I've discovered one of Orlando's dirty little secrets: it's something of a culinary abyss. Calling it a "wasteland" would be a little too harsh -- I'm sure there are plenty of good ethnic dives. But when it comes to business dining... well, let's just say that I'll be happy never to go to another work conference in Orlando.
I had dinner at Todd English's bluezoo (located at the Disney Swan & Dolphin hotel complex) twice, and found a few rather nice dishes. Plus, as decor goes, this might be the funkiest, coolest restaurant on the "resort strip" -- it was certainly better than any of the restaurants at either the Gaylord or the Marriot World Centre.
The interior of the restaurant is beautiful -- words like oceanic, cooling and sexy describe it well. At the entry, a long, curved bar is illuminated from within by aqua lights, and a sculptural "wave" adorns the back wall. Light fixtures that look like a family of jellyfish or anemones hang above each large table. Columns are covered with slender tubes of stainless steel that shimmy seductively.
- New England Style Clam Chowder ($7) was incredibly good. Light but creamy broth base with chewy bits of salt-cured bacon and potato. The "house made oyster crackers" were superfluous and stale tasting, but easily avoidable. The only real complaint I had was the serving bowl -- it was entirely too deep to be able to finish the soup gracefully.
- Yellowfin Tuna Tartare ($11) was also good. The fish was perfectly fresh, and had a bit of a kick. Set atop a bed of fried rock shrimp and wrapped in paper-thin slices of cucumber, this was a unique and refreshing presentation.
- Miso-glazed Chilean Sea Bass ($30). Yes, I know I'm not supposed to eat sea bass. And when I'm home I rarely do. But once or twice a year, I just can't restrain myself. This version was very nice, but doesn't really hold a candle to what I consider the pinnacle presentation of this dish at Sushi Ran in Sausalito. The accompanying warm spinach salad was heavenly and divine -- I could have eaten twice my share. But the pea tendril salad was inedible. The greens were too old to be served raw.
- Tempura Haricot Verts ($7), served as a side dish, would have been very good if not for the slightly stale tempura batter. The beans retained their delicious snap, and the truffle aioli was the perfect accompaniment. I wish I'd ordered these at my second dinner to see if dining earlier would have helped their texture.
Dessert at bluezoo was surprisingly amazing.
- bluezoo 5D ($15) included five small espresso cups of different "tastes": chocolate pot de crème with glazed mandarins, chocolate raspberry molten cake, crème brulee, coconut sorbet and the most amazingly unique key lime tapioca. This was all served with three "cookies" -- a chocolate macaron, a "PB&J" sandwich cookie, and a third which I don't remember.
- Warm molten chocolate banana cake was another shocker. In general, I think molten and/or flourless chocolate cakes are horribly overdone. However, at bluezoo, the cake's center was warm, oozing, caramelized banana. It really was unique and amazing.
The wine list is, as expected, terribly overpriced. However, a half-bottle of 2002 Hugel Gewurztraminer was both fairly priced, and a nice match for the menu.
