LemonHearted Chose a Dinner at Sorekara Over an Anniversary Trip

Lindsey Thompson of LemonHearted had an anniversary coming up. Instead of taking a trip, she and her husband stayed home and picked a high-end Orlando restaurant they had never tried.

The restaurant was Sorekara in Baldwin Park. She says it was her first two-star Michelin meal, and that she never thought it would happen in Orlando. She is still a little in shock.

She says a night at Sorekara is not cheap, but she thinks it is worth the money. She also says it is not in everyone's budget. Her review does not list a price. She and her husband mostly cooked at home for a few weeks before the dinner so they could afford it.

Booking Sorekara takes patience

Lindsey's first email asked about a May dinner and went out at the start of April. She now thinks that was not enough lead time. A phone call with date options took a few weeks to arrive, and her dinner was on June 12. Her advice is to ask well ahead and not to think you were ignored.

From the outside, the place is plain, and she noticed the small sign was gone. Inside, she found it calm and almost spa-like, with soft music and guests greeted by name. The dress code is smart casual. Other guests were more dressed down than she and her husband, but she asks that you skip the flip-flops.

She kept the review short on the food on purpose, so the surprises stay surprises. She says the menu changes daily and plays on the seasons in Japan. Dinner ran from 6:00 pm to about 10:30 pm. Most of the meal is at a long shared bar facing the chef, and she says going alone works, since you are still in a group of ten.

A small moment at Zaru came back three years later

Zaru is an udon shop in our directory, in Mills 50. Lindsey says Zaru and Sorekara share the same owners and partners. About three years ago she reviewed Zaru and wrote about a staff member who quickly handed her a hair tie while she was slurping noodles.

At Sorekara, that same staff member, now a partner there, remembered the moment and left her a kind gesture at the end of the meal. Lindsey wrote that being tended to is one thing, and "to be seen and remembered is another."

We have not eaten at Sorekara, and the review lists no price. Her booking steps are from June, so ask Sorekara what is current before you plan. Read the full review at LemonHearted, and see Lindsey Thompson's profile for more of her Orlando work.