This past Saturday was my birthday and my family (John and my folks) and I had a deal.
We’ve reached the point in life that we have pretty much every toy we want so we have given up the burden of finding the perfect birthday gift. We live comfortably (and modestly) but we have the means to enjoy ourselves occasionally, so we have all agreed that birthdays would be about enjoying ourselves and each other’s company.
That being said…I was surprised this weekend with a rather extravagant celebration. I was told on Saturday that we would be enjoying brunch on Sunday at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort’s La Coquina.
La Coquina is the restaurant that wins the Best Brunch award in the Orlando Sentinel’s yearly restaurant awards. It has quite the reputation as being truly fantastic. It also has the reputation for being pricey. I would say both are accurate.
Our brunch reservation was for 11:30am and there would be 6 of us. My brother and his wife would be joining us. We are a pretty casual bunch of folks and the dress code states “no shorts”. It’s a tough crowd to get into slacks, but we did.
We arrived at the restaurant and were given a tour of the brunch buffet. The buffet is set up almost entirely in the kitchen and consists of several different tables of the most wonderful and delectable foods. There are also several hot entrees that are made to order, as well as omelettes and a waffle station.
We are not talking about your average brunch buffet. There were three kinds of caviar, 8 kinds of sushi, a raw bar, a seafood bar with barbecued scallops and shrimp. There were several kinds of pasta, an assortment of 12 cheeses with accompanying fresh fruit, pastries, breads cookies, sticky buns and on and on and on.
The hot entrees were buffalo, lamb, roast beef, three kinds of fresh fish, eggs benedict and anything you could decribe to the chef. My mother asked if there any sort of breakfast potatoes and while they weren’t on the menu, they were created on the spot.
All the fresh squeezed OJ, champagne, cofffee, tea and soft drinks were refilled within seconds and included in the price.
The dessert buffet looked like an art gallery. Each and every item looked too beautiful to disturb. The amazing thing is that they tasted as good as they looked. Thats unusual. Usually, if they are that pretty, all of the effort went into looks.
The setting for this feast is a large room, two sides of which are floor to ceiling windows overlooking the resort’s gardens. All during brunch, a pianist played softly, wihout taking a break.
The cost of this wonderous event is $61.95 per person. I realize that is an enormous price tag, but it is worth every penny.
The Podcast Crew is often asked if there is a place to celebrate a special event. I’m of the opinion that this is wonderful choice that will impress just about anyone.
It’s an extravagance that I think will live up to your expectations.
The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is located adjacent to Disney property and just off Hotel Plaza Blvd.
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