Everglades Restaurant — Restaurant in Dr. Phillips

I'm reviewing the Everglades based on a private event I attended last night. We had the chance to taste every single item from a Magical Dining menu in just one night.

The restaurant is located inside one of Orlando's most famous hotels, right on International Drive. Not only is it in a prime tourist spot connected to the Convention Center, but the décor itself is a constant reminder that you're in Florida, inspired by the swamps of the Everglades.

I enjoyed all the dishes, but the highlights and a few lowlights were:

Alligator chowder: the alligator pieces were tiny, and the tomato flavor was so strong that it was hard to tell if we were eating alligator, chicken, or something else...? Garden greens: a classic salad with feta and berries, but I loved that they added arugula instead of spinach or spring mix. The olive oil was delicious and flavorful. I wish I had asked for its brand. Watermelon with pistachio-crusted goat cheese: pistachio and goat cheese in one bite? Yes, please. Absolutely delicious and it was my first time trying this combination. Angus filet: tender and juicy. Cooked perfectly but underseasoned. The red wine sauce was tasty but a bit too thin for my liking. It could have been thicker and more concentrated. Sea bass: my favorite of the night. This fish is already a piece of art on its own but the olive crust really took it up a notch with its salty punch. The béarnaise sauce was fine, but I would have preferred a good olive oil instead, as the rich, buttery béarnaise did not feel like the best match for the fish and olives. Halibut: other Yelpies enjoyed it, but my piece was a little dry and lacking salt. When I paired it with the salmon roe on top, it was much better, as the roe added both saltiness and moisture. The black garlic sauce was barely noticeable. Chocolate ganache cake: unfortunately, it tasted like a simple sponge cake with ganache one can find at a cruise ship buffet. A bit disappointing. Tiramisu martini: great idea, but the execution fell short. The cream to ladyfinger to coffee ratio was too heavy on the cream. I did not taste the mascarpone I was expecting. I would have added a cinnamon or coffee latte flavor to bring more depth to cream and added less. Tropical cheesecake: I am not usually a fan of tropical desserts or cheesecake, but this one won me over. Pineapple cheesecake, mango passionfruit sauce, toasted coconut cream, and a crispy pineapple chip -- yum! It was a fun and multidimensional dessert where each bite could be mixed differently. I wish I could have...

My wife and I went out to dinner last night at Everglades at the Rosen Centre for a date night. They called it fine dining. Our meal was mediocre, however after the meal was when the fun started. The waitress brought the check. At the bottom of the check was one of those QR codes that you can scan and pay the bill. I scanned, paid using my Apple Card. At that time, I thought the transaction was over. I walked my wife out of the restaurant, and she went to the front of the hotel by the valet area, and I went to the parking garage to get our car. It was a far walk from the restaurant, cross their convention area to the parking garage. I walked up one flight of stairs, then I heard someone say Hey!!! You left the restaurant without paying your bill.

I replied back with I paid.

The security guard and now the restaurant manager are now confronting me in the garage saying I did not pay….. As it goes I open my phone to show these Mother &”3ehrudner’s my receipt. Now as luck goes my phone will not load my email… I switch to my apple wallet and you can see a pending purchase for $167.31 at Everglades Restaurant. That was not good enough for them. Switch back to email and you can only see the subject line that says….. Rosen Centre Hotel Email receipt. I told them I don’t appreciate this. What else do you want me to show you?

They finally believed me I guess.

Now my wife called me 10 seconds later as she was chased down and confronted by our waitress saying I did not pay the bill.

All of this unnecessary embarrassment could have been avoided by not accusing me of a dine and dash……. How about something like….. There may have been a problem with our system… can you please show me your receipt??

I would expect this type of treatment from a place like The International House of Pancakes, Chili’s, or Logan’s roadhouse. Not an establishment that claims to be fine dining. You would think that they would want to check their system before they start sending security guards to...

Walking in through the convention center was the first issue. It was very hard to figure out how to get to a restaurant inside the hotel and park in the appropriate area to do so. Finally found our way in. It's a short walk through the convention center area. Restaurant is right across from the pool. Beautiful looking, I like the animal and nature themed decor. Very spacious place. Was sat and immediately connected with our server. The service was mostly fine dining. I say mostly only because after the bread course at the table, they did not remove the crumbs before serving the next course, although not a deal breaker or even a big deal just an observation. Our server was very attentive. We did the magical dining menu. The soup and salad was delicious. I like to try other things from the regular menu when I magical dine so I asked to try the lobster bisque. Was very much NOT a fan of the bisque. The soup on the magical dining menu was much better, they chose the right soup to offer ther. Thank God... The entrée choices were steak chicken or sea bass. I had the sea bass and my friend had the chicken. There was nothing special about the chicken it was roasted and then topped with some bbq sauce,the potatoes were terribly plain, the black eye peas had a good flavor and was probably the best part of that dish. My sea bass was good, the fish itself was delicious delicate and the sauce on top was a winner. The risotto underneath, well let's just say that it didn't measure up. The desserts were nice, key lime pie and chef special dessert shot which turned out nicely. I am hoping that they may have just been a little complacent with Magical dining menu and the abundance of it that they did not put any real love into it. I am on the fence about returning and trying...