Lauded by ZAGAT as Central Florida’s best restaurant, Norman’s, at the Ritz-Carlton, defies all that fine dining has been in the past, and forges ahead with inventive dishes and inspired wine selections. Eschewing former notions that the only international cuisines worth shelling out the bucks for were European, culinary superstar Chef Norman Van Aken continues to successfully redefine what has been named New World cuisine. Refining a mix of Caribbean, Central, and South American ingredients, New World cooking sets these staples to standards that surpass many of the worlds’ fine dining fixtures.

Under Chef de Cuisine Joseph Burnett, the menu at Norman’s demonstrates a mastery of and passion for the flavors of the Americas, while a clear appreciation of local ingredients also plays a part. The Winter Garden Heirloom Tomato salad is the quintessence of summer, studded with briny picholine olives, and drizzled with verdant basil puree. The tomato foam perched atop the brilliantly colored salad puts the dish over the top and into perfection. With a 2007 Sancerre, crisp with minerality, chalk, and wet grass on the nose, is sure to enchant.The African Adobo Tuna Tataki is a nod to the large populations of Japanese who inhabit the countries of South America and refuses to be committed to the parade of over-played tuna appetizers the American menu has see in the past few years. The seared, adobe-crusted yellowfin tuna in this dish lays fallow in a pool of fragrant yuzu and topped with a crisp mignonette of jicama, cucumber, and jalapeño, along with a bright neon green spattering of wasabi-flavored tobiko caviar. This plate is testament to Chef Burnett’s fluency in matching flavors: salty, sweet, crunch and heat.

There are few dishes that elicit sighs of bliss, but the Aji Amarillo Butter-Poached Lobster is one of those rare delights. The delicate meat of a tiny Maine lobster sits atop verdant pea and mint housemade gnocchi, and sautéed morel mushrooms. A spritely topping of pea tendrils and fresh mint add an element of fresh spring flavors. The sauce, really, is what adds the drama. Instead of a traditional beurre blanc, the creamy yellow sauce is poured tableside, and carries a piquant bite from the addition of the ají amarillo, a yellow Peruvian chile. Forgo the oaky Chardonnay that will surely overwhelm this dish and request the 2007 Conundrum White wine as an exquisite complement.

The incarnation of tres leches cake at Norman’s is highlighted by the acidity of fresh, vanilla-scented pineapple, and manages to avoid the cloying sweetness the dessert usually connotes. The bittersweet “El Rey” chocolate mousse torte is studded with candied cocoa nibs, and fulfills any dark chocolate-lovers dreams, especially when accompanied by house-made mint ice cream.

With over 20 cheeses to choose from, don’t miss the cheese course. The Red Hawk triple-crème from Cowgirl Creamery just north of San Francisco is sure to make a stinky-cheese lover out of anyone. The strawberry-black pepper-balsamic jam is wonderful with the tiny crackers made in-house as a vehicle for the cheese. There is plenty of Port, Sherry and Cognac to choose from on Norman’s award-winning wine-list, and for help, just ask Sommelier and Lead Dining Room Captain Yusuf Yildiz. Or, better yet, just turn your wine selections over to him. His choices are sure to inspire and impress.

At Norman’s, the seduction is not just in the details. Under General Manager Viviana Altesor, every moment, from the time one first steps foot into the rotunda overlooking the Grande Lakes’ grounds, is an event. Restaurants, in the most romantic of senses, should transport their patrons to a moment outside everyday life, and Norman’s surely does that. Whether taking in the grandeur of the room, or enclosed in the intimacy of the wine section, walled by over 300 wines, Norman’s is a zenith in dining, flanked on all sides by sentient staff, ethereal atmosphere, and exceptional fare, and for much less then you would expect to pay for such perfection.

By: Holly V Kapherr

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 11:15 am and is filed under Dining. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.