Roccos
American Social Midlevel

Dining Options: Delivery, Takeout, Curbside Pickup

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Central Florida restaurants are adapting to the changing strictures being imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here are details that some of your favorite restaurants want you to know regarding how they're dealing with the crisis and what they're doing to keep their kitchens busy and people fed.

We'll share the information from other restaurants as it becomes available, so check back often.

Each entry has the information that was submitted by the restaurant, including, where available, hours of operation and links to menus. In most cases, menus are limited. All information – including menus posted here – is subject to change so be sure to check with the restaurant before ordering.

Key: TO=Takeout, D=Delivery, CP=Curbside Pickup

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Raglan green

Amid the many cancellations there is one event that is still going on as planned: The Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival at Raglan Road Irish Pub in Disney Springs. It kicks off tonight, March 13, and continues through March 17, the official St. Patrick’s Day.

(Although Walt Disney World parks are closing Sunday, Disney Springs and its many retail shops and restaurants will remain open.)

The Mighty Festival has become an annual celebration of all things Irish, with virtually nonstop entertainment from Raglan’s in-house dancers and musicians plus a cavalcade of visiting entertainers.

New this year will be a Whiskey Pairing Dinner on Monday, March 16. The three-course menu will be available from 3 to 11 p.m. Cost of the whiskey pairing is $60 plus tax and gratuity. I’ve got the full menu posted below.

Of course the whiskey dinner is in addition to the restaurant’s regular menu of contemporary Irish dishes. And the Rollicking Raglan Weekend Brunch will be served Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There is no entry fee to the Mighty Festival Friday through Monday, and reservations are being accepted. On Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day, it’s a first-come, first-seated basis with a $10 cover charge for those 18 and over. Make reservations for March 13 through 16 by calling 407-938-0300.

By the way, don’t go to Raglan Road’s Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival expecting to have a green beer. That’s an American invention and not something you’ll find in an authentic Irish pub. And Raglan Road happens to be the number one Irish pub in the country. So you’re going to find a true authentic celebration here.

Check below for the Whiskey Pairing Dinner menu and below that for a list of entertainers for the weekend.

March 16, 2020 Whiskey Dinner Menu (Regular menu also available)
Served 3-11 pm -- Choose one Starter, Main and Dessert pairing

Starters
Whiskey BBQ glazed chicken lollipops, Roasted Corn & Bacon Crumble with corn puree
Fields of Green
Powers Irish Whiskey, cold pressed apple cider, Pine Liqueur, cracked pepper.

Whiskey glazed pork cheek, smoked potato terrine, apple espuma & pork crackling crumb
Black Barrel Old Fashioned
Jameson Black Barrel, simple syrup, angostura bitters with an orange twist

*****************
Mains
Whiskey cured house smoked salmon, lemon & herb crushed potatoes, pea texture & horseradish with crispy skin
Green Spot Sidecar
Green Spot, lemon juice, triple sec, simple syrup

Whiskey braised beef cheek, triple cooked duck fat chips, whiskey & vinegar salt, mushroom ketchup & crispy onions
Irish Redhead
Redbreast 12yr, lemon juice, ginger syrup, Campo Viejo Rioja
*****************
Desserts
Apple baked dumplings, whiskey butterscotch Jameson sauce and milk ice cream

Whiskey chocolate caramel brownie, Guinness marshmallow and graham cracker crunch
Traditional Irish Coffee
*****************
Middleton 2017 Vintage Reserve
$60 (plus tax and gratuity)

Entertainment

  • Strings & Things will bring their contemporary Irish Trad/Folk/Roots crossover talent from Tipperary and Galway to the festival stage. Their unique sound and powerful stage energy promise a raucous evening of music and song.
  • TradGad – Three talented musicians from Kerry, Dublin and Galway will charm Mighty Festival crowds with their vibrant performances on guitar, fiddle, mandolin, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, banjo and bouzouki.
  • Maca -- Two Irish sister-musician-songwriters dubbed “Ireland’s next big thing” will rock the Raglan Road Pub stages with their extraordinary talent.
  • Fia Rua, featuring band members from Ireland and Scotland, will blend their musical backgrounds to perform and wow audiences with a unique Celtic sound.
  • Mike Waters, from the southeast of Ireland, will perform Irish songs and ballads from traditional to contemporary with a good measure of chat and humor.
  • Emily Furlong, an extraordinary singer/entertainer from Wexford, Ireland, will captivate crowds with her stunning voice.
  • No Half Measures – an exciting, fresh and vibrant four-piece band from Scotland, Cork and Kilkenny will spin their youthful, contemporary sound for the Mighty Festival audience.
  • The Raglan Road Irish Dancers – Plucked from the cast and stages of the world’s greatest Irish dance shows, the Raglan Road Irish Dancers perform throughout the Mighty Festival. You can even learn some traditional Irish dance steps – no experience necessary.

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Mias interior

A whole Chargrilled Branzino isn’t the sort of dish I’d typically order at a place called Mia’s Italian Kitchen, a newcomer to the I-Drive collection of restaurants. But when one was placed in front of me to try, I found myself wanting to forsake everything else on the table. And just about everything else was worth eating, too.

Mia’s is owned by Alexandria Restaurant Partners of Alexandria, Va., which also owns the nearby Cafe Tu Tu Tango. (Remember when that opened in 1994 and we expected it to be a national chain one day? It’s the only remaining one.)

Continue reading review of Mia's Italian Kitchen

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Orlando wine Festival logo

The second annual Orlando Wine Festival & Auction scheduled to take place this weekend has been postponed indefinitely due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

The event, sponsored by the Orlando Magic and benefitting its Youth Foundation, was to begin Friday, March 13, with a series of wine dinners cooked by local and national chefs in private homes. A grand tasting on Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes was to be followed by a dinner at the hotel by celebrity chef Michael Symon and a live auction expected to raise tens of thousands of dollars.

The weekend was to conclude with a Magic game at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando. Wednesday night, the NBA announced that the remainder of the basketball season was suspended, so that element of the wine event had already been deleted.

Approximately 600 people were expected to attend the ultra high-end wine event where ticket packages started at $2,500 per couple and ranged to $9,250. The live auction was to include private concert with Boyz II Men, an African safari, and trips to Bordeaux and the Champagne region in France.

The inaugural Orlando Wine Festival & Auction raised over $900,000 for the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, which deals with local at-risk kids.

This story is developing.

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Taco generic

Here are the finalists for the 2020 Best Tacos Foodster Award for Independent Restaurants.

You may vote for one restaurant by ticking the box next to its name and then clicking the VOTE button.

After you vote, leave a comment below telling us why you think your choice should win. Be sure to mention the name of the restaurant in your comment – we can’t see who you voted for. Tell us what you like about the tacos and the restaurant serving them. We may use your comment if your choice is declared the winner.

Voting will continue through March 20. The winners will be announced on March 23.

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Shoufi view

Hey, what’s up?

Or should I say Shoufi Mahfi? Because that’s what’s up for today. And that’s the translation.

Shoufi Mahfi is a charming little Mediterranean restaurant in South Orlando near the intersection of Sand Lake Road and John Young Parkway. It’s a counter service operation, but the staff is so warm and welcoming you might think you’re dining in a full service restaurant.

Continue reading review of Shoufi Mahfi

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