The Ritz Carlton - Orlando

Last weekend we decided to get away to celebrate Ken's Birthday and we went to the Ritz Carlton Resort in Orlando located in the Grande Lakes area near Disney World.
The place is stunning but in this Blog we will talk about our dining experiences.

BLEU

The first place we tried was Bleu, the pool side, open air restaurant.(http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Orlando/Dining/Bleu/Menu.htm)
Bleu is unusual in that it has no doors or windows. It is an open pavilion with curtains that roll up and give the illusion that they can be lowered for shelter when necessary. Very nicely done.
We had been eating junk food all morning so we were not very hungry when we sat down, so we ordered light; a couple of appetizers. We had the Shrimp Cocktail with Tomato Horseradish Sauce and the Fried Corn Tortilla Chips with the Spanish Tomato Salsa and Guacamole.
The Shrimp Cocktail was not as good as we would have hoped. The Shrimp were only medium sized and not the freshest lot we have seen. They were generous with the 8 pieces that were served. (Instead of the usual 5 or 6 that you get other places.) Perhaps they were trying to get rid of the "old" shrimp. The tomato horseradish sauce was tasty but it lacked "kick".
The Fried Corn Tortillas on the other hand, were warm and tasty. The Guacamole was very good and the Tomato Salsa was better once Ken dumped a little miniature bottle of Tabasco sauce inside. Yum. We discovered that the Tortilla Chips are even more delicious with a little freshly ground salt and pepper. Our server, Alessandra, was a charming and attentive young lady and made this early afternoon experience even more enjoyable.
However the very best thing we had from Bleu was the Lazy Days Lemonade, made with Absolut Citron. This was a frozen lemonade drink that went down ...OH so very smooth. We made that drink our Theme for the Weekend.....Lazy Days indeed. Ken and Len give Bleu, 3.5 FORKS.

After a wonderful afternoon of lying by or in the pool, and/or the Jacuzzi, we prepared ourselves for the evening meal. But before we went to dinner we wanted to check out NORMAN'S

NORMAN'S

We had dinner reservations elsewhere this evening, but we wanted to check out Norman's, the signature restaurant at the Ritz Carlton Resort- Orlando.

Norman's is owned by renowned chef Norman Van Aiken. He has created this new world cuisine restaurant based on the Cuban influence in Florida and the Orlando area. Basically it is Gourmet Cuban food, expertly prepared and incredibly well presented. And it is really good, too.

We sat at the bar an ordered a Campari on the rocks and an Old Fashioned and two appetizers; The Bacalao Fritters and the Steak Tartar. Both we excellent. The Bacalao is cod fish that has been minced and mixed with flour to create a fritter. They were excellent. Too bad they only served 3 fritters half than the size of a golf ball.

The Steak Tartar was topped with a chimichurri sauce and served with plantain chips cut lengthwise for maximum size and appeal. The raw steak was chopped and mixed with herbs and spices and was also a delicacy. The plantain chips made a very poor substrate for this appetizer. They were too delicate and kept breaking when used for their intended purpose.

Our server, Derek, was very knowledgeable, pleasant and helpful. In fact I commented that if I owned a similar establishment, he would be the type of person I would want representing me.
Ken and Len give Norman's, 4-FORKS.
We had a couple more cocktails and then off to meet our driver to be taken to dinner at La Coquina. (see separate Blog Entry)

The next morning we got up early and decided we would have breakfast, which was part of the weekend package we had booked for ourselves.

The Vineyard Grill

Breakfast at The Grill was a la carte or buffet style. We both opted for the buffet after canvasing the delicious assortment of foods that they had set up for breakfast. The restaurant was not very crowded at 8:00 AM so we had awesome service.

Together we had a custom made Western Omelet and Scrambled eggs; Pancakes with Maple Syrup; Apple Wood Smoked Bacon; Black Forest Ham; Sausages; Roasted Yukon Potatoes; Fresh Fruit; Bagels and Cream Cheese; Smoked Salmon; Sicilian Style Frittata and last but certainly not least, Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice. There was a lot more food at the Breakfast Buffet that we didn't even touch. It was all very good.

The Vineyard Grill is the largest of the restaurants at the Ritz Carlton Resort - Orlando. It is tastefully decorated and comfortably lit. They have some decorative wrought-iron lighting on the walls made to resemble Grape Vines. But it looks "clunky" and perhaps they should consider some wall paper with grape vines on it to achieve the Vineyards affect. Ken and Len give breakfast at The Vineyard Grill, 4-FORKS.

We returned later, around 2 PM that afternoon,(after a day filled with fun in the sun and more Lazy Days Lemonade) for the celebrated Ritz Carlton Champagne Sunday Brunch. That was spectacular.

The spread went on and on. First we will say, that they had everything we had for breakfast available again for brunch, so we were able to sidestep those things we had already enjoyed earlier and concentrate on the new stuff on display for Brunch.
They had soups, salads, sushi, shrimp, fruits and cheeses that we didn't even touch, but here are some of the more notable items we shared:

Caviar with all the trimmings; Scallops with Serrano Ham; Flank Steak on Toast Points with potatoes; Muscles Ceviche in White Wine and Onions; Pork Loin Marino with Saffron, Peppers and Aiolli; Roast Beef Carved to order; Ham Carved to order; Baked Acorn Squash; Trouffled Mashed Potatoes; Cream of Spinach; Lamb Chops; Duck Roasted in Cherries with Arugula and Port Vinaigrette; Grilled Calamari Stuffed with Chorizo and Lentil Salad; Spanish Tortilla with Roasted Red Pepper Emulsion; Drunken Goat Cheese; Smoked Salmon; Churros with Cinnamon Ice cream; Flan with Orange Supreme; Espresso Creme Brulee; Raspberry Glazed Cheesecake; Chocolate and Praline Parfait; Chocolate and Roast Fig Brownie; and all sorts of cookies and cakes we were too full to try.
For the most part everything was delicious with one exception: we didn't care much for their version of the Spanish Tortilla. However everything else was amazingly delicious. Plus the all you can drink Champagne was very good quality exclusively bottled for the Ritz Carlton, worldwide.
We recommend this Sunday Brunch to everyone. You don't have to stay at the resort, to enjoy dining there. We will mention however, that The Champagne Brunch is $65/person plus tax and gratuity, so it is on the expensive side. But this is truly a gourmet experience and well worth the money. Ken and Len give The Ritz Carlton Resort - Orlando's Champagne Sunday Brunch 4.5 FORKS