***** (5 stars)
This is a great neighborhood, Peruvian restaurant that offers a huge menu of Peruvian dishes plus sushi, and even Italian dishes. We enjoyed the smoked ceviche, although we didn't detect any smoky flavor. The house specialty causa was excellent.
Mares Real Peruvian Cuisine
13586 Village Park Dr
Orlando, FL 32837
https://www.yelp.com/biz/mares-real-peruvian-cuisine-orlando
**** (4 stars)
This place offers a nice assortment of small plates, and some variety of sandwiches and entrées. There's a very extensive list of spirits. The decor is quite fun. The only problem is they seemed to be out of a lot of things. But we enjoyed what we had, even if there were a few missing ingredients. For example, the Day After Greely wasn't on an English Muffin, and didn't include any horseradish. The best items we had were the Kicken Shrimp and the French Fries.
The Outpost Kitchen
111 S Orlando Ave
Maitland, FL 32751
**** (4 stars)
One of the measures of a good Mexican restaurant is the quality of the refried beans and rice, and they do very well on both counts. A other measure is whether the nachos are made with melted cheese, and sadly this is just liquid queso.
Still, this is overall decent food, and convenient to the highway.
Old Town Mexican Grill
116 Commercial Pkwy
Canton, MS 39046
***** (5 stars)
Excellent traditional steakhouse with an extensive menu and wine list. I highly recommend the wet aged rib eye and the oven baked cream spinach.
Excellent professional service. Reasonable pricing for what it is.
Note that the nearest entry is on High Street, not Grand.
801 Chophouse
801 Grand Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
***** (5 stars)
First, this restaurant is gorgeous. What a transformation they’ve done on this space! Some of Orlando’s best interior restaurant design.
I admit that Cantonese is not necessarily my favorite Asian cuisine, but I can certainly appreciate how well it is done here, and there are some real standouts.
The dim sum menu is extensive. Our favorite item, as is usually the case, was the chive dumpling. The pan-seared potsticker appetizer was also good.
A fellow at a table next to us ordered Clay Pot salted chicken and fish, and it looked incredible, reminding me of Korean bibimbop, but I couldn’t find it on the menu. I definitely need to check that out next time.
Service was terrific, with constant refills of our drinks, and friendly and efficient throughout.
We definitely want to return and further explore the menu.
YH Seafood Clubhouse
8081 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
***** (5 stars)
It's about time that Orlando had another true fine dining restaurant! Amid a sea of steakhouses, Salt & The Cellar stands out as one of the few truly great restaurants in Central Florida.
With just the right touch of Japanese and Asian flair, and a lot of creativity in presentation, Salt & The Cellar surprises with almost every dish. The menu is designed to be shared, which invites one to try almost everything, and our party of three took up the challenge.
We started with an off-menu seafood assortment that surpassed any seafood tower I've encountered, with generous portions of lobster and crab, and the most delightfully flavored little clams.
Then we progressed through an assortment of starters: an impressive tableside preparation of tuna tartare mixed tableside like some elaborate guacamole; wagyu tacos with just the right amount of spicy kick; a delicately plated tuna pizza (this was the only item of the meal we didn't care for, it having been overwhelmed with truffle oil).
Then it was on to a generous portion of delicious New York strip, already sliced for easy eating with chopsticks, and served with our choice of three salts (the smoky and coffee-flavored salts are standouts).
Sides accompanying the steak included kimchi Brussels sprouts (which were delicious, but more about toasted garlic than kimchi, I thought) and Togarashi fries (wonderfully seasoned, although the paper cone they were served in couldn't keep them hot).
Three desserts were on offer, and all three were delightful. The most unique was the "Cigar" which was passion fruit ice cream in a dark chocolate wrapper with coffee-flavored "ashes". Even the cigar band was edible!
One surprising aspect of the restaurant (and the whole hotel, for that matter) is that it offers no alcohol. Of course, you are welcome to bring your own wines, and we were delighted to find that the glassware and wine service were top-notch.
There are also a half dozen "mocktails" on offer. The espresso and citrus "Where Clouds End" was a particular stunner, served in a bell jar full of hickory smoke.
Service was Michelin level. Our main server, Randi, was an enthusiastic delight.
Best of all, I no longer need to be embarrassed when people ask me where to go for fine dining in Orlando. This is the place.
Salt & The Cellar By Akira Back
3001 Sherberth Rd
Kissimmee, FL 34747
https://www.yelp.com/biz/salt-and-the-cellar-by-akira-back-kissimmee
***** (5 stars)
Excellent food is topped by truly great service at this fine dining but not stuffy restaurant right off historic Route 66.
The real standout here was a special appetizer using ladyfingers(!), feta, apples, and bacon. It sounds weird but it was fantastic and unique.
Meals include a soup or salad. The gaspacho was nice and spicy, and the Caesar salad was classic, but with the dressing on the side. The salmon and ribeye were both very good.
The wine list is great, and really concentrates on the complex chewy reds that we love.
Our server's wine knowledge was truly impressive, and he offered us a ton of great tips for visiting the area.
Seared
119 San Pasquale Ave SW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
***** (5 stars)
This reincarnation of the old Hemingway's spot is very good. Because of the Richard Blaise branding, I was expecting more molecular gastronomy, but it's pretty focused on fresh seafood.
We selected the Seafood Smorgasbord as our starter, and it proved to be so extensive that it was really a meal for two, including nearly every appetizer on the menu: Tuna tostada, scallop ceviche, stone crab claws, shrimp cocktail, ham croquettes, shrimp toast, and a dozen oysters! Highlights were the scallops and the tuna and, surprisingly, the croquettes. We weren't fans of the shrimp toast; although perfectly crisped, it was a bit sweet, and lacked any shrimp flavor. At $128 this was fairly priced, and a really complete dinner for two.
After that, all we could manage were a couple more small plates. Ribeye Pichos were two small skewers of flavorful beef, tasty but maybe not worth $23. Jerk coated cauliflower, also available in an entree size portion, was excellent.
The Boulevardier is an amazing cocktail. It's also nice that they have a wine of the day poured from magnum. Ours was Chateau LaGrange.
I've been going to this place for 38 years, since it first opened as Hemingway's, and our server, Michael, has been there just as long! So some things haven't changed. Now if they would just bring back the Key Wester salad as a tribute to the old days, it would be perfect.
Four Flamingos
1 Grand Cypress Blvd
Orlando, FL 32836
*** (3 stars)
This is a combination sports bar and seafood place, focusing on mostly fried seafood dishes the way you might get them in Boston, or the way people think you might get them in Boston. There's nothing great about the place except the decor, which is pretty good, and the nice location on Celebration's waterfront. But there's nothing terrible about it either. The best thing we had was the lobster roll, which had a reasonable amount of lobster in it, although it was priced accordingly. The sports bar food was less good. The potato skins and chicken wings were just OK. Spicy tuna dip was a poor choice. It was basically really liquid tuna sandwich filling, and not spicy at all. There is a lovely outside area dedicated to dining with dogs, so if you're a dog watcher, it's a great place to visit lots of canine friends.
Celebration Town Tavern
721 Front St
Celebration, FL 34747
https://www.yelp.com/biz/celebration-town-tavern-celebration
***** (5 stars)
This is my favorite Peruvian restaurant in Orlando. Everything is very authentic. They have the best ceviche I've had anywhere but Lima. The causas are also excellent.
As of this writing if you check in on Yelp they offer a free Chicha Morada, a delicious fruity non-alcoholic drink (based on purple corn, interestingly) with a touch of cinnamon and clove.
The pisco sours are also excellent.
Memories of Peru Pollos a la Brasa
5700 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32819
https://www.yelp.com/biz/memories-of-peru-pollos-a-la-brasa-orlando-11