OK, we’re back on our regular Orlando beat, and here is exactly the kind of thing we love about this city…
We have just finished digesting our first big taste of this year’s Visit Orlando Magical Dining season (presented by Orlando Health), and we’re ready to make Braccia Ristorante in Winter Park our new ‘Must Try’ for 2024.
Although it opened in 2015, Braccia’s location, just off Park Avenue on E. Morse Boulevard, means it is a little tucked away and harder to find than most, but it’s definitely well worth seeking out. It boasts a lovely outdoor patio up front, and a cozy and inviting interior, with some rustic styling and hints of the Italian cuisine it specializes in (albeit with a few tweaks from its original Brazilian owner). There has just been a change of ownership, and the liquor license hasn’t transferred yet, but otherwise things have stayed the same, at least for the time being (the new owners have said they plan to “make changes to the product quality,” according to the Orlando Weekly).
We certainly couldn’t fault the quality, though, or the excellent service, as we enjoyed a leisurely late lunch this week (BTW, we have no external photos, as Winter Park was hit by a positively huge thunderstorm just as we sat down, hence we were happy to be inside!). Some tasty fresh focaccia was accompanied by a tangy amuse bouche of parmesan chips with a balsamic drizzle as an introductory taste of things to come while we decided what to have from the Magical Dining Menu (3 courses for a bargain $40, not including drinks and gratuity).
Braccia’s choice was:
Appetizers – Bruschetta; Caprese Salad; Caesar Salad; Braccia Shrimp. Upgrade: Carpaccio +$5; Entrees – Shrimp Risotto; Pumpkin Ravioli with Salmon; Penne with Parma; Funghi Risotto (add filet mignon or rack of lamb +$10) Upgrade: Gnocchi stuffed with cheese w/filet mignon +$10; Desserts – Lava Cake; Braccia Special; Churros.
Between us, we opted for the Caprese. and Braccia Shrimp; Pumpkin Ravioli with Salmon. and Shrimp Risotto; and Lava Cake and Braccia Special, which gave us a really good spread of the menu.
The Caprese featured a very generous helping of creamy, melt-in-the-mouth burrata with fresh cherry tomatoes in a luscious pesto base and definitely had the taste of Italy, while the Braccia Shrimp came with six plump shrimp in what seemed like a rich pesto broth (they call it a pesto sauce, but it was thicker than most sauces) and was absolutely one of the best tastes of the day.
The main courses were quite a contrast – the pumpkin risotto (five elegant parcels of perfectly-cooked in-house pasta in a cream sauce topped with breaded crumbs and leafy greens) was plated alongside a substantial piece of pan-fried salmon that was beautifully succulent and tasty – a really substantial plateful – while the risotto came in a delicate shrimp sauce topped by four extra-large breaded shrimp that had plenty of eye appeal. On the regular menu, the salmon is referred to as a “side” dish, but this was more like having two entrees on one plate! The $40 was looking pretty good at this stage, and it was about to get better.
Regular readers will know we rarely (as in, hardly ever) indulge in a dessert course if we’ve had an appetizer and entree, but Magical Dining invites us to push the envelope (!), so we valiantly battled on to the final course. And we’re so glad we did. While the Braccia Special certainly lived up to the ‘special’ part of its name (with a divine blend of their house-made soft cheese ice cream – almost a blend of traditional ice cream and cheesecake – topped with guava syrup and chestnut), the Lava Cake was the undoubted winner. Its ultra-light sponge and perfectly smooth chocolate sauce (which we quickly dubbed mega ooze-worthy) was paired with a delectable coconut ice cream for a taste sensation made in heaven. This would have been worth coming in for on its own, but with all six dishes more than living up to the Magical Dining reputation, this was exactly why we love this program.
To start with, we probably still wouldn’t have discovered Braccia in its off-Park Avenue location, and we almost certainly wouldn’t have gone for that extra course. Hence, at $40 per person, we thought this was outstanding value, for quantity AND quality, and we will definitely look out for it the next time we are in Winter Park.
And remember, $1 from every meal ($2 on each of the $60 menus) goes to the chosen Visit Orlando charity of the year, in this case The Mustard Seed of Central Florida, helping rebuild the lives of families and individuals who have suffered disaster or personal tragedy by providing household furnishings and clothing while being environmentally responsible to the Central Florida community. So your dining dollars also help a great cause.
Need more info – and all of the record 150 restaurants on this year’s list? Check out the full website here: https://www.magicaldining.com/.
Veness Travel Media 
Sounds lovely! I miss the ATD forum for this type of info!
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If we were still on the forums, I’d also be posting about the absolute deluge of rain we’ve had so far this month – more than 10 inches, and counting! The usual average for the whole of Sept is less than 7!!
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