{"id":269352,"date":"2026-05-13T12:13:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/269352\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T12:13:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:13:08","slug":"popos-local-bistros-italian-dishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/269352\/","title":{"rendered":"Popo’s Local Bistro’s Italian dishes"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014\u00a0There\u2019s something special about finding a mom-and-pop joint in unexpected places. Popo\u2019s Local Bistro<\/a> (5880 Precision Dr., in Orlando) is one of those gems nestled up to Universal, but far from theme park vibes.<\/p>\n

Executive Chef Neville Eroll\u00a0ended up in Orlando about four years ago on another project and got hooked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrlando is such a saturated place,\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cPeople love food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eroll\u00a0stayed and is not only top chef at Popo\u2019s, but is also a partner in the business.<\/p>\n

\u201cPopo\u201d happens to be Gregg Dobbs, an Orlando fixture, especially during the holidays. Among several entrepreneurial projects, Dobbs takes family photos at his Santa\u2019s Workshop Experience and Easter Bunny Garden Experience at ICON Park.<\/p>\n

Dobbs’ grandkids also lovingly call him “Popo,” and convinced him to use it for the name of his. Dobbs said he wants his guests to feel at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we called it a local bistro,\u201d he said. \u201cSo they can come in and feel like they\u2019re at their own little hometown restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bistro celebrates modern Italian, as you\u2019ll see by two of their favorite menu items.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s cook!<\/p>\n

Tuscan-style chicken cacciatore<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/p>\n

18 oz chicken breast, skin on<\/p>\n

2 oz flour<\/p>\n

3.5 oz white onion, sliced<\/p>\n

10.5 oz cherry tomatoes, halved<\/p>\n

1.75 oz capers, rinsed<\/p>\n

2 oz olives, pitted<\/p>\n

1 sprig of sage<\/p>\n

1 sprig of rosemary<\/p>\n

1 bay leaf<\/p>\n

5 fl oz chicken stock<\/p>\n

2 fl oz white wine<\/p>\n

Olive oil, as needed<\/p>\n

Salt, to taste<\/p>\n

Black pepper, to taste<\/p>\n

Method<\/p>\n

1. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Lightly coat with flour and shake off any excess.<\/p>\n

2. Heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Place the chicken skin-side down and sear until golden brown. Turn and lightly color the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside.<\/p>\n

3. In the same pan, add a little more olive oil if needed and then add the sliced onion and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly translucent.<\/p>\n

4. Deglaze\u00a0the pan with the white wine, scraping the bottom to release the caramelized juices. Allow the wine to reduce slightly.<\/p>\n

5. Add the cherry tomatoes, capers, olives, sage, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down.<\/p>\n

6. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.<\/p>\n

7. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up. Cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce has reduced to a light rustic consistency.<\/p>\n

8. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.<\/p>\n

9. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Serve the chicken with the sauce spooned over the top.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spaghetti carbonara (with bacon)<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/p>\n

14 oz spaghetti<\/p>\n

7 oz thick-cut bacon, diced<\/p>\n

3 egg yolks<\/p>\n

5 oz grated pecorino cheese<\/p>\n

1 clove garlic, crushed<\/p>\n

2 oz butter<\/p>\n

Salt, to taste<\/p>\n

Freshly ground black pepper<\/p>\n

Method<\/p>\n

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve a small amount of pasta water before draining.<\/p>\n

2. Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook slowly until the fat renders and the bacon becomes golden and slightly crisp.<\/p>\n

3. Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt with the bacon fat. Add the crushed garlic and cook briefly until fragrant, then remove from heat.<\/p>\n

4. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, grated pecorino, and a generous amount of black pepper until thick and smooth.<\/p>\n

5. Add the drained spaghetti to the pan while still hot and toss to coat in the bacon and butter.<\/p>\n

6. Remove the pan from direct heat. Add the egg and cheese mixture and toss quickly to create a creamy sauce. Add a small amount of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.<\/p>\n

7. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.<\/p>\n

8. Serve immediately with extra pecorino and freshly ground black pepper on top.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014\u00a0There\u2019s something special about finding a mom-and-pop joint in unexpected places. Popo\u2019s Local Bistro (5880 Precision…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":269353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[4093,7147,6506,2031,274,558,7152,14608,2200,2204,115,1335,139,141,140,135,278,17141],"class_list":["post-269352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-allison-walker","tag-app-chefs-kitchen","tag-app-food","tag-app-local-business","tag-app-top-stories","tag-business","tag-chefs-kitchen","tag-food-and-dining","tag-instagram-bn9","tag-instagram-n13","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-tampa","tag-top-stories","tag-topic-food"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}