The Ups and Downs of Magical Dining Month

The great thing about Orlando's Magical Dining Month is that you get to try upscale restaurants that you normally wouldn't even be aware of. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of dining at Fiorenzo Italian Steakhouse, inside the Hyatt Regency Orlando on International Drive. I won the dinner for two from Visit Orlando on Twitter! I really appreciate all that Visit Orlando did to promote Magical Dining Month and make my experience wonderful.

While we loved some of the dishes on Fiorenzo's Italian Steakhouse Magical Dining menu, we were underwhelmed by others. For an appetizer, we chose the Calamari Fritti, which unfortunately was oversalted and unimaginative. However, the Cinnamon & Orange-Scented Lamb Ragout with ricotta and chocolate parpadelle was so delicious, we made sure to take leftovers so we wouldn't miss a bite. The lamb was cooked well, and the chocolate flavor was subtle.

Dessert was also delicious, particularly the Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich. The Vanilla Gelato with Berries tasted great, but was a bit boring. Unfortunately, this restaurant's Magical Dining menu was more limited than other Magical Dining menus we have seen, so there were not "safe staples" to choose from if one didn't like the two entree offerings. However, the presentation of the plates was beautiful.

I may try the regular menu at Fiorenzo sometime, and determine how I like the restaurant's food overall. I'm so happy that Magical Dining Month introduced me to a new Orlando restaurant - at least for me!