September 27, 2014 | Posted in:Dining out
Kasa Restaurant & Bar is located in The Plaza Building in the heart of downtown Orlando. The sleek and contemporary restaurant opened its doors last fall and has been making a delicious impression on Orlando area diners ever since. I was invited down to experience their Magical Dining menu, which offers full portions of signature menu items from the Kasa dinner menu.
I had a chance to talk with Executive Chef Shawn Kaplan before dinner, who shared his enthusiasm for Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining Month and Kasa’s participation. “Well, aside from the fact that all participating restaurants are supporting a local charity, it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to introduce Orlando to Kasa. If they haven’t experienced us already, we wanted to showcase some of our more popular items on our dinner menu, so guests could get an idea of the cuisine they can expect from us on future visits.”
The Tuna & Tostones appetizer is made with spicy ahi tuna, house made tostone chips, avocado puree, tropical mango relish. The spicy tuna had a pleasant heat that was balanced by the creamy avocado and mango relish. Additional plantain chips are available, if needed.
Adobo Pork & Crispy Polenta Cake features a tender, chipotle braised pork, pickled red onions, avocado puree, queso fresco and cilantro. Chef Shawn braises the pork in chipotle and Mexican beer, with coriander, cumin and oregano for 6 hours till the meat is tender and infused with the proper level of flavor. The polenta is made and allowed to set up before cut into rounds and fried up to a golden crisp exterior.
Kasa Corn: Roasted corn with miso lime aioli, Togarashi spices, Manchego cheese and queso fresco elevating the flavors of Mexican street corn with Manchego cheese and a fusion of Japanese flavors. Togarashi is a traditional blend of chile, orange peel, ginger, seaweed, poppy seeds and sesame seeds that sits on Japanese tables, the way that salt and pepper sits on American tables. Of course, while sitting in the lovely ambiance of Kasa, one might be hesitant to pick up a corn cob and take a bite. Yes, you could take a steak knife and attack the cob in a slightly more gentile fashion…but our table bit into our cobs with gusto and reveled in the moment. The crunch and sweetness of the roasted corn, the creamy and savory aioli blending with the savory cheeses and spices was a delicious and unexpected combination.
I asked Chef Shawn what the most popular dish for Magical Dining has been and the Grilled Chimichurri Hanger Steak was the definitive answer. Chef Shawn shared one of his secrets to getting the best results from this humble cut of meat, he uses a Jaccard to tenderize the steak. The bladed tool allows the emulsified Chimichurri sauce to deeply penetrate and flavor the meat, the resulting steak was very tender and flavorful.
Pan Seared Salmon rested on a bed of ratatouille risotto in red pepper consomme, topped with sauteed zucchini and roasted tomatoes. The Alaskan salmon was cooked beautifully with a nice sear on one side. Chef Shawn explained that the dish took the traditional flavors of a ratatouille and deconstructed the various flavor components. The risotto was creamy, with roasted eggplant and marscapone flavoring the al dente arborio rice. The richness of the risotto was balanced with the brighter acidity in the consomme.
Vegetable Spring Pea Gnocchi is a delightful dish made with handcrafted gnocchi, an exotic mushroom ragu and Parmesan cheese, resting on a richly flavored porccini fondue. A flavorful and complex dish, that was immensely satisfying. Chef Shawn will be placing a fall spin on gnocchi very soon, with house-made pumpkin gnocchi and a savory cider broth. After enjoying the layers of flavors and textures in the current gnocchi dish, I cannot wait to taste the fall update.
Magical Dining guests have a choice of the Decadent Chocolate Cake or the Wrecked Apple Pie with Caramel Sea Salt Ice Cream. Our table opted for the Wrecked Apple Pie all around; the wrecked “pie” was apples and streusel wrapped in a delicate pastry, fried and then cut into slices. The Salted Caramel Ice Cream is topped with a light sprinkling of maple salt, giving a butterscotch flavor to bites of the ice cream; a delicious finish to a wonderful meal at Kasa. Look for all of these menu items priced separately on Kasa’s regular menu, or enjoy a Magical Dining meal through September 30, 2014. Reservations can be made by calling (407) 985-5272 or by booking through Opentable.com.
For more information on Chef Shawn Kaplan and Kasa, my friends over at Celebrity Chef 4 You recently posted a great video interview, be sure to check it out.
Disclosure: I was a guest at a media dinner, no other form of compensation was received and the opinions in this post are my own. Cheers!
Lisa Wilk
Hello, I'm Lisa Wilk! I'm a freelance food, wine and travel writer, photographer and presenter based out of Orlando, FL. While covering local restaurants and food events in the #1 tourist destination in the US, I find endless cooking inspiration when dining out. You'll often find me in the kitchen putting my own spin on those elevated chef creations to enjoy at home and when entertaining. I have a love and enthusiasm for wine, wine education and wine pairing. Find me about town teaching and demystifying wine as part of the popular @TheTastyTrio in the popular Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Perfectly Paired program series I've co-developed. Taste, Cook and Sip along with me on Twitter and Instagram at @TasteCookSip and @WineChix! Cheers!
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Maria Wilson
September 29, 2014
Great pictures of each course! I haven’t been to this particular restaurant, but this post definitely inspired me to check it out. Thanks!
Maria
http://theclassifiedchic.com/
Christina
September 27, 2014
Awesome recap of a great dinner! I can’t wait to go back on try more of their exciting dishes. Cheer to happy eating around Orlando!
Lisa Wilk
September 28, 2014
Thanks so much wwww.GoEpicurista.com, it was a wonderful dinner and I’m looking forward to a trip back, as well. Cheers!