The Best Type Of Meal

In my opinion, the best type of meal starts and ends with dessert!

While getting ready for dinner, a special something was delivered to my hotel room: butterscotch pudding from La Luce, the restaurant where we were scheduled to eat dinner in just a couple of hours.

I specifically remember the butterscotch pudding from the Pillsbury Bake-Off, and I’m all about the “eat dessert first” philosophy in life, so I dug right  in… and I couldn’t stop. I only planned to eat a few bites, but I ended up eating 3/4 of it! Holy delicious!!

The butterscotch pudding was served with big chunks of chocolate toffee, which were great for scooping!

Just a little while later, I headed downstairs to La Luce for dinner.

After some brief introductions, we enjoyed a glass of Prosecco and a few appetizers.

The first appetizer served to the table was the Antipasti Misti, which came with salame, mortadella, roasted peppers, olives, provolone, and garlic toast.

I tried a bite of everything.

The second appetizer was the Fritto Misto, which was fried calamari, rock shrimp, fennel, onions, and green beans with a spicy aioli. Loved this one!

We also tried some fried olives. Who knew fried olives were so delicious? They sort of reminded me of fried pickles, but, obviously, they tasted like olives. Same idea, but you know what I mean, right? Ok, I’m rambling. I’ll stop!

With the salad course, we enjoyed a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley called Frog’s Leap. My husband would love this wine. It’s totally his “type” of white wine– crisp and refreshing with subtle citrus flavors and mineral notes. I’m pretty sure I’ll seek out this wine back home.

We had a choice of two salads: Stone Fruit Salad and Caesar Salad. I generally like Caesar Salad, but the Stone Fruit Salad sounded much more interesting to me.

It included mixed greens with goat cheese, Marcona almonds, fresh cherries, and a light Moscatel vinaigrette. The cherries were definitely a special treat. I don’t think I’ve eaten a cherry all summer!

With the entree course, we were served a glass of red wine. I drank a sip to try it, but I wasn’t in the mood for red wine tonight.

Jess and Marc in action!

I chose the Seared Salmon Filet for my entree. It was served with potato puree, tomatoes, and a chive butter sauce. It was absolutely delicious, but the entree course included lots of small plates for the table, too.

We also tried a white pizza with figs, gorgonzola, caramelized onions, and aged balsamic. I loved it, but I could only manage a few bites. I was already full and knew dessert was still on the way.

My favorite dish of the night was the Bucatini Amatriciana with bacon, tomatoes, onion, chilies, and Pecorino Romano. Unfortunately, I didn’t snap a good photo of it, but you can see the last few bites on my plate that I couldn’t finish. The combination of ingredients + the Italian pasta was outstanding.

At this point in the meal, I was stuffed, but I managed to eat a few bites of Dessert #2: La Luce Tiramisu. The tiramisu is made with Illy espresso, créme anglaise, and chocolate shavings. I really wanted to eat more of it, but I just couldn’t. I had reach my limit for the night.

Great meal with wonderful company!

After all of that good eatin’, I need to lie down and rest. We have another food-filled day tomorrow. I just need to remember that this culinary tour is an eating marathon, not a sprint!

Tagged as: butterscotch pudding, Frog's Leap, La Luce, Orlando, Orlando Restaurants, Sauvignon blanc