The Venetian Room: Truly a Magical Dining Experience!

After my last week’s shenanigan at The Boheme; I must confess I was doubting my choice for stepping into another fine dining establishment to explore the Magical Dining Menu; I couldn’t be further astray. 

From the moment one steps into The Venetian Room, one is treated with such outstandingly professional and courteous service that one truly feels like royalty here. The staff addressed me as “Princess”, and that is exactly how they made me feel all evening. 

This style of old school elegant service is extremely rare and downright lacking in today’s generation. In my humble opinion, most restaurateurs and hotels in Orlando could benefit greatly by training their staff under the supervision of The Venetian. 

The focus of Venetian Room isn’t on the ambiance or decoration. It is completely centered on creating a memorable and intimate dining experience for their dining patrons. Glass dividers between tables provide adequate privacy for your evening. The staff has an uncanny talent for being unobtrusive; giving us space and time to enjoy our evening; yet tending to all our needs promptly. 

The Venetian has an expansive wine and cordial list, alluding to a celebratory evening. 

The evening started out with compliments from the Chef in the form of a squid ink wafer filled with avocado cream and shrimps. One wouldn’t even miss the shrimp; the teaser was so well put together. Since, I am allergic to shell-fish; the staff quietly prepared a dish of strawberries and brie for me. How thoughtful!!

For starters, we ordered the Diver Scallops and Bibb Lettuce Salad. The deconstructed Bibb salad was not only beautifully presented, but exuded fresh flavors.

 

The diver scallops were cooked to perfection; the porcini asparagus risotto was superbly creamy; mushroom broth and pancetta crisp added to a whole new level of explosion in my mouth; a luxurious dish, indeed.

 

For our entrées we ordered Crab Cakes, Duck A L’Orange, and Short Ribs. The crab cake was pan-fried perfectly; it sat on top of smoked salmon risotto, braised baby zucchini, and mustard cream sauce. Superb!!

 

Now duck is mostly a hit or miss. The duck was cooked flawlessly; the sweet potato pumpkin tartlet was an unexpected surprise. The buttery crust, sweetly spiced filling, and jelly went beautifully with the duck and the deeply flavored port wine and bing cherry reduction.  Excellent combination I must say.

 

The Short Ribs were melting in my mouth and were wonderfully spiced. The truffle turnip puree was like a cloud of fluffiness and cream.

For our final course we had the Chocolate Dome dessert and Charlotte Tropicale. Of course, I needed a cup of coffee to relish my entire meal. My hot cup of coffee was strong and frothy, not your average dirty water restaurants seem to serve at the end of the evening.

The passion fruit Bavarian cream with frangipane was delightful. Stunning presentation made me hesitant to slice a piece. The mango and cassis sauce married beautifully. 

 

The black magic dome was a chocolate lover’s dream. Bitter sweet chocolate mousse sat on top of a chocolate platform with a hazelnut butterfly. How playful!!

Each dish seemed to have been made with the most diligent attention to detail and presentation. Not only is the presentation aesthetically appealing; the taste exceeds all expectations. This fine dining experience is what I would expect from the likes of Mr. Thomas Keller’s kitchen. Hats off to Chef Khalid Benghallem!! Big thank you to the staff, in particular Mr. Yann for making us feel extra special and comfortable. 

The Venetian Room rightfully deserves the slew of laurels presented on their wall. To me, The Venetian Room seems like the ideal location for a romantic evening or for celebrating any special occasion.

I am a stickler for detail; those who are familiar with me acknowledge that I am not easily pleased. That said The Venetian Room won me over hands down with their flawless execution of our dining experience.

I fear that the inadequacy of my words fail to express how memorable the entire experience was. There are only 2 weeks left; I highly recommend you add Venetian room to the top of your Magical Dining List to experience and appreciate what fine dining is about. 

 

Note: I sincerely regret not carrying my DSLR and was subjected to taking shots from my phone camera. My apologies!!