| Tasteful Romance |
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February 2010
We found six great options in Winter Park. The vibe is nice, the food is made for sharing, the drinks refresh and you can eat and run … or linger for hours – whatever feels best at the moment. And best of all, these ideas are good anytime of the year, not just for Feb.14. Chocolate BarEven the names are indulgent. At Spice Modern Steakhouse, the two of you can sit on padded leather barstools at the black granite bar and sip Chocolate Decadence martinis. They’re quite rich: Three Olives chocolate vodka is shaken with Godiva white- and dark-chocolate liqueurs plus Chambord (for a splash of spirited black raspberry flavor) and poured to the very top of a 10-ounce martini glass, which has been coated with a chocolate drizzle. Expect a splash of cream to add body. Need a nosh? Beverage director Drew Wallace recommends the Black Tie Mousse Cake. Get two forks to tackle this sweetheart dish – three layers of chocolate cake layered with white- and dark-chocolate mousse, then topped with thick dark chocolate icing and a drizzle of white chocolate. For fare that’s just as creamy but not so sweet, share a brie en croute – imported French cheese baked in flaky pastry and served with fresh fruit. Or try tuna wontons. You’ll receive eight pieces of Cajun-crusted yellowfin tuna served on oversized fried wontons and topped with dots of wasabi mayonnaise and hoisin sauce. A mix of contemporary jazzy music with Asian influences pays tribute to the restaurant’s steak and sushi menu items. In the dining room, Spice will offer a Valentine’s Day special.
Spice Modern Steakhouse, 326 S. Park Ave.,
Turkish for twoThey call it karisik meze or the tame-sounding “mixed appetizers.” At Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine, this humbly touted dish is a work of art. Of course, you risk loving the garlicky, creamy concoctions that make it up more than your date. But dab a bit of this and a bit of that onto a puffy oversized lavas flatbread, split a bottle of Turkish Kavaklidere (a $40 medium-bodied red), and, heck, you won’t even mind the garlic on one another’s breath. What is this starter? It’s an enormous platter of nine cold appetizers. You spread a little hummus on your lavas – the chickpea mash has a grainy texture and a bolt of fresh lemon juice. You take a dab of tarama, which tastes so much better than it sounds: It’s a frothy olive oil spread flavored with gentle red caviar. Then there’s haydari, a garlicky yogurt-walnut dip, a grilled eggplant puree with red and green bell pepper, pureed smoked eggplant, a fried eggplant salad, a vegetable salad with walnuts and parsley, a cracked wheat salad and stuffed grape leaves – each one fresh and flavorful. This isn’t food court gyro fare. Here the meats are butchered in the Bosphorous kitchen. And that lavas? The cooks make an art of it. Using high-gluten bread flour, they make the dough fresh every day using a complex process, kneading it by hand. In fact, they handle each lavas six different times before placing it in a 650°F oven. If the dining room and outdoor tables are filled with guests ordering three-course meals, settle into a cherry-colored wood high-top in the bar with padded black chairs. Glass lighting and travertine tiles set a soothing tone. You’ll hear the music mix of 120 CDs, hand-picked songs from ballads to instrumentals, Turkish originals to pop and techno sounds. On Thursdays and Sundays, including Valentine’s Day, Bosphorous features live Turkish music, often a flamenco player who uses an antique 130-string kanun.
Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine, 108 S. Park Ave., Cheese, pleaseIf the whole crowded-restaurant thing works against your romance groove, think about a picnic. Pick up a wine and cheese basket from The Cheese Shop on Park and find an outdoor spot with a gentle breeze and a pretty view. Or maybe your own back lawn. Or in front of your fireplace. Or on the couch watching a movie. You can order a preselected group of cheeses or you can work with owners Kirsten and Alan Nussbaum to create a custom dairy feast. A typical Romantic Wine and Cheese Picnic for Two might include a heart-shaped fresh goat cheese from New York’s Coach Farms; creamy French Saint-André; Comté, a mountain-style semi-firm cheese, also from France; and Pyrénées Sheep Capitoul, a velvety French sheep cheese with a mushroomy finish. A pink box of The Fine Cheese Co. Natural Crackers and a bottle of pink sparkling wine complete the package. Whatever your choice, the owners will hand-cut the cheese to order, place the delicacies in a keepsake basket, cover it with pink tulle fabric and tie it with a ribbon. Upon request, disposable champagne glasses, plates and napkins will be included, along with any tempting goodies such as olives or stuffed peppers. Or just forget the blanket and the basket and toast your love with wine and cheese in the store. Since last summer, the store has been serving wine by the glass and specialty beers along with its cheese plates.
The Cheese Shop on Park, 329 N. Park Ave., Suite 102, Tea for twoGuys, this one’s for you. It’s no secret that breakfast in bed or a lovingly prepared dinner will warm your lady’s heart. At The Spice & Tea Exchange, owners Bryan Behling and Jeffrey Schrader try to make it easy to pull that off, even if you’re a kitchen klutz. In fact, they’re packaging five eros-oriented foodstuffs together in a delicate organza bag. One item, Baker’s Secret Grinder Blend, enables you to make a luscious breakfast without much real work. Coco nibs, maple syrup granules, handmade vanilla turbinado sugar, chunk cinnamon, cut and sifted ginger and pure nutmeg are sold together in a glass grinder bottle. Butter some bread, sprinkle a bit on top and stick it in the toaster oven. Serve this along with a cup of dark black chocolate tea and you’ll look like a hero … especially because the package also comes with raspberry sugar crystals, which she can stir into the tea. For dinner, fire up the grill, or preheat the broiler, and sprinkle some Warm Chipotle Cinnamon Steak Rub onto a couple of T-bones. A blend of ground chipotle pepper, ground cinnamon, smoked sweet paprika, granulated onion and garlic, white pepper and kosher salt will add dimension to the beef. For dessert, split a dark chocolate confection infused with ancho chili pepper powder, chipotle pepper powder and True Ceylon cinnamon. The sweet, which you’ll find in your Spice & Tea organza bag, will be from Peterbrooke Chocolatier, located farther south on Park Avenue.
The Spice & Tea Exchange, 309 Park Avenue North, Count us inYou both like that steakhouse feel, the rich woods, the strong drinks … but the price tag doesn’t jibe with getting in the mood. With Fleming’s new 5 For $6 ’Til 7 menu, you can have your (crab) cake and eat it too. Sit in the bar from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each evening and you’re free to order any of five cocktails, glasses of wine or appetizers (plus a new 8-ounce prime sirloin burger) for $6 apiece. Items are sized as always; many sell at other times for $12 to $15 each. With a soundtrack of male vocalists and other smooth tunes playing in the background, you might go Hawaiian with the Tropical Martini (with Malibu coconut rum) or a white cosmo with Ketel One vodka, and fill up on hearty portions of tenderloin carpaccio with creole mustard sauce, Wicked Cajun barbecued shrimp or jumbo lump crab cakes with red pepper sauce. It’s not on the $6 menu, but operating partner Al Romeo recommends the chocolate lava cake as a dynamite dessert.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 933 N. Orlando Ave., A snack that sizzlesIf you’re just nibbling on appetizers and sipping cocktails, you probably won’t have the best seat in the house at Hot Olives on Valentine’s Day. The coveted tables are in an enclosed outdoor area next to heat lamps with gardenlike surroundings. Nab a place there during a slower time, or simply belly up to the (civilized) bar and enjoy the restaurant’s understated atmosphere. It’s OK to wear jeans here, but on this night above all others guests tend to gussy up. The prime dish to share, of course, is Hot Olives – a martini glass filled with diced kalamata olives mixed with asiago cheese, breaded and fried. Nine are served with a blue cheese and sweet chili sauce. Mediterranean bruschetta is good for sharing too. Five herb crostinis are topped with roasted tomatoes, marinated olives, roasted red peppers and fresh basil along with feta cheese and balsamic glaze. What to drink with these robust finger foods? Try a Hot Olives Signature Martini. It’s made with Grey Goose vodka, Cointreau and Malibu coconut rum topped with cranberry and pineapple juice. Hot Olives will also offer a special three-course menu for the evening.
Hot Olives, 463 W. New England Ave., |
Some couples dread dining out on Valentine’s Day just as others do on New Year’s Eve: They are put off by the bustling restaurants and prix fixe menus that appeal to seemingly everyone else in the universe. High prices, long waits and huge meals get in the way for these folks, who want a special food-centered moment without the three-course obligation.
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