken served with mango papaya chutney. [I got the Chicken ones, so good!]

 We also ordered the Bruschetta – so simple and SO GOOD!

And then ordered the Roasted Red Peppers. It was good, but I probably won’t order it again, I had different expectations and I’ve come to realize I just don’t like red peppers prepared that way.

Roasted red peppers, red onion, capers, garlic, fresh basil, served with sliced baguette.

Last but not least, the Mediterranean Hummus – SO GOOD!!!

Home-made hummus (chick peas), garlic, lemon juice, tahini, glazed with extra virgin olive oil served with warm pita bread.

Their menu also has suggestions for wine pairings – great touch!

They change the wine selections very often so every time you go, there’s something new to try. It’s a nice spot for a small intimate gathering of friends. They offer different specials each day of the week so there’s always an excuse to drink wine 🙂 .

A view of the inside

To see their full menu, you can check out their website and follow them on twitter to see what specials are happening each day of the week.

Are you into wine? Have you ever gone to a wine bar like this? What’d you think of it?