My husband and I spent $211 at chef Richard Blais' Orlando restaurant, where we picked our own lobster and feasted on wagyu
Terri Peters
- Richard Blais' Orlando restaurant, Four Flamingos, is one of my favorite date spots.
- On a recent visit, my husband and I dined on off-menu specials and wagyu beef.
I've been watching celebrity chef Richard Blais compete on TV for years, so I was excited when he opened a restaurant near me in Florida.
Since Four Flamingos opened at Orlando's Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in 2021, it's become a recurring date-night spot for me and my husband.
Here's what our recent trip to the restaurant was like.
The atmosphere feels like stepping into an Old Florida vacation home.
Four Flamingos has an Old Florida charm with dark, wooden floors, elegant dining tables, floor-to-ceiling windows, and lots of flamingo-pink accents.
The menu features seafood and steaks with a Caribbean-style twist.
The menu is described by the Michelin restaurant guide as "contemporary Americana meets the tropics."
I'd wholeheartedly agree after trying dishes like ham-and-cheese croquettes, seafood stew, and decadent swordfish on previous visits.
We started our meal with a round of drinks.
The cocktail menu seems to change frequently (at least in the times we've visited). My husband chose the gin-based Pink Dragon cocktail for $19.
I decided not to drink alcohol, so I appreciated that many drinks had mocktail options. I opted for a $10 Summer Thyme, a blend of thyme simple syrup, lemon juice, and soda water.
The lobster tank was a main feature of the restaurant.
Every time we've dined at Four Flamingos, my husband has expressed interest in picking a lobster to eat.
This time he finally chose one from the tank and had it freshly prepared by the chefs. There was no extra charge for picking it out ourselves, which we appreciated.
Our server informed us about a surf-and-turf special.
Per our server's recommendation, we ordered a surf-and-turf special that wasn't on the standard menu.
For $104, we received half of a lobster and A4 Australian wagyu beef topped with crab-fat butter.
The off-menu seafood dish came with a choice of side, so we opted for coconut creamed spinach.
We also shared an order of Carribean-inspired yuca fries.
For $10, we received a basket of perfectly seasoned yuca fries with a tangy dip that tasted like a mix of ketchup and cocktail sauce.
The slightly sweet fries made from the root vegetable complemented our steak, lobster, and creamed spinach perfectly.
Four Flamingos has an impressive list of beer and wine.
My husband asked our server to recommend a red wine that would pair well with our dish.
He offered a $24 glass of cabernet sauvignon, and my husband found it to be a great addition to the meal.
After cleaning our hands, it was time for dessert.
Our hands were a bit messy from dinner, so our server brought us cold towels with lemon essential oil.
After we were clean and refreshed, we started looking at the dessert menu.
Our dessert was flambéed in front of us.
Our server suggested that we try one of Four Flamingos' most popular desserts, the $16 Baked Florida.
The restaurant's take on a Baked Alaska consisted of Key-lime pie, raspberry gelée, and flambéed meringue that was set on fire in front of us.
Once the exciting flames went out, it tasted amazing. My husband also had a $16 glass of port wine with dessert.
I picked up a copy of Blais' latest cookbook on the way out.
The restaurant sells a lot of Blais' cookbooks, so I picked up a copy of his new plant-based release, "Plant Forward," that he wrote with his wife.
Our dinner didn't disappoint, and we'd go back for the atmosphere alone.
For just over $200, we felt that we received plenty of wonderful food and drinks.
We were also thrilled that our server shared a delicious, off-menu special with us and that we got to pick our own lobster from the tank.
Based on our experience and the restaurant's unique atmosphere alone, it will definitely stay in our date-night rotation.
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