Magical Dining Month Preview: Napa Restaurant at The Peabody Orlando

By Mark Baratelli

Magical Dining Month is September 1-30, 2013. This is when 60 Central Florida restaurants offer up a $33 three-course prix fixe menu (appetizer, entree, dessert). They also offer staycations: dinner for two and a room for one price. This is a great opportunity to try some great restaurants at a lower price point. A dollar from each meal during this month goes to help Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Central Florida.

On Monday August 19, I got to preview the Magical Dining Month menu for Napa at The Peabody Orlando. First up, you get free valet parking with your meal. Classy. And if you want to sleep off the meal, you can get dinner for two and a room for about $160. Below are photos of almost the entire MDM menu.

If the Monday night I went to eat at Napa was any indication, Mondays are dead at Napa: perfect time to go if you want to be alone with your dining companion.

Fall squash bisque with toasted sage marshmallow | I'd never experienced a soup presentation like this. Shows you how much I go out. The waiter placed a bowl in front of you with only a dollop of marshmallow in the middle. The table had about 15 at it, so it sat in front of me for awhile. I was of course confused. Then I saw that on top of a serving table that we each were going to be given our own gravy boat of soup. The waiter came from behind and pours the soup in a circle around the marshmallow dollop. This soup was crazy good.

Cioppino: mussels, calamari, lump crab, rock shrimp, mahi mahi, fennel, leeks, spicy tomato broth, paprika rouille | The presentation of this, to me, was poor. Maybe it was the red pot, the handles, I don't know. It just didn't look pretty. But that didn't matter when I ate it. Jeez this was good. Never mind the soup which was good, the seafood was delicious. I didn't try the bread, but it was there soaking in that soup.

Grilled beef fillet with brussels sprouts and smoked bacon risotto, huckleberry demiglace | Delicious, tender, and a great sized portion. Not too much, didn't leave you stuffed.

Forest mushroom & roasted shallot lasagne with spicy tarragon tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella (vegetarian) | There was one person at the table who raved about this dish and how many vegetables it had. I found it boring to eat.