Margaritaville Menu Refresh

Jimmy Buffett’s® Margaritaville® Orlando announced the launch of its refreshed menu featuring more than 15 new and enhanced dishes and drinks.  The new recipes rely heavily upon the inherent flavor of fresh and house-made ingredients to enhance and define the personality of each dish, making it possible to ensure optimal flavor.  Margaritaville invited several local bloggers to test out a few of the menu options.

The evening started off with a few drinks.  I had the Bahama Mama and one of my dining companions has the Havana and Bananas.  Both drinks were made with a variety of rum so they were tropical and luscious.  The appetizers were pre-selected for us and included “Drunken” Shrimp Skillet, Grilled Shrimp Skewer, White Cheddar Cheese Curds, Beach Tacos and Asiago Crab Dip.  All of the appetizer were delicious, but my favorite was the Asiago Crab Dip.  The dip includes lump crabmeat in a sharp asiago cream served with grilled crostini.  It is served with toasted bread.  There are few things I enjoy more than a good cheesy crab dip.

One of my dining companions enjoyed the “Drunken” Shrimp Skillet the most.  This dish is sauteed with tequila key lime butter, roasted garlic, onions and peppers.  It comes with a mini baguette for dipping.

The third appetizer we sampled was the Grilled Shrimp Skewer.  The appetizer is jerk-glazes shrimp dusted with sugared coconut served with pineapple.  The jerk spice was flavorful, but not overpowering.

The White Cheddar Cheese Curds are chunks of fried white cheddar served with LandShark Lager BBQ and marinara.  I enjoyed this dish very much.

Our Beach Tacos were Carne Asada Steak and Braised Port Carnitas.  The pork was extremely tender and had lots of flavor.

Once we were done with the appetizers, we choose several entrees for dinner.  I choose the Seafood Mac & Cheese while my dining companions split LandShark Lager Fish & Chips.  Yes, you do get full very quickly at these events so it is a good idea to split a dish.

The Seafood Mac & Cheese  is shrimp and lump crabmeat with cavatappi pasta in a Bourin cream sauce.  Absolutely delicious.  Lots of seafood in the dish and sauce had good flavor.  I brought half of it home for lunch tomorrow.

UPDATE:  Had the leftover seafood mac & cheese for lunch.  Like many pasta dishes, it is almost better the second day because all of the flavors blend together nicely overnight.

The new LandShark Lager Fish and Chips, takes this classic to a sublime level with its crispy crust, thanks to the thinnest and lightest of batters made with the signature beer.

After our appetizers and entrees, it was finally time for dessert. Of course, we were already full, but when did that ever stop you from having dessert.   Our desserts for the evening included Key Lime Pie and Chocolate Hurricane.  The Chocolate Hurricane was everything the name implied.  Vanilla bean ice cream served with brownies, Kit Kat and Heath bars, pirouette and mini shortbread cookies, sliced banana, whipped cream and chopped macadamia nuts. Swirled tableside with chocolate and caramel sauces.  Yep, it was heaven for this chocolate lover! I wish I could have taken the leftovers home.  Key lime pie was also very good.

Once we were done with our meal, Chef Dan Murray came out to see if we had any questions about the menu.  It was a nice touch for the chef to come out to the table.

Of course the whole restaurant has a beach / island feel to it.  There is a volcano that ‘erupts’ on a regular schedule with ‘When the Volcano Blows’ as the music backdrop.

Service was also great so all in all, a fantastic evening.

If you have never been to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville or if you haven’t been in a long time, I highly suggest you make the trip to Universal City Walk and give it a try.  You will not be disappointed.

ABOUT JIMMY BUFFETT’S® MARGARITAVILLE®

Inspired by the lyrics and philosophy of Jimmy Buffett, the leading lifestyle brand is comprised of restaurants, retail shops, consumer products, casinos, resorts, vacation ownership and a national radio station on SiriusXM.  Margaritaville® delivers an experience where guests can enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of their favorite vacation destination, whatever their latitude. Margaritaville® is more than a restaurant, it’s a state of mind and that guests can get there from most anywhere.

Margaritaville® locations span the United States in destinations, such as Key West, New Orleans, Orlando, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Panama City Beach, Nashville, Honolulu, Atlantic City and coming soon to Destin, FL and Pigeon Forge, TN.

International locations include the Caribbean, Mexico, Republic of Panama, Canada and Australia. Margaritaville® resorts are located in Pensacola Beach and Bossier City, with Hollywood Beach, Florida slated to open in 2015.