CHEDDAR'S GEOPEND IN KISSIMMEE

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen opened  its fourth Central Florida restaurant on April 16, at 875 Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee, in the Osceola Crossings Shopping Center.

The menu offers a variety of selections including steaks seasoned with a special blend of herbs, ribs slow-smoked for four hours in-house, hand-cut seafood, crisp salads, generous pastas, classic burgers, chicken and more.

The lighter side menu features entrees with fewer than 575 calories, while the kids menu includes classic favorites like hand-breaded chicken tenders and penne pasta with homemade marinara sauce.

The 8,000-square-foot restaurant seats up to 200 guests and will be open 11 a.m.-11:00 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11:00 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday.

Cheddar’s was founded in 1979 as a neighborhood restaurant featuring handmade, quality food offered at a reasonable price. Cheddar’s has grown to more than 160 company-owned and franchise locations in 29 states as of March 2015.

Website: Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen

I-Drive 360 opent in mei 2015

Het nieuwe I-Drive 360 uitgaans complex wordt binnenkort geopend. Inmiddels zijn er al wat bars, winkeltjes en restaurants open.
Het reuzenrad The Orlando Eye, het Sealife aquarium en het wassenbeeldenmuseum Madame Tussauds openen op 4 mei en het natuurkundig museum Skeletons al op 1 mei.
Er komt een food court en diverse restaurants zijn al open zoals Outback, Carrabas en Yard House.
Ook is er een Tin Roof restaurant geopend en een Ben en Jerry's.

Orlando theme park news

4 Great Date Night Ideas in Orlando

From character meet-and-greets to zany dinner shows, there truly is no end to the options for family-friendly dining in Orlando. But for those looking for a quiet, kid-free night, the choices are surprisingly plentiful, too.

Fireworks Vistas

Watch Disney's fireworks off-site, enjoying them without the crowds. (©Walt Disney World)

The sky lights up with a kaleidoscope of color each night as fireworks burst over Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Forgo the crowds and instead snag a table at one of a handful of restaurants known for their birds-eye vistas of the evening’s pyrotechnics. That list includes California Grill where diners can watch the show and listen to the soundtrack for the Wishes fireworks display either at their table or on the outdoor observation deck. Guests of the new Four Seasons Orlando restaurant, Capa, also enjoy stellar views on this Spanish steakhouse’s sprawling outdoor terraces. And while Reunion Resort's Elevenrestaurant isn’t located on Disney property, the views of Epcot’s nightly IllumiNations show are still crystal clear from the restaurant’s rooftop deck. 

Cozy Tables

Enjoy a romantic dinner at Bull and Bear. (©Bull and Bear)

With secluded alcoves and cozy booths, a date-night-worthy restaurant has the ability to make a couple feel as though they’re on their own secluded island. That’s exactly the feeling diners get at Christner's Prime Steak & Lobster where a slew of private dining rooms, available at no extra charge, create a clandestine vibe within this celebrated classy steakhouse. Bull and Bear supplies a similar milieu in its dark and sultry dining room at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, where couples can snuggle into comfy side booths and share either the Chateaubriand or Tomahawk for two.

Interactive Bites

Try Napa's monthly wine dinner for a taste of the world's best wine regions. (©Napa at the Hyatt)

Those couples keen on getting in on the action can check out a few Orlando hotpots with an interactive element, including Farris and Fosters Chocolate Factory, a Baldwin Park gem offering couples the chance to take over the operations to make a pound of chocolate while sipping their BYO wine. At the Hyatt Regency Orlando, a series of monthly wine dinners hosted at either Napa or Fiorenzo allow attendees to take a travel-free culinary journey through the world’s best wine regions with wine experts and Hyatt chefs as their guides. Finally, escape to Italy via the Harbor Nights events hosted regularly at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando, where the Harbor Piazza transforms into a strolling culinary extravaganza complete with limitless gourmet bites and wine samplings at stations dotting the al fresco space.

Front Row Seats

Visit Luma on Park for at least seven courses of delicious dishes. (©Luma on Park)

Delight in being at the mercy of the chef’s whimsy during one of a select few chef’s table experiences available in Orlando. In Winter Park, Brandon McGlamery gives guests a front-row seat to the action in his kitchen at Luma on Park, where his team whips up a series of seven to nine artful courses. Just down the street at The Alfond Inn, Chef Marc Kusche unfurls five courses paired with wine for diners perched in front of his open kitchen at Hamilton’s Kitchen. And finally, it’s impossible to overlook Victoria and Albert's, home to Orlando’s most coveted chef’s table. With up to 10 personalized course served kitchen-side, this three-hour culinary adventure books out months ahead of time so advance reservations are a must.  

Bron: Where traveler

Verslag kerst 2014

Bij de links hierboven heb ik de restaurants die we bezocht hebben in de kerstperiode uitgebreid besproken met onze ervaringen, prijzen en foto's; zie Verslag kerst 2014

Het gaat om de restaurants; Amura sushi - Bahama Breeze - Bayridge Sushi - Benihana -Bernini of Ybor - BJ’s Brewhouse - Bonefish Grill - Boteco Brazilian restaurant - Chili’s- Cooper’s Hawk -The crooked spoon - Fishbones - Five Guys Burgers and Fries - Hurricane Grill and Wings - Kobé Japanese Restaurant - Longhorn - Manny’s Chop House - Miller’s Ale House - Nikko’s Egg city - Olive Garden - Outback Steakhouse - PF Chang’s - Roy’s Hawaiian restaurant - Texas Roadhouse en Vito’s Chophouse.

Ik hoop dat het jullie inspiratie geeft om ook nieuwe restaurants uit te proberen.

Hamburgerketen Culver's opent vestiging in Clermont

Vorig jaar schreef ik al een stukje over de hamburgerketen Culver's .

De hamburger keten Culver's uit Mid West Amerika zal in 2014 3 tot 5 restaurants in de omgeving van Orlando gaan openen.
Culver is een snel groeiende, informele eetgelegenheid met bijna 500 onafhankelijke en geëxploiteerde restaurants in 20 staten.
Specialiteiten zijn de Butterburger (een beboterd broodje met burger) en vers bevroren custard, een luxe vorm van ijs.

De eerste Centraal Florida locatie is nu eindelijk geopend in Clermont op de hoek van Johns Lake Road en de  US 27.

Central Florida, meet the ButterBurger.

Wisconsin-based restaurant chain Culver’s will soon have its first Central Florida location, in the City of Clermont at the corner of Johns Lake Road and U.S. 27.

Local businessman Mike Ladisa just purchased 1.29 acres for $830,000 to build his franchise location of the brand, which is known for hamburgers served on buttered buns, frozen custard and Wisconsin cheese.

The strip of U.S. 27 in Clermont already has a Wawa store, Walmart and other retail anchors.

Culver’s has 530 restaurants in the U.S. The first one in Florida broke ground in Naples in April 2013. There are more in Port Charlotte, Fort Myers and Sarasota.

Bron: Orlando Sentinel

The Boathouse

Disney onthulde ook dat The Boathouse in het voorjaar van 2015 zal openen. Dit is een luxe restaurant aan het water met een Nautisch thema.

Gasten kunnen straks kiezen uit een uitgebreide menukaart met Amerikaanse gerechten, waaronder vis, steaks en karbonades. Daarnaast heeft het restaurant drie verschillende thema-bars, waaronder The Captain's Raw Bar, The Admiral's Club Bar en The Dock Bar.
Het restaurant zal ook een aantal boot thema-attracties bieden. Zo komt er een 13 meter lange Italiaanse water taxi en kunnen de gasten genieten van champagne en aardbeien in chocolade en zijn er rondvaarten over het meer .

The Boathouse is het nieuwste project van Schussler Creative, de eigenaar van T-Rex, het Rainforest Cafe en Yak & Yeti.

Bron: Disney Food blog

Famous chef to open pan-Asian restaurant in Disney Springs next summer

A new pan-Asian restaurant run by famous Chef Masaharu Morimoto of “Iron Chef” is coming to Downtown Disney next summer as Downtown Disney transforms into Disney Springs.

Chef Morimoto is teaming up with Patina Restaurant Group to open Morimoto Asia in The Landing, in the heart of Disney Springs. It’s the Japanese master chef’s first pan-Asian restaurant.

Morimoto Asia’s 36-foot tall, two-story layout will include a vast range of areas to explore including open terraces, grand hall, private rooms, long bar, cocktail lounge, waterside seating and more. The restaurant is being designed by Studio V Architecture.

“We are delighted to work with Morimoto to create this one of a kind restaurant, which will be a spectacular dining destination at the new Disney Springs,” said Nick Valenti, restaurateur and CEO of Patina Restaurant Group.

“I’m very excited to bring this new concept to Disney, something I’ve always dreamed of,” said Chef Morimoto. “It’s a wonderful chance to share some of my favorite foods from across the Asian continent.”

Morimoto Asia’s culinary elements will provide flavors from across Asia, while exhibition kitchens will showcase the continent’s traditions. Included among them are street-food stalls, Peking duck carving and dim sum.

“We’re thrilled to bring Chef Morimoto’s renowned culinary style to Disney Springs as we expand the range of dining experiences for our resort guests as well as local Florida residents,” said George A. Kalogridis, president, Walt Disney World Resort.

The Patina Restaurant Group also runs Tutto Italia Ristorante and Via Napoli at Epcot, among other restaurants in New York and California.

For dining reservations and more information about Morimoto Asia, guests will be able to visit Disneyworld.com in the future.

Bron; Attractions magazine