Eleven – Kissimmee, FL

There is a wonderful rooftop restaurant at the Reunion Resort called Eleven. I got to go there for an event, and I was excited to get to be wined and dined.

This rooftop bar/restaurant has great views. There’s a pool you can lounge in if you want. You can see all of the theme parks in the distance. It’s cool at night because you can see all the fireworks.

We started the event off with some cocktails as we socialize with other guests.

The appetizer table was set up outside so we could enjoy the views. The spread was nice. We had an array of options:

Caesar salad

– Two different kinds of Hummus

– The Charcuterie Board was beautifully arranged with cured meats and artisan cheeses. There were sauces of jalapeño hatch peppers, and honey.

For dinner, it was served family style at each of the tables. The food just kept coming out. There was something for everyone to enjoy.

The Spinach Artichoke Dip was extremely creamy. It was a blend of Fontina and Manchego cheese. They served colorful tortilla chips on the side.

Meatballs came out and these were lamb meatballs with basil, a peanut crumble and saffron aioli. They had a slight gamey taste, but the saffron aioli helped hide that.

The Flatbed Pizza came out and everyone got excited. It was a Margarita Pizza. The dough had great flavor. There was a lot of melted cheese that normally a margarita pizza does not have. I love this because the cheese is sometimes the best part of the pizza.

There were beautiful Beef Steak Skewers that were on top of the bed of Couscous. The steak was tender and had a great pepper taste.

The Shrimp and Grits were amazing. There was so much on the plate. The grits were creamy and cheesy, the best I’ve ever had. The shrimp was tender, but not the star of the dish.

One of the side dishes was Broccolini. They sautéed this with butter and garlic. It was also cooked with raisins. This added a spectacular sweetness to the broccolini, which can sometimes be bitter.

Salmon was the fish for the night. This was a pan seared perfectly. It was flaky and fresh.

The Mac & Cheese came out last and now I know why. Because I would’ve eaten the entire bowl myself and would not have had room to try any of the other dishes. This mac & cheese was made with Fontina Mornay cheese. It was so creamy. Total comfort food.

It was time for dessert. They set the dessert tables up back outside. We got to enjoy:

Key Lime Cheesecake. It was both sweet and tangy.

Layered Cake Cups –  there was chocolate, strawberry and vanilla icing available

This was the best way to experience Eleven. If you were in the area or staying at the Reunion Resort, you must check them out.

www.reunionresort.com/dining/eleven

Enjoy!

T

Island Grove Wine Company – Kissimmee, FL

If you like fruity wins, then I found the perfect winery for you. Island Grove Wine Company had a variety of fruit wines from blueberry to strawberry. And they are all made in Florida. I was looking forward to checking them out.

The winery is set up a little differently than the traditional wineries I have visited. This was a touch-less, serve yourself winery. The way it works is you put money onto a chip card. Then you insert that card into the different wine machines and select the wine you would like to try, as well as the size pour.

I made sure I had enough money on the card to try several of the wines. The first one was the Rustic Raspberry. This was one of their seasonal wines. I could smell the raspberries right away. This wine was super sweet to me, and it had a hint of tartness in the aftertaste. It is a great dessert wine.

The second wine was the Bold Blackberry. This was a blend of Merlot and blackberries. To me it was sweet with a dry aftertaste on the first sip. It mellowed out on the second sip.

For my third tasting I went for the Sunshine State White Sangria. This sweet, refreshing wine combined pineapples, peaches, and mangos. I really enjoyed all the tropical flavors. I could really taste the mangos on the second sip. I could see myself enjoying this on the beach, watching the sunset.

In sticking with the sangria’s, I went for the Sunshine State Berry Sangria next. This blended different berries and citrus fruits with their blueberry wine. The aroma was powerful with a slight spicy smell, but it was not in the taste. It was drier for a sangria. After holding it in my mouth after sipping I could taste a hint of pepper.

My final tasting was the Southern Strawberry. They blended strawberries with Riesling. I could smell the strawberry right away, it was very intense, but in a good way. The wine was light and sweet. The perfect dessert wine. I just wish I had some chocolate to enjoy with it.

This was a different type of wine tasting experience. The wines were great, and the casual atmosphere was perfect for sitting and enjoying wine with friends.

Check them out at www.IslandGroveWineCompany.com

Enjoy!

T

Boggy Bottom BBQ – Kissimmee, FL

I was helping my sister celebrate her birthday. We decided to go on an airboat ride to explore the Florida Everglades. We chose Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures since it was pretty close to her house (www.bcairboats.com).

While we waited for out time, we checked out their restaurant right there on the grounds. It was called Boggy Bottom BBQ.

It was a cute little restaurant, complete with a gift shop.

I went for the BBQ beef brisket plate. It came with one side, so I chose the sweet corn.

The brisket was extremely lean and very tender. It pulled apart easily with my fork.

They had six different BBQ sauces to choose from. I made sure I tasted them all.

  • Original BBQ – had a slight peppery taste
  • Mango Habanero – sweet and spicy
  • Texas BBQ – had a smoky taste
  • Sweet BBQ – very sweet with a small hint of smoke. This was my favorite
  • Hickory BBQ – had a smoke aroma of hickory wood
  • Mustard BBQ – had a strong mustard taste. This was not my favorite because I am not a huge fan of mustard.

This was a great, quick meal before the airboat ride, which was extremely fun. We got to see four alligators along the ride. Go enjoy a ride for yourself and grab some homemade BBQ either before or after.

Visit their website at www.boggybottombbq.com

Enjoy!

T