The latest from Scott Joseph's Orlando Restaurant Guide ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The Drake Kitchen + Bar
The Drake Kitchen + Bar, in downtown Orlando, gives one the impression that the space it occupies wasn’t meant to be a restaurant, at least not a full service one. Its bar area doubles as a foyer, as it were, and the dining spaces just beyond are trapezoidal, as if designed to fit an available space, which is odd seeing as how the building it is in, the Radius Apartments, is itself a new construction.
But the strange configuration actually adds to the allure of this charming addition to the downtown dining scene. In fact, even when the dining areas are full – easy to occur; it’s not a big place – there’s a feeling of intimacy.
Running the kitchen are husband and wife chef team and co-owners Heberto and Rona Segura, who have been operating a food truck parked mainly at Digress Wine Bar in College Park for a while. The food truck is the Duck and Drake Kitchen, which may have something to do with little hints of Guy Fawkes imagery in The Drake’s decor. (Duck and Drake was a pub in London’s Strand where Fawkes and his coconspirators hatched a plot to blow up Parliament in the 1600s.) It might also explain a cocktail on the menu called 36 Barrels, made with Gunpowder gin. But again, that was the Duck and Drake, not the Drake. Might be more appropriate for images of Sir Alfred, but like the wine bar I digress.
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JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek introduces special hand-selected bourbon from Buffalo Trace
The JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek recently sent two of its restaurant managers and sommeliers to Louisville, Kentucky, and Buffalo Trace Distillery to hand select a barrel of Eagle Rare whiskey just for the resort.
The tasters settled on Barrel #122 and the distillery siphoned the 10-year-old single barrel select bourbon into bottles stamped with a special label designating it as JW Marriott Bonnet Creek’s own. You can sample the whiskey now in any number of craft cocktails at the resort’s bars. Maybe try it in The Elite, bartender Samantha Deacy’s creation at the Sear + Sea lobby bar that she demonstrated for us in an episode of On the House.
(There’s probably a good chance you’ll get a taste at our upcoming Dinner Party at the resort’s rooftop bar, illume. Watch for an announcement of the date and details soon, but keep this in mind: The last time we did a Dinner Party at JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek it sold out within 30 minutes of being announced in my newsletter.)
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Judson's Live announces flight of wine tastings with master somm Miliotes
Photo: Judson’s Live
A listening room is about to become a tasting room. I told you a while back that Judson’s Live, the terrific new venue at the Dr. Phillips Center, was planning a series of wine tasting events featuring master sommelier George Miliotes, owner of Wine Bar George at Disney Springs.
Now I can tell you that the first in an initial series of three events titled “Tasting with Master Sommelier George Miliotes at Judson’s Live” will be Sunday, April 7, at 1:30 p.m. Subsequent tastings will be May 5 and June 2.
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Next Dinner Party at Tabla Winter Park
Our next Scott Joseph’s Dinner Party will be at Tabla in Winter Park Thursday, April 18. We’ll begin with a welcome cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. and then sit for dinner at 7 o’clock. Tickets are $125 per person including tax and gratuity. Reservations are required and can be made at 407-248-9400.
The dinner will be a sneak peek preview of a new chef’s table menu that Tabla will be rolling out following our event. It elevates Indian cuisine to a fine dining experience. The menu features five courses – each with a wine pairing – plus an amuse bouche and palate cleanser. (See the menu below.)
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Easter Dining in Orlando
Easter is just a couple of weeks away (March 31, a Sunday, I think) so it’s time to start thinking about where you’ll have Easter Brunch.
Check out the list of restaurants that will be open that day with special menus, including favorites like Four Flamingos, illume, Sear + Sea Woodfire Grill and UnReserved Food Bazaar’s Peter Rabbit Easter Brunch (don’t be alarmed, there will be no lapin on the line). See the full list on our Holiday Dining page.
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