Hemisphere Restaurant

Picture this:
Friday night.
I'm gussied up: dress, heels, tiny purse.
I stare at the pouring rain from the backseat of a cab.
Anxiety is building as I am heading to one of my most dreaded destinations.
I've been invited to a holiday party....at the airport!

Atop the Hyatt Regency at the Orlando Airport lies what can only be described as a tiny culinary gem of Orlando. I understand if some of you are confused or bewildered at the thought of this. When I first saw the dinner menu for the holiday party at Hemisphere, I felt exactly as you do now. How could an airport hotel restaurant possible provide such a fun and interesting menu? And more importantly, how could I ever feel relaxed in a dining environment while watching planes take off and land??

I don't have any pictures...but here's some of what we dined on:

*Goat Cheese Lollipops dusted with Pistachios with a Raspberry Gelee
*Lobster Risotto Spheres with a Citrus Aioli
*Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Rosemary Maple Syrup
*Oysters on the Half Shell with Pink Grapefruit Salsa
*Canaveral Royal Red Shrimp Cocktail with Orange Fennel Remoulade

*Bay and Citrus Roasted Turkey with Farro Butternut Squash Risotto
*Seared Sea Bass with Three Cheese Polenta and Tomato Vinaigrette
*Petite Filet Mignon with Cognac Cream Sauce, Puff Pastry, Roasted Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms with a Foie Gras Butter

Multiple desserts with my favorite being:
*Petite Four Brandy Snap Basket filled with Orange Ganache

Yes, I sampled all of the above. All were outstanding but I had one favorite from each course. The Goat Cheese Lollipops were perfect with the creamy cheese, slight crunch of the Pistachios and sweetness of the Gelee. The Sea Bass stood out for it's creamy and cheesy Polenta with the flavorful Tomato Vinaigrette. And lastly, the Orange Ganache was almost over the top but a perfect pairing for the Chardonnay.

And yes, the view was amazing. Surprising I kept my cool about being at the airport and, well, near planes. The hotel and restaurant are so insulated that you can't even hear them! While the food was excellent I do have to comment that this was a private party with passed hor d'oeuvres and stations. The servers were all pleasant, but there was no sit down service.

Realistically, I know it's a pain to even think about driving out to this restaurant and dealing with airport traffic. Plus, I just read on their website that they do not have dinner service on Saturdays and Sundays. But the next time your flight is delayed, head on up and grab a bite while you're waiting!

Check out their menu here:
http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/images/hotels/orlan/ORLAN_Hemisphere_Dinner_Menu_073009.pdf

Adriatico Trattoria Italiana

I've probably been to Adriatico a half dozen times since it opened a few years ago. So this one is long overdue.

Thinking about this restaurant brings two things to my mind: fantastic food and great wine. We had family dinner at Adriatico last week a few days before the holiday to get ready for the mass amount of food we were about to consume over the next few days.

Sitting down we were immediately presented with three apps: Bruschetta al Pomodoro, Calamari alla Napoletana and Mozzarella Caprese. Sounds like your standard fare of Italian apps, right? But the first bite will make you realize why Adriatico stands above the rest. It's all about the seasoning. Anyone can make bruschetta: bread, olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and basil. Same goes with Caprese. But what I find in restaurants is that most are afraid to season. In my mind, salt and pepper do not belong on a table because, well, guests should not have to use them to season food. Most people do not realize that salt should not be utilized to make food more salty, but to enhance and accentuate the flavors already present in the food. It's the same with acidity in wine: too much can be overwhelming, but not enough will lead to a flat and one dimensional wine.

Point being, the apps popped with flavor and were delicious. And it's probably worth the trip just to try the Neapolitan sauce that is served with the Calamari.

I ordered the Filet with Artichokes and Barolo reduction for my entree. (See above.) And you know what? They also cook a great steak! Perfectly medium rare in another flavorful sauce, I literally ate everything on my plate. My only negative comment is the inconsistent knife cuts that made the carrots look odd and the potatoes either over or undercooked.

We also enjoyed our favorite wine offered at Adriatico-the Zenato Ripassa. Quick wine lesson: Ripassa is from the Valpolicella region in Italy (near Verona). Translated as "re-passing", the wine is passed over the lees (solids) of a wine called Amarone. It leads to a very rich wine with stewed dark fruit flavors that really compliment full bodied Italian entrees.

So next time you're near College Park, I'd recommend that you drop by and have dinner. The restaurant itself is comfortable, non-pretentious and always dependable.

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and Bacon

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Here's my favorite dish from the holiday:


4 pounds Brussels Sprouts, cooked
6 slices Bacon, minced
1 Red Onion, diced
4 Tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 cup dried Cranberries

Heat medium saute pan on medium high. Add Bacon and cook until crisp. Remove Bacon and reserve.

Add Red Onion and butter to pan and saute until translucent. Add Red Wine Vinegar and deglaze pan. Add Brown Sugar and cook until mixture has slightly reduced.

Combine Bacon, Red Wine mixture, Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries.

*Adapted from Robert Irvine

TRP, RPG, The Pig or whatever you want to call it.

Most call it The Ravenous Pig.

It had been so long since I last visited TRP that I think I was beginning to forget how much it, well, rocks.

Having recently completed my online mixology "certification", I was pleasantly surprised at the drink offerings. I keep saying that Orlando needs it own version of a Speakeasy....going back to classic cocktails with fresh house-made mixers. If I was ten years younger and made of money, I would totally quit my job and do so. (And yes, I've told my bosses this.) But, this certainly isn't a fantasy world and to be honest, I've had my fair share of good luck recently. So better to not temp the fates. Regardless, I was quite happy to sip my Sidecar as I perused the wine list and menu. (And yes, it was house-made sour mix.)

We started, as usual, with an order of the house-made soft Pretzels served with whole grain mustard and a Taggelio-porter fondue. It was perfect, and one of my dining mates suggested utilizing the fondue as the base for a soup! Which sounds a lot better that my proclamation that I would want to bathe in it.

I ordered what I had been thinking about all day-the Steak Frites. The Porcini marinated Flat Iron Steak was cooked perfectly and was extremely flavorful! And the Truffle Fries with the Aioli were really out of this world.

With dinner we had a bottle of the Viettie Barbera D'Asti "Tre Vigni" 2006. For those of you not familiar with the Barbera grape, it is consistently one of my favorites from Piedmont with typically a nice subtle blend of dark fruits and earthiness. This one did not fail at impressing, and really was a great balance with the earthy flavors of the Steak Frites.

We got dessert to go and stopped at ABC for a fun dessert pairing. I don't remember all of the specifics on the dessert (it was an impulse buy) but I do know that it was a Chocolate Torte with raspberry and a citrus Chantilly Cream. We decided to be wild and got a bottle of Blandy's five year Madeira to go with dessert. The burnt sugar flavors of the Madeira really complimented the citrus of the Chantilly Cream and slight berry flavor in the Torte. We literally ate it standing up in the kitchen!

I've already decided to become more of a regular at TRP. Everything there is really all in it's place: ambiance, service, food and drink.

Note: The picture above is my half eaten Steak Frites. I took the rest home and had it as a wrap for lunch the next day (with the leftover caramelized onions from one of my dining partner's Pub Burger). It was one good sammie!

Farro and Goat Cheese Salad

The exploration of healthy grains continues! I am officially in love with Farro!


1 cup uncooked Farro
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 large Shallot, minced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 lb Green Beans
2 cups cooked Corn
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 oz Goat Cheese
2 Tbsp Green Onion, sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Soak Farro in water in the refrigerator for six to eight hours.

Cook Farro according to package.

Heat 1 Tbsp Olive Oil in a large saute pan. Add Shallot and cook for one minute. Add Garlic and cook until fragrant. Add Green Beans and cook until bright green but still al dente (about 5 minutes).

In a small bowl, combine Dijon Mustard and remaining 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Mix until ingredients are well combined.

Combine Farro, Green Bean Mixture and Dijon Mustard mixture. Add Goat Cheese and mix until incorporated and creamy.

Top with Green Onions.

Tip: I also added two poached and shredded Chicken Breasts for some protein.

Update

Soups and Stews by Lea is now closed.

Downtown Food and Wine Festival

Finally made it this afternoon to the Downtown Food and Wine Fest. And all I have to say is..."Eh".

I'd been looking forward to a beautiful afternoon of food and wine all week. And today all the cards were in play: great weather, freaky fantastic parking, the best company I could imagine, and well, I looked good. But the fest really lacked that "world-class culinary event" that I was promised on the brochure.

I won't bore you with details about the stalls I did not approach: PF Chang's, Pei Wei, Panera, Funky Monkey, etc. And the ones I did sample really did not blow me out of the water. The only highlights were Black Olive with a tasty Artichoke and Olive Crostini and Prima with their Arincini (fried balls of risotto). I haven't been to either restaurant but they are both officially on the list of places to go.

I'd also been soaking some Farro all day so I came home and went ahead and cooked the salad I'd been planning for the week. Had a few bites and realized it was better than anything I'd tried this afternoon! (Recipe to follow!)

At this point I probably won't go next year, but if for some reason my selective memory kicks in and I only remember Primo, I'll make sure to buy my ticket early and only pay $10.