The staff at Discount Vacation Rentals Online is out on the town, determined to bring you the latest reviews of Orlando’s Top 100 Restaurants.  Our mission is to hit at least one of the top 100 restaurants in Orlando, Florida each week, bringing you our reviews on “where the locals eat“. We will of course provide you with our personal opinions on the service, atmosphere, dining options and drink selections.  A rating from 1 to 10 is also suggested so you can make your decision on where to be dining here in the Orlando area on your next Florida vacation.

Our first stop this week was Hot Olives, in Winter Park, noted as simple gourmet, contemporary-style cuisine. The Hot Olives website’s very own description of the restaurant hits the head on the nail, as this dining option provides a relaxing atmosphere with excellent food choices to please the most picky eater to those with a open pallet to unique flavors. The restaurant is located in Winter Park, Florida which is just a mere 5-8 minute drive from downtown Orlando. Finding a parking space can be tricky if you’re headed out around normal dinner hours 5pm-9pm. We had a late dinner, arriving sometime around 9:30pm and were able to locate an open parking spot just off of a side street from New England Avenue. Even if you have a bit of a walk down New England Avenue, the area is beautiful and the mom-n-pop shops and other diners lead a well-lit path back to the restaurant.

You’ll first notice the glimmering patio area, adorned with strung lighting, lush greenery, white linens on the tables and a candle light ambiance. It’s a very calm atmosphere with a positive vibe from the locals gathered around the tables enjoying their glass of wine and laughing amongst one another in conversation. The indoors brought a livelier crowd, gathered at the bar which stretches across the back wall of the dining room.  There are TV’s positioned above the bar and many guests at the time were involved in the last half of the Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game- YES, we won. Orlando ran with the win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, 103-90 as the final score. Congrats to our Eastern Conference Champs!

Ambiance In Hot Olives Restaurant ~ Top 100 Restaurants In Orlando

We took a seat on the outside patio area, since the area was overwhelmingly inviting on our walk-by. First we send a big thank you to our waiter, the service was great throughout the entire evening- he even kept us up to date on the score of the game.  We began the night with a Mai Tai cocktail. We’ll just say one is surely enough when it comes to content- it could have been a little less harsh as it was not your typical Mai Tai. Nonetheless still satisfying. There’s much to offer on the Hot Olives Menu and with the fabulous choice in the appetizers they offer, it is truly difficult to choose just one. We decided on the Baked Brie with Almonds and a cup of the Lobster Bisque soup.  Four words describes the Baked Brie- Heaven on a plate! The platter is dressed with mixed greens and fresh fruit, surrounding a small wheel of Baked Brie topped with melted butter and slivered almonds. A freshly-baked french baguette is also included and admittedly, it is difficult to find a true crusty baguette in this city, well until now.  If only they had a bakery selling their baked bread! The Lobster bisque was smooth and creamy, not overpowered by herbs and spices, with fresh, properly portioned chunks of lobster.  The taste was pure and simple. Sorry Red Lobster, but eat your heart out when it comes to this bisque.

For the main course, it was Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna and the Hot Olives Chopped Salad.  The Tuna was pan-seared sushi grade Ahi, accompanied by jasmine rice, baby bok choy, and drizzled with soy ginger glaze. The tuna was super fresh and tender, while the jasmine rice and soy glaze was a nice touch.  The baby bok choy was not a favorite but that was based on personal preference after tasting it for the first time. It is safe to say that most chopped salads are very similar when it comes to the ingredients chosen.  Romaine lettuce, cucumber, mushrooms, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, Applewood bacon, red onions and Gorgonzola cheese were tossed and served with a side of roasted tomato vinaigrette.  The veggies were fresh, the bacon was a nice pop of flavor amongst the greens and paired fabulously with the Gorgonzola.  The salad was great even without the dressing.

Dessert was offered (cheesecake) but two Irish Coffees were the end to a great meal.  Unfortunately, they were out of fresh coffee by that time (then again, it was 11:30pm), so the waiter had fresh espresso made, which was a nice gesture. The drink was not the best mix though, made with Jameson’s whisky and without the presence of dark sugar, the drink was overwhelming and harsh on the way down.  Next time we’ll go with the cheesecake.

All in all, the restaurant offered great service, quality dining options with fabulous flavor and a beautiful environment to enjoy the evening.  DVRO will definitely be back for a second round on the appetizers when time permits in the future and we’ll most certainly post an update on our Orlando Blog. The Brie was surely a great find and highly recommeded. Rating: 8 out of 10.