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Orlando Magical Dining Month 2010

Written By Scott Joseph On September 1, 2010

Win a Magical Dining Month dinner for two at The Ravenous Pig (details below)

Update: Rhona Fournier is the winner of dinner for two at the Ravenous Pig. Congratulations, Rhona!

It’s finally here!

Orlando Magical Dining Month officially kicks off today. It’s a great opportunity to tvisit that restaurant you’ve been wanting to try but didn’t want to lay out a lot of cash. For $30 (plus tax and gratuity) you can sample three courses at some pretty terrific restaurants. In most cases, it represents huge savings over the regular a la carte menu.

Take Ocean Prime, for example. The upscale seafood (Ocean) and steak (Prime) restaurant on Sand Lake Road has as one of its Magical offerings its 7-ounce filet mignon. On the a la carte menu, the same steak goes for $31. So for $1 less, you get the same steak (no, they don’t cut it down, it’s the same size) plus a starter and a dessert. At OP you can choose calamari, salad or French onion soup to begin and finish with creme brulee or sorbet.

There are about 50 participating restaurants this year, including some newcomers like La Nuova Cucina and Crave, and some that are just new to the program, like Citrus and Hue.

What are some of the ones I’m recommending? Definitely Ocean Prime, but also Norman’s (no brainer — one of the area’s costliest restaurants), Luma on Park, Funky Monkey, La Nuova Cucina, A Land Remembered and Cala Bella at Rosen Shingle Creek, The Capital Grill, The Ravenous Pig, Emeril’s Tchoup Chop, La Luce by Donna Scala and Primo by Melissa Kelly. I’m also looking forward to visiting several others — I like saving money, too.

Here’s what I do before I visit one of the MagDinMo restaurants: I take a look at the menu they’re offering for $30, then I call up the regular menu on their Web sites and do the math.

Speaking of math, the restaurants have pledged to donate $1 from each MagDinMo meal to charity. This year it’s Arts and Cultural Alliance of Central Florida. So eat a lot and those dollars will add up.

By the way, the restaurants will be offering only the $30 menus. In past years there was also a $20 list that included more casual restaurants and in some cases a lunch offering from some of the fancier ones. One caveat: be sure to ask for the Magical Dining Month menu when you are seated; some restaurants don’t hand them to you if you don’t ask.

To celebrate the start of Orlando Magical Dining Month, I’m giving away dinner for two at the fabulous Ravenous Pig. The drawing is today (Sept. 1) at 3 p.m. To enter, all you have to do is sign up for my newsletter. You’ll find the box to enter your e-mail address on the right hand side of this screen. (Enter your e-mail address with confidence: this is a no-spam zone, and I do not sell, rent, loan or even allow anyone else to peek at my subscriber list.)

Also, check back for my reviews of MagDinMo restaurants. For a full list of restaurants and the menus they’re offering, visit the Orlando Magical Dining Month Web site.

We hope you find our reviews and news articles useful and entertaining. It has always been our goal to assist you in making informed decisions when spending your dining dollars. If we’ve helped you in any way, please consider making a contribution to help us continue our journalism. Thank you.

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