I think September should be called the month of indulgence, where you dine in style at some of the area’s top restaurants (okay, a little more than we do now). This is easy to do, if you spend time in South Florida, as dining deals in September are quite plentiful. In Miami, you have Miami Spice; in Palm Beach, it’s Flavor Palm Beach; but when you are looking for something Magical (and are up for a weekend getaway), it’s time to head to Orlando for Magical Dining Month.
Magical Dining Month, now in it’s 9th year, is a month-long program (from now until Sept. 30th) where over 70 Orlando restaurants offer a 3-course prix-fixe dinner menu for $33. In addition, $1 from each meal sold will benefit the Foundation for Foster Children.
While the dining options look fantastic, Orlando’s a bit far for random night out. Therefore, Magical Dining Month also offers Stay & Dine Packages giving you a bundle of savings. Think — a 1-night stay at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel + dinner for 2 (off the Magical Dining Month’s menu) at Il Mulino New York Trattoria for just $230 per night, with many more restaurant/hotel combinations available.
HOW IT WORKS
Each participating restaurant offers a 3-course prix-fixe dinner menu for the month of September. You can find these menus directly on Magical Dining Month’s website. Once you decide where you would like to dine, either select a Stay & Dine package or make a reservation for the restaurant — this can be done directly on the MDM’s website. The special prix-fixe menus cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions, and meals cannot be split. Drinks, tax + gratuity are additional.
WHERE TO DINE
This was an easy choice for me, as I discovered that Chef Ryan Vargas (formerly of Pangea Restaurant in Wellington, one of my favorites, until it closed) was now running the kitchen at Emeril’s Tchoup Chop, where he was creating mouth-watering Asian-Polynesian Fusion dishes, which he does so well. While Tchoup Chop was our first choice (and one that we’d highly recommend), there are quite a variety of dining options available, ranging from Steak & Seafood to Sushi to Mediterranean cuisine.
OUR EXPERIENCE
We arrived at Tchoup Chop a bit early so we decided to make our way to the spacious bar area. The stools were comfortable and the bar area was roomy (we dined on a Sunday night) and welcoming. While Happy Hour was going on (it’s offered daily from 5-8 p.m.), we couldn’t resist one of their signature cocktails. While my dining companion sipped on the 1944 Mai Tai, I opted for A Pair of Pears, an Asian-inspired martini made with Homemade Bartlett & Asian Pear-infused Japanese Soju, Canton, White Cranberry + Fresh Lime, a recommendation from the bartender. It was refreshing, yet not overly sweet.
As we entered into the dining room, we were led to a booth and were ready for the dinner to begin. While we were there for the special menu, ordering wasn’t difficult, though we did go off the menu just a bid — the bag of mussels sounded too delicious to pass up (and yes, they lived up to their description). Now, onto the Magical Dining Menu — 3-courses, $33 and here’s what will come your way:
For starters, you have 3 options to choose from — the Seared Ahi Poke Nachos (these sounded quite familiar to Chef’s Ahi Tuna Poke Flatbread that was served at Pangea. I’m drooling just thinking about them); the Asian Style Ratatouille Potstickers; or the Fried Green Tomatoes Grilled Cheese “Sandwich.” We tried the first 2 and both were equally impressive. The nachos brought back some familiar flavors, and the potstickers — well, I’ve never been overjoyed by potstickers before, but I wanted to lick this plate clean as I savored the fresh ingredients with an Asian kick.
Because we did happen to know the chef and were spoiled with some goodies, we only ended up ordering one entrée, the Petite Veal Osso Buco. Not your typical Osso Buco, this version came with spaghetti squash snow crab risotto, lomi lomi tomatoes and a taro “poi” sauce, but was equally delicious. Tender meat, fresh vegetables with a hint of the islands made for a comforting entree with new taste sensations. Other entrée options include a Baked Seafood Cobbler with an edamame-mushroom ragout and a Pulehu Bistro Steak with summer tomatoes, pickled Maui onions and kochujang steak sauce.
While we were set for splitting dessert, a platter fit for a king was presented to our table — a hefty slice of their Banana Cream Pie, one of Emeril’s signature dishes; a mason jar filled with Baked Hawaii and Pineapple Gastrique; and the Gianduja Chocolate Candy Crunch Bar with Mandarin orange sherbet with toffee sauce — and we couldn’t decide which one was our favorite so we devoured them all, well almost. For the magical menu, you can choose between the Baked Hawaii, the Gianduja Chocolate Candy Crunch Bar, and a Passion Fruit Lilikoi Chiboust.
Now, how’s that for a magical dining experience?
Emeril’s Tchoup Chop is located inside the Loews Royal Pacific Resort, 6300 Hollywood Way, Orlando; (407) 503-2467.