This business has CLOSED.
112 South Orange Avenue – Orlando, FL
Phone: 407-826-1932
Welcome to THE FIFTH…..
Recently I was invited by Ilene Lieber at Passion PR Consulting to be a guest of The Fifth restaurant, to sample some food and drinks and share my thoughts on one of downtown Orlando’s newest restaurants
What is the Fifth you ask?
If you frequent downtown, perhaps you have heard of Vintage Lounge, Vixen Bar and NV Art Bar. The Fifth is the fifth location of the same ownership group of these bars and night clubs which are trying their hand in the restaurant business.
Once inside you will be the guest of a style filled marriage full of art, sounds, light and more importantly food.
As soon as you enter, you are enwrapped in gorgeous lighting that constantly changes colors to the pulsating sounds.
The interior of the place is certainly swanky.
It gives a nice feel of Manhattan chic and South Beach cool.
From snakeskin wrapped seats to back lit counter tops and mirrors on every wall, there is certainly a lot of eye candy to wow the senses.
The bar only serves premium liquors and craft beers along with boutique wines.
They also have a nice list of premium V specialty cocktails.
The restaurant also boasts its own package store.
Here patrons can purchase premium liquors and wines that can be taken home or enjoyed with their meal.
The best part is, for an additional fee, you can actually rent a wine locker / liquor locker, if you prefer to store your leftover spirits.
Since The Fifth is as much an upscale lounge as it is a restaurant, we had to sample some drinks.
My husband had The Greenhouse cocktail and I went with The V Peach cocktail. The drinks were made with fresh quality ingredients as well as premium liquor.
Both drinks were very good and refreshing, I especially liked the fresh cucumber flavor in the Greenhouse.
Food at The Fifth was a very big deal to the owners and more importantly to its head chef, Dean Holland from Le Cordon Bleu.
The menu was one of the toughest decisions for the group to decide on. It took a lot of time and careful consideration to develop the menu they wanted. The idea was to offer something that was different from the normal staple of downtown Orlando, but they also wanted something familiar to the senses.
What they came up with was a unique and eclectic twist on traditional comfort food served in a an upscale atmosphere with down home tastes.
We kicked things off with the White Truffle Potato Chips.
These are homemade potato chips cooked in truffle oil seasoned with sea salt.
Our chips were tasty and crispy, with a simple but delicious flavor.
Definitely good as an appetizer or as a side with your cocktails.
Next it was on to the V Hummus.
The Hummus had a good consistency and great flavors consisting of roasted garlic and shallots, with garlic oil, sweet paprika, roasted red pepper and olives.
For my main course I chose the Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin.
It is served with a sage rub, topped with an apple and celery slaw, with a side of couscous risotto and finished in a nice marsala sauce.
This tenderloin was melt in your mouth goodness. It was cooked perfectly and arrived juicy and tender. The pork itself had a nice smoky flavor that accompanied the prosciutto very nicely. I would certainly order this again.
My husband had the Shrimp and Grits.
It consists of Harissa seasoned black tiger shrimp served atop creamy cheese grits with roasted corn salsa.
Grits are a risky venture to attempt on any menu, especially with a newer dining concept, but The Fifth has darn good grits. Now, add in some Harissa seasoned shrimp and a corn salsa, and you have magic in your mouth on every bite.
Harissa is a Tunisian style hot chili sauce or rub that consits mostly of piri piri (type of chili pepper), serrano peppers and other hot chili peppers and spices and herbs. The spice of the shrimp and the corn salsa mixed really well with the savory flavor of the cheese grits.
I really wanted to try the Southern Fried Chicken ‘n’ Waffles.
Although we barely had room, we gave in to temptation when the plate showed up in front of us!
House made Belgian waffles, candied bacon, maple syrup, creme anglase…the perfect combination of savory and sweet.
This was like eating breakfast and dinner all at once. Tender fried chicken cutlets, delicious bacon and a sweet waffle really hit it off. A great rendition of a southern classic.
All in all….We really enjoyed our experience at The Fifth. It is a welcome addition to downtown.
They have done a nice job of converting a former convenient store location into a swanky hip spot that is cool in the day time and a hot spot at night.
The menu is certainly different from anything you will find in downtown Orlando and even Central Florida for that matter, but they execute it very well.
Whether you are in town for lunch or if you want to slide up to the bar for some cocktails, the Fifth is the spot to go. More importantly, if you want some great food in a great atmosphere, you should swing by.
Tastes Of Orlando recommends you try them out for yourself….And be careful not to run into the mirrors!