Norman's Orlando

After years of anticipation, Norman's Orlando has finally opened on Sandlake.

We had dinner there this evening and it was an elegant and delicious experience. 

Norman's 3.0 is located in the Dellagio Plaza on Sandlake Road. 7924 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, FL 32819

https://www.normans.com/

They have a bar, patio and the main dining room. The decor is stylish and the service is formal. Our server was excellent, friendly and knowledgeable.

We started with some bread rolls, served with butter and salt and pepper. I wasn't really sure what the intention was with the salt and pepper so I just sprinkled it on the butter after I spread it. These rolls had a unique texture. 

We started with a seafood appetizer Shrimp Ceviche with the salsa of life and cucumbers, this was tangy.

Next up was my favorite of the meal...

Brazilian styled Shrimp & Mussel chowder $20 - made with saffron, orange, star anise in coconut milk. This was very tangy and so delicious I could have easily ate another full bowl. This seems to be chef Norman's twist on Moqueca

For my entree I had the scallop dish.

Seared Diver Harvested Sea Scallops over fermented black bean sauce. Served with tortellini filled with a very creamy cheese.

As you can see the scallops were seared perfectly. The sauce with black beans which was a unique choice. 

The tortellini was filled with boniato and queso fresco. I had never heard of boniato, but apparently it's a relative of the yam and it's popular in South Florida where chef Norman has a lot of history. Boniato

My dining companion opted for the fish entree. Pan-cooked fillet of Key West Yellowtail Snapper - served with Swiss chard and garlicky mashed potatoes and citrus butter.  $39

We finished with a decadent dessert. 

Dedo de Chocolate (chocolate finger) - Chipotle chocolate mousse salted butter caramel, macadamia bark, chocolate sorbet - $13

This was quite rich and delicious.

Overall dinner was excellent and we will definitely be returning. 

Here is the menu from the night we went, they will possibly change the menu on a regular basis so don't expect to see all the exact same items. Since my visit they have added an adobo pork dish. What will you choose?

Dessert Menu 

Additionally they have a separate menu at the bar.

Bar Menu

Patio

Wine Cellar

Norman's Orlando

(321) 754-1025

Reservations strongly suggested

https://maps.app.goo.gl/uYnA4XVS3VvJ2PY19

Additionally I would suggest reading chef Norman's autobiography. I'm really enjoying it.

No Experience Necessary: The Culinary Odyssey of Chef Norman Van Aken

This is also worth a listen.

Getting the Band Back Together with Norman Van Aken of Orlando, Florida’s Norman’s Restaurant (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

Kasa Tapas Downtown Orlando

Kasa Tapas has been open in downtown Orlando for a few years now. The theme is menu comprised of diverse small plates(tapas) with global influences


Menu


We started our meal with a duo of cocktails, one was called "The Gin Joint"




Kasa has a tapas themed menu and recommends 2-3 orders per person. Our first item was the Pork Belly Poutine a Canadian tradition with a gourmet twist. It was rich and filling.



Pork Belly Poutine - Fingerling potatoes, chorizo gravy, Wisconsin Wisconsin​ cheese curds, queso fresco, 63 degree egg

Next up was a sous vide Pompano this was a nice counterpart to the poutine. Edges were crispy, flavor was mild but good.The acidity of the blistered tomatoes balanced the sauce.


Seared Pompano from togarashi-spiced baby bok choy, baby heirloom tomatoes, lemon caper, beurre blanc.

The third dish was Yucca with a gouda cheddar and truffle fondue. Often I find that truffle flavor can overpower a dish but that was not the case with this one. One minor complaint the yucca still had the spine, a center piece that runs down the middle of the yucca root, had to extract that from some of the pieces.







Yucca with dip



Sangria

Our final dish was a special sushi roll creation the Chef made for us. It's not on the menu but they are considering adding it. It was creative and unique. I really enjoyed the sauce as well.


Chef's special creation Sushi - tuna with goat cheese and avocado, panko breaded flounder topped with slivered almonds, green onions and red peppers over avocado chive sauce.

Overall I think Kasa offers some really unique and creative tapas and dishes at a fair price.

Their space is expansive and clean.

We'll be back.

They have a variety of drink specials for happy hour and certain days, check their social media for the latest details.

http://www.kasarestaurant.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kasaorlando/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/kasaorlando

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kasatapas


Hours:

• Mon: Closed
• Tue: 11:30 am - 9 pm
• Wed: 11:30 am - 11 pm
• Thurs: 11 am - 10:30 pm
• Fri: 11:30 am - 11:30 pm
• Sat: 5 pm - 11:30 pm
• Sun: 11 am - 9 pm

Sushi Pop

Went to dinner last night at Sushi Pop Oviedo, had a lot of different items. Salmon Belly, Bluefin Tuna, Buffalo Rock Shrimp. Here are a few photos. Great as always.  

Tasmanian Trout with chives and bourbon barrel maple syrup.

Korean Fried Chicken Wings

Salmon Belly - Blood orange ponzu, sesame seeds, radish, olive oil, kaiwari, fried pickled shitake mushrooms, lemon grass xo on Himalayan salt

Seito Sushi Izakaya Menu

Seito Sushi Baldwin Park now has a Izakaya menu, which seems to be like tapas.

 House cured salmon, Ikura mousse, capers, cucumbers, pickled onions

 Lobster ceviche - grilled corn, avocado, sisho crema, yam chips

Also from the main menu:

 Yellowtail Tuna Belly with Uni Foam and Cherry Smoke

TONKOTSU "PORK BONE" Ramen
24-hour pork broth, braised pork belly, Lake Meadows soy
pullet egg, house made noodle

 

http://www.seitosushi.com/baldwin-park/about-seito/

 

Yuki Hana Fusion Sushi - Oviedo, FL

Yuki Hana Fusion Sushi is located on Aloma at the Intersection of Tuskawilla very close to the 417.

They opened about 2 years ago.  Chef Eddie has over 15 years experience as a Sushi chef and trained with several Japanese Master Chefs at a fine Japanese restaurant in Long Island, New York.

Not just a traditional Sushi restaurant, Yuki Hana has all kinds of different dishes from various Asian locales. Some unique standouts from the menu are the Wagyu Beef,  Korean Seafood Pancake, Scallops with Uni cream risotto and the Oxtail tacos.

A special for the holidays, which is offered from now until the end of the year. They are serving a rare treat, whole fish. The whole fish dinner is offered Fri-Sun by reservation only. The fish is a steamed striped bass with ginger scallion shoyu sauce.  It is served with a soup course & family style sides, such as sautéed chinese broccoli, mapo tofu, dumplings and a dessert course. The whole fish dinner is available for 2-8 people.

They also have some good happy hour specials. Monday Night from 5:00 – 10:00 pm and Tuesday – Thursday from 5:00 – 6:30 pm they have 2 for 1 drinks on with a purchase from the happy hour food menu.

On a recent visit I tried a vast array of the menu items, see pics below:

Dining Room

Lemongrass Hot & Sour Seafood Soup $7
Shrimp, scallop, calamari, mussel and assorted vegetables

Ahi Poke $ 13
Ahi tuna seared with shichimi pepper and tossed with hot sesame oil, Sriracha, scallions, and masago. Served on crispy wonton chips and avocado

Kanpachi Crudo $15
Hawaii yellowtail, black garlic, basil oil, tobiko, cucumber, lava salt, lemon confit, and togarashi

The Kanpachi Crudo was very light and fresh tasting with a tangy sauce

Crown Royal Roll $ 16
Lobster tempura and avocado inside and topped with seared Angus marble beef, bacon jam, radish spouts and spicy mayo

Fire Cracker Roll $14
Assorted fish, krab, asparagus, and cream cheese rolled inside, crispy fried. On top is tempura scallops mixed with tobiko, chives, sweet chili sauce, and eel sauce, served with fire on the plate

Such a dramatic presentation, Fire on the plate!

Live UNI with raw quail egg, ikura.

Live Uni

This dish had a very elaborate presentation served in the sea urchin shell, it was a special, Live Uni flew in that day from Santa Barbara. Served with a raw quail egg and Ikura(Salmon eggs).

Fuji Mountain Roll $13
Shrimp, krab, mixed with tobiko, bacon, melted mozzarella cheese, tempura flakes on top, inside asparagus, avocado, drizzled with eel sauce, and spicy mayo

This was my favorite dish, lots of good flavors and a nice little crunch here and there

Vietnamese Sashimi Roll $13
Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and shichimi pepper rolled together with spring mix cucumber and caramelized shallots in clear rice paper. Served in hot sesame vinaigrette, mango sauce and crushed peanuts

One of the few sushi rolls made without rice, lots of peanuts, good sauces

Uni Sampler

Chocolate Lava Cake with Ice Cream

Overall everything was very good, the atmosphere, service and food were all great. I'll be making regular stops here to eat and try all the unique menu items.


Menu pics:

HAPPY HOUR MENU: