Decade of Dining: Amelia Island Preps for 10th Annual Restaurant Week

AMELIA ISLAND, Florida (January 8, 2018) – Northeast Florida’s Amelia Island will host its 10^th annual Restaurant Week, Jan. 19-28, a 10-day culinary showcasefeaturing culinary events and fixed lunch and dinner menus at a wide selection of the island’s most popular and award-winning dining establishments. The lunch option is $12 per person and includes an entrée, side and a non-alcoholic beverage, while the dinner option (priced at either $21, $31 or $41 per person) includes three courses and a beverage. Menus, restaurant listings, special event information and discounted hotel packages can be found online at www.ameliaisland.com/yummy.

“Amelia Island is home to a growing number of incredibly talented chefs and award-winning local restaurants. Restaurant Week is the perfect time for hungry visitors and locals try some of the island’s new culinary hotspots and enjoy their old favorites,” said Gil Langley, President and CEO of the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Restaurant Week has become one of our most anticipated winter events, and this year we’ve added even more to the menu.”

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island will whet appetites with the “Tribute to Coastal Treasures,” a Restaurant Week opening dinner (Jan. 17) at Coast Restaurant, celebrating fresh, coastal flavors and Florida fare. The epicurean experience begins with an hour-long wine reception at 6 p.m., followed by a tantalizing four course presentation of coastal treasures artfully designed by Executive Chef Sean Woods, Coast Chef d’ Cuisine Niko Anagnostou and Executive Pastry Chef Sheldon Millett. The menu includes Mayport Shrimp Cocktail and Cold Water Oysters on the Half Shell, Confit Duck Tortellini, Roasted Cobia, Florida Shellfish Bread Pudding, Blackberry Cremeux Tart and more. Tickets are available for $125 per person (plus gratuity). Call 904-277-1087 for reservations.

New this year, Amelia Island’s local distillery, Marlin & Barrel, will host a Cuban night (Jan. 18) featuring a distillery tour, Marlin & Barrel rum tastings perfectly paired with Cuban cuisine from Hola Cuban Café, and cigars from Waterwheel Cigars. The event begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and available by calling 904-330-5746 or visiting bit.ly/AmeliaCuban.

Throughout the event, aspiring chefs can attend demonstration and participation cooking classes hosted by the Amelia Island Culinary Academy. Themed to celebrate Florida’s foods, classes include Cooking with Florida Wine, Cooking with Florida Beer, Florida Appetizers, Amelia Island-inspired cuisine, Cooking with Florida Spirits, as well as a local Farmer’s Market tour and class. Tickets range from $40 to $75 per person. For information, call 904-515-6863, or register for classes online at www.ameliacooking.com.

If you prefer to drink your calories, available again this year is a Cocktail Tour with Amelia Island Downtown Tasting Tours. With available dates throughout January, the two-hour evening tour includes stops at four local bars. At each stop, guests will learn about the bar’s history and enjoy a specially prepared cocktail. Tickets are available for $45 per person by calling 904-33--5746.

The 10^th annual Restaurant Week will conclude with the “Barrel & Ashes” finale dinner (Jan. 27) at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation, where Executive Chef Daven Wardynski and his culinary team will highlight the complexities behind smoked foods and coal roasted vegetables, incorporating various barrel aged ingredients for each of the four courses. All barrel aged ingredients are aged on site in the Barrel Room that is located at The Sprouting Project, which also has an organic garden, greenhouse, bee apiary and resident chickens. The event begins with a 6 p.m. cocktail reception, with dinner service beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $100 per person, which includes a $25 donation to Barnabas Food Pantry. To purchase tickets, visit https://forkmainevent.ticketbud.com/barrel-ashes-dinner or call 904-432-1467.

Nearly 30 of the island’s most popular restaurants are participating in the 2018 Amelia Island Restaurant Week, providing fixed menus for either lunch, dinner or both.  For a complete listing of menus, participating restaurants, special event information and discounted hotel packages, visit www.ameliaisland.com/yummy.

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About Amelia Island

Northeast Florida’s coastal treasure, Amelia Island is a barrier island rich in colorful history and breath-taking natural beauty.  Amelia Island offers long, beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife, and pristine waters.  Upscale resorts with world-class spas, championship golf and exclusive dining blend effortlessly with a captivating collection of bed and breakfast inns and historic districts.  The island is home to Fernandina Beach, once a vibrant Victorian seaport village, and now a charming downtown district of eclectic shops, attractions and eateries.  Forget the everyday getaway; come make memories on Amelia Island.  For visitor information and online planning, visit www.ameliaisland.com.