All Summer, Enjoy “Tree-to-Table” Maple Infusions at Omni Orlando
Every summer, Omni Hotels & Resorts celebrates the season with their “Art of Water” poolside menu series. This year, they have teamed up with the International Maple Syrup Institute to show us exactly what maple can do when utilized in food and beverage. Chef Robert Ash, the executive chef at the Omni Orlando at Champion’s Gate, channeled his talents into a unique tasting menu so we could sample all the goodness of the North American classic.
Our inspired event setting, and check out the fresh lettuce wall in the back!
Chef Robert hails from Buffalo, NY (where I went to college, so I automatically had to like him!). Buffalo, of course, is next door to Canada – where maple reigns. Perhaps this gave Chef a leg up, as we guests enjoyed every single item on the menu.
We started out with some shareables: a sausage, cheese & pâté platter, along with crisps and fresh veggies. Our first cocktail was the Maple Smash: Crown Royale rye, fresh lemon, robust maple syrup, and fresh mint (note the maple tree stump coasters). The liver pâté was a surprise treat (see photo above).
Our first dinner dish? Chipotle maple chicken tacos. Mini-tacos at that, with cotija, cabbage, and a pineapple salsa – sold. Up next came tomato & burrata salad, with prosciutto & a maple balsamic. The crisp mapled cured maple lamb belly (with the cutest baby carrot) rounded out our second inning. Every plate was empty – I was in awe that one ingredient had helped all of this to happen.
Clockwise from top: Chipotle maple chicken tacos; tomato & burrata; crisp maple cured lamb belly.
I don’t always leave full at these events, depending on the menu and the servings. At this point, I was already en route to satisfied. Next up came an amazing beef tartare: with maple & quail egg, definitely the most interesting (and tasty!) I’ve tried. Charred root vegetables, served with quinoa, kale, hummus, and – of course – maple, was a nice palate cleanser before the maple water poached arctic char rounded us off. The char was a nice switch from salmon: similar, yet a lighter, more tender option.
Clockwise from top left: Maple water poached artic char, beef tartare, root vegetables.
I had managed to save room for dessert simply by the description on the maple leaf inspired menu: as you can see, we had no idea of the specifics, but we knew it wouldn’t disappoint. As you can also see: it didn’t. Chef Robert trained in confectionary art both in France & in Maryland, so he clearly knows his way around a sweet tooth.
Maple leaf inspired menu & dessert tray.
Chef Robert & the awesome fresh lettuce wall at Omni Orlando
The team at Omni Orlando truly took the Art of Water challenge to another level this year, and any guests at Omni resorts throughout the country should take advantage of this event.
The Omni Orlando is located at 1500 Masters Boulevard, Champions Gate, FL 33896. The incredible maple inspired menu is available poolside through Labor Day.