citrus club.
i have a few posts to make, but this one is most exciting!
i had the honor and pleasure of going to dinner at members only restaurant citrus club in downtown orlando. one of my very best friends is a cook there, and his parents were in town. vip service is what i’m talking about.
first of all, i love getting dressed up. i don’t get to do it much, since work requires me to wear jeans and a black t shirt at all times. however, this restaurant is formal attire required! i love it.
we sat down at our table with a view of downtown. the restaurant is on the 18th floor, so the view is pretty ridiculous. i got to look at the amway arena and think about how badly the magic were beating the sixers in game 5 of the playoffs. :)
after getting a lovely malbec, chef came out and informed us that he was serving us a seven course tasting of the menu. i knew this MIGHT happen, but i was really excited to know that it really was.
everything was delicious. the amuse bouche (did i spell that right?) was a dry aged sheep cheese that i loved. course one, my favorite, was a foie gras custard that i could eat every day. it was like heaven!
i can’t remember which course was what, but i enjoyed chicken fried veal sweetbreads, veal striploin, scallops, the best crab cake i’ve ever eaten, fried flounder, and so much more.
three bottles of wine later… came dessert. i have no idea what they were called. i have the worst memory of anyone i know. but i do know they were gorgeous, complete with white chocolate tempered to look like flower petals. before we ate them, our wonderful server alex came over to make us some flaming coffee drinks. he had to line the glasses with sugar, pour a little brandy in, then set it on fire to properly melt the sugar. it was fun to watch and an interesting lesson for a starting bartender such as myself.
since i was there with such a respected guest (i mean employee), he treated us to a tour of the kitchen. we mostly talked to john gallo, the pastry chef. he was really nice, loves lost, and let us try some brand new ice creams he made. the creme fresh (?) tasted JUST like cheesecake ice cream, it was so good!
at any rate, i thoroughly enjoyed my evening. the food, wine, and company were all perfect, and i wouldn’t have traded it for anything. not even the lower bowl magic tickets that were offered to me.
