The Sad Strange Emptiness of Creative Village (Feat. The Monroe)
What if I told you that one of Central Florida’s best dining experiences is stuck in the middle of nowhere?
This is the unfortunate curse of The Monroe.
Downtown Orlando has held this reputation of becoming a boring ecosystem of nothingness that has led to a mediocre nightlife and quite possibly the emptiest daytime atmosphere from any million-plus citizen downtown region in the entire southeast. And yes, it deserves this reputation even if there are plenty of nice people running nice places within the confides. Lake Eola is always a nice spot to spend time in, Stemma Craft Coffee is spectacular, and nobody should ever sleep on the Downtown Library. But Downtown Orlando can and should be much much more.
Downtown Orlando should have arcades, bowling alleys, pool halls, classic diners, more theaters, more parks, more public spots to play sports with other people, more green space, more stores, more everything. The stadiums where the Orlando Magic and Orlando City play lacks so much despite having so much space for so much opportunity. And now we have Creative Village, which is just a few blocks away from Downtown, also just an empty shell of apartments and buildings.
I have visited Creative Village multiple times and have failed to see its purpose outside of providing good public transit from apartments that are still way too expensive. All I see is more construction for more high rises, more apartments, more stores, but nothing more. No parks, no recreational activities, no gardens, no green space, nothing. How can a place called Creative Village be so boring and have such a boring plan coming up? You couldn’t create a fun indoor greenhouse or garden that can be visited no matter how silly Central Florida weather gets? You couldn’t create an elevated arcade gaming experience within walking distance of Electronic Arts? You couldn’t design a large venue for public creative work? Why are we just funding a place for people to sleep but not funding spaces for people to live?
The oasis in the middle of this desert is The Monroe, easily one of the top dining destinations but also tucked in an area with zero purpose if you’re not living there.
Everything inside The Monroe is impressive, its visually stimulating, the vibes are nice and homely, and it’s spacious enough that you’ll never feel claustrophobic, which tends to be a problem nowadays as Florida’s real estate market has become a serious problem. The Monroe is a dynamite example as to what all places within a space called “Creative Village” should be. Don’t just title yourselves something you don’t aspire to become. But back to The Monroe, which I like to classify as elevated American fare, with some added emphasis on Southern cuisine. The menu is diverse enough to cover most palettes, the price points have some range so not every dish is going to hurt your pockets, and the drink menu undergoes changes so it won’t be the same every time you visit.
The main reason to visit this place besides the nice ambiance, chill atmosphere, and being the only place in the entire zip code that has semblance of life, is the chicken. Any variation of it, their chicken is absolutely top notch.
Whether as part of a Caesar wrap, part of a sandwich, or part of a large fried chicken platter, The Monroe has understood the assignment related to fried chicken and is right up there with the best chicken meals in all of Florida. Yes, not just central, all of Florida. I’m putting this spot up there with the popular heavy-hitters like the fried chicken within Sarasota’ Amish Village, Disney Springs’ Homecoming’s fried chicken masterpieces, and South Beach’s Havana 1957’s mojo chicken.
The fried chicken sandwich in particular deserves special marks, as it might be the top fried chicken sandwich I’ve ever had. It’s an exaggerated piece of fried goodness topped with slaw and served on a nice fluffy potato bun. This behemoth can probably be shared with someone else, its that huge. Combine that with their spectacular pimento cheese with crackers, and there’s your meal right there. However, its so damn good, sharing might not be in the equation.
The Monroe doesn’t just rest on their chicken recipes however, as their appetizers are all solid, the burgers are good, the coffee options are quality, and even though their dessert selection isn’t as extensive, they still feature some hits. My last visit had a maple crème brulee, which was a surprisingly light but rich combination of maple, vanilla, and butter cookie flavors.
More than a good restaurant, The Monroe is a nice hangout spot (which would be an even better spot if the Creative Village had not been so uncreative with their parking pricing points). They have the main dining hall, the attached bar, a small coffee spot in the corner, several seats to do some computer work, and even some outdoor seating if you want to catch some sun. Even while the restaurant portion is shut down after lunch, you can still linger in the lounge and continue your work or continue your outing with friends and family. The Monroe probably knows that besides the restaurant, a person doesn’t have many third-place options within the Village, it would actually be smart for them to at least keep the small coffee space open the entire time.
If there’s a weakness, it’s the location itself. The Monroe is stuck in the middle of a slowly-developing area that doesn’t appear to be diversifying its construction and its gameplan of becoming a good livable space. This doesn’t affect the quality of the restaurant as much as it affects its chances of long-term survival. If there is no reason to visit this corner of the outskirts of an already-depleted Downtown Orlando, then how can the place have a consistent flow of customers? It would have to rely on strong reviews, maybe some giant awards, maybe some Michelin recognition if it stands to continue operating as it is while witnessing the nothingness continue.
Still unbelievable to be within a 20-minute walk from the arenas of the Magic and Orlando City teams but not offer much of anything at night after those games are done. There are links that connects the lack of options and third-places with crime. If you don’t offer your citizens anything to do and try to force them to spend their days and nights in their living spaces at all times, how do you expect them not to lash out? How do you expect society to be kinder, more social, if you don’t offer more opportunities for people to encounter one another? The problems remain so obvious, yet every day it feels like those in power don’t push for the solutions.
If there’s any sort of takeaway to get from my glossing of a great restaurant in a boring area, is that sometimes places don’t succeed because the location doesn’t do enough to elevate it into profitable form. Sometimes, a great venue just cannot succeed because of the surrounding conditions. Tampa Bay Rays and Tropicana Field could not succeed in St. Petersburg primarily because of its awful location and the city’s inability to build and enhance around it (even though the city knows how to build a great place for its people, with the St. Pete Pier as an example).
I want The Monroe to succeed; I want it to become a permanent presence within the Downtown Orlando area for as long as they desire. But their success because of their location will require the neighborhood and the downtown itself to actually improve, and I don’t see it happening anytime soon. We need the Lake Eola expansion, we needed those urban parks underneath I-4 and stretching to the stadium trifecta years ago, and biggest of all we need Creative Village to step up and offer something more than just expensive housing.
Visit The Monroe, it is a wonderful space of great food and atmosphere. But also, vote for Floridians who will actually make an effort to improve the cities, regions, and counties we live in.