August 21, 2007

Orlando Toasts Culinary Bounty During September Magical Dining Month

More than 50 Restaurants to Offer Three-Course Prix-Fixe $19 and $29 Dinners

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando residents and visitors can enjoy a month-long culinary thrill ride at top Central Florida restaurants participating in the second annual Magical Dining Month from Sept. 1-30.

Savory appetizers, enticing entrees and sweet dessert sensations spice up the fixed-price menus of more than 50 area restaurants offering high-value Magical Dining dinners in partnership with the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. (Orlando CVB) and event partner SYSCO Central Florida. Cuisine from around the globe will be featured in the three-course dinners for $19 or $29 (excluding beverage, tax and gratuity).

Dining rooms offering the special menus include celebrity chef-studded eateries, ethnic favorites and a range of award-winning restaurants. French specialties are a standout at Le Coq au Vin, rated tops by Zagat, Florida Trend, Mobile and AAA. Beloved chef Emeril Lagasse "kicks it up a notch" with his Asian and Polynesian blended cuisine at Emeril's Tchoup Chop. The wide range of participating restaurants includes Spice Modern Steakhouse and Beluga in Winter Park, the House of Blues at Downtown Disney, Pisces Rising on the Mount Dora lakefront, Bice Ristorante and Mama Della's Ristorante at Portofino Bay Hotel and Doc's Restaurant, where former Kennedy family chef Neil Connolly features recipes straight from his new cookbook, "In the Kennedy Kitchen."

"There is so much happening in Orlando's dining universe," says Gary C. Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando CVB. "Magical Dining Month provides an opportunity to try all of these exceptional culinary experiences for a great deal."

More information on Orlando's Magical Dining Month and participating establishments is available online at www.orlandomagicaldining.com.

Magical Dining, produced by the Orlando CVB in conjunction with event partner, SYSCO Central Florida, kicks off three months of special events and offers as part of Orlando's "Endless Summer" campaign running August 15-Nov. 15. More information about "Endless Summer" and other vacation experiences in Orlando is available at orlandoinfo.com/endlesssummer or 800-551-0181. The Official Visitor Center is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (except Dec. 25) at 8723 International Drive.

SYSCO is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers that prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. Visit sysco.com for more information.

Editor's Note: For additional press information or high-resolution downloadable images, please visit orlandoinfo.com/media

Doc's Restaurant executive chef and former private chef to the Kennedy family, Neil Connolly brings Pan Seared Gulf Grouper to the eclectic mix of menu options during Orlando's Magical Dining Month.