Magical Dining Month, Venue Eight (David’s Club)

I must start by mentioning there are apparently two David’s Clubs in Orlando. One off of I-Drive and the other in Champion’s Gate. I was not aware, and when I made our reservations for Magical Dining, I seemed to confuse them. With that said, the day before I was asked by Open Table to confirm my reservation, as opposed to the restaurant directly compared to the few that asked about it. At the last minute, two members of the party of six canceled and there was a person swap. I changed the reservation to reflect this. One of my dinner companions suggested meeting at a friend’s that was closer than either of us and go from there in one vehicle.

When we arrived, I mentioned we had a reservation, and they were confused because it could not be found. As I had confirmed, adjusted, and even added that we were running late on the way there, I was a bit upset, but we discovered there was another location and it seemed that was where I made the reservation. They were readily able to fit us in, and we were seated immediately. I tried to contact the other location, and they contacted me, but I missed the call and did not have the patience to go through their phone tree while I was in the middle of my order/meal.

When we were seated, Laura, our waitress, went over the menus, and I asked her about possible tomatoes (see FAQs). I want to point out she was super cute. Not in an I-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with-you way, but like a teddy bear. She had an accent we were all trying to place and discovered it was pure NYC with a bit of Australian mixed in. She was polite and asked us if we needed anything, gave us recommendations on our request, and made sure we had our drinks continuously filled, as well as extra bread. The service was top notch and the best part of the meal. Not to say the food was not good, but the attention we got, without it being a crew as some other venues had, was fantastic and had to be mentioned.

So the dinners were one of my friends, her son (dining instead of her husband for this meal), her best friend, and me. Laura took orders from the ladies first and then by age. I was debating the French onion soup or the fondue. As everyone else ordered the fondue, I went with the soup. Just want to point out that I did not have an Arnold Palmer and opted for water because my sugar consumption was getting a little out of hand and I needed to reel it in.

While we waited for the appetizers, two types of rolls were brought to the table. The options were cheddar and poppy seed. The cheddar was precisely what you would expect without mentioning a competitor, and the poppy was okay. The butter was soft and smooth to spread, unlike some of the more recent venues. When the soup arrived, I used the second half of my poppy roll to dunk. I intentionally waited for my soup to cool, instead of my slurp and burn method. The soup had a Cognac base with all the onions on the bottom. It also had two crostinis, of which the second was not noticeable until I hit the bottom. Probably didn’t need the roll. Because this soup was based different than the other two I had during this year’s Magical Dining, I can say I am a bigger fan of the cider base. As everyone else had the fondue, I was happy I opted for the soup, if only for the variety. The fondue came with apple slices, grapes with seeds, and pretzel bites. It looked enticing and might be worth a trip back, as their regular menu looked very enticing. I was particularly impressed with their steak prices.

When the entrées arrived, I again was the odd one out. Everyone else got the 10oz strip, and I got the short ribs. I wanted to have them to compare with the one I had at The Grill. This was topped with a horseradish cream sauce and surrounded by spaetzle. We were told the meat was braised for 5 hours. It was fork tender and melted in my mouth. I preferred this compared to the other one I had the week prior. The meat was a better cut and less fatty, and therefore, less greasy. The sauce, though, was sourer than I would have liked. I tolerated it but would have enjoyed it more had it not been there. Everyone loved their steaks and accompaniments. Someone substituted the red wine reduction for bearnaise, while someone else ordered mushrooms on the side. I would have had some of the mushrooms but did not think it would go with the sauce. I was also trying not to get sick from overeating.

Not being the odd man out this time, I was one of the three that ordered the Chocolate Decadence. Appropriately named, it was a chocolate layer cake filled with double chocolate icing in the center and another layer on top. That was topped with ganache and chocolate gelato and circled with a thick layer of chocolate sauce. Apart from something I would make and the Killer Cake at Two Jays, this might have been the most chocolate I have eaten in one sitting. The other dessert that as ordered was the pecan pie and it was complimented. I am not a fan, but I’m glad my friend enjoyed it.