Orlando's Fine Dining Restaurants Offer Great Food and Ambiance for Entertaining Clients
When there's important business to discuss, there's no question that you need a quiet atmosphere conducive to conversation, and of course, great food and drinks never hurt, either. Rest assured, Orlando offers a wealth of upscale dining options to suit both your business needs and your personal tastes.
Just down the road from the famed International Drive and the Orange County Convention Center, there's a new rank of restaurants drawing rave reviews. Aptly named Restaurant Row, it includes some of the hippest and well-received dining establishments in the area.
Class and fine dining go hand-in-hand and Timpano Italian Chophouse is as classy as they come. Take your seat in their bold big-city experience dining room and you'll be transported back to the days of the Rat Pack and classic restaurants of Chicago and New York. With Sinatra gently crooning in the background, the ambience could not be more authentic, the experience more unique. And the food has yet to come. Feast upon some of Timpano's signature dishes such as the grilled salmon filet, veal piccata, or the 20 oz. bone-in filet. While you wait, order the black skillet-roasted mussels with lemon and drawn butter and your taste buds (and your clients) will thank you.
Just across the way from Timpano, the smells of highly flavored, creatively prepared food will draw you in for an evening you'll be sure to enjoy. At Seasons 52, the menu's always changing and the food is first rate. With specialties such as mesquite-roasted pork tenderloin, crisp and savory flatbreads, and mini indulgences like banana caramel parfait or the blueberry lemon cheesecake, Seasons 52 promises to tempt your palette with each bite. With more than 100 choice wines and 60 served by the glass, you'll find the perfect vino to pair with each course.
You'll find no run-of-the-mill seafood at Roy's Restaurant. Here, Roy Yamaguchi, inventor of "Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine," offers delectable seafood prepared with fresh local ingredients, European sauces and bold Asian spices to create exotic flavors you'll find nowhere else. Choose from "Roy's Classics" - proven favorites from Roy's restaurants around the country, indulge in the daily chef's special or opt for the daily prix fixe menu. Whatever dish you choose, you'll taste the authentic spirit of the islands in every bite.
The treasures of the Pacific Northwest and the East Coast have converged upon Orlando, and McCormick & Schmick's brings them to you in fine fashion. Located at The Mall at Millenia, this favorite seafood restaurant offers an extensive daily-changing menu of fresh, quality seafood, along with an attention to detail that you'll be sure to notice. The stately dining room features wood-paneled walls accented with handcrafted, custom stained glass ceilings and fixtures, brass accents, mosaic tile floors and private "snugs" - intimate dining booths that can accommodate parties of up to six guests.
If seafood tempts your palette, let the soft sounds of the harpist lure you in for an evening under the sea. At Atlantis at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld, nightly chef specials and the classic lobster bisque with vintage cognac will tell you that each dish is made to exquisite perfection. Hand-painted murals and paintings from a private collection, along with paneling built from imported mahogany, give an added touch of elegance.
A new addition to Orlando's fine dining elite, Todd English's bluezoo is a feast of colors and tastes that hint at an underwater odyssey for the eyes and the palette. Featuring coastal cuisine, including the signature "Dancing Fish" - an assortment of fresh fish spit-roasted over an open fire pit - bluezoo has received rave reviews from diners for its intimacy and creative approach to the dining experience.
If you savor the sauces of the Orient, Ming Court - The Art of Oriental Cuisine invites you to dine with them. Here, innovation and authenticity, along with attention to detail, ensure that you will come away feeling, if only for a moment, transported to the Far East. Ming Court prides itself on using the finest of ingredients, most often imported from the specific region from which they hail. They go to great lengths to bring you authentic meals and careful attention is paid to the arrangement and presentation of each dish.
When staying in Orlando, you often don't have to leave your hotel to find some of the best fine dining in the area. Located at the Rosen Plaza, Jack's Place, with its signature 175 autographed caricatures of famous celebrities and dignitaries adorning the walls, serves succulent seafood dishes and steaks you can slice with a butter knife.
Chef Manfred Streck of Dux at The Peabody Orlando is a man of few words. He tends to let his culinary expertise speak for itself. Whether you've spoiled yourself with the grilled lamb loin and rack with a gratin of turnips and potato, and asparagus draped over the gratin and topped with a tomato-apricot jam, or the "Diver Scallops," served with a squeeze of lemon and placed on a bed of spinach topped with risotto cake flavored with lemon, mascarpone and pine nuts, Dux proves to be a deluxe dining undertaking.
Also at The Peabody Orlando is Capriccio Grill, an Italian steakhouse in the true sense of the word, serving only prime steaks and chops from the renowned Ruprecht's of Chicago, which for decades has provided the leading steakhouses with their choicest cuts. After your entrée, enjoy one of the Grill's dessert "Shooters," or fall back on an all-time favorite, the Peabody Cheesecake.
If steak suits your fancy, visit the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center for an evening of fine dining at Old Hickory Steakhouse. Servers will escort you past the wine wall and dessert stations to your table, where you'll find a menu filled with delicious options, such as pan-seared George's Bank scallops with caviar beurre-blanc, or the 24-ounce Porterhouse, served with a side of creamed spinach and asparagus with rich béarnaise. Wine often complements a fine-dining experience and the various Sommeliers on hand will assist you in choosing the perfect wine for your meal.
The Venetian Room, located at the Caribe Royale All-Suites Resort & Convention Center, is also a relative newcomer to the Orlando scene, but as soon as you arrive, you'll know why they are highly recommended, as they truly value the importance of an elegant dining occasion. Their commitment to excellence is well noted in their culinary quality, such as in the pan seared foie gras and sautéed dover sole. Whatever entrée you order, be sure to leave room for the Venetian Room Chocolate Sampler, a sinful combination of chocolate mousse, opera cake, white chocolate truffle, and light and dark chocolate pieces.
Assuming you've made your reservation ahead of time, once you've been seated at Del Frisco's Prime Steak & Lobster you'll know you are in for an evening of dining pleasure. As you enjoy fresh-baked bread while perusing the menu, the folks at Del Frisco's ask you to consider not only its award-winning steaks but its Australian cold-water lobster tails as well. If you care for some wine with dinner, there are more than 3,500 bottles of selected wines in the wine room.
Whether you're hoping to sign the deal of a lifetime, reward your team for a job well-done, or simply enjoy a fantastic meal during your Orlando trip, you'll find dozens of tempting upscale dining options in Orlando.
If you're interested in planning a private or semi-private dinner for a group of 10 or more, let one of our friendly, professional Destination Meeting Services Managers guide you to the perfect location. Simply send us an e-mail with your dining requirements.