Tonight, I had dinner at 310 Park South, a classy restaurant and bar on Park Ave. in Orlando. To be completely honest, I had been here before for a Gators game, beer and bar food, and had about the same expectations for dinner tonight. Wrong, oh-wrong I was.

My appetizer was a glass of Shiraz/Pinotage/Merlot/Cabernet “Blueish Black” Post House (South Africa). Glorious flavors that ranged from berries to chocolate, it was a waterfall of flavors. I loved it. My date had a glass of Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot/Cabernet Franc “Clancy’s” Peter Lehmann (Aust.), which was a little more rich, solo-toned and good to drink with red, red meats.

Dinner was ordered... I mistakenly ordered a Cobb salad (okay, it wasn't a mistake, it was hot, I wanted something light). There was nothing wrong with the salad, it just wasn't as good as the 310 Smoked Salmon Pappardelle my date ordered. "Our house smoked salmon filet served over fresh pappardelle pasta tossed with a spicy red pepper white wine cream sauce." That it was. The pasta was quite possibly the best I've had in a restaurant, fresh, soft and buttery, a perfect complement to the spicy seasoning in the cream sauce and on the salmon.

I didn't have any intention of ordering dessert, but how could I resist when the waiter brought out a tray of goodies including fresh pistachio gelato and chocolate mousse.

I ordered myself a cup of tea (a tasty chai tea) and the chocolate mousse. My date ordered the pistachio gelato. Given that the waiter wasn't aware that chai usually comes with cream and sugar, I decided to take a risk and toss some pistachio gelato into my chai. You wouldn't have thought the flavors would combine, but they were fantastic. The chocolate mousse and fresh fruit [blueberries, blackberries, raspberries] came served in a chocolate cup, served with a tri-fold of glorious sauces - green apple, a light coconut cream, and chocolate. I haven't said this in a long time, but I think I may have found my new favorite dessert. I wouldn't even let the waiter take my plate until I had gotten every ounce of the sauces off of the plate... really, that good! Next time I go to indulge, I'll make sure to take a picture.

Cheers to good eats!

Labels: restaurants, snack foods, weekend