Sponsored

Here’s the good thing about STK Steakhouse – well, there are many good things about the upscale Disney Springs restaurant that opened in 2016. But at this time of year the really great thing is that you don’t have to be concerned about whether you’re on the naughty or nice list – you’ll be just fine here either way.

STK, of course, is the high-end steakhouse with popular locations in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas. The Orlando location is sumptuous and spacious and it’s one of the few that touts a rooftop venue. In my review shortly after STK opened, I noted how impressive the food was, and not just the steaks, which as the name would lead you to expect are a particular forte. The kitchen does equally well with seafood – scallops and octopus were especially memorable – as well as the various side dishes that complete a steakhouse experience.

A recent cruise in the Mediterranean dropped me off in Barcelona, a city I hadn’t been back to in a long time. So instead of heading from the cruise port to the port of air, my companion and I decided to spend a couple of days in town.

On our first night, we strolled from our hotel looking for a bar, Paradiso, that we’d heard was supposed to be good. We found it, but the line was long and we didn’t want to wait. Just around the corner we found an outdoor tapas bar, Celler de la Ribera, and grabbed a couple of seats.

The eighth annual Field to Feast took place earlier this month on the grounds of Long & Scott Farms in Zellwood. The event, sponsored by Edible Orlando in conjunction with Walt Disney World Resort, has become one of the calendar’s must-do food and wine events.

In fact, according to Edible’s Pam Brandon, F2F attracted 200 guests this year, double the number that attended the first one. The proceeds from ticket sales and a cash raffle raised a record $42,000 for the Kids Café Program of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

The walkabout event featured an array of Disney World culineers cooking under a large pavilion surrounded by the farm fields. A live band played, and the foods were enhanced by wine pairings selected by master sommelier George Miliotes of Wine Bar George in Disney Springs (and the new Terminal C at MCO).

Some highlights included:

So gifting season has finally arrived. For those hard-to-please people on your list, the ones who annoyingly buy things for themselves instead of giving you hints, consider a gift certificate to a restaurant – everyone appreciates a nice meal out.

And it’s also a way to support local businesses.

If you need a recommendation, just take a look at the banners at the top and down the sides of this page. Only restaurants that meet our quality requirements may advertise on SJO, so you know they’re already highly recommended. Any of them would be happy to sell you a gift certificate.