SHARE:
Dining
Full Plate of Restaurant Newcomers
 Kouzzina’s cinnamon chicken stew with onions |
Cora, the first female Iron Chef, created Kouzzina last month at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn resort a few doors from the celebrated Flying Fish Café to showcase the new Greek revival. It’s home cooking that reflects the many homes of her Greek restaurant family — Mississippi, Skopelos (the island in “Mamma Mia”) and her own place in Napa.
That means ouzo-tinis, where pomegranate dances with the fiery anise spirit, grape leaves stuffed with goat cheese as well as simple roasted fish and grilled pork with authentic touches of braised greens and hints of fennel.
Kouzzina’s prices range from $15 to $25 for most entrees.
“We’ve taken all the mom-and-pops for granted,’’ she says, but their Greek cooking was good for Florida.
Cora combines the Mediterranean diet — “we use a lot of ‘sun foods’ ’’ from fresh fruits to kalamata olives — and pure comforts of slow-roasted dishes like Kouzzina’s cinnamon chicken stew with onions.
“That’s my favorite. I grew up with that, and it takes me back, walking into the kitchen. That smell. We were a big family. Mom was busy working, and she could put it on the stove,’’ says Cora.
One rarely seen Greek specialty she has on the Kouzzina menu, gigandes — mammoth two-bite white beans cooked with tomatoes and onions — are a hit with kids. “They’re so fascinated by the size. They’re never seen beans so big,” says Cora.
Adults not so keen on beans can get their kicks from tasting flights of fine Greek wines, also due new respect.
It’s not the only opening in Florida’s season before the season. Also new:
» Highland Manor, Apopka
A century-old Victorian Apopka comes back to life as Highland Manor, with veranda, gardens and a fresh Southern menu. Big investment has brightened the old mansion, and chef John Mooney has filled the menu with the likes of buttermilk-fried quail, artisan country ham and wild mushrooms.
» Silvestro’s, Lake Mary
Silvestro Antonioli, the chef and former pro soccer player who has scored big in Cocoa Beach, has crossed to midfield to open a second restaurant in Lake Mary. Antonioli came from Rome via Savannah and is known for his house sauces and pastas, especially lobster ravioli.
» Pesca, Orlando
Seafood and one of downtown Orlando’s best lakeside views get refreshed presentations at just-opened Pesca on Lake Eola. It serves sushi, miso cod with black bean chili, and swordfish kabobs in espresso crust, garnished with the downtown skyline and the Lake Eola fountain.
» Caviar Kaspia, Miami Beach
Paris specialist La Maison Kaspia gives the U.S. its first taste at Kaspia in, of course, South Beach. The finest Iranian caviar, farmed and wild oscietra and sevruga (from $49 to $180 per half-ounce) are available with classic trim of blini and exquisite baked potatoes. Beyond fish eggs are crab, scallops, a wealth of smoked tuna, halibut, eel and salmon. Plus bubbly.
 Iron Chef Cat Cora’s newest restaurant, Kouzzina, is at Disney. [Photo: Food Network] |
Big-spending meat eaters have two more boutique temples of beef. Red the Steakhouse from Cleveland has opened in the celebrity-studded So-Fi end of South Beach with 1-pound, free-range veal chops, farmstead cheeses, pasta and seafood. Steaks are prime, with the bone-in best starting at $47.
» Steak 954, Fort Lauderdale
At Steak 954 in the sleek new W Hotel, the menu starts with uptown breakfast on the likes of oatmeal brulee, but the main event is big steaks, many of them dry-aged or Australian Tajima Kobe. Prices run from $35 to a whopping $280 for a 36-ounce porterhouse of the Oz Kobe.
