Eager to get away from the sub-freezing weather in NY and lured by the recession pricing of golf packages, 8 of us headed down to Orlando for the long weekend. Despite a delayed outbound flight on a plane full of crying babies (Orlando + long weekend = duh), I landed more or less in good shape and excited for dinner with my dear ol’ college friend Sonia and her husband Rob.

Sonia got us reservations at Norman’s in the Ritz Carlton Orlando. Yes, that’s Norman as in Norman Van Aken, the grandaddy of “New World Cuisine”, mentor to Charlie Trotter, and a self-taught culinary stud whose reputation predates the existence of the Food Network, which is to say, he’s a food celeb that actually has mad skills in the kitchen.

Norman’s dining room has a classic high end Ritz Carlton feel to it. It leans a bit towards the formal side, but the room still had a comfortable warm glow. We settled in at our table and I ordered a bottle of The Prisoner to kick things off.

Our apps started with Norman’s “Down Island” French Toast which consisted of foie gras on griddled brioche. I don’t usually eat breakfast, but if I could have this dish every day, I might change my ways. It tasted like a cross between French toast and a doughnut, accented with foie gras just for kicks. It was delicious even though the flavor of the foie was somewhat lost in the combo.

Next we had the tuna tataki. Yellowfin tuna seared on four sides, sliced thinly, touched with soy and accented with a super-fine dice of cucumber, jicama and jalapeno. That whisper of heat from the jalapeno and the cool refreshing lightness of the cuke and jicama are what really brought the dish to life. Brilliant choice of flavors.

But the star of the apps for me was the Mussels in Thai curry. The broth was flavorful but not overbearing which was significant because the quality of these mussels were the best I’ve ever encountered. They were big, clean, super plump, sweet and buttery; everything you’ve dreamt a mussel should be (ok, maybe you don’t dream about mussels, but I do, alright?). With a product that amazing you really don’t want to do too much so the gentle Thai red curry broth was just a perfect accent for them.

We also had some mini empanadas which I thought were just ok. They were not particularly impressive in comparison to the other apps, but still nothing to complain about.

For our entrees, we had two fish dishes and a veal. The Key West Yellowtail was my favorite. The yellowtail was a nice firm, substantial fillet; think more meat-like than flaky. It was in a subtle but rich citrus butter sauce which also went well with the mound of garlic mashed potato underneath the fish.

The grouper was in a Provencal-style sauce of olives, tomato and caper. The grouper had a slightly tough streak running through it although it didn’t appear to be undercooked. But that didn’t really bother me since the sauce was a stunner with such bold delicious flavors, nothing else really mattered.

My least favorite of the entrees was a veal chop in an Asian-inspired bbq glaze. It may just be my own quirky hang up, but pretty much any time I taste a dish where the “Asian influence” is a sticky sweet sauce redolent of five spice, I don’t think of Asian food, I think of P.F. Chang’s.

For dessert, we had a trio of three small items. Two were great- one featuring key lime and the other blood orange. The one I didn’t like was a cake of some sort, layered with chocolate and what I think was chestnut spread. So overall, it was an excellent meal with some real standouts and just a couple of small misses. Thanks Sonia and Rob for an awesome experience!

The other memorable meal of the weekend was at Seasons 52, a chain owned by Darden Restaurants. Darden is the same group that owns Red Lobster and Olive Garden so I know you’re probably skeptical. In addition, their hook is that they cook healthy and seasonal (the “52” in their name referring to the weekly changes to their menu) with every menu item supposedly under 475 calories. That made me especially skeptical, but Sonia recommended it so I knew we had to give it a try. We were not disappointed.

For apps we started with two long flatbreads, one with sockeye salmon and the other with sliced plum tomatoes. I liked them both but the tomato one was the clear winner for me. It had good tomato flavor, fresh basil and just the right level of salt from its parmigiano. Simple but good. Our other apps were chipotle prawns, mussels marinara, tuna tartare, and mushrooms stuffed with crab and shrimp. Surprisingly, ALL of them were hits in my opinion.

But the surprises didn’t end there as our entrees were even more impressive. Beautifully seared sea scallops for one, a grilled rack of lamb for another. Or how about boneless quail breasts in a maple whiskey glaze? Man, if this is healthy eating, I am all for it. Nothing in the dishes hinted that the chef was doing anything out of the ordinary to keep the calories down. Even the portions were normal to generous in size. The rack of lamb especially had us wondering if the 475 calorie claim could really be true.

We also sampled every one of their desserts, each served in their own little glass. Highlights for me were the key lime pie, pecan pie, and Rocky Road, but I kid you not, they were all very good. Every last one of them.

As you probably know, I don’t really care about calorie counts. So when I tell you about the healthfulness of the cuisine at Seasons 52, it’s not so much that I care about that in and of itself. It’s more from a sense of marveling that absolutely nothing was sacrificed in terms of flavor to achieve the result. That takes some high quality ingredients and a lot of skill in the kitchen. Nicely done, Seasons 52.

Other random notes and observations from the weekend:
– When our waitress at Seasons 52 told us she’s from Queens, we asked her where exactly. It was a very good sign when she started with “I’m originally from Elmhurst…”
– We had a meal at a place called Kool’s which featured an oak-fired grill. I don’t know if it’s how oak burns or if it’s something about their particular grill, but it did not seem to provide enough heat to get a good char on the steaks. The oak grilling seemed to do a lot more for their shrimp than for their steaks.
– Sonia’s house is incredible. Huge, tastefully decorated, great color choices, and a full-sized, Simonis-covered pool table to boot!
– I hadn’t seen Sonia’s mom in almost 10 years and yet she looks exactly the same except for a different hair style. Aunty does not age!
– Remington Golf Club had two clever notable touches. On one hole there was a guy stationed on the green to repair ball marks and rake the bunkers in order to speed up play. On another hole, a par 3, there was a magician on the tee to entertain everyone when play got backed up. Yes, a magician doing close-up magic. How funny is that?