Orchid Court Sushi Bar; Royal Pacific Resort, Orlando

Tasty Tasty Fishies and Some Mighty Fine Drinks are Waiting for You at Orchid Court!

Jay and I were jonesin for sushi all month, but since we knew that a trip to Orlando was looming we decided to forgo Stinktown's best offering and wait for the real deal in Florida. Orchid Court Sushi has received some terrific reviews so we were primed for a great meal when we arrived at the lounge promptly at five o'clock. They only serve sushi in the evenings and they have some great happy hour specials between 5PM and 6PM, so get there early to take advantage!

The lounge is located directly off the lobby and is surrounded on three sides by windows, so it's filled with natural light that makes it feel both warm and welcoming. Seating is first come, first serve, and once I spotted a small covered area with cushions and comfy pillows I made a beeline for it because I'm all about the plush!

The Bar ... always stop here first!


Orchid Court Sushi Lounge


Needs More Fish!


Jay lounges in the sushi pagoda


A girl, and a drink, and a sushi couch ...


We ordered drinks from the bar to start the first vacation meal off right, and Jay selected the Naturally Hot: Reposado Tequila muddled with cherry tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, jalapenos, and fresh lime juice. He enjoyed this but said it could have been hotter - the jalapenos lent it a little kick but not enough to warrant the name which he said should have been "Just Warm."

Naturally Hot, just like the hubba!


I chose the Rose Sidecar which was made with Hennessy VS Cognac, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and homemade rose petal syrup. I loved this drink! It was strong and perfectly blended and went down oh-so-smoothly. These drinks, by the way, were the Lowe's Resort specialty cocktails - they had an entire book to choose from with all kinds of really interesting and delicious sounding drinks from their various world-wide resorts. The Orchid Court also has a specialty cocktail menu of drinks but we never made it to those ... just gives us another reason to pay them a repeat visit!

Rose Sidecar


Aside from a bowl of Miso Soup, everything we ordered was from the happy hour menu. Jason ate most of the soup but I did have a few sips and thought it was pretty good, although I could still taste the shrooms lurking in the bowl.

Miso Soup


There were six, four-piece sushi rolls to choose from on the happy hour menu, and we selected four of them: Spicy Tuna (with sesame, chimi pepper, and avocado); Mexican (shrimp tempura, avocado, jalapeno, spicy mayo, and cucumber); Spicy Salmon (with sesame, chimi pepper, and cucumber); and California (snow crab, Japanese mayo, cucumber, and avocado). These were all quite good, and some of them had a definite kick. I personally enjoyed the California and Spicy Tuna rolls the most and really liked that they used real crab meat in the CA roll.

Sushi Rolls - yum!


Happy hour also includes specials on Nigiri and Sashimi, so we ordered four pieces each of tuna and salmon nigiri and two pieces of Octopus nigiri. It was all beautiful and fresh and delicious!

Nigiri plate


My first plate ...


We had to order a second round of drinks before heading out into the wilds of Citywalk, so this time Jay selected The Park Avenue, made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, vermouth, and a dash of butters with a drowning, drunken cherry. This was one of the best Manhattans we've had in a long time, and certainly the best of the trip!

The Park Avenue


My second drink choice was the Garden Cooler - Hendrick's Gin and Elderflower Liqueur muddled with kiwi and cucumber and topped with apple and lime juice. This was wonderfully refreshing and packed a powerful punch - it was a great way to end the first of many snack stops during the evening.

Garden Cooler


Jay and I had every intention of returning to Orchid Court for another visit before leaving on our cruise, but there were so many other places we wanted to try that it just didn't happen. And to be completely honest, we did try on Saturday night because we wanted some good drinks and tasty snacks to keep us company while watching Game 3 of the World Series but they were only televising college football and we were outvoted by a group of sadly misguided, bad beer-swilling hotel guests.

Sports-viewing angst aside, Orchid Court absolutely lived up to the hype and served up some terrific sushi and creative, powerful drinks. It's a hidden gem that deserves to be discovered!

Scape American Bistro; St. Louis, MO

Scape Without the Goat ... Plenty of Good Food for All!

For a last minute dinner selection before the Wynton Marsalis concert last night, Jason and I lucked into a real gem located in the Central West End. Scape has been open for business since 2007, and specializes in an approachable yet sophisticated menu that blends classic and modern favorites using seasonal ingredients. The atmosphere was warm and comfortable with soft brown and copper colors predominating. Floor to ceiling windows look out on Maryland Plaza and its historic fountain from the front of the dining room, while more windows provide a view of the restaurant's lush Courtyard Bar in the rear of the establishment.

We were seated immediately and focused like a laser beam on Scape's cocktail menu - it was an excruciatingly long week for both of us and we were in dire need of liquid refreshment! Jason chose The BIG Negroni, which was a blend of gin, campari, and sweet vermouth served on the rocks. I opted for The Intern: rye whiskey, dubonnet, and St. Germain with an orange twist. My drink was terrific, if just a little too sweet - I would have preferred more whiskey but it was really well made and had a lovely overall flavor. Jason truly enjoyed his negroni, but to enhance the bitterness of the campari he asked me to quickly stir his drink a few times with my finger.

The Intern and the BIG Negroni


We settled on three different appetizers to begin our meal - there were so many tasty options to consider that it would have been impossible for two hawgs like Jason and me to choose just one. We started with Seared Diver Scallops in butternut squash and cauliflower puree and these were just fabulous - two big meaty scallops cooked perfectly and nestled in a colorful bed of tasty vegetable mush. I could have happily ordered two more servings and called it dinner!

Because Jay loves oysters and doesn't often have a chance to indulge in them, I encouraged him to order Scape's seafood appetizer special: East & West Coast Oysters featuring creatures from Vancouver and New Brunswick. He said they were terrific; when I asked if he could discern a difference between the two oyster variations, he told me that the west coast oysters had a brinier flavor than those from New Brunswick.

Our final shared appetizer was the Ahi Tuna Tacos, which were served in deconstructed fashion with fresh guacamole and house made baked corn shells. We loved the presentation and thought this was fun and tasty. I did have a slight quibble with this dish because one of corn shells was way too chewy to be enjoyable, but the others were perfectly crunchy so overall it was still a huge hit and we'd definitely order it again.

Seared Diver Scallops


East and West Coast Oysters


Ahi Tuna Tacos


I struggled with my entree choice, not really knowing exactly what it was I wanted, and finally settled on the Classic Steak Frite: Dry-aged Flat Iron Steak with Cognac-Peppercorn Sauce and Handcut Fries. My first mistake was ordering steak and my second was forgetting to ask that the sauce be served on the side. The meat was cooked to perfection but I took one bite and promptly gagged as a result of the excessive salt in the sauce and in the steak seasoning. Even Jason agreed that all he could taste was salt, and he's nowhere near as picky as I am when it comes to things like this.

Fortunately, the manager happened to stop by on her walk around the dining room and she asked how our meal was and I told her the sauce was over-salted. She was as kind as could be and offered to bring me a new entree with sauce on the side. The second attempt was better, but we decided that the rub used on the meat was too salty as well, and when combined with the peppercorn sauce it created a dining experience a la' Blue Zoo Dead Sea Pasta, Circa 2009.

Classic Steak Frite


Jason opted for Scape's Thai Chli Glazed King Salmon served with Soy-Ginger Pork Potstickers, and Blueberry-Plum and Hot Mustard Dipping Sauces. He said this was really good - well cooked and tender with great flavor that wasn't overly spicy. I tried some of his potstickers and thought they were delicious ... and I don't usually like potstickers, so that should tell you something!

Thai Chili Glazed Salmon


We actually ordered a second round of drinks right before our entrees showed up - Jason chose a California Bee Sting which was made with Absolut Grapefruit Vodka, Chile Infused Honey, and Fresh Orange, Lemon, and Lime Juices. I went with a Refreshing Cucumber Press: Grey Goose Pear Vodka, St. Germain, Muddled Cucumber, Lemon Juice, and Soda. Both drinks were quite good, but we agreed that our first round had been slightly more enjoyable and slightly more booze-infused.

Cucumber Press & California Bee Sting


While dessert was not something we'd planned to order, as soon as I saw that one of the options was a chocolate cigar, all bets were off! The Romeo Y Julieta is a hand rolled dark chocolate cookie cigar with chocolate mousse at each end. It was served with our choice of house made gelato and we selected salted caramel. The presentation alone made this worth ordering - it was served in an ashtray! Luckily it tasted nothing like tobacco; it was fabulous and so much fun to eat.

Romeo Y Julieta


Overall we were very pleased with our experience at Scape. The steak frite was the only misstep in an otherwise excellent meal and the staff was very accommodating - their professionalism and friendliness, coupled with tasty and creative cuisine, cemented our resolve to pay the restaurant another visit. As an additional courtesy that was not expected or needed, but certainly much appreciated, the manager comped dessert for us to apologize for my steak frite issue. It's obvious that Scape takes a lot of pride in their cuisine and their service - we think it's a real gem that deserves more attention from the local dining scene and suggest you check it out for yourselves some day!