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Tag Archives: chocolate

Hyatt Regency Offers Rockin’ Restaurant-Fiorenzo!

Appetizers were above the pale!
Appetizers were above the pale!
Wonderful cheeses! Exotic fruits, meats, and nuts made up terrific appetizers!
Wonderful cheeses! Exotic fruits, meats, and nuts made up terrific appetizers!
Lamb Chops from Colorado, Risotto, goats cheese. Unreal tastes!
Lamb Chops from Colorado, Risotto, goats cheese. Unreal tastes!
Chef Jim was a hero to us! His presentations of Yellowtail Snapper and Lampchops entree' were extremely excellent!
Chef Jim was a hero to us! His presentations of Yellowtail Snapper and Lampchops entree’ were extremely excellent!
Chocotini: a Martini that is most memorable
Chocotini: a Martini that is most memorable. So delicioso!

APtravelnews-November 24th—The Hyatt Regency  Orlando-Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL.—We visited the Hyatt’s Fiorenzo Italian Steakhouse after our day at a Manufacturers Fishing Show, for dinner. It turned out to be a highlight of our visit to Orlando! Hopefully, you’ve been reading APtravelnews, so you would have seen that we travel by auto, air, foot, but also on our stomachs. No adventure away from home can be successfully wonderful if the cuisine isn’t. No problem here! Fiorenzo’s Chef James O. Stafford (Jim) is an artist with meats, produce, dairy and sweets! We started out with a Chocotini (Martini with a lace of chocolate) and an appetizer matched to home baked Crostini and delicious Condiments. We chose a selection of smoked Scamorza, Truffled Pecorino and Jamon Iberica( Iberian Ham). Cheeses were “off the grid” terrific and the Wild Boar Salami has a new fan! A tasting cup of Fagiole Soup created with Cannellini Beans, Sweet Italian Sausage, Escarole and Basil Pesto, plus a cup we shared of Spicy Tomato Soup with roasted eggplant, Fregola and Olive oil capped off our appetizer list. At this point It might have been enough for anyone with a smaller appetite, but oh no, not us! Next on our hit list was Yellowtail snapper, one of President G.W. Bush’s favorite fish (recipe in my Calypso Café book) it was a special this night,  so we tried their fish entrée and another entrée; Colorado Lamb Chops, complimented by a spread of incredible Risotto. This combo, really brought home Chef Jims expertise. Good, really great Risotto takes a balance of great products and excellent understanding of cooking times and blends, needed for perfection. Jim has it down! From the cheese rolls, to the final assault on our wastes; the desserts, we swooned (probably a bit from the exotic flavored Martini’s too) over the hot chocolate Volcano Bomb (they don’t call it that, but WOWser- oozing chocolate, Filbert nuts, red raspberries, and, and I do mean: “and” Cinnamon Gelato! Promise; this was incredibly tasty and memorable. Barb went for her favorite: Tiramisu. I tasted it and found out once again why it’s a heavenly Italian treat. If it’s done correctly, almost nothing can beat it for an end-of dinner delight! Guess we have to go back again for Barbara’s Birthday and again for our Anniversary, and for my Birthday, the kids, the family, the extended family! We loved everything about Fiorenzo. Our waitress Laura Ardron was so attentive and informative about all of the menu items, we felt she was a great asset to Fiorenzo, probably one of the very best wait staff people we ever came across.      Get in touch with Fiorenzo Steak House just inside the front door at the Hyatt Regency Orlando across from the Convention Center, at 407-345-4555

 

Dessert? Oh yes! This hot chocolate and cold Gelato Cinnamon treat was the best!
Dessert? Oh yes! This hot chocolate and cold Gelato Cinnamon treat was the best!

Harvest on Main in Blue Ridge a Great Go-To Dining Experience

Fabulous wait personnel, great attention to detail and honestly friendly personalities. Barb and I loved every minute at Harvest On Main.
Fabulous wait personnel, great attention to detail and honestly friendly personalities. Barb and I loved every minute at Harvest On Main.

AmericanPressTravelNews.com—August 21st,-Bob & Barb in Blue Ridge for– “On The  Road Again” and “Stopping to Smell the Roses” Columns.

Not very far from our Goose Holler’ farm inTennessee and about 2-hours from Atlanta can be found a very enjoyable vacation hill, mountain region and town called Blue Ridge, in Fannin County. There are so many interesting stores catering to what a visitor and new home owner would enjoy bringing home to decorate and or use in their abodes. After and before also peering into the windows and crossing the threshold of several gift and antique shops, we ventured into a premier harvest to table, local produce and foods emporium called; “Harvest On Main.”  It’s interesting to know that the owners; the Cook’s, purchased a 28-acre property and created a farm that is their culinary garden and teaching center—for the production of their specialty produce, as well as eggs and honeys.

They offer very fine farm to table dinners, plus farm to table classes for kids. There is much more on the horizon in the Cook’s desire to be as food independent and fresh with all manner of farm meats and other items for their restaurant.

Comfortable and spacious with a strong feeling of being in a mountain home.
Comfortable and spacious with a strong feeling of being in a mountain home.

We met Chef Danny, and his dishes are authentic and studied- delicious for diners. Danny does rely on all surrounding farms in and around Blue Ridge, as they also provide the special ingredients used by Chef Danny. We ordered on the menu lisiting, pecan encrusted Bramlett Farms of GA. Trout, Pecan Sweet potatoes, citrus Beurre Blanc with Lemon Arugala salad. And, we chose a special of the evening: Rockfish pan seared (Striped Bass) roasted Tomatillo and black bean soup with white rice finished with Avocado and corn salsa “multi belle.” The dishes were memorable and worth every cent! Check them out at:  576 E Main St, Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge, GA 30513-7153+1 706-946-6164

We both shared our meals and Barb and I felt it was a spectacular trout dish. We left nothing for the dishwasher!!
We both shared our meals and Barb and I felt it was a spectacular trout dish. We left nothing for the dishwasher!!
The right hand man at the restaurant showed us the Cook Farms quail.
The right hand man at the restaurant showed us the Cook Farms quail.
Rockfish (Striped bass) dish was a special the evening we were at Harvest On Main!
Rockfish (Striped bass) dish was a special the evening we were at Harvest On Main!
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A specialty crab appetizer non pariel!

The Door County, Wisconsin Wine Trail will host its third annual Wine Trail Weekend

 

Barb and a vineyard owner. A recent image, isn't she beautiful?
Barb and a vineyard owner. A recent image, isn’t she beautiful?

APtravelnews-DOOR COUNTY, Wis. May 13th – On May 15-17th  Indulge in a fun-filled weekend at all eight local wineries featuring orchard and vineyard tours, cheese and chocolate pairings, live music, private tastings, and much more. The Wine Trail Weekend will include the following:

  • Door 44 Winery: Try our Blind Tasting Challenge: sample 3 wines poured blind for $4, correctly identify all 3 wines and you will receive $5 off your purchase.
    • Door Peninsula Winery: Enjoy a truffle chocolate plate with wine tasting for $5 and free guided tours all weekend.
    • Harbor Ridge Winery: Live music on Saturday from 1- 4 pm.
    • Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery: Enjoy free tours, complimentary wine tasting, and live music from 1-4 pm on Saturday. Relax with a glass of wine; buy one get one free all weekend.
  • Red Oak Winery & Vineyard: Sample Port wines with chocolate.
  • Simon Creek Vineyard & Winery: Live music 1-5 pm on Sunday.
  • Stone’s Throw Winery: Vino! Vino! Original recipe meatballs included with your tasting of ultra-premium grape wines.
  • von Stiehl Winery: Stop in for a free tour plus a wine and cheese pairing at 9:30 am or 10:30 am.

Barb and I visited this wonderful area. We experienced both a summer and winter visit. Loved the cherries, the ice fishing and ah; the wines too!

For a complete listing of all the wineries and events, please visit doorcountywinetrail.com.

The Door County Wine Trail is composed of eight wineries in Door County. The County has more wineries than any other Wisconsin county and is quickly becoming one of the premier wine regions and destinations in the Midwest.News Release from  [email protected]