Saturday, September 25, 2010

Magical Dining and Pig Tails


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September is an exciting month in the town of Orlando for foodies. For a couple of years now, our fair city has boosted the local economy by celebrating Magical Dining Month. (Yes, everything in this town is "magical" thanks to Disney.) Diners may choose from a list of over 60 upscale restaurants and order from a three-course menu for $30 per person. Now I'm not talking Applebee's here. Some of these restaurants are ones we only frequent when we are on a business tab, so this is a fantastic deal.

Last weekend my husband and I dined Magically with friends at a restaurant called Oceannaire, known obviously for their seafood. In the past, we have walked out of this place with a tab somewhere around $100 per person (or more with wine). This time, we brought our own wine, schmoozed our server by offering him samples of our juice, and did not get charged a corkage fee. The courses were full-sized, and we had to be rolled out at the end of the evening.

Last night we decided to be Magical again, and went to one of the most popular joints in town, The Ravenous Pig. We brought wine with us this time too, but unfortunately our butt-kissing didn't work with the server...we were charged $15 for corkage. We both had salads, Gruyere biscuits, I had a flatiron steak with truffle fries, my husband had a ragu, and the best part of the meal? Pig tails!











































Basically, this is fried dough coated with sugar, with chocolate dipping sauce. Life is good.


14 comments:

Marianne said...

Magical Dining Month! How did I not know of this? Please tell me more! Ravenous Pig is on our list of places we need to go.

JoAnn said...

I love events like that! We took part in something similar in NYC last summer, and there is a promotion locally that pumps up the restaurant business when it needs it most around here - February!
I want to try Pig Tails!!

caite said...

Atlantic City...along with several surrounding towns...does a similar Restaurant Week thing. A great way for the locals to try some expensive places at a reasonable price.

The pig tail had me at the dipping chocolate..

Anonymous said...

I'm ever so glad those aren't real pig tails!

Margot said...

You almost had me with the Pig Tails. I thought, What will they think up next? Glad to hear it was a yummy dessert. I like the idea of the local restaurants banding together with this type of event. I'm going to have to check to see if it's done in our area.

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I too was scared about the pigtails till I read what they were!

Frances said...

How... well, magical. There is something transformative about an artfully prepared meal. Especially for a busy parent this time of year. To be cared for and indulged at such a level - heaven!

Anonymous said...

How in the heck did I never hear of Magical Dining Month? I will definitely be checking into that!!

Those pig tails sound good!

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Peaceful Reader said...

Magically cute pig tails and they sound yummy dipped in chocolate.

The Bumbles said...

They have Restaurant Week here in Boston - this year it actually lasted for 2 weeks. Same deal as what you described. 3 courses for $33 per person. Lucky for us it fell during Andy's birthday so we went out for a delicious dinner at the Capital Grille on the cheap. It is a really neat way to try out new places, or treat yourself to perennial favorites. I would be in heaven over those pig tails - nummy num num!!!

Unknown said...

The pigtails sounds delicious!

Kathleen said...

Those pig tails look and sound so good!

Beth F said...

Sorry I didn't get here sooner; I've been out of town since Friday morning.

What cool idea. I don't think our area would ever do one of those nights. The pigtails are just too cute.