Planet Hollywood Observatory

1506 East Buena Vista Drive
Orlando, FL 32836
(407) 827-7827
View Website Here

The newly redone Planet Hollywood Observatory has officially opened its doors, and it's pretty amazing.

Centrally located overlooking the heart of Disney Springs with a newly expanded outdoor terrace and bar, a new menu and a dazzling array of lighting and design elements, Planet Hollywood Observatory has the “wow” factor for sure.

Repeatedly at the forefront of industry trends, Robert Earl, the entrepreneur, restaurateur and star of the Cooking Channel’s “Robert Earl’s Be My Guest,” spearheaded the redo for the Orlando flagship location, and he has really outdone himself with this one.

Within the sophisticated entertainment emporium, patrons of all ages are invited to “Dine Amongst the Stars” through distinctive indoor and outdoor bar and lounge options, an imaginative new merchandise line, and a host of all star celebrity collaborations.

Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, each floor was created to provide a different experience so guests can return again and again, discovering a new adventure each time. Walls and glass displays throughout the restaurant are adorned with imagery as well as a curated collection of memorabilia, along with a state-of-the-art 4,500 square foot video wall that utilizes the latest in 3-D technology.

Chef, restaurateur and television personality Guy Fieri has introduced a few flavor packed burgers and sandwiches to the menu as part of the larger menu offerings for the transformed Orlando flagship location. New dining options are aimed to highlight Planet Hollywood’s timeless classics and introduce Fieri’s updated creations.

“Guy Fieri has created an impressive culinary empire and has built an incredible TV following with several food themed shows, so it was a no brainer to invite him to create a special menu for Planet Hollywood Observatory. This partnership only furthers our commitment to refresh our guest experience while continuing to offer freshly prepared, pleasing dishes,” said Planet Hollywood International Founder and Chairman Robert Earl.

While the exterior is reminiscent of a turn of the century observatory with a modern design aesthetic, the interior’s refurbished upholstery, spherical planet shaped lighting fixtures and stylish finishing create a welcoming atmosphere for fans to celebrate a new generation of superstar entertainers.

The updated beverage program features a variety of milkshakes, smoothies, wines, bottled and draft beers, as well as cocktails served in specialty glassware. Pictured left is the Observatory made with Stoli vodka, peach tea and prosecco. On the right is the Stargazer made with blueberry vodka and lemonade.

The High Roller Appetizer Platter is quite the spectacle when it arrives at your table served in a Ferris wheel. This features Chicken crunch tenders breaded with Cap'n Crunch and corn flakes, Texas Tostadas, buffalo wings, five cheese dip and Peri-Peri shrimp.

The Bacon Mac-N-Cheese burger is made with applewood smoked bacon, six cheese mac-n-cheese, crispy onion straws and is finished up with Guy’s famous Donkey sauce. All burgers and sandwiches are served with triple fries, which is a variety of three different types of seasoned French fries. This is the signature burger here, and it was pretty messy, but pretty darn tasty.

The St. Louis style BBQ ribs are smoked in house and smothered with BBQ sauce served with triple fries served on a miniature picnic table. The rib meat literally fell off the bone and had a great flavor.

Of course the desserts here are just as exciting and entertaining as the rest of the food and the observatory itself. This Cosmic Cotton Candy milkshake features cotton candy flavored ice cream, rainbow sprinkles, white chocolate covered pretzels, cotton candy, and a lollipop. 

Other shakes like this are featured as well like the Strawberry Big Bang and the Chocolate Comet that are just as over the top and delicious as this one. They also offer a Gelato and ice cream plate, chocolate meltdown, brownie sundae, and Star Jars that are like cakes or puddings layered up in jars.


Planet Hollywood Observatory is open from Sunday to Thursday from 11:00am until 12:00am, while Friday and Saturday the restaurant portion is open until 1:00am.

The bar portion is open from Sunday to Thursday from 11:00am to 1:00am and Friday and Saturday, the bar stays open until 2:00am.

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2017 Dates Announced for Harbor Nights Food & Wine Events

5601 Universal Blvd.

Orlando, FL 32819
407-503-1000
View Website Here

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando has announced 2017 dates for its popular food and wine event series, Harbor Nights.

This year events will take place on February 10th, April 21st, October 13th and a special Holiday Harbor Nights on November 24th.

Harbor Nights takes place outdoors (weather permitting) under the twinkling lights of the hotel's majestic and picturesque Harbor Piazza, one of Orlando’s most unique outdoor event spaces.

Guests can enjoy unlimited samples of more than a dozen select wines and sparkling wines, along with gourmet food and desserts expertly prepared by the hotel's award-winning culinary team. The event also features live music and a balcony performance by Portofino's opera singers.

“With every season of the year, the menu and spirit of the evening changes, so each Harbor Nights is a totally unique experience,” said Carmen Viscosi, director of food & beverage for Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. “We look forward to welcoming our guests and local friends to Harbor Nights again in 2017.”

Tickets are $50. Limited VIP tickets are $85 online only and include all the benefits of a regular Harbor Nights ticket, plus reserved seating in a special area with private wine station and passed hors d'oeuvres. All tickets include complimentary self-parking or discounted valet parking for $5. Please note this is an adults (21 and older) only event.

For more information and to purchase tickets for Harbor Nights on February 10th, please visit loewshotels.tix.com.

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South Beach Wine & Food Festival Announces All-Star Talent Line-Up

13th Street & Ocean Drive
Miami Beach FL, 33139
View Website Here

Widely recognized as one of America’s favorite epicurean celebrations, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) returns to EAT. DRINK. EDUCATE. February 22nd – 26th, 2017. 

Benefiting the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University, tickets are on sale now for more than 90 events. The line up for the 16th annual Festival includes an array of unique dinner experiences, signature tastings, late night parties, seminars, the return of the Taste Fort Lauderdale Series, and more taking place at locations throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Continuing the long standing tradition of bringing the most revered names in culinary to South Beach, the Festival is honored to feature an intimate dinner hosted by Massimo Bottura at the Faena Hotel Miami Beach on Friday, February 24th. Bottura’s Osteria Francescana, located in Modena, Italy was named the No. 1 restaurant in the world on the prestigious list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants presented by Acqua Panna and S. Pellegrino earlier this year.

For the first time, the Festival has partnered with hospitality and nightlife impresario David Grutman to present The David Grutman Experience at its signature Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village featuring Mastercard Grand Tasting Tents & KitchenAid Culinary Demonstrations on Sunday, February 26th. Recognized worldwide for his hotspots LIV, Story and Komodo, Grutman is bringing his signature over-the-top curated experiences straight to the sands of Miami Beach for the first time.

Offering one of a kind culinary experiences featuring the world’s best chefs, the Festival has once again carefully curated an array of more than 20 dinners. Highlights for 2017 include:

-An all-truffle experience

-Vegan dinner

-Kosher BBQ

-Celebration of Spain

-Journey through North Carolina cuisine

-Taste of South America

-Mediterranean mezze

-Caribbean classics and much more...

Some of the new events and returning favorites continue to add to the excitement of the Festival weekend, including the following options under $100:

-Craft-y Happy Hour

-Brickell City Centre After Dark hosted by Michael & Liz Symon 

-Salty, Sweet & Savory Treats: A Late-Night Party featuring Bar Lab

-The Salty Donut & Sarsaparilla Club

-DRINK Fort Lauderdale: Cocktail Time Machine Experience

-The Art of Tiki: A Cocktail Showdown hosted by Robert Irvin 

-Buddhas and Bellinis

-Nutrish’s Yappie Hour hosted by Rachael Ray

-Food Fight hosted by Guy Fieri 

-Badia Spices’ Fun and Fit as a Family featuring Goya Foods Kidz Kitchen.

The Festival’s signature Miami Beach events anchoring the weekend also get fresh twists this year, starting with a live musical performance by Little River Band, who hold 10 top 20 songs on U.S. Billboard charts, at Barilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach sponsored by HCP Media and the Miami Herald Media Company and hosted by Valerie Bertinelli & Alex Guarnaschelli on Thursday, February 23rd. 

The decade long, fan favorite event Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by Rachael Ray also returns on Friday, February 24th, where more than 30 chefs will compete for top burger-maestro honors. 

SOBEWFF channels the late night vibes that South Beach is known for on Saturday, February 25th at the brand new BACARDÍ Beach Party, featuring an array of cocktails, beats and beach bites to keep fans dancing long into the night. 

After its successful launch at last year’s Festival, the weekend will again close out with Lucky Chopsticks: An Asian Night Market hosted by Andrew Zimmern.

Additionally, the Festival’s beloved white tents nestled in the sand between 10th and 13th Streets and Ocean Drive will continue to host the Goya Foods Grand Tasting Village featuring Grand Tasting Tents & KitchenAid Culinary Demonstrations during the weekend.

A variety of dinners, brunches, lunches, and parties will take place throughout the weekend, featuring renowned chefs, culinary personalities, winemakers, and spirits producers. Events like Buddhas and Bellinis, Decadent Dessert Party hosted by Duff Goldman, Croquetas & Champagne hosted by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Goya Foods Swine & Wine hosted by Cindy Hutson, and for all ages, Fun and Fit as a Family featuring Goya Kidz Kitchen.

Grab a sweet and savory deal this Valentine’s Day with the Fifty Shades of Food promotion for the 16th annual Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival. This special, limited time promotion allows you and yours access to set your taste buds aflame compliments of more than 50 chefs.

Starting at 9:00 A.M. Monday, February 6th, Festival fans who use code VDAY17 when purchasing two (2) or more tickets to Barilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach sponsored by HCP Media and the Miami Herald Media Company hosted by Valerie Bertinelli & Alex Guarnaschelli will also receive two (2) tickets to BACARDÍ On The Beach with Beats by Rev Run & DJ Ruckus.  

The deal doesn’t end there, as  each couple will also receive a complimentary copy of Fifty Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, November 2012).  The Fifty Shades of Food promotion runs through midnight on February 14th.  

Tickets for the 2017 Festival are available now online at sobewff.org or by calling (877)-762-3933 (Phone sales are open Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST). 

To date, SOBEWFF has raised more than $24 million for the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at FIU.

Between SOBEWFF and its sister NYCWFF, which takes place each October in New York City, more than $32 million has been raised to benefit the respective charities for each Festival. Beyond the funds raised, both Festivals draw attention to the vibrant dining culture in their respective cities, provide economic stimulus in their communities, and serve as an invaluable platform to drive awareness, engaging and inspiring people to get involved in philanthropic activities.

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Bulla Gastrobar Elevates Lunch with A New Prix Fixe Menu

110 S Orlando Ave #7
Winter Park, FL 32789

(321) 214-6120
View Website Here

The new Spanish tapas restaurant in Winter Park, Bulla Gastrobar is stepping up its lunch game with a recently added prix fixe menu, available Monday through Friday at it's Winter Park (and Coral Gables) locations.

Bulla Gastrobar is a fun casual gathering place inspired by the most popular tapas restaurants in Spain. It is the brainchild of the former owner of Por Fin, Carlos Centurion. Much like those famous gastro bars in Spain, the bar at Bulla is the center of attraction, but the emphasis is on quality gastronomic creations.

Bulla (boo-ya), which is slang for chatter and what people are talking about, is devoted to delight you by serving your favorite Spanish and Catalan dishes such as “Patatas Bravas”, “Huevos Bulla”, Buñuelos de Bacalao and other tapas as well as tantalizing daily specials from the kitchen.

The prix fixe menu, which includes popular dishes like the Huevos Bulla, Gazpacho Andaluz, Bulla Burger and Torrija, starts at $19.00. Guests can select one dish each from the first course and second course as part of the special. For $23, guests can also add one of the included desserts.

Some of the first course options are Garbanzo Frito, a chickpea stew with chorizo and kale, Gazpacho Andaluz, a Spanish chilled vegetable soup and the popular Huevos ‘Bulla’ with eggs, homemade potato chips, Serrano ham, potato foam and truffle oil.

Second course offerings sound pretty tasty with options like the Mero En Adobo Grouper fried Cádiz style with aioli potatoes, avocado and a seasonal salad. The Futbol club is a breaded chicken breast with bacon, chicken confit, lettuce, tomato, mustard aioli and pan de cristal. The Bulla Burger, Arroz A La Cubana and the Brioche De Vegetales round out the rest of the offerings. 

Flan de Coco, and the Torrija (pictured above) with caramelized brioche, turrón ice cream and honey are your dessert options.

The two course menu with no dessert is $19.00, and the three course menu with dessert is $23.00

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"Grown" Announces Expansion to Central Florida

11930 Narcoossee Road

Orlando, FL 32822
(305) 663-GROW
View Website Here

Grown, a highly celebrated USDA Organic Certified fast food restaurant based in Miami, Florida, is excited to announce its expansion to Central Florida with the debut of a stand alone location inside of the new Walmart Supercenter located in the vibrant community of Lake Nona.

The innovative farm-to-fork concept is owned and operated by husband and wife team Shannon and Ray Allen.

Shannon (The PreGame Meal) created the concept in frustration after searching unsuccessfully for an organic nutrient dense meal on-the-go for their five children and especially their son Walker who lives with Type 1 Diabetes.

She and husband Ray (retired two-time NBA Champion, 10-time NBA All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist), are committed to promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle by providing freshly prepared meals inclusive of guests with dietary needs such as gluten sensitivities, food allergies, vegans, vegetarians, pescetarians, and those on the Autoimmune Protocol or paleo diets.

Grown is proud to be the first USDA Certified Organic fast food restaurant with a drive-thru on the East Coast, and is widely recognized as a market disrupter for providing convenience without compromise.

“At grown, we’re passionate about changing the world one organic fast food meal at a time by providing busy families with convenient, delicious, freshly prepared meals using the best USDA Organic Certified ingredients the market has to offer. Our biggest challenge to date is that organic certified products are cost prohibitive for a lot of families.

You may not know this, but Walmart is the second largest seller of organic groceries in the US. Due to their immense customer base and buying power, they can not only support local farmers as they make the switch from conventional to organically grown farms, but, also help drive down the cost of organic for consumers everywhere. Operating grown inside of Walmart makes us accessible to every family, regardless of their mean income; this is a game changer,” states Shannon.

Grown, named one of the best new restaurants in Florida by Florida Trend Magazine, marries the quality of farm-to-fork cuisine with the convenience of fast food dining and makes it possible for busy people to access high-quality foods at affordable prices. Guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner items as well as fresh pressed juices, smoothies, family style meals to-go, organic beer and wine, and more.

Practicing sustainability beyond the kitchen, Grown utilizes pulp-free and compostable paper products, 100% recyclable cups, BPA-free storage containers, and plantable menus and kids meal packaging that encourage even the youngest guests to cultivate their own gardens.

Grown Lake Nona will be located inside the Walmart Supercenter at 11930 Narcoossee Road. The restaurant, opening in mid-February, will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from 9AM to 9PM.

Grown’s Miami flagship location is at 8211 South Dixie Highway, and can also be found in Hard Rock Stadium (BankUnited Club Level and Section 148-A).

Telephone: (305) 663-GROW; Website: www.grown.org.
Follow Grown on Twitter/Instagram: @grownmiami
Facebook: www.facebook.com/grownmia

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