As we ramp up for fall, these are some of the most important new event and meeting venues slated to open (or reopen), with options for everything from cocktail receptions and conferences to business dinners and corporate meetings. Here's a preview of the hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, and other spaces the city will be buzzing about this season.
The team behind the acclaimed Ravenous Pig—James and Julie Petrakis—opened their newest venture on September 5. Cask & Larder is a 7,000-square-foot restaurant in Winter Park with seating for 150. Management describes the menu as focused on “Southern ingredients prepared with classic techniques.” The restaurant has an oyster bar and a brewery where customers can buy craft beer by the keg. It also offers whole cookery—the ability to order a whole suckling pig, lamb, fish, or duck for a group dining experience.
East End Market will be a mixed-use development in Audubon Park that has a restaurant and event space. The restaurant, Txokos Kitchen, will open in December, and the remainder of the building will open in early 2013. Ten local vendors, including a butcher, baker, coffee roaster, produce and seafood vendors, and an organic flower grower will sell products in the first-floor market. On the second floor, the 1,500-square-foot East End Event Hall will accommodate 240 people and have a kitchen for demonstrations. The venue will have a rustic, cozy atmosphere with reclaimed wood and antiques.
Mad Cow Theatre will open in its new home in downtown Orlando October 6. The facility will be in the 55 West Building on Church Street. The 170-seat Harriett Theatre will be the largest performance space. The smaller Black Box Theatre will have flexible seating options for as many as 70 people. Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sunday in the Park With George will be the opening performance.
Taqueria del Sol will open October 1 just south of downtown Orlando. The Atlanta-based chain serves a mix of Southwestern, Mexican, and Southern cuisine. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will have seating for 150 people inside and about 30 on a patio.
The Club at N.B.A. City opens at the Amway Center in mid-October, operated by the same people who run the existing N.B.A. City at Universal CityWalk. The 4,160-square-foot venue will be open for private bookings on days when there is not an event at the arena; during events it will be a members-only club. The space will accommodate 250 guests seated or more than 300 for a reception. There will also be an outdoor bar and patio.
