Newsy Nuggets: Nami; W; Bar Italia
Tavistock Restaurant Collection previewed its opening-this-summer restaurant Nami at the Orlando Wine Festival & Auction last weekend. The newest restaurant will be in the Lake Nona Wave Hotel, which also has Bacán and Haven restaurants.
Nami, which should not be confused with NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Orlando, will feature “modern interpretations of traditional Japanese cuisine.” Staffers at the preview, held on the Da Vinci Lawn of the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes Saturday afternoon, were serving tuna handrolls, best eaten quickly in the 90-degrees-plus heat. One of the servers estimated an opening in about eight weeks.
Speaking of hotels, Orlando is getting a W Hotel, to be built next to Epic Universe. We already have a B Resort, so I’m looking forward to representation from the rest of the alphabet.
Bar Italia, a restaurant with two locations in Ohio, has opened a third in Winter Park Village. The restaurant’s website notes that the menu has “exquisitely prepared rustic, Italian-American fare and features a choice of primis, salads, pizzas, fresh house pastas, house-made sauces, and secondi (entrees).” It also states: “Familiar dishes like Classic Chicken Parmesan, Bucatini Bolognese, and Spicy Vodka Rigatoni are elevated to a new level,” although the newly redesigned space in one story. Other Florida locations are due to open soon in Lakewood Ranch and Naples
Word on the street (the street being Church) is that a fairly large sports-themed restaurant located in a historical building not too far from Amway Center will close soon. Sorry I can’t be more specific. I can’t even tell you the type of animal in its name.