Ocean Prime, Orlando

Ocean Prime is a fairly high end steakhouse/seafood restaurant, generally a special occasion kind of place, although it is a chain, with 18 locations, in most major cities in the US (but, not the one I live in).  I actually had never heard of Ocean Prime until I visited Orlando for a conference, but, apparently it is relatively well known, and does get rave reviews.

"OCEAN PRIME is a nationally acclaimed, modern American restaurant and lounge from the award-winning Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. There is a warm and vibrant energy at all times. Stunning settings, an impressive menu of seafood and steaks, and genuine hospitality make Ocean Prime the ideal place to socialize, talk business, celebrate and indulge." 

I didn't actually visit in person, because, in addition to being in Orlando for a convention with sessions all day long, I also had to do my regular job, and dial in to meetings remotely in the evenings.  Thus, no going out and exploring Orlando for me, and, I had to rely on delivery, as my hotel didn't have a restaurant.  Now, I know a high end restaurant isn't normally what folks pick for delivery, but, it got such great reviews, and had such a stellar menu, that I really did want to risk it.  I ordered several times, and was generally quite pleased, although, the prices are a bit hard to swallow.  The seafood surprisingly actually wasn't the star, but the side dishes were good, the complimentary bread and truffle popcorn very good, the cocktails great, and, the dessert, phenomenal.  I'd love to visit in person sometime to really get the full experience.

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• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
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• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
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• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

Cocktails

Ocean Prime of course has a decent wine list, as it is a high end steakhouse / seafood restaurant after all, but they also have a lengthy, and interesting, cocktail menu.  In the restaurant, they have more than a dozen offerings, but on Door Dash, they only offer 6. The options were still great, and I was happy to be able to order a high end cocktail, delivered.  Door Dash prices for cocktails were $1 more than in the restaurant.

Prime Manhattan.  $19.

"Woodford Reserve, Carpano Antica Vermouth, Amaro Nonino, Rosemary Grapefruit Peppercorn Bitters."

The cocktail menu did have a few that sounded good, but, I was feeling classic, and thus, their version of the Manhattan it was.  I was certainly curious how the rosemary, grapefruit, and peppercorn flavors would come through.

I'll start with the packaging.  OMG, how cute was this?  Yes, it came in a mason jar.  Nearly every other takeout cocktail I've gotten has either come in a plastic soda fountain style cup, or, at best, a plastic bottle.  This was far classier.  It also was full to the brim ... and seemed bigger than what I'd get as a single serving in the restaurant?  Anyway, major points for the mason jar.

The cocktail itself was good.  Very balanced, yet clearly boozy.  I didn't taste rosemary specifically, nor grapefruit, nor peppercorn, but it was quite complex.  I liked it, quite a bit.  A wonderful treat to have delivered to me.  And the price actually seemed right for a cocktail of that quality (and portion!).  ****.

Pineapple Picante. $15.

"Pineapple Infused Corzo Silver Tequila, Picante, Fresh Lemon, Regan's Orange Bitters."

The next time I ordered, I was drawn in by this one.  Not by the pineapple exactly, but by the spice and the tequila.  It too came in a mason jar.

I tried a sip, and was quite pleased.  It was a bit sweet, but, the rest of the flavors were complex, there was clearly a decent amount of acidity, a bit of heat, and, tequila, which I do really enjoy from time to time.  It was a little warm when it arrived from being in with my warm food, but I poured it over ice, and that helped dilute it a bit too, which helped with the sweetness as well.

I enjoyed this, it was a fun cocktail, just a touch sweet, but I think that wouldn't be a problem as served at the restaurant, as it would come on ice there too.  I was glad I mixed it up to try this.

****.

Update: I liked it so much, I got a second one with another order.  I didn't take a photo, but it was slightly different - a touch more fruity, more pineapple, and it came with a lemon round in it.  I liked it too, but I think I preferred the first, less sweet, more spicy, version.

Berries & Bubbles. $19.

"Belvedere Organic Lemon & Basil Vodka, Marinated Blackberries, Fresh Lemon, Domaine Chandon Brut, Dry Ice Smoke."

For my last order, I decided to really go out on a limb, and try the "Berries & Bubbles".  I don't usually go for champagne, nor champagne cocktails, and I knew it would suffer a bit in being takeout, because, well, dry ice smoke I didn't exactly see them including in my takeout order, but I had enjoyed the other cocktails so much I wanted to give it a try.   It sounded fun!

It was less fun than I expected, as it didn't really have any bubbles left when it arrived, it was definitely a flat beverage.  I also didn't taste any basil, which I had hoped to detect, as I thought that could be quite interesting.  It also was not quite as described.  My drink did not have blackberries in it, but rather, 3 *blue* berries.

So, flat, smoke-less, basil-less, blueberry vodka drink it was.  Which, was fine, it was nicely fruity, not too sweet (one I added ice), but it wasn't as standout as the others.  I wouldn't get it again, especially not for delivery.

***. 

Food

To get things started, Ocean Prime has a variety of options for you. They have some very high end sushi rolls (think: a $26 spicy tuna roll?), a selection of oysters, shrimp or crab cocktails, seafood towers, and of course, an assortment of soups (lobster bisque, french onion) and salads (available with seafood add-ons), and *also* an entire appetizer section of hot items.  I tried several of these.

From there, it is time for mains.  Obviously, given the restaurant name, there is a selection of steaks (available with additions like black truffle butter, Oscar style, surf n turf, etc), and a huge range of phenomenal sounding seafood items (twin lobster tails, scallops, blackened snapper, local Florida grouper, etc), all of which come with fantastic sides like gnocchi, corn spoon bread, whipped potatoes, etc, and then some token chicken and pork dishes too.  The I would have happily order basically any of the seafood mains, but, note that they range from $49-$60.  I think most of the menu is common across locations, although they have some local variations (e.g. blackened Texas redfish instead of Florida grouper in Texas, Atlantic cod on Boston, swordfish in Phoenix - ok, that one makes no sense, etc).   I didn't splurge for any of these though, as I was getting delivery, and it just felt like a waste.

Then there are plenty of sides to pick from, items I knew would hold up better for delivery, so I opted for some of them too.

And don't get me started on the dessert menu.  I obviously had to get at least one.

So, overall, a menu I couldn't wait to dive into, but, gulp, the prices.  And ... I really wasn't sure how good of an idea ordering such high end food was for delivery, as clearly, these dishes would suffer in transit.

Appetizers & "On Ice".

The Ocean Prime menu has many categories of starters, I skipped the sushi and the soups and salads (although, really, the lobster bisque and the lobster and shrimp cobb salad both did call out, and I thought would fare well for delivery).

The appetizer lineup is where I started, thinking these dishes had a better chance of surviving delivery than the mains, and, well, they were more reasonably priced ($22-30).  Options here include your classics: steak tartare and fried calamari, along with something for the vegetarians (goat cheese ravioli, truffle deviled eggs), and an appetizer version of surf n turf (scallops and short ribs!) and tempting looking Tabasco cream shrimp saute.

I also went for something from their "On Ice" section, knowing it wouldn't come on ice exactly, but, a chilled dish was good for takeout. 

When you dine-in at Ocean Prime, your meal starts with two complimentary items in addition: a bread basket and ... truffle popcorn!  Um, be still my heart.  I didn't expect any of that with delivery though.

Bread Basket & Butter (Complimentary).

I absolutely was not expecting my takeout order to come with the bread basket!  But it did, with two each of two types of bread, still lightly warm, and whipped butter.

The soft pretzel sticks were fairly average - they were soft, definitely fresh, but lacked any real pretzel flavor, and could use more salt.  I think I was spoiled in Munich in May where even my hotel breakfast buffet had soft pretzel sticks/buns/rolls/etc that I think were better than this.  ***.

The other bread though was really quite good.  It had a slightly crunchy crust, was really moist, great chewy texture, and it was really, really good warmed up and slathered with the butter.  Far above average, even for fresh bread.  ****.

And then of course, the butter!  Fluffy, whipped, tasty.  Like the pretzel roll though, I think it could use a touch of salt.  ***+.

I was very pleased to unexpectedly get a bread basket, and enjoyed the non-pretzel bread far more than any other bread in recent memory.  That said, when you dine in, they also give truffle popcorn, which, if you know me and my popcorn obsession, you know I would have absolutely adored!

Bread Basket #2.

The second time I ordered, my bread basket did not have the pretzel rolls, just the nice crusty bread, and that didn't bother me at all - I liked it after all!  The portion was 3 big pieces this time.

Again, above average bread, great butter.  ***+.

Truffle Popcorn: Complimentary (by request).

The next time I ordered ... I, um, called and asked for the truffle popcorn to be included, instead of bread.  There was no way to do this via Door Dash, the restaurant choose not to allow any modifications or special requests, so, I had to actually call (gasp!).   The hostess who answered the phone was definitely amused, but went to check with the kitchen.  After quite some time, she came back saying they could do that for me.  I thanked her profusely.  Zomg, truffle popcorn!

The popcorn was very, very good.  Clearly freshly popped, big fluffy pieces, no unpopped kernels remained.  Not a one.  This was certainly not a light popcorn though - very clearly saturated in butter and oil (or maybe just oil?).  It was highly salty, which just made it that much more addicting.  And of course, the truffle (oil), fairly mild, but enough to keep you wanting more of that too.

It was the kind of popcorn you knew you shouldn't eat more than a few handfuls of at a time, but, no matter how hard you tried to resist, it was impossible.  So bingeworthy.

It was quite enjoyable to munch on (er, ok, devour in no time flat) later in my hotel room, and the truffle flavor definitely gave it an upscale feeling.  ****+.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. $29.

"Kale, Pickled Fennel, Horseradish Mustard Aioli." 

The first thing I ordered from Ocean Prime however was the crab cakes.  I love crab after all (hence, the label on my blog), and I was actually totally craving crab cakes.  I also thought this would be reasonably easy to heat up if I needed in my hotel room (I had a stove top in my kitchenette, so I could quickly pan sear it if it wasn't still warm).

I was glad to have that stove top, as, yup, it wasn't even mildly warm still.  The bread had fared better!  I quickly heated it up, and dug in.  The crab cake was just a single cake, but, it was thick, and loaded with big chunks of lump crab meat.  It had some filler, breadcrumbs I assume, but no herbs.  Mostly just lots of crab, although the outside was fairly bready.  It had a good sear on the outside, and was very moist inside.    Certainly a quality crab cake, but I felt a bit let down by it.  I think I actually would prefer some herbs or something in the filler, something to give it additional flavor.  It also tasted a touch fishy (mostly when it was lukewarm, it was better heated up).  ***.

The appetizer version came with chilled sides -  some (marinated?) shredded kale and pickled fennel, basically a little side salad/garnish.  The pickled fennel was good for a touch of acid.  I guess this was nice if you were thinking of it as an appetizer, but I was eating it as a main course (alongside some other leftovers I had), and I wanted warm sides.  That's my own fault for getting the appetizer portion.  Still, the garnish/side wasn't all that exciting.  ***.

And then, the sauce, which I appreciated being served on the side.  This was a horseradish mustard aioli, which sounded great, but strangely, I didn't love.  The mustard was very strong (grainy style mustard) and I felt it kinda clashed with the more delicate crab.  I really just wanted some tartar sauce, or even just cocktail sauce.  Or maybe, even just a lemon to squeeze over, so I could really appreciate the lump crab.  I made due with some hot sauce from Sweet Green that I had leftover from lunch, and actually thought that went really well - the red pepper really worked.  **+ for the mustard aioli though.

The menu also has an entree version of the crab cake, served as a pair, with more entree appropriate accompaniments (brussels sprouts, corn, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes), and a different sauce (mustard cream, instead of mustard aioli), for $49.   I actually liked the sound of these sides more, and the sauce, but, since this was my first order from Ocean Prime, I wanted to play it safer, and get the smaller dish, in case I didn't really like it.  And $49 for two crab cakes ... felt pricey for sure.  I do have regret though, as I suspect that would have been far more successful.

So this was a mixed bag for me - clearly a quality item, just, not one I loved.  With my own warm veggie sides, and my own sauce, I had a nice meal, but, oops?  Perhaps a bad order on my part.  ***.

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. $26.

So this was certainly a splurge, although, one of the cheaper proteins on the menu, as it was just a starter.  Jump shrimp cocktail, likely served more elegantly in the restaurant, but actually, a dish that worked absolutely fine for takeout, as it was chilled.

The shrimp were clearly quality, large shrimp, succulent, well cleaned, not chewy, almost akin to lobster.  But they were, at the end of the day, just cold unseasoned shrimp, and weren't about to blow my mind.  The provided cocktail sauce was fine, some horseradish to it, but again, not particularly remarkable.  I was also given a lemon to drizzle over, which I did use and appreciate.

Overall, this was certainly a quality product well prepared, but, didn't have any unique touches to it.  The portion of 4 for $26 was in line with their pricing, but, certainly pricey.  ***+.

Other "On Ice" options were oysters (meh), or crab cocktail, but since I'd just had crab, the shrimp was really the only one I was interested in (they also have a whole lobster, and a "smoking" shellfish tower, when you dine-in).

Sides

What steakhouse is complete without additional a la carte sides?  Ocean Prime has them too ... in spades.  The usual potato suspects are there (roasted garlic mashed, regular whipped potatoes, loaded baked potato, twice baked potato, parmesan truffle fries) or more fun ones like jalapeno au gratin or smoked gouda tater tots, and then the not-so-healthy veggies like bacon creamed spinach, "chophouse corn" (which looked to be creamed?), asparagus with hollandaise, and more, and, of course, black truffle mac and cheese.  

Sides range from $15-20, and are designed to share.

I couldn't resist ordering a few, even with these prices.

Asparagus & Hollandaise. $18,

Ok, I was really, really craving asparagus.  It was mid-September, and San Francisco menus stopped featuring it weeks ago.  I was seriously craving it, and, many places around Orlando still had it on the menu (or, maybe they aren't quite as hyper seasonal in their menus as SF is?).  Either way, nearly every menu I looked at had asparagus in some for - grilled, roasted, steamed, whatever.  

Also, um, I love hollandaise.  My hotel had a chef that cooked one dish to order every morning (you never knew what it would be, it might be omelettes, it might be pancakes, it might be eggs your way).  I was really hoping we'd have eggs-your-way the next day, and, swoon, I could bring some hollandaise to drizzle over it, and make my own little benedict-like.  I had whole wheat english muffins and a toaster in my room too!  Or, I had leftover swordfish from the night before, where I ordered swordfish piccata that came entirely without a sauce.  The fish was fine, but it really needed a buttery sauce.  The hollandaise could do the trick!

So, it might sound ridiculous to order $18 asparagus, but, I really wanted both the asparagus and the sauce.

I'll admit I was a bit let down when I saw the asparagus.  Fairly thin stalks, I think just sauteed in butter or oil, not roasted nor grilled.  I tried one, barely warm due to delivery, and it was very, very salty.  I like a high salt level, but, wow, salt.  I heated the rest back up (my room had a microwave), and added pepper (while it had plenty of salt, it had no other seasoning), and of course drizzled with hollandaise, and enjoyed it, but, it wasn't particularly great asparagus.  I would have liked some char from a grill, some deeper flavor from roasting, or, if really just simple sauteed asparagus, a bit snappier, a bit, well, more flavorful.  It was fine, but, just not exciting.  And yes, salty.

The hollandaise was provided on the side.  It definitely didn't love standing up to delivery, slightly split, but I saw that as a good thing since I knew it was legit hollandaise, not a powder.  I didn't try to heat it up, as I knew that would split it further.  It was creamy, and good, but fairly plain - no real lemon nor anything more to it.

Overall, I did like this, but, it wasn't anything special.  ***+.

Jalapeño Au Gratin $18.

At last minute, I decided to throw another side on to my order.  I had leftover swordfish and octopus to eat for dinner, and was getting the asparagus to go with it (and the rest of my leftover veggies too), and knew my order likely would come with bread, so I certainly didn't need any other carbs, but ... there were so many great sounding potato carbs, how could I not?  And if I was going for it, why not go all in?  And thus, jalapeño au gratin it was.

Like the other food I ordered, it was barely warm when it arrived, which did surprise me a little as I thought this would hold the temperature a bit better.  This was easily fixed though with my little portable oven.

So, yeah, this was good.  It had far more jalapeño than I expected, really a nice heat.  It was creamy, it was rich, it was really cheesy.  It had cheese baked on top, it had cream between the layers, and it was horrible for me, no question, but it was good.  The potatoes were nicely cooked, not too soft, not too al dente.   I'm not sure what cheeses were used, but I think there was gouda in there (just like their tots), as it seemed to have a good complexity to it.

This went wonderfully with my leftover swordfish and the asparagus, and the portion was quite generous (as it should be for $18!), so I was able to enjoy it over several meals.

Definitely above average gratin, interesting complexity from the jalapeño and cheeses used.  ****.

Dessert

Oh, man, this dessert menu.  All heavy hitters, I'd gladly order any of them (ok, I'd skip the sorbet).  Chocolate peanut butter pie, warm butter cake with berries and ice cream, classic creme brulee, and, zomg, even the carrot cake sounded epic: 10 layer carrot cake!  Of course, these will run you $15-20 too.

10 Layer Carrot Cake. $19.

"Cream Cheese Icing And Pineapple Syrup."

Ok, so this carrot cake was certainly made for show.  10 layers.  Served in a towering upright slice when you dine in.  I had seen plenty of photos, and knew it was massive (as it should be for $19!), and, very, very Instagram worthy.  But would it be any good?  I certainly enjoy carrot cake, more than most other cake really, but, I do have preferences: I want it moist, loaded with nuts, and great cream cheese frosting.  I had my doubts, I won't lie.

But, um, wow, that Ten Layer Carrot Cake ... I assure you, this is *not* just for show!  

The cake was light and airy, well spiced, and had a slight buttermilk-like tang to it, almost like a red velvet cake.  It was less dense than most carrot cake.  Sure, I prefer nuts, but, this was a fairly remarkable cake on its own.  And then, all those layers made for every bite just being perfect - no need to work to craft a bite with proper amounts of frosting and cake, every bite just naturally is that way.  And the frosting, not cloying sweet, so you *do* want all of it!  This cake just ate so, so well.

The pineapple syrup to drizzle over it just pushes it up a notch, adds a little fruity quality and moisture should you prefer (I grew up with my great aunt's "famous" carrot cake that had plenty of crushed pineapple in it, so, pineapple and carrot cake certainly go together in my mind).  I don't think it needed it though, and I actually may have preferred just some fresh sliced strawberries.

It also came with a small side of fairly generic whipped cream to add to it, fine, but also not really necessary as the cake was just so good.

One of the best carrot cakes I've ever had, and yes, $19 is a lot for a slice of carrot cake, but this one is massive, and clearly more work than your average carrot cake.   And really, truly worth the splurge.  ****+.