CHEF ADDARICH: Peabody Banquet Chef Carlos Addarich presents a vegetable plate. (Myriam Moran)
One hotel has maintained a four-star, four-diamond rating for the last 20 years. The high rating continues despite the turmoil of new construction that will see The Peabody Orlando Hotel expand from its current 890 rooms in a 27-story tower to include a new 32-story tower that will increase the number of rooms to 1641.
The Peabody Orlando is snug up against the old and new Orange County Convention Center with bridges and walkways that connect them. With the new construction, Peabody will increase its own meeting space to 250,000 square feet. “Right now 3,000 people can sit down and dine here at one time. When the expansion is completed 12,000 people will be able to dine here sitting down,” said Alan Villaverde, president of Peabody Hotel Division and general manager of the Peabody Orlando.
Bigger is not always better and intimate dining in cozy surroundings with fine food and wine at fair pricing is the key to any successful restaurant operation. The joke among conventioneers, some wearing funny hats and often eccentric name tags, is that they paid $150 to eat rubber chicken at a hotel ballroom banquet and $75 more for a rather ordinary bottle of wine charged to their room. This is not the case at The Peabody where Banquet Chef Carlos Addarich is ever vigilant to assure quality.
There are two main restaurants in the current Peabody Orlando Hotel. When new construction is completed a California wine-themed restaurant is anticipated with glorious views of gardens and water. Capriccio, the Italian steakhouse will remain. Vinny Guarino is the manager of Capriccio. He is omnipresent to oversee a well-trained staff and personally vigilant to insure that every course is served to perfection.
LEAN AND TENDER: Filet of beef tenderloin at Capriccio Grill. (Myriam Moran)
Diners pass in front of Capriccio’s open kitchen where chefs work high-temperature ovens grilling Angus beef to sear in juices and flavor then cook it in the flames to enhance flavor. Capriccio’s 24-ounce rib eye steak, remarkable for the marbling that gives it flavor, comes out delectable and tender, $39.95. The 12-ounce filet mignon is for those who like meat rare or medium since it must be butterflied to cook it well without burning the outside. It comes out of the broilers lean and tender, $38.95. A 16-ounce New York strip steak is a hearty cut of meat, palate-pleasing taste with a little seared fat and gristle that, if trimmed too closely, deprives the beef of its hearty aroma and flavor.
Capriccio lives up to its reputation for sea food offering broiled New Zealand lobster tails, $65 and fresh catch obtained from suppliers daily that includes salmon, mahimahi, snapper, and scallops, $23.95. Pizzas are cooked in a gas brick oven and pastas are a specialty, $13.95 to $23.95. It is easy to forget that you are eating in a large hotel. Intimate surroundings and personal attention make it a comfortable dining experience.
A large, temperature-controlled, wine storage room can be seen through floor to ceiling glass doors and windows. The Peabody Orlando offers 275 different label selections of wines to please any taste and budget. The storage room usually contains 3,000 bottles at any one time. Wine by the glass runs $8, a bottle of Pinot Grigio Santa Margarita from Italy is $53, and high-end champagne, like a 750 ml bottle of Cristal, is $450. There will be an emphasis on California wines with the new expansion.
Shoppers will relish the upscale Mall at Millenia; it was spelled wrong by developers and left that way. The mall is a short drive from The Peabody Hotel. Every brand and ‘marque de qualite’ is to be found at the mall as is one of the finest chain restaurants in Orlando. Brio’s Tuscan Grill in the Mall is a large restaurant and has a brisk luncheon trade.
BRIO TUSCAN GRILL: An elegant presentation of rack of lamb, crab cakes and wedding seafood soup. (Myriam Moran)
Brio’s first courses are elegantly served meals in themselves with offerings of braised meatballs and creamy polenta, $9.75, Gorgonzola lamb chops with sautéed spinach in red wine sauce, $13.95 and calamari fritto misto, $10.50. Seven specialty salads grace the menu from Caesar to Insalata Toscano, $13.95.
Main courses include steak dishes of 8-ounce center-cut filet, strip steak Fiorentina, and Gorgonzola crusted strip, 14 ounces, $25.95. Wood grilled salmon, $20.50 and roasted lamb chops, $25.95 are also specials along with various pasta dishes. Angel hair primavera is $14.50; shrimp and scallop risotto with fire-roasted tomatoes and lobster bercy is $18.50.
To make reservations at The Peabody Orlando Hotel, call them toll free at 800-PEABODY or 800-42-DUCKS or visit their Web site at peabodyorlando.com.
Brio’s reservations can be made by calling 407-351-8909.
