Kasa Restaurant & Bar

183 S Orange Ave.
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 985-5272
View Website Here


Kasa has settled in very nicely to its location on the ground floor of The Plaza on the corner of Orange Avenue and Church Street since its opening in 2014. The restaurant is very well known for a few things…. an amazing selection of Tapas with over fifty menu choices, one of Orlando’s best wine down Wednesdays and of course the view.

The staff at Kasa always strives to present their brand of tapas in a unique and exciting way by serving up small plates that have worldwide influences in a variety of ways. Inside it is very elegant and modern but casual also. Wood veneers, stone work and a multi level dining and lounge area make the location feel very open and relaxed. No matter where you sit inside or outside, you'd be hard pressed to find a better restaurant with a better view of Downtown Orlando.
 
Now Kasa is stepping it up again and offering its diners a full time 3 course menu for $33.00. Spurred on by the success of Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining Month and Orlando Weekly’s Bite 30 events where local area restaurants offer guests a prix fixe menu that consists of 3 courses for $30.00, Kasa has decided to offer a similar menu option year round.
 
It’s really a pretty good deal too, as just one of the entree items featured on the 3 for $33.00 menu by itself is $26.00. Of course if you just wanted to try Kasa out and are unsure of what to order off of the tapas menu, this is also a great way to get an idea of the flavors and atmosphere here as well.

Cocktails are not included in the prix fixe menu, but Kasa has a fine selection of craft cocktails and wines available to whet your palate. Our Le Melon Mule featured Grey Goose Vodka, Melon, Ginger Beer and Lime.

My first course was the Pan Seared Gyoza pork potstickers with soy dipping sauce. Potstickers may be on just about everyone's menus these days as the craze for pan Asian cuisine shows no signs of slowing down, but the ones here at Kasa are wonderful. Soft and flavorful with a delicious sauce for dipping.

My guest chose the Pad Thai Calamari with pickled cucumbers, carrots, red fresno, roasted peanuts and cilantro. I'm very picky about my Calamari. I've had it too many times where it is overcooked and chewy, or worse yet, just not any good. Although my guest ordered this dish, we almost got into a fight scraping the bottom of the bowl for this calamari at Kasa. It was that good.

Of course, if you want to add an additional Tapa off of the menu you may certainly do so. While we were awaiting our food, our server suggested a new addition to the menu, the Tempura Sweet Potato with sauteed rapini and oyster mushrooms in a soy miso broth. This tapa was pretty spectacular with a good mix of savory and a touch of sweet.

For my main entree I went with the Grilled Chimichurri Hanger Steak with fingerling potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, sugar snap peas peas, red onions in a roasted garlic demi glaze. This is a full size dinner portion of steak, not just a few slices for a Tapas dish. The steak was cooked medium and had excellent flavors. When you consider that this entree lists on the menu for $26.00 alone, you soon realize what a great deal you are getting on the prix fixe menu.

The Pan Seared Chicken was also another dish my guest and I were almost fighting over. The chicken is bone in and pan seared in a flavorful pan jus that works well with the herbed spatzle and oyster mushrooms.

I chose the Lemon Mousse with seasonal berries, sweet crumble and poppy seed tuile for my dessert. This was a very refreshing and light way to end my meal.

For something a little heavier and to cure your craving for Nutella, you can choose the Nutella Panna Cotta with cookie crumbles and caramel brittle. This was a delicious dessert, but was challenging to complete because we were already stuffed.

Kasa has something that should satisfy just about everyone. We really enjoyed the new 3 for $33.00 menu and found it to be of great value when it comes to upscale dining out. I have also been to Kasa and ordered various Tapas off of the menu a few times and have always been impressed with the quality of the food that is served in this laid back modern atmosphere. Kasa is a great place to people watch and it's also a great spot to grab dinner or some small plates and a few cocktails before your night out on the town. 

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Eleven at Reunion Resort

7593 Gathering Drive
Kissimmee, FL 34747

(407-662-1000)

View Website Here

One of the many great things about Visit Orlando's Magical Dining Month, is that it also includes a great deal called Magical Nights at some of the finest resorts and hotels in Orlando. There are over seventy restaurants participating this year and over twenty hotels are participating in the Magical Nights program.

Magical Dining Month is the month long program from the folks at Visit Orlando where participating restaurants feature three-course, prix fixe dinners at the exceptional value of $33 per person. Magical Nights offers guests the opportunity to make the magical dining experience a truly memorable occasion by turning it into an overnight stay.

Many of the Magical Dining restaurants are located in area hotels and resorts, and are offering a special stay and dine package that includes hotel accommodations and a Magical Dining dinner for two. This year Reunion Resort and their beautiful indoor / outdoor restaurant that goes by the name of Eleven is participating in the program.

Eleven, as you may have guessed is on the eleventh floor of the Reunion Grande, the resorts most luxurious one and two bedroom villas. The restaurant is very chic and upscale and features an outdoor roof top lounge that offers stunning views of the skyline and the nightly fireworks display from Disney's Magic Kingdom. The menu at Eleven is full of handcrafted cocktails and steakhouse favorites that showcases prime cuts of beef with rubs, sauces, and other enhancements available to add to your selection.

The Magical Dining Menu goes as follows:


The first of two appetizer choices is a very refreshing Strawberry & Mandarin Orange Salad made with mixed greens, caramelized pecans, sun-dried tomato, goat cheese, and raspberry dressing.

If you are not in the mood for a salad, the Fried Calamari with

Sun-Dried Tomato and Tarragon Aioli,  is your second choice for an appetizer. The calamari was breaded very delicately and was quite delicious.

There are three different entree selections to choose from.

The Organic Tanglewood Farms Chicken with a citrus braised kale, havarti polenta, and a tomato demi glaze was an excellent dish.

One of my favorites was the Bourbon Glazed Salmon with a sweet corn and bacon sauté. The glaze was not overly sweet, and went really well with the Norwegian salmon.

For you steak lovers, the Grilled Hanger Steak with whipped potatoes, haricot verts, and chimichurri will not disappoint. Very tender slices of steak packed with flavor in every bite.

If you want to end your meal on a lighter note, I would suggest choosing one of the Vanilla, Chocolate, Mango, or Blackberry Gelato selections for desert. All flavors were fresh and delicious. 

If you want a traditional desert, go with the Crème Brulee. Simple, yet elegant and creamy.

The Reunion resort is a spectacular place to visit, even if its just for dinner. As mentioned earlier, at around 9:00 pm or so, if you are at Eleven restaurant, you do not want to miss the wonderful fireworks display from the neighboring Magic Kingdom.

Magical dining, magical food and magical fireworks are sure to impress just about anyone, but for a real special treat, book the Magical Night package. For just $225.00 per night you and a guest will enjoy one night in a 1 bedroom deluxe suite and dinner for two at Eleven Restaurant, and that will be a night not soon forgotten.

Reunion Resort features three signature golf courses designed by golf’s greatest legends: Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer and they are the only resort in America with an ANNIKA Academy facility on site. The resort also boasts 10 swimming pools and a water park as well, so you can spend the day splashing around the water park, or play tennis on one of the six lighted tennis courts.

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