If you haven’t yet had the chance to experience the very good (and Michelin recommended) cuisine at Bacán – and impressive art gallery and sculpture garden of the Lake Nona Wave Hotel – here’s your chance. The restaurant is hosting a five-course wine dinner with pairings by Chilean winemaker Ventisquero. The dinner is Aug. 2 and features a welcome reception at 5:30 p.m.. Tickets are $200 plus tax and gratuity. Reservations made by contacting [email protected] or calling 407-675-2000. (The menu is at the end of this article.)
The Community Paper’s Nick Georgoudiou reports that College Park restaurant PR’s Taco Palalce, which is not, and I can’t stress this enough, a real palace, is under new ownership and initiating changes. I’m not sure what they all are but a quick look at the website reveals that they now have clean restrooms. This is announced with an exclamation point, so it must be big news. Can’t wait to experience that (!).
Cucina Pizza and Bar has opened on Church Street, at 54 W. According to its website, it offers “different styles of pizzas” and will have themed evenings, including “Ladys’ nights,” at which – I’m only guessing here – we’ll see British aristocracy. All new, so the restrooms should be in pretty good shape.
In other cucina news, the restaurant that previously was reported to open soon under the name Mi Cucina by Chef D.O.C. will now be called JazTro by Chef D.O.C., in yet another example in our ongoing series titled “Naming Restaurants is Hard.”
Tonight (Monday, July 25) is the next Diversitastic! Dining Experience, this time celebrating Venezuelan culture and cuisine at Q’Kenan, which I’ll concede sounds like an Irish restaurant. Click here to see if there are still seats available.
Duck & Drake, a mobile kitchen and popup restaurant that most often pops up at Digress Wines in College Park, will alight permanently at the Radius Apartments in downtown Orlando.
Earthfare, the organically focused grocery store just south of downtown that opened, then closed, then opened again is closing again.
The space vacated by Mason Jar on Washington Street, which is sort of attached to Burton’s Bar, will be replaced The Classic Thornton Park, a project of Brian Minkel, who used to be a bartender at Burton’s. We reported in 2019 that Minkel had purchased the former Dexter’s of Thornton Park, essentially across the street, and was planning to open something there, but then that pesky pandemic came along and plans changed. That space is now occupied by the Hawaiian themed The 808.
Here’s the menu for the Bacán dinner:
1
Peruvian Duck Nigiri: Shiso leaves / smokey Causa / Tamarind Glaze / spiced puffed rice
Heru, Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley
2
Pastel de Jaiba: King Crab / Chile Sabayon / Trout roe / Pan Blando Crumb
Tara Atacama, Chardonnay, Atacama Valley
3
Pork Chancho a la Chileno: Porcelet Rack / Pebre Reduction / Croquetta de papa / Pickled White and Green Asparagus
Enclave, Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Andes Valley
4
Ribeye Cap: Maize / Rasin Jus / Olive Chimi
Vertice, Carmenere Syrah, Apalta Vineyard Colchagua Valley
5
Spanish olive oil cake/Spiced plum / Horchata Foam / Chocolate Earl Grey Sorbet
Pangea, Syrah, Apalta Vineyard Colchagua Valley
