The venerable Southern Living Magazine just released the 2024 Best New Restaurants in Every Southern State. Lisa Cericola is the journalist who wrote this engaging article. Their choice for the entire state of Florida is “NORMAN’S‘. I was taking completely by surprise to be candid. It is not like other awards where there is a well known calendar date of announcements like this. I was told of it by one of my long time, dear friends Alexis Knapp. She is a person who knows what is going on in the world of hospitality like no one else. Her pretty ear is to the ground and the source. Getting the news from her put an extra ‘halo’ around it in fact. So now I want to share it all with you. Congratulations to the other winners in the South. I look forward to dining with you when Janet and I can. And I am also very grateful to my Team. And to all of the Teams who have worked to make our restaurant one that celebrates 30 years in the world come next year. Boy are we gonna throw a Party!
The Best New Restaurant In Every Southern State 2024
Southerners make barbecue, fried chicken, and biscuits better than anywhere else in the world. But anyone who thinks Southern food is limited to those dishes hasn’t been here in awhile. Our ever-changing region is at the forefront of what’s new in the food world, and this list of our readers’ favorite new restaurants is evidence of that. As part of our annual South’s Best Awards survey, we asked for your favorite recently opened spots, and you responded with a list that is as diverse as the South itself.
This vibrant collection of cuisines reflects the diversity of our region. We’re talking Chinese food in Louisiana, Native American cuisine in Oklahoma, an African restaurant in Mississippi. Menus emphasizing local ingredients, like Norman’s in Florida, which transforms avocado, plantains, and seafood into an elegant tasting menu, continue to be popular. And several places on the list combine food and retail, taking “locally-made” to a new level. Some restaurants defy categorization, like Little Donna’s, a Maryland spot that offers pierogies, stuffed pork schnitzel, and pizza. And because this is the South, after all, you’ll find fancied-up chicken biscuits, deviled eggs, and shrimp and grits at The House of Marigold in Kentucky.These restaurants may be new, but our readers believe that they are destined to become classics, and we think you’ll agree.
Orlando, Florida
Norman Van Aken is no newcomer to Florida’s dining world. Since the 1990s, he has established that the Sunshine State has a cuisine all its own. After years at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes Orlando, his namesake restaurant now has a new home at the Dellagio Town Center. The massive space has an elegant indoor dining room (with a and a lounge-like outdoor terrace, which gives the restaurant two distinct personalities. The menu, which includes many classic Van Aken dishes like My ‘Down Island’ French Toast (foie gras, griddled brioche, passion fruit caramel, and candied lime zest), is still as strong as ever, making a night at Norman’s feel comforting yet surprising.
normans.com, 7924 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, FL 32819