Orlando food news: Osteria Ester opens end of month; Dochi has closed

Osteria Ester, interior rendering Credit: Good Salt Restaurant Group

Osteria Ester, the “Italian American” restaurant concept by James Beard-nominated restaurateurs Jason and Sue Chin, will open for friends and family Dec. 2 in the old Soco space in the Thornton Park District. Walk-ins will be welcome as space allows. Soft opening is slated for Dec. 9. Osprey chef Michael Cooper will plate riffs on Italian-American classics like spaghetti alle vongole, chicken parm meatballs and, yes, mozzarella sticks. A bread program, handmade pastas, and Italian cocktails and varietals will also be offered …

Slap! Hand-Ripped Noodles, Orlando’s newest noodle house, has opened at 6532 Carrier Drive. They specialize in hand-ripped slap noodles (biang biang), skewers (chuan’r), dumplings and crispy pancakes, all of which are very much worth the drive to the tourist sector … JAM Hot Chicken has opened in the former Hunger Street Tacos stall inside Plant Street Market in Winter Garden, offering the same menu as the Hannibal Square original along with some new items like cheese fries, wraps and breakfast burritos. Look for chicken & waffles to be served on weekends soon …

Desi Bistro, an Indian build-a-bowl concept, has opened near UCF at 12058 Collegiate Way. Proteins include beef jhal-fry, masala baked fish, goat korma, tandoori shrimp, tandoori chicken and roasted vegetables … Look for Terra, a restaurant/lobby bar inside the Society high rise downtown, to open this February. The concept by Thriving Hospitality (Lamp & Shade, Thrive, The Packwoods) will feature composed New American dishes by chef Ryan Stewart. Terra will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner … Zen Dumpling, the Jacksonville-based restaurant specializing in soup dumplings, noodles and more, will open its second area location in the old Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza spot at 420 E. Altamonte Drive by the end of the month …

H&H Brazilian Steakhouse has opened in the former On the Border Mexican Grill space at 3250 Rolling Oaks Blvd. near the Margaritaville Resort. Cost for the full churrasco experience is $65 … Venice, Italy-based DalMoros Fresh Pasta to Go, with locations all over North America, will move into the former Brick & Bowls space inside the Millenia Mall food court … Dochi, the Japanese mochi donut joint on East Colonial Drive near Mills Avenue, has closed a little more than five years after opening.

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