Orlando: Prato
My parents wanted to treat my cousin and his girlfriend to a nice meal. Since we weren't familiar with Orlando at all, we let my cousin take charge of picking the restaurant.
He went with Prato because it's one of his favorite restaurants in the area and he wanted us to try it:
There was a bit of a wait, so we went to check out the koi pond down the street. We ogled at the giant koi fish for half an hour before heading back to the restaurant. By the time we got back, our table was ready:
Except for the gnocchi and tortelli, which only came in half portions, all the pasta options at Prato came in both half portions ($9) and full portions ($16). Our server helpfully told us that a half portion was essentially the size of one fist while the full portion would equal two fists. So if you're looking to get full, the half portion probably isn't gonna cut it. But if you're in a group and want to try multiple pastas, the half portion is your best friend.
We originally ordered everything in half portions. But after our server walked away, I had a reality check. Just imagining our group of eight people each getting a single noodle from a fist-sized portion made me break out in a cold sweat. I called back the server and luckily did so in time to change our orders to full sized.
We got the LB shrimp ravioli:
The ravioli came in scampi sauce with broccolini and breadcrumbs.
I was really excited about the egg bucatini because it included Long Island duck ragu and foie gras:
I don't remember tasting the foie, but the duck ragu was delicious.
Even though it only came in half portions, we got the truffled potato gnocchi anyway:
It was made with fava bean pesto and fennel sausage. So soft and chewy. So good.
The mustard spaghettini "cacio e pepe" was also quite yummy:
It consisted of radicchio, LQ speck (a type of ham), and balsamic vinegar.
From the appetizer menu, we ordered the meatballs:
They normally come in three ($12). Our server asked if we wanted to add one more to make it easier to share among eight people. Uh, yes, please.
My sister's favorite was probably the PEI mussels ($14):
The mussels were perfectly cooked, but it really was all about the smoked potato broth with wild ramp greens. The toasted bread was slathered with goat feta. My sister had a field day soaking up the broth with the bread. When there was no bread left, she simply picked up her spoon and started drinking the broth straight.
To make sure we all had enough to eat, we also ordered two pizzas (both $15).
The first was the arrostito:
It was topped with chicken sausage, zucchini pesto, Meyer lemon conserva, and feta. I'm a sucker for Meyer lemon. Then again, who isn't?
Besides having an intimidating name, the widowmaker came with caciocavallo (a type of cheese), romesco (a nut and red pepper-based sauce), fennel sausage, and a single farm egg:
I wish there was more than one egg on the pizza. I mean, really? One tiny egg for that entire pie?
The food didn't look like much, but we actually ended up with leftovers on the table at the end of the meal. To take care of those leftovers, we played a finger-counting game to see who had to eat what. I managed to escape unscathed, but my sister and my father each lost a round and had to finish off a dish, as did my cousin's girlfriend.
Suckers. Heh.
Prato is great. The food the awesome, the service personable. I would definitely recommend Prato to anyone who is looking for a good meal for maybe a slightly more special occasion. Date night, anyone?
Prato
124 N Park Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 262-0050
http://www.prato-wp.com/
He went with Prato because it's one of his favorite restaurants in the area and he wanted us to try it:
There was a bit of a wait, so we went to check out the koi pond down the street. We ogled at the giant koi fish for half an hour before heading back to the restaurant. By the time we got back, our table was ready:
Except for the gnocchi and tortelli, which only came in half portions, all the pasta options at Prato came in both half portions ($9) and full portions ($16). Our server helpfully told us that a half portion was essentially the size of one fist while the full portion would equal two fists. So if you're looking to get full, the half portion probably isn't gonna cut it. But if you're in a group and want to try multiple pastas, the half portion is your best friend.
We originally ordered everything in half portions. But after our server walked away, I had a reality check. Just imagining our group of eight people each getting a single noodle from a fist-sized portion made me break out in a cold sweat. I called back the server and luckily did so in time to change our orders to full sized.
We got the LB shrimp ravioli:
The ravioli came in scampi sauce with broccolini and breadcrumbs.
I was really excited about the egg bucatini because it included Long Island duck ragu and foie gras:
I don't remember tasting the foie, but the duck ragu was delicious.
Even though it only came in half portions, we got the truffled potato gnocchi anyway:
It was made with fava bean pesto and fennel sausage. So soft and chewy. So good.
The mustard spaghettini "cacio e pepe" was also quite yummy:
It consisted of radicchio, LQ speck (a type of ham), and balsamic vinegar.
From the appetizer menu, we ordered the meatballs:
They normally come in three ($12). Our server asked if we wanted to add one more to make it easier to share among eight people. Uh, yes, please.
My sister's favorite was probably the PEI mussels ($14):
The mussels were perfectly cooked, but it really was all about the smoked potato broth with wild ramp greens. The toasted bread was slathered with goat feta. My sister had a field day soaking up the broth with the bread. When there was no bread left, she simply picked up her spoon and started drinking the broth straight.
To make sure we all had enough to eat, we also ordered two pizzas (both $15).
The first was the arrostito:
It was topped with chicken sausage, zucchini pesto, Meyer lemon conserva, and feta. I'm a sucker for Meyer lemon. Then again, who isn't?
Besides having an intimidating name, the widowmaker came with caciocavallo (a type of cheese), romesco (a nut and red pepper-based sauce), fennel sausage, and a single farm egg:
I wish there was more than one egg on the pizza. I mean, really? One tiny egg for that entire pie?
The food didn't look like much, but we actually ended up with leftovers on the table at the end of the meal. To take care of those leftovers, we played a finger-counting game to see who had to eat what. I managed to escape unscathed, but my sister and my father each lost a round and had to finish off a dish, as did my cousin's girlfriend.
Suckers. Heh.
Prato is great. The food the awesome, the service personable. I would definitely recommend Prato to anyone who is looking for a good meal for maybe a slightly more special occasion. Date night, anyone?
Prato
124 N Park Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 262-0050
http://www.prato-wp.com/
Comments
Post a Comment