JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek introduces special hand-selected bourbon from Buffalo Trace

Written By Scott Joseph On March 26, 2024

Buffalo trace 1

The JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek recently sent two of its restaurant managers and sommeliers to Louisville, Kentucky, and Buffalo Trace Distillery to hand select a barrel of Eagle Rare whiskey just for the resort.

The tasters settled on Barrel #122 and the distillery siphoned the 10-year-old single barrel select bourbon into bottles stamped with a special label designating it as JW Marriott Bonnet Creek’s own. You can sample the whiskey now in any number of craft cocktails at the resort’s bars. Maybe try it in The Elite, bartender Samantha Deacy’s creation at the Sear + Sea lobby bar that she demonstrated for us in an episode of On the House.

(There’s probably a good chance you’ll get a taste at our upcoming Dinner Party at the resort’s rooftop bar, illume. Watch for an announcement of the date and details soon, but keep this in mind: The last time we did a Dinner Party at JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek it sold out within 30 minutes of being announced in my newsletter.)

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Boiled Fish

Written By Scott Joseph On March 21, 2024

Boiled Fish sign

I don’t know why I find the name Boiled Fish so unusual. It’s not like there aren’t other restaurants that highlight cooking methods in their names. Kentucky Fried Chicken comes to mind. There are any number of smokehouse places and maybe a few with flambé in their name.

But boiled seems so mundane. And the food at Boiled Fish, a Chinese restaurant on Turkey Lake Road south of Restaurant Row, is anything but mundane.

Just as misnomered is the restaurant’s signature dish of sauerkraut fish. If you’re unfamiliar with this delicacy you probably have an image of German style fermented cabbage with a fillet of fish plopped on top. This is so not that.

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Newsy Nuggets: Smokemade Meats and more

Written By Scott Joseph On March 20, 2024

Smokemade meats exterior
Photo: Smokemade Meats + Eats

Smokemade Meats + Eats will softly open its new permanent home beginning Friday, Mar. 22. It will open at 11 a.m. and close when it runs out of food. So, I don’t know…noon, maybe? Anyway, if you want to try it in its first days, get there early. Pitmaster Tyler Brunache has been serving his Texas-style barbecue in a popup fashion over the past few years. Smokemade took over the former PIzza Hut hut at 1400 S. Crystal Lake Drive, Orlando, in the Curry Ford West District that most recently had been Italian House Pizza & Restaurant. Smokemade’s website currently lists hours only Friday through Sunday.

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Primo named Forbes Recommended Destination

Written By Scott Joseph On March 18, 2024

Primo restaurant at JW Marriott Grande Lakes

Primo, the Italian restaurant at JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes, has been named a Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Destination, one of only four restaurants listed in the Orlando area. It joins Knife & Spoon, its next-door neighbor and fellow Grande Lakes venue at the Ritz, Capa, the Four Seasons steakhouse, and Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian.

Primo, which opened in 2003 as Primo by Melissa Kelly, underwent a complete redesign two years ago and Kelly’s name was dropped. However, the James Beard Award winning chef is still in partnership at the restaurant and will be in town next week for an invitation-only celebration ceremony.

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Easter Dining in Orlando

Written By Scott Joseph On March 14, 2024

Easter Eggs

Easter is just a couple of weeks away (March 31, a Sunday, I think) so it’s time to start thinking about where you’ll have Easter Brunch.

Check out the list of restaurants that will be open that day with special menus, including favorites like Four Flamingos, illume, Sear + Sea Woodfire Grill and UnReserved Food Bazaar’s Peter Rabbit Easter Brunch (don’t be alarmed, there will be no lapin on the line). See the full list on our Holiday Dining page.

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