Great Dates Orlando

If you like wine dinners…

… you’ll be psyched to hear about these upcoming foodie events:

Silver Oak/Twomey Wine Dinner
The Oceanaire Seafood Room 
Friday January 20 at 7:00 p.m. 
$100 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
For more information, call 407-363-4801.

Perfect Pairing Winemaker Dinner
Old Hickory Steakhouse at the Gaylord Palms
Tuesday, January 24 at 7:00 pm
$90 per person, plus tax and service charge. Complimentary valet parking included.
Doors will open early at 6:30 pm for a welcome reception
.
Join Don Hartford, owner of Hartford Family Winery in Sonoma, as he teams with Old Hickory Steakhouse Executive Chef Paul Player to present a three-course menu perfectly paired with wine from the Hartford Family Winery. 
Reservations are limited, so reserve your space early by calling 407-586-0701.

Rosen Centre Vine & Dine Presents "An Evening in Oregon"
Everglades Restaurant at Rosen Centre
Friday January 27 at 7:00 p.m.
$65.00 plus tax and gratuity.
Enjoy an "Evening in Oregon" with Jesse Lange, general manager/winemaker of the award-winning Lange Estates Winery in Willamette Valley, Oregon. Lovers of food and wine can enjoy a five-course feast with each course paired to perfection. 
Call (407) 996-9840 to register.

So... how many date nights do you go on every month and what are your favorite places for QT in Orlando? Leave a comment on my Facebook page. I'd love to hear from you. 

Dinner at The Table... A Foodie Adventure

Maybe it's me, but I think that the massive explosion of social media sites and apps have revealed an intrinsic characteristic of our culture... we are all craving connection. Which is why the classic supper club is suddenly poised for a major revival.

Part dinner party, part chef’s table, supper clubs are popping up in cities all over the country, capitalizing on a trend that is quickly reaching craze status. The concept is simple: one communal table, 10 to 20 preregistered strangers and a multi-course mystery menu that’s not usually revealed until arrival. Add to that frequent visits to the dining room by the chef during this 3 to 4 hour feast and you’ve got an evening you won’t soon forget.

Don’t think for a second a foodie adventure like this is only found in big cities like NYC and Chicago. Nope… just drive to Sand Lake Road where you’ll find The Table, Orlando’s newest supper club dining spot and one of the coolest restaurants to hit this town in a very long time.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I joined 18 other fearless foodies inside The Table’s lavish dining room located a few doors down from Cantina Laredo. We were treated to champagne and apps when we arrived at 7 p.m., followed by 5 unbelievably delicious courses all paired with wine. Chef Loren wandered out of the kitchen as each new course was presented to share some details about the food while her husband, Tyler, kept our wine glasses full and chatted with guests about his wine choices for the evening.

Four hours later, we had very full tummies plus a few new friends. I loved it. It’s not dinner; it’s an event.

To try this experience, you need to make a reservation and pay the $100 per person fee in advance. Sure, that might seem a little steep to some, but when you consider it includes 5 courses plus 5 wine pairings plus tax and gratuity, it’s actually quite a deal.

What you’ll love too is that when you’re at The Table, you’re treated like family. The dinner party vibe Loren and Tyler have created gives diners the sense that they’ve just been invited to an exclusive occasion that only the most interesting and amiable people are allowed to attend. And trust me, everyone gets interesting and amiable after five glasses of wine. I can’t wait to go again!

The Table
8060 Via Dellagio Way, Suite 106
Orlando, FL 32819
Reservations: 407-900-Dine
www.thetableorlando.com

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Pssst.... we're tweeting an additional 30+ Orlando date night ideas each week on Twitter. Make sure you're following @Gr8DatesOrlando

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Orlando’s Magical Dining Month... On Now!

Each September, the Orlando CVB presents Magical Dining Month… thirty straight days of affordable eats at our favorite places. This initiative invites  locals to Save and Savor by partaking in $30 three-course, prix fixe dining experiences at more than 60 restaurants.

As an avid date nighter, what I love about Magical Dining Month is that it gives my hubby and I the chance to try out some high-end places at a fraction of the regular cost… which means we get to affordably sample a new place to decide whether we’ll want to come back later in the year to pay full price. I’ve yet to be disappointed.

To help you plan your very own Magical Dining Month experience, the  MDM Web site provides you with a list of all the participating restaurants as well as the prix fixe menu each restaurant has designed to best showcase their fare. www.orlandoinfo.com/magicaldining

Give while you get... $1 of every Magical Dining Month dinner served will benefit the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Central Florida.

Cheap Eats at Pointe Orlando

I'm back after a brief baby hiatus. Aly Grace was born June 3rd. :)

From July 1st to September 30th, Pointe Orlando will be offering a 3-course prixe fixe dining program called Savor the Summer.  Prices range from $15 – $30 and participating restaurants include:

• Copper Canyon Grill
• B.B. King’s Blues Club
• Pizzeria Valdiano
• Taverna Opa
• The Oceanaire Seafood Room
• Cuba Libra Restaurant and Rum Bar
• Funky Monkey Wine Company
• The Capital Grille
• Maggiano’s Little Italy

Find out more at www.PointeOrlando.com

Trivia Night at Hamburger Mary's

Head over to Hamburger Mary's (Church Street Station) for a table versus table trivial competition. Win some prizes, partake in 2-4-1 cocktails, and perhaps sample the famous, namesake burgers everyone is talking about (there are 11 different varieties). Every Wednesday from 7:30pm – 10:00pm

Hamburger Mary's Bar & Grille
110 West Church Street
Orlando, FL 32801
321) 319-0600
www.hamburgermarys-orlando.com

Half Off Restaurant Gift Certificates

As I flipped through this week’s Orlando Weekly, I found a peach of an idea for Orlando couples dating on shoestring. Half Off Depot is offering gift certificates to many popular Orlando eateries at 50% off. You buy a $50 gift certificate for only $25. Sweet.

I’ve heard of this concept before but it never tempted me because the so-called gift certificates always came with as much fine print as Obama’s current health care reform bill. Not so with Half Off Depot. Their certificates are NOT coupons and have ZERO restrictions. Just to make sure, I made a quick call to Nonna and K Restaurant and Wine Bar. Sure enough, I was assured you could use these certificates any day of the week, on any menu item, and use as many certificates as you want in one sitting. Now, that’s what I call a great idea.

The list of restaurants currently participating in this program is still pretty short but it’s sure to grow as popularity increases. For now, you can by half off gift certificates for the following places:

Adobe Gila's
K Restaurant Wine Bar
Cafe Trastevere
Eola Wine Company
Red Star Tavern
Vines Grille & Wine Bar
Nonna Trattoria
Brazas Chicken 

Half Off Depot
http://halfoffdepot.com/orlando/

Magical Dining Month 2009

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"... at least for date nighters who love going out for dinner! For the entire month of September, more than fifty Orlando restaurants will be offering a special three-course prix fixe dinner menu for only $20 or $30 each. Now’s the time to splurge at that eatery you’ve just been dying to try (like The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park or NORMAN'S at The Ritz-Carlton).

Magical Dining Month
September 1st – 30th
www.orlandoinfo.com/magicaldining

K Restaurant & Wine Bar

Now's the perfect time to check out College Park's hippest dining destination... K Restaurant & Wine Bar.  Known for a menu that's as colorful as the eclectic original artwork adorning the walls, K has just unveiled a dynamite 3-course prix fixe menu. For only $28, you can chow down on an appetizer, entree and dessert plus you can add the complementary wine pairing for only $12! This week K is featuring delectable dishes like Watermelon, Feta and Spinach Salad, Grilled Salmon and Mini Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee.

With so many people budgeting and eating out less these days, many restaurants are offering great deals like this with the hopes of luring all of us date nighters out of our homes. I'll keep you posted as I find more bargains!

K Restaurant Wine Bar
2401 Edgewater Drive
Orlando, FL 32804
407-872-2332  - www.kwinebar.com

Orlando Magical Dining Month

Yeah!! It’s almost Magical Dining Month time again. For the entire month of September, you can dine at more than fifty awesome area restaurants at a fraction of the normal cost! Enjoy a three-course prix-fixe dinner (appetizer, entrée and dessert) for only $19 or $29 each!

Some of Orlando’s favorite restaurants are partipating, such as The Beacon, Boheme, and Le Coq Au Vin. Try a different restaurant each week... you might just have to add more date nights this month!

Visit www.orlandoinfo.com/magicaldining for more info such as participating restaurants and menu choices.

Fondue Dates

Fondue Dates
Enjoying a fondue together is one of the best ways to dine on date night. Fondues offer a slow cooking experience with lots of time for talking and reconnecting. I also think that sharing food can be incredibly romantic. Here's a list of restaurants in Orlando that offer fondue:

Orlando Fondue Experiences

The Melting Pot
Cheese, entree and dessert fondues are all offered here. Check out their special every Monday and Tuesday when 2 can dine for $49.99.
www.meltingpot.com

The Colorado Fondue Company
These guys offer the cheese, entree and dessert fondues as well, but they also offer you the option to cook on their hot granite cooking stones.
www.coloradofondue.com

Urban Flats
After enjoying scrumptious flat breads, order the Chocolate Fondue for dessert. Head over for Wine Down Wednesdays to enjoy wine tastings and great deals on food.
www.urbanflats.net

At Home Fondue
For at home fondue dining, I recommend purchasing an electric fondue set as opposed to sets that are heated with tea light candles or burners. Electric sets heat up faster and they cook everything more evenly. Usually made with non-stick surfaces, they're also a lot easier to clean! CLICK HERE to view a great set I found on Target.com and then try out these fabulous fondue recipes at home. www.fonduerecipes.org