Highball & Harvest at The Ritz Carlton Orlando

I don't spend much time seeking out or eating at restaurants in hotels. After trying the brand new Highball & Harvest restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton down near Sea World, I will rethink this philosophy. The food, drinks, service, decor and ambiance were all extraordinary.

If you didn't know the Ritz-Carlton is a high end hotel for those looking for an upscale experience. Check out this link which has a lot of pictures and details on the hotel: http://www.booking.com/hotel/us/the-ritz-carlton-orlando-grande-lakes.html

The Ritz-Carlton also has another restaurant on site I've always wanted to eat at, Norman's, by famed Florida chef Norman Van Aken. I have never been able to justify the high prices, but I'll make it there one day. http://www.normans.com/norman-van-aken/

To get to Highball & Harvest restaurant you go into the hotel and then from the lobby take the grand staircase down to the right to a huge open space that formerly housed the Vineyard Grill.

Highball & Harvest just had their grand opening in early September, 2014 and the amount of work and planning that have gone into creating a quality restaurant and bar are very obvious. I was invited to a media event with other food bloggers to sample and photograph some of the dishes.

The uniforms and menu at Highball & Harvest remind me of Prato or The Coop both in Winter Park, plaid flannel farmer type shirts. The decor is much different than those restaurants however, lots of nice dark woods, comfortable dark brown leather booths, dark heavy wood chairs and tables. It's a huge space, lots of room to get comfortable.

Highball & Harvest describes itself as "A Modern Approach to Southern-Inspired Cuisine". The most impressive thing about the restaurant is that many of the ingredients are grown in the Whisper Creek Farm which is on the property. They grow: cucumbers, acorn squash, collard greens, avocado, mango, sweet potatoes, a variety of herbs & citrus including tangerine, kaffir lime and kumquat. More Info about the farm:http://www.grandelakes.com/Whisper-Creek-125.html

They serve an extensive breakfast buffet, with lots of fresh fruit, salmon, breads, cheeses, etc.

Lunch starts at 11 everyday, our meal started with H&H Parker House Rolls, made with ancient grains served with Herb Butter & Apple Butter, $4. The flavor was a sweet honey style wheat bread, the butters were both great but they didn't go together, so pick one or the other depending on your taste preference.

Parker House Rolls

Cocktails

They have a lot of creative cocktails, averaging in price from $10-12. 

Orange Ave Officers Club - Death’s Door Gin, Pimm’s #1, Passionfruit and Ginger

Dill or No Dill - Sipsmith's Gin, Elderflower, Cucumber, Dill and Lemon

Doc Holliday - Blueberry Jam, Tito’s vodka, Ruby Grapefruit and House Ginger Beer

Whistle Stop - Death’s Door White Whiskey, Cocchi Barolo, Chinato, and Tangerine-Honey Cordial

Back 40 Punch - Blackberry, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Sweet Tea and Lemon

Last Wish - High West “Campfire”t Whiskey, Spiced Cola Syrup, Old Havana Tobacco Bitters, Orange Essence

Summerlin’s Smash - Pineapple and Orange and Mint muddled with Bacardi 8 Rum, Luxardo Maraschino, Lime and Chilies

Summerlin’s Smash

Appetizers

Next up was the Crab Cake & Fried Green Tomato appetizer with Cajun Remoulade and Corn Chow Chow, $16. A wonderful mix of rich flavors, the breading was sweet on the tomatoes. This is a huge appetizer that should be shared among at least 2 people.

Crab Cake & Fried Green Tomato 

Our Second appetizer was The Southern Spread - Pimento Cheese, Smoked Fish Dip,  Pickled Vegetables, Benne-Seed Lavash, Sourdough Bread, $16. I really liked the pickled vegetables, they were simple but very tasty, a little sweet. Again the mixture of the two different kinds of spread were odd combinations of flavors so just pick the one that suits your taste more. 

The Southern Spread

Main Courses

My main course was the Shrimp and Grits - Canaveral Red Shrimp, Anson Mills Grits, Charred Tomato BBQ, Arugula, Fennel & Crisp Onions. It was a creative variation on a tried and true southern dish. The red shrimp have a much different texture than the more commonly available shrimp. The sauce and the grits had good flavors, I didn't find that the fennel added anything to the dish but it didn't take anything away from it either. You can get it in a smaller portion $16 or the large one pictured here $25

Many of the other dishes were very visually appealing and if I had enough space I'd have tried them all.  

 Boneless Chicken Fried Chicken - Potato Puree / Garlic Kale / Watermelon $27

Pig-n-Potatoes - Poached Egg / Potato Hash / Pork Cheeks / Hollandaise $17

Grilled Line-Caught Swordfish - Beluga Lentils / Cilantro Coulis / Mango $32

Booker’s Skirt - Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad / Potato Puree / Charred Onion Vinaigrette $30

H&H Pimento Cheese Burger - Double Short-Rib Patties / Bacon / Mustard / Pimento Cheese / Spicy pickles $18

Blackened Grouper - Hominy Ragout / Andouille / Pickled Okra $29

Desserts

H&H Key Lime Tart - Winter Park Honey Infused Oranges / Margarita Sorbet $9

Baby Donuts - Cappuccino Ice Cream / Chocolate Hazelnut Spread $9

Strawberry Shortcake - Strawberry Sorbet / Poached Rhubarb / Bubble Gum Marshmallow $9

Warm Chocolate Cake - Bourbon Pickled Apples Chutney / Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream $9

They make their own hot sauce from scotch bonnet and other peppers grown at the on site farm. It wasn't very spicy but had a nice smokey flavor. It's not very vinegary and very thick. 

Another interesting part of Highball & Harvest is the wine bar. I've never heard of having wines on tap that weren't drawn from wine bottles. Here they have wine casks served via taps just like beer. According to their sommelier, it's a better way to keep the wines fresher because no oxidation occurs like when they are served from a previously opened bottle. Also they are able to better regulate the correct temperatures of each type of wine. They have 8 reds and 8 white wines on tap. 

Reds

Whites

Overall I'd say Highball & Harvest is a great place to have a quality southern meal or to just experience some creative cocktails in a relaxing, comfortable environment. Give it a try for yourself.

You can view the menus here: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Orlando/Dining/Highball_Harvest/Default.htm#

Hamilton's Kitchen at The Alfond Inn, Winter Park

Winter Park finally has a fine hotel all its own, The Alfond Inn, and Hamilton’s Kitchen is the heart of this luxurious new space.  The atmosphere has an understated, elegant feel, with neutral colors and rustic touches like a chandelier made of cooking spoons.  With Magical Dining Month in full swing, it was the perfect opportunity to sample Hamilton’s Kitchen’s farm-to-table offerings.  

Our group of four couldn’t resist trying several other specialties from the menu, and we were all very pleased with our choices.  The service was impeccable, and our server, Shields, took care of every detail.  When he found out it was our first time visiting Hamilton’s, he brought us each a glass of California sparkling wine, getting the evening off to a promising start.  The pleasure continued when he presented a cutting board filled with cheddar-jalapeno biscuits with whipped butter- just spicy enough to awaken the palate.

I started with one of the Magical Dining Month appetizers, Slow Roasted Pumpkin Soup.  Having never had pumpkin soup before, I expected something sweet, but I was surprised to find this dish just a bit spicy, very nuanced in flavor, with an almond cappuccino foam and crunchy pumpkin seeds adding contrast. We sampled the Watermelon Salad, accented with arugula, Grana Padano cheese, and prosciutto- very refreshing and beautifully presented. 

My favorite dish was the Braised Short Rib, a regular Hamilton’s menu item. The meat was tender with a rich demi-glace sauce, crisp glazed rainbow carrots and mashed Yukon Gold potatoes. Bold, modern comfort food.

The Poached Red Snapper was pretty incredible, perfectly cooked and served with caramelized cauliflower, oven roasted tomatoes.

The Wild Mushroom Ravioli was another Magical Dining Month special. It was nicely done, without too much filler in the pasta, just big pieces of mushrooms that balanced nicely with the basil sauce with roasted cherry tomatoes.

We tried a few desserts, and honestly, I wasn’t blown away by any of them. The Magical Dining Month feature, Heavens to Betsy bread pudding with berry compote, was nice but nothing special. The chocolate layer cake was about the same, pretty much your everyday chocolate cake. We did enjoy the butterscotch pudding with house-made dark chocolate toffee, it was interesting and very tasty.

After dinner, we enjoyed a stroll in the courtyard and all around the hotel lounge. The Alfond Inn has an extensive art collection, making it a fun place to spend an evening.  Much more than just a restaurant, Hamilton’s Kitchen is a romantic fine dining experience that is a perfect addition to Winter Park’s dining scene.

Pig Floyds International Barbakoa Restaurant Now Open in Orlando Mills Virginia

Pig Floyd's is a new restaurant coming very soon to the Mills/Virginia area.

According to their website Pig Floyd's is described as:
"Introducing a fresh interpretation of the barbecue experience. Pig Floyd's integrates cultural influences with traditional fire, smoke and pit methods to craft vibrant, delicious fare."

Thomas Ward the owner and founder of Pig Floyd's described the restaurant's concept to me as: "traditional inspired Barbakoa with international influence. Barbakoa is the latin term for barbecue"

Pig Floyd's is in the former location of Friends restaurant and more recently Atilla's Turkish Steak and Salad. The building was completely gutted and rebuilt almost from the ground up which should help clear the air of any failures of past enterprises here. Expected opening date is the September 11th at 4pm.

I've known Thomas for many years from his past endeavors like his deliciously successful food truck here in Orlando and his restaurant in Puerto Rico which I visited a few years ago.

I recently got to have a little sneak peek at the Pig Floyd's menu and the opportunity to taste some menu items. Now that I've seen what they are cooking up there, I'm very excited. Chef Jason Carlucci has lots of unique takes on sandwiches. Some selections include the Matahambre sandwich with brisket and chimichurri, another is the very delicious BBQ banh mi with kimchi cucumbers. They will also have some some great taco creations: butter chicken taco, shrimp & North African sausage tacos.

I also tasted the oak smoked brisket which was very good, smoke flavor came through but was not overpowering.  I can't wait to try the ribs. They will have platters with your choice of Brisket, Pulled Pork, Chicken, St. Louis Ribs or North African Chicken Sausage & some sides.

They will have a nice variety of sauces from the traditional sweet BBQ & hot BBQ to the exotic Dragon Sauce and Indian inspired Tikka Masala sauce.

Vegetarians do not be disheartened, they will be able to make many items with tofu and will have some solid salads & meat free side dishes.

Salads include one with baby kale, roasted peppers and BBQ croutons, another has field greens, spiced walnuts, apples, beets, fennel & goat cheese.

They are going to have a great outdoor seating area and eventually some pig roasts!

More Food pics on this post: http://www.eatlocalorlando.com/2014/09/pig-floyds-more-pics.html

If the food wasn't exciting enough they are also going to have a solid collection of craft beers. Cigar City, Founders, Unibroue, Mendocino, Ommegang among others and also Cider and Wine.

They plan to be open very late night on the weekends so add them as a stop along your bar crawls from Wally's, Wills or Peacock Room.

Pig Floyd's is located between Black Sheep and 7-11 very close to the Southwest corner of Virginia and Mills.

1326 N. Mills Avenue
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 921-1696


https://www.facebook.com/pigfloyds

https://twitter.com/pigfloyds

http://www.pigfloyds.com/

http://instagram.com/pigfloyds

Mingo's Restaurant Downtown Orlando

Despite being open since late 2013, I have never been to Mingo's. Since they are participating in Magical Dining month I thought I'd give them a try.

Mingo's is located downtown just a couple blocks south of Lake Eola. It's in the space where Lotus Flower used to be, across from Mucho Tacos.

The space is very clean and nice and the decor is modern, lots of white and some wood, many large windows.

The host, server and bartender were all especially helpful and friendly.

Magical Dining is a month-long promotion done by Visit Orlando where participating restaurants feature three-course, fixed price dinners for $33 per person. One dollar from each meal sold will benefit the Foundation for Foster Children. It runs August 25- September 30, 2014. More info: http://www.visitorlando.com/magicaldining/

The Mingo's Magical Dining menu lets you pick from one of 3-4 appetizers, entrees & desserts.

For the appetizer course they offered the choice of: salad, pork wings with fruit kimchee & smoked plum sauce, Blue Crab cakes with yellow pepper remoulade, orange and hearts of palm.

Blue Crab cakes with yellow pepper remoulade, orange and hearts of palm

Pork Wings with fruit kimchee & smoked plum sauce

For the entrees you could choose from:

Seared Sea Scallops - with spicy shrimp mash, truffle butter

Sea Bass - smoked bacon ratatouille, Chardonnay sauce

Grilled Skirt Steak - chorizo, porcini mushrooms, leeks, yukon potatoes

Bone-In Pork Chop - red wine glaze, green pea risotto, vegetables

Sea Bass - smoked bacon ratatouille, Chardonnay sauce

Grilled Skirt Steak - chorizo, porcini mushrooms, leeks, yukon potatoes

Seared Sea Scallops - with spicy shrimp mash, truffle butter

Dessert selections are: Chocolate cake, cheesecake, pineapple cake

Overall dinner was a great pleasant experience, the server and manager went above and beyond to make sure we had a great dinner and you could tell they genuinely cared.

The food was all very good and visually impressive. The most delicious things were the Pork Wings, the sauce with it was excellent. Also the house made Chorizo was really good, pretty spicy.

On Saturdays they have all you can eat Crab Legs. Here are some pics of their regular menu:

O-town MacDown Mac & Cheese event

http://www.cravelocal.com/all-events/mac-attack-give-back-yummy-event-supports-give-kids-world/

"A delicious “food fight” cooking competition featuring professional chefs and restaurants as well as home cooks and non-profit organizations who will duke it out to the very end to be named Orlando’s Mac-n-Cheese Champion.

Prizes will be awarded in various categories, and the event will include live entertainment, celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, live performances, a kids’ fun zone including face painting, bounce houses and macaroni art station, theme park character meet-and-greets and vendor booths.

Presenting sponsor SeaWorld along with Give Kids The World invite the general public to come sample the cheesiest mac-n-cheese that area culinary combatants have to offer at this cooking challenge.

Attendance and participation benefits Give Kids The World Village, a 70-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families."


Saturday, August 23, 2014
11AM-4PM
Orange County Convention Center, Hall D2 West Concourse
9800 International Drive, Orlando FL 32819

$10 for Adults - includes all the mac-n-cheese you can eat!

Some of the competitors include local restaurants:
Bar Harbor Seafood/Boston Lobster Feast
CaveMen - Cave Inn BBQ
Cheesy Chicks!
Cib's Smokehouse
Collette's Clean Eats
Cox Radio's All Hallows Cheese
The Crooked Spoon
Lovette's
Love and Jinny
Le Cordon Bleu College of Orlando
Loud Mouth Grill
Muse Gelato
Napa Restaurant/Hyatt Regency Orlando
Pretzel Crisps
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
Talk of the Town Restaurant Group
Taverna Opa Orlando
Toasted
Westgate Smokehouse Grill
Yak & Yeti

buy tickets here:
http://support.gktw.org/site/PageNavigator/macdown.html

Orlando Artisan Marketplace

Orlando Artisan Marketplace, a weekly, on Friday, Farmer's market at Fashion Square Mall to have it's Grand Opening Event Friday Aug 1st @ 3 pm.
Here is the press release:
The Orlando Artisan Marketplace:

 Locally Grown, Crafted, & Enjoyed

A Community Market at the Fashion Square Mall

Central Florida has become a hub for all things local, cultural and sustainable, with an increasing shift towards small business and craft, farming, and community. The desire for locally produced food and goods continues to grow, along with burgeoning support for local commerce.

In the spirit of this growing need, this return to a sustainable and involved community, we introduce the Orlando Artisan Marketplace: Locally Grown, Crafted, & Enjoyed.

This is more than just a farmer’s market. This is local food, wine, art, goods, talent and culture at its best, deepening community ties and support, a return to our roots: this is Central Florida, this is the Orlando Artisan Marketplace.
With the combined vision of the newly revamped and renewed Fashion Square Mall, local food activist and businessman Steve Moreau, and local marketing consultant and writer Jade A. Murray, the Orlando Artisan Marketplace was born.  

Steven Moreau has been a fixture in the local food scene for the past ten years, first as a farm apprentice on a grass-fed farm in Northern Florida milking cows, feeding chicken and pigs, and learning the ins and outs of sustainable farming practices. His focus in recent years has been to provide this superior quality food to locals through his farm food buying service. Sourced from only the best Florida farms, FarmFreshDirect2U.com makes grass-fed and toxin free food available to residents all around Central Florida. Steve personally visits and picks up from each farmer, ensuring quality and fostering relationships reminiscent of the “good old days” when we were more in touch with our food, neighbors and community.

His reputation preceding him, Steve was recently approached by the good people at the Fashion Square Mall to put together a local farmers market in their efforts to grow the local economy and community. With his passion for local business, culture, food and sustainability, Steve jumped at the chance. He enlisted the expertise of his marketing consultant and together they have brought this vision to life.

Jade Murray has been marketing and writing for small business for years, specializing in content marketing and building local brands. As part of the Orlando Artisan Market she will be marketing vendors through social media and other sources, highlighting both the market as a whole as well showcasing the local talents.

As we prepare to launch the Orlando Artisan Marketplace we are handpicking only the finest artisan producers. From homemade skincare products to salsa, locally grown greens and handcrafted goods, we are bringing together a group of people who are passionate about their products and who put quality first. Our vendors are sincere people with intimate knowledge and pride in their craft, whether it is crafting wallets or growing the best Central Florida tomatoes around!

The Orlando Artisan Marketplace is more than just a farmer’s market; it is an experience, a featured weekly event cultivating the local economy, culture and community.

With the full support of the Fashion Square Mall, the heart of Orlando, we are excited to announce this amazing and unique gathering of local talent. The Orlando Artisan Marketplace will be open every Friday from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. Come enjoy a leisurely walk around the air conditioned mall, never mind the Florida heat or rain, and stock up on your favorite locally produced goods while enjoying a sense of community with your fellow neighbors.

Enjoy food demonstrations, small group seminars, guest speakers, and market tours along with locally farmed organic produce, grass-fed meats, raw honey, handcrafted soaps and lotions, and so much more!

Join us in revitalizing and bringing together the cultural community, supporting local commerce, and providing delicious foods and unique goods to your family all while enjoying your Friday evening with family, friends, and neighbors at the Orlando Artisan Marketplace!

The Grand Opening Event will be on Friday, August 1st beginning at 3:00pm.