Saddlebrook's Scrumptious Secrets
by Kathleen Walls
Dempsey's Chef James produces one of the best steaks you will ever taste Photo Kathleen Walls
This issue of Fork in the Road is giving you twice the gourmet goodies. I'll take you to visit both of Saddlebrook Resort's mouthwatering eateries; Cypress Restaurant and Dempsey's Steak House. In case you are wondering where these treasures are hidden, Saddlebrook is located just fifteen miles north of Tampa in the tiny community of Wesley Chapel.
The salad bar at Dempsey's Photo by Kathleen Walls
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As you approach the restaurants, the resort's im- peccably groomed grounds delight the eye and prepare you for the delights of the palate you will experience. Whether you choose Dempsey's unbeatable steaks or Cypress's unparalleled seafood, you are sure to leave surfeited in body and spirit.
Dempsey's is the place to go if you are seeking the spirit of a true New York steak house. The kind of place where you might find action movie stars or sports figures dining incognito on the .24 Ounce Aged Porterhouse Steak and sipping a glass of Remy Martin Cognac. The New York atmosphere is no accident since the restaurant manager, Michael Graccia, came to Dempsey's from a major New York restaurant.
One of Chef Leo's decadent desserts Photo by Kathleen Walls |
Of course you can get other thing s beside steak. Chef James is quite versatile. He aims to please and. does a great job of it. Their salad bar is a work of art both visually and gastronomically and is elaborate enough to be a meal in itself. All the pasta is made in their own kitchen. In fact Saddlebrook makes everything found in either restaurant except white bread. So you can get an excellent Pasta Bologonese, roasted chicken or even seafood, although that is more the specialty of Cypress Restaurant..
The desserts are positively decadent. Whether you opt for a basic apple pie or the delicate Cr�me Brulee, you will be delighted. The desserts are the common denominator between the two restaurants. No they aren't identical menus, both serve unique concoctions however the man behind both is the same.
Chef Leo is an artist with chocolate Photo K Walls |
Leo Hueppi is an international artist with desserts. He is responsible for the mouthwatering pastries and desserts that are served not only in the restaurants but also throughout the resort, the banquets and even the little chocolate alligators that are left by the guest's beds at the resort. He is a native of Switzerland so he comes by his talent with chocolate naturally. Of course he also had the benefit of one of the best culinary schools in Switzerland and has worked extensively in Europe before immigrating to the United States.
Should you be in the mood for a more romantic setting, the Cypress Restaurant is unsurpassed. Chris Russell Sous Chef and Daniel Desmond Executive Chef will strive to please. From the exquisite Tequila Lime Shrimp to the Cedar Planked Salmon, you be ecstatic with your choice. And just as Dempsey's offers some seafood, Cypress also gives you choices of chicken pasta or steak as well as their trademark freshest seafood imaginable. You have a choice of dining indoors or on the terrace here.
Cypress Restaurant offers a tempting array of desserts Photo by Kathleen Walls |
Saddlebrook has been awarded the Gold Platter Award and the Gold Key Award from Meetings and Conventions Magazine. It is one of only 42 properties in the world to be included in the Gold Hall of Fame for having received the Gold Key Award more than 12 times The 2002 award was Saddlebrook's 19th time.
So next time you are in Tampa area, go learn Saddlebrook's scrumptious secrets.
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