Best for Romance
NORMAN’S (The Ritz-Carlton, Orlando)
New World Cuisine at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes Resort. Dinner only; call 407-393-4333 or online at www.normans.com; resort casual. Open Sun-Thur 6-10 p.m. and Fri-Sat 6-10:30 p.m.
For fine dining in ultrasophisticated surroundings, head to celebrity chef-restaurateur Norman Van Aken’s outpost at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes Resort. The seductive, octagonal dining room is accented by caramel-hued marble walls and floors, lofty windows covered in dreamy raw silk drapery, leather banquettes in warm black and chocolate brown, and iron chandeliers with Venetian glass shades. Service is attentive and the food divine in this AAA Four Diamond award-winning restaurant, but don’t expect to actually have fun here. It’s a little too serious for that.
The daring menu consists of an extraordinary fusion of Caribbean, Southern U.S., Latin American, and Asian cuisines with the food almost but not quite living up to the original Normans located in Miami. What used to be a mandatory three-course meal is now an a la carte menu (much better for those with smaller appetites), where insiders know to order the long-standing signature dishes of Roasted Pork Havana in Mole Sauce or the oh-so-popular Key West Yellowtail in Citrus Butter Sauce. Or consider one of the excellent ever-changing seasonal entrees; the Spanish-style serrano ham roasted tuna with pole beans, preserved lemon, and Romesco béarnaise is the finest tuna dish imaginable. Those with smaller appetites may want to consider a light meal in the gorgeous cocktail salon where anything can be ordered off the regular menu. Whatever you choose, you really can’t go wrong here at one of the best dining spots in Orlando.
Best Known For:
Pan-cooked fillet of Key West yellowtail on a “belly” of garlicky mashed potatoes with citrus butter.
Sample Menu Items:
Dinner entrees: Florida Black Grouper "A La Veracruzana" with potato, gnocchi, olives, tomatoes, and capers; 14 oz. Mongoloan Marinated and Barbequed Veal Chop with Chinese egglplan and Thai fried rice; Beef Two Ways - grilled rib steak and vaca frita with roasted potatoes, chipotle cipollini, an dtrumpet royal mushrooms; Roasted Free Range Chicken with pastel de choclo, zucchini, poblanos, and chicken jus.
