The Ritz-Carlton, Orlando is home to the magnificent Highball & Harvest restaurant. Find out why it’s so special.
Orlando, Florida is a top destination for family attractions but there is also a big foodie scene. When traveling to Orlando I highly recommend dining at The Ritz-Carlton. This hotel is unique in that it has its own farm on property that provides a number of things for their onsite restaurants. On my recent stay at The Ritz Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, I took one of their Eco Adventure tours, which gave me the opportunity to see and learn about this farm, known as Whisper Creek Farm.
I enjoyed all the food on-site, but our meal at Highball and Harvest is by far one of the best farm to table restaurants I have dined at. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also a large lounge where live music is enjoyed on certain nights.
Marvelous craft cocktails at Highball & Harvest at the Ritz-Carlton, Orlando
The breakfast buffet offers a selection of Southern items, along with a number of gluten free items. In addition to the breakfast buffet there are menu options from green smoothies and avocado toast to a smoked brisket benedict and sweet potato waffle. Lunch provides the opportunity for salads and sandwiches. The real deliciousness comes when dinnertime rolls around.
We had the pleasure of dining on a Friday night allowing us to enjoy live music in the background. The dinner menu offers a variety of unique options. We began the meal with a signature cocktail. I loved the Seasoned Traveler, a cucumber infused vodka, lemon, green chartreuse and basil martini style drink. My husband had a whiskey and cola with tobacco bitters and orange essence known as the Last Wish.
Scallop salad at Highball and Harvest at the Ritz-Carlton
We then moved on to the food with the Scallops & Rye plus FL Tomato salad from the starter menu. For the main course, I devoured the best skirt steak I have ever had and my husband stuffed himself with the stuffed quail. We had the baked pimento mac-n-cheese and the brussels sprouts as additional sides we shared. Both were really good and large servings easily shareable. Everything was prepared flawlessly.
And of course, I had to end this wonderful meal with dessert. We were so full we decided to share the waffles and bananas accompanied by vanilla ice cream. I had briefly mentioned my curiosity about the Cappuccino ice cream to our wonderful server, Steven, so he also surprised me with a bowl of this vibrant flavored ice cream that is typically served with their popular donut dessert.
Dessert is a must at Highball & Harvest at the Ritz-Carlton
Keep in mind that their menus are built around fresh, seasoned ingredients so some of the items I mentioned here may not be on the current menu. I recommend making reservations, as this restaurant appears to be very popular.
Contributor Bio: Mandy Carter is a marketer, travel writer and speaker. She’s been on 18 cruises! She wants to inspire parents to explore with their kids! She blogs about her family travels at A Cupful of Carters. Connect with: Facebook Twitter Instagram. All images in this article are copyright, Mandy Carter. Disclosure: My meal at Highball & Harvest was complimentary but the opinions expressed are my own.
