Magical Dining sets new Michelin-selected tables this year

When Bacán garnered a Michelin nod in Orlando’s inaugural selection last year, just five months after opening at the Lake Nona Wave Hotel, executive chef Guillaume Robin and his team were wide-eyed with surprise.

“I wasn’t even thinking about Michelin,” says Robin of the restaurant’s selection, “but of course, we were all very, very happy about it and we definitely saw more interest.”

While area locals were keen on the property’s restaurants, they began seeing more visitors trekking from the theme parks area. Locals, too, from neighborhoods including Windermere and Winter Park, staycation upticks where visitors would come to sample Bacán’s far and stay the night. Now, fans and newcomers can do it with 20 percent off, as Bacán has joined the ranks of restaurants participating in Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining.

From Aug. 18 through Oct. 1, Bacán and 131 other metro-area eateries are offering three-course, prix-fixe menus that allow guests to sample their fare, often at deep discount. But only a handful are Michelin-selected.

AVA MediterrAegean in Winter Park, too, is among them and a new addition to the program. Executive chef Remy Lefebvre was honored by their recent designation in the restaurant guide.

“It came quite surprisingly,” said Lefebvre, whose resume includes stints at several Michelin-starred restaurants from Europe to the Middle East. “We were informed by people outside of the restaurant that we were designated in the guide, so it was a great joy, a great surprise, and of course, always a great achievement to be rewarded as a professional … and when you are rewarded and talked about, there is this even greater responsibility you have to your guests to give an excellent experience and beautiful food.”

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Both AVA and Bacán are offering the new $60 per person menu option (Haven, another Lake Nona Wave Hotel property, has a $40 offering), and their chefs say the choices reflect the styles of each.

“It’s largely the classics, the AVA experience that we are presenting,” says Lefebvre. “We wanted to be sure that through this menu, you can discover us for the first time … we have new guests in mind. We want to be accessible and showcase our style, so it is very classically Greek-inspired but also contemporary. We want you to be transported to Greece.”

With dishes including a classic Greek salad (Spartan Feta, an AVA exclusive, is aged two years), Creekstone Farms prime flank steak and AVA’s sublime baklava, success is likely. And comes, says the chef, at roughly $20 less per person than if you ordered this meal a la carte.

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Haven, says Robin, enjoyed great success during last year’s Magical Dining program. This was part of the impetus for bringing its tonier sister to the party in 2023.

“[The hotel] was very new last year, and Magical Dining brought great awareness to locals about us. So, this year, even though Bacán has been very, very successful, we believe the program will attract more people from outside of Lake Nona to come experience our food and have a grand moment at an attractive price point.”

And oh, are these dishes attractive.

It’s difficult for Robin to choose favorites among “children,” but he does offer a couple of shout-outs, including the tuna crudo appetizer, a stunning plate featuring lovely fish marinated with lime and chilis, an aji panca dressing below. Finished with a chill crunch that melds an array of seasoned peppers, it brings texture to a plate that’s sweet, spicy and fresh.

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The branzino a la plancha, multilayered, textured and flavored — pea and mint, wild rice, preserved lemon, purple kale — showcases what this flat-top griddle can do when it comes to searing. The fish is wonderfully crisp and simultaneously tender.

In addition to its affordability — now in its 18th year, Magical Dining was initially conceived as a program to fill restaurants during an historically slow time of year — is the charity element.

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“Helping The Lifeboat Project is something that is core to any actions we take at Riviera Dining Group,” Lefebvre notes, citing this year’s Apopka-based nonprofit, which raises awareness about human trafficking and provides lifelong support to victims, empowering their lives through short- and long-term aftercare, residential programs and education.

Like Robin, Lefebvre looks forward to seeing new faces.

“We’re excited for our first year participating,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to open our doors to everybody and have another opportunity to have new friends in our house.”

Want to reach out? Find me on Twitter, TikTok or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. Join the conversation at the Orlando Sentinel’s Facebook food group, Let’s Eat, Orlando.