Everglades Restaurant

At Everglades Restaurant at Rosen Centre, Chef Fred Vlachos presents a menu that is one part familiar, one part entirely unexpected, to offer patrons a down-to-earth, yet upscale meal that's truly meant to be savored, not simply to be admired on a plate.

The array of prime steak and fresh seafood, as well as vegetarian offerings, incorporate classic Florida flavors, key lime, mango, sweet plantains, rock shrimp, crab, and even alligator, to create a mouthwatering selection of starters, entrees and desserts that are unique to the Sunshine State and to Everglades Restaurant. Among Chef Fred's most requested dishes: the Alligator Bay Chowder, full of tomatoes, spices and native gator instead of clams, as well as the Caribbean Crab Cakes, virtually all crab and very little breading, with a spicy sweet watermelon and mango sauce. Diners, be prepared: the choice between the Petite Angus Filet, Aged Prime New York Strip and Grilled Swordfish is positively heart-wrenching, with each one equally succulent, juicy, and grilled to perfection.

Such a succulent menu deserves an equally sophisticated wine list, and once again, Everglades delivers. In fact, the wildly popular Vine & Dine series closes its fourth year in October, with imaginatively themed five-course meals paired with expertly selected domestic and international wines from established, up-and-coming, and organic vineyards.

Rave reviews from the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Magazine and Florida Travel & Life, among others, are surpassed only by the restaurant's prestigious Gold Platter Award, which is given only to the nation's finest hotel catering departments by Meetings & Conventions magazine.

If Everglades food didn't create an ambiance all its own, the dining room would carry the meal, with the playful yet soothing décor devoted to the flora and fauna of the South Florida wetlands.

For more information, visit EvergladesRestaurant.com.

• Category:  Steak & Seafood
• Distance to Walt Disney World:  13.8 Miles
• Distance to Airport: 12.9 Miles
• Distance to Downtown: 11.5 Miles
• Distance to Convention Center:  0.5 Miles
• Distance to SeaWorld:  2.4 Miles
• Distance to Universal:  5.2 Miles