Dearly beloved readers, today I thought I’d try something a little different and make a post with an amalgamation of several hot culinary destinations to visit instead of one review. The place under scrutiny is Orlando, Florida and the locations are spread out around the city so essentially I’ve given you a guided foodie tour of the City Beautiful (but also check out the singular post on The Briarpatch!). You’re welcome. Here goes!
Seasons 52: Altamonte
A little on the upmarket side of things, Seasons 52 is a fantastic place for celebrations with chic décor and great service. As one could guess from the name, it always has an imaginative seasonal menu with a plethora of tempting choices. The flatbreads make for an excellent sharing starter and this is most definitely a place for making room for dessert, as they bring over a platter of choices ranging from a mini key lime pie to a s’mores pudding. Now perhaps you understand why I suggested that this was a good place for group celebrations because GOOD LUCK being able to choose just one dessert from these options. I believe there is also a great wine selection, however I wouldn’t know since, in an unprecedented turn of events, Papa L wouldn’t let us try his selection because evidently our taste buds aren’t valuable enough. Shocking behaviour.
Boca: Winter Park
Boca has a delightful al fresco dining area on Park Avenue, making it a hotspot for lunching and people watching in the Floridian sunshine (perhaps head inside in the summer months unless intense sweating is your thing) of an afternoon. A solid lunch menu included various gourmet sandwiches, interesting salads and, as fate would have it, on National Grilled Cheese Day, grilled cheese was featured also. This was no ordinary grilled cheese however, as it included Gruyere and blue cheese with caramelised onions and artichoke. The fanciest humble grilled cheese around. If the weather isn’t playing the game, the restaurant is very accommodating inside with a large private dining area reminiscent of a restaurant in the Hamptons attached to the main area. Be sure to check out the lettuce leaves growing on the walls – they use these in the salads!
World of Beer: Lake Eola
While there are several WoB locations in Orlando, the most scenic is arguably the Lake Eola location, which has a wonderful outside deck looking over the city’s most iconic lake. It is the craft beer lover’s oasis, with hundreds of varieties from which to choose. Handy hint: be sure to download the app to check out all the options and select your favourites before they inevitably inhibit you from making any sound decisions after sampling (for the sake of research, of course). For those less hop-enthused, rest assured there are plenty of other options to ensure you keep pace with those merry beer folk. For when the hunger sets in, there is an extensive menu with some great sharing options (suspicious, I know) such as chicken wings, shrimp and a giant pretzel with a plethora of dip choices fit for kings. All in all, WoB makes for a great place to gather the troops for an evening of shenanigans.
Park Station: Winter Park
Having raved about the joys of Park Avenue in the morning light for a brunch experience, it appears that it must be stated that it is also rather lovely at sunset if an evening meal is on the cards. Park Station is a restaurant dealing primarily in American fare and, like most of the other establishments on this street, has outdoor seating. Albeit slightly less extensive than the other restaurants featured in this wonder-post, the menu at Park Station is certainly interesting and diverse. The flatbread was a delectable starter (flatbreads will always be noted on this blog because I have a great appreciation for the fact that they are essentially pizzas that masquerade as starters) and the main course of fish in a caper sauce and seasonal vegetables went down swimmingly (hehe, geddit?). Good food, good happy hour and good vibes, but be sure to sit outside to get the full effect of that wine in the sunset.
So concludes this list of Orlando hotspots, tailored to (nearly) every possible experience one could wish to enjoy in this city. Just kidding; there is plenty more to discover but I’ll be darned if this isn’t a swell place to start.
holdthelettuce 