Manzzo Cuisine

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This is a lovely interior design for a restaurant–definitely upscale. Considering that, lunch prices are reasonable. Unfortunately, the food and service don’t live up to that promise.

Service started off weird with an icy greeting from Wednesday Addams at the front desk, who had to disappear to check if our table was ready (note that the restaurant was empty when we arrived at 12:30). Indeed it was. And yet although the restaurant remained sparsely populated throughout our lunch, and despite six front-of-house employees, somehow things seemed ragged and sluggish.

Caesar salads were good, and my wife enjoyed her beef carpaccio, although it was a rather unusual preparation with no oil; but the accompanying rosemary-seasoned toasts were excellent.

Chicken Marsala was pretty much completely flavorless–odd because it looked good, and the sauce had the right consistency, but just nothing going on.

In sum, it was a completely average experience. Perhaps your mileage will vary.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/manzzo-cuisine-windermere

Chi-Kin

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I’m delighted to see that Korean Fried Chicken has reached Orlando, and the west side. The secret to why this chicken is so good is that it’s fried twice–once at a lower temperature, and then again at a higher temperature to create a really crispy exterior.

The chicken is then typically coated with spicy sauce. Chi-Kin offers a wide assortment of sauces, and we liked all of the ones we tried. 

A good way to sample their offerings is the combo meal, a reasonably priced assortment of wings/drums and tenders, plus two sides.

You have your choice of two sauces for both the wings and the tenders, a total of four sauces, but note that the pieces will already be sauced, so you must decide in advance what sauce goes where. We had hot gochu jang, thai chili, buffalo, and yuzu lemon pepper (which is more of a rub).

I think next time I will stick to the tenders, as they are wonderfully moist and crispy on the outside, giving them all the advantages of wings, but you get a lot more meat.

For sides we had the bulgogi fries and the pickled cucumbers (probably the only healthy thing on the menu!)

Service was really friendly and fast. Definitely a place I’ll visit again!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/chi-kin-windermere

Amor y Chile Mexican Food

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There are three Mexican restaurants within a few blocks of each other in Lake Buena Vista, and each has their pluses and minuses. If you’re looking for margaritas, go to El Patron. If you want very Americanized food, go to San Joses. But if you want authentic Mexican food, the Amor y Chile is your best bet.

The emphasis here is on traditional recipes such as molcajetes and Al Pastor. The tamales come in a corn husk, and the guacamole is obviously home made, with big chunks of avocado.

It’s a nice touch that complimentary, house-made chips are served with three sauces: green, red, and super spicy.

The place won’t win an award for atmosphere, but service is pleasant and the food is satisfying.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/amor-y-chile-mexican-food-orlando

Omo by Jont

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How fortunate we are to have this level of restaurant in Orlando now! There was a time when you had to go to New York, Chicago, LA, or, yes, Washington DC, where Omo’s two-star Michelin parent is located, in order to have this type of dining experience. Now we have a wealth of fabulous omakase experiences in Orlando. But Omo isn’t like the other omakases, because it isn’t about sushi and sashimi, like Sorekara or Soseki. It’s closer in concept to Camille, but with the added experience of moving from space to space as you dine.

You begin in the lounge for a series of “snacks” featuring foie gras, wagyu, and caviar. Then you progress to dinner at an L-shaped counter that seats 16.

Each course was a thoughtful and complex construction, meticulously assembled in front of us, and accompanied by a dazzling assortment of dishes, cutlery and yes, one set of chopsticks.

Finally a flurry of sweet bites are served in the dessert room.

The menu offers two levels of dining. We opted for the more elaborate version, The Jaunt. It’s twenty or so courses included many pricey ingredients such as truffles, wagyu, and caviar. At about twice the price, it was an indulgence, but I don’t know that the experience was otherwise significantly different for those who opted for the simpler menu.

There were many stunning dishes, but the one that sticks in my memory was actually an intermezzo of peeled heirloom cherry tomatoes, wasabi, and verbena, served with basil sorbet!

Service was as you would expect from the offspring of a two-star Michelin.

Wine pairings are available, but we opted for a couple of bottles from the excellent wine list.

There is a lot of competition in Orlando now, but I would say that as of this writing Omo is the city’s most spectacular restaurant.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/omo-by-jont-winter-park-9

Kosher Grill

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I had high hopes for this place based upon reviews, but it was just okay.

The concept is a bit odd, as it’s a strange conglomeration of different cuisines, from Middle Eastern to Asian to deli to American.

They were out of my wife’s first choice, so she just had a Caesar salad, which was weirdly sweet, as if they made it with honey mustard dressing.

Given the name, I opted for the falafel and hummus, and both were just okay. If you really want great hummus, falafel, and pitas, it’s only a few minutes to go to Cedar’s on Sand Lake Road, and there’s no comparison.

There isn’t really much atmosphere, just some rows of long tables in a brightly lit storefront. Service was a good team effort.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/kosher-grill-orlando

Vincenzo Cucina Italiana

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We’ve gone to Ciao Italia for many years, so we thought we’d try their sister restaurant, Vincenzo. It’s located in a more visible, tourist-accessible spot, and is in a newer space.

The interior is nicely designed, with an appealing bar, and good acoustic design in the dining room. Lighting levels are pleasant.

The menu is similar, offering classic Southern Italian cuisine. My Shrimp Diavalo appetizer was excellent, and its $20 price quite reasonable for a generous serving. My wife really enjoyed her Fettuccini Alfredo, which was made in the classic butter and parmesan style, rather than inundated in cream sauce.

The wine list is well-considered, and service was pleasant.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/vincenzo-cucina-italiana-orlando

Sushi Saint

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Sushi Saint is brought to you by the chef behind Michelin starred Soseki. We liked the sushi at Soseki, but weren’t fans of the hot food there, so we were interested to try this hand-roll concept.

The location is a bit funky, in the back of an industrial building off a parking lot, but the interior is nice. It’s divided into several distinct areas, including booths, a sushi counter, and a private room. We sat at the counter.

The secret to hand rolls is temperature and timing. The rice must be at the perfect temperature, the nori wrapper fresh from the warming box to ensure its crispness, and the whole assemblage delivered within seconds.

Sushi Saint excels at this. And unlike other hand roll concepts we’ve tried, this is definitely not an assemblage place where the rolls are largely constructed from already prepared tartares. Here they are delicately assembled one ingredient at a time, and the results show the difference.

There are a number of preset combos that are slightly less expensive than ordering ala carte, but once you know your favorites it’s easy to order just those.

We started with a wonderful sunomono. The cucumber was elevated by the inclusion of onions and ginger.

Our favorite rolls were:

  • Akami 
  • Hamachi 
  • Salmon
  • Ikura 
  • Unagi 

The wine list focuses on sakes, but there are also several wines and sake-based cocktails.

Service was fast and friendly.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-saint-orlando

Norman’s

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I wasn’t expecting to be wowed by Norman’s based on previous restaurants, so we put off visiting for more than a year, but absolutely loved our experience here. The interior is beautiful, and just what I am looking for in a fine dining experience: classy, not noisy, and not brightly lit.

The food really stood out for us, too. The dishes seemed more cohesive than those we’ve had in his past restaurants, with a perfect melding of complex flavors. We opted for six small plates so we could sample many things. Standouts were:

House salad: this was startlingly good! Mixed greens with a light but complex vinaigrette, pepitas, dried fruits, and some crumbled blue cheese. Rarely has a simple salad been so memorable.

Shrimp Ceviche: not really a ceviche, but more of a cooked, creamy combination with some tomato in the sauce and a dollop of avocado crema.

Octopus: absolutely tender and flavorful, so hard to find prepared this well.

French Toast Foie Gras: I had read about this dish, and it did not disappoint! The perfect combination of sweet brioche and lightly seared foie.

Pumpkin Cheesecake: I would call this a pumpkin s’more caramel taco!

Service was impeccable–professional, friendly, and attentive.

I wasn’t a fan of the Norman’s at the Ritz Carlton (mostly due to the coffee shop atmosphere) or his Mount Dora effort (LOUD!) but this one absolutely nails it, with a classy, romantic interior, great acoustics, and subdued lighting. Highly recommended.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/normans-orlando-7