Tuesday night was date night on our Kissimmee vacation. When I’m planning a vacation, I try to find a babysitter so that my husband and I can steal an evening away together.
To help you do the same, I have some tips on finding childcare while vacationing in Kissimmee on my blog, Theme Park Mom.
For our date, we went to downtown Celebration for some shopping and dinner. During the holidays, Celebration holds an event called “Now Snowing Nightly.” Every night at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., “snow” falls on Market Street. The “snow” is actually foam, which covers the street and makes for lots of fun for kids. Even though it was our time away from our daughter, we couldn’t help but stop and watch other people’s kids having a great time in the “snow.”
I am always on a hunt for a “real deal” Santa Claus if you know what I mean, so I took a peek inside the building where Celebration’s Santa was receiving visitors. Let me tell you, this one is definitely the real deal, and I’ll be bringing Gracie back here for our Santa picture.
There is also a small ice-skating rink in Celebration. Instead of real ice, skaters glide on a surface called Endless Ice. Skating costs $10 per half hour, which includes skate rental.
We browsed through the shops downtown. There are so many unique gift ideas here. I especially liked the unusual Christmas ornaments at the Market Street Gallery and the Pandora charms at The Jewel Box.
We had reservations at the Columbia Restaurant for dinner. The original Columbia Restaurant is a landmark in the Ybor City section of Tampa. I dined there with my family the night before my wedding. We were eager to try the Celebration outpost.
I absolutely loved the inside decor of the restaurant. It is true to the over-the-top Spanish palazzo style of the original without being kitschy or trite. The Columbia in Ybor City is known for the ceramic tiled walls on the outside of the restaurant, and the Columbia in Celebration pays homage to this history with tiled walls inside.
We started with the best mojito I have ever had. And that’s saying something. The drink had plenty of fresh mint and was garnished with a sugarcane swizzle stick.
We then ordered our food and a pitcher of sangria, which is one of the restaurant’s specialties. They mix it right at your table. We stuck with the classic red wine version, though a sparkling sangria made with cava was tempting.
We tried the 1905 salad, which is tossed tableside, and the Spanish bean soup for our first course. Both were classic and delicious. You can definitely make a meal out of the salad – it was loaded with ham, cheese and olives.
For dinner, I had the Filet Mignon Chacho, which has a very rich shallot and mushroom sauce. Our server, Xavier, finished the dish at the table by pouring on a shot of Booker Noe bourbon and flaming it.
Gerard had the Pompano en Papillot, a dish that has been on the Columbia’s menu for more than sixty years. It is a pompano fillet stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat, artichoke, butter and white wine. I have a shellfish allergy, so I couldn’t taste it. I think he’s sneaky and tries to order things that he won’t have to let me taste.
Gerard ordered the classic flan for dessert, while I opted for crema catalana. It’s basically a Spanish version of the more famous creme brulee, but crema catalana is cooked on the stove rather than baked in the oven. I prefer the texture of crema catalana, and the Columbia’s version did not disappoint. Xavier topped my dessert with sugar and torched it to form the carmelized crust right at our table. At this point, Gerard was accusing me of only ordered things that would be set on fire in front of me.
We ended this wonderful meal with cafe con leche. I cannot recommend the Columbia Restaurant enough. The food is just excellent, and different from what you will find elsewhere in the area. And the service is among the best I have had anywhere.
I should also note that while we chose this restaurant for our “date night,” it is family-friendly. The Columbia offers a children’s menu with the classic macaroni and cheese or chicken fingers, as well as steak or a Cuban sandwich. There are many gluten-free choices, as well.
While we didn’t see a movie on Tuesday night, there’s a nice AMC movie theater in Celebration. We’re planning to go back this weekend to see Disney’s new “The Princess and the Frog.”
To see my date night photos on Flickr, click here.
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Hola, mi nombre es Sabrina y estube buscando por internet, fue entonces que encontre tu blog, el cual me gusto mucho, el cual es bastante agradable para leer. Regreso la proxima semana para leerte de nuevo. Saludos Sabrina