Born during COVID, a time when traveling came to a standstill and the hospitality industry was heavily impacted, came the Sub Rosa Dining Experience. Food is a great unifier and a way to explore other cultures and places. Just because we can’t travel doesn’t mean we can enjoy delicious cuisine from around the globe. If you are looking for a unique date night or outing for an anniversary or birthday, keep on reading!

Disclaimer: We want to be upfront and say that we were hosted for this experience, but with that being said, our opinions are our own. 

What is Sub Rosa Dining Experience?

Sub Rosa Dining Experience is a secret, pop-up dining experience. The theme changes every month with a uniquely crafted four-course meal complete with wine pairing. The location changes every time and it is a mystery. Twenty four hours before the event, you’ll receive an email telling you where to park and how to arrive at your location.

Something that really resonated with us was how this idea came to be. The two creators, Keena and Andrea, both worked in the hospitality industry and were impacted by layoffs due to COVID. Personally, we also experienced something similar, so we definitely loved being able to support others in the industry living out their passion. With that being said, you can definitely tell professionals were running this event. All the t’s were crossed and i’s dotted. 

Our Sub Rosa Dining Experience

It’s worth noting that the themes change every month, so the location and menu we experienced will likely be different from what you may experience, but we are sure the quality will be there.

Getting there

When we went, the theme was the flavors of Argentina and the Puertas Cerradas, or “closed-door” restaurants. We were given our mystery location only by telling us where to park. Once parked, there were red roses guiding us to where we needed to go. We ended up arriving at the Dr. Phillips House, the oldest house in Orlando. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by music and some dancers in the garden. The event was supposed to be outdoors, but due to the weather, we went inside. The assigned tables were distanced from each other and there were about 20-30 people dining. All of the staff wore masks throughout the duration of the event.

The menu

We were seated at a beautifully decorated table complete with candles and roses. As an example of the staff’s expertise, we randomly mentioned earlier in the day on our Instagram that we were treating the dinner as a sort of belated anniversary dinner (we had a change of plans this year for our anniversary because we adopted our corgi Jinx. Give her a follow at @theorlandocorgi). 

After being seated and greeted, they brought us a champagne toast to help celebrate our anniversary. This was totally unexpected and such a nice touch by the organizers to notice such a small detail. There was another couple celebrating their anniversary early and they received this fun extra as well!

The menu is a four-course meal of locally-sourced ingredients and changes each month. Like we mentioned above, the theme for the night was Argentina, so that inspired the entire menu.

The appetizer consisted of grilled provolone cheese topped with oregano and crushed red pepper with some fun additions on the side. 

The second course was a Carbonada en Zapallo, a rich and earthy Argentine stew complete with a cute little pumpkin stuffed with rice. 

The third course was a stuffed flank steak served with roasted potatoes and a delicious chimichurri sauce. Seriously, that chimichurri was a showstopper, so good!

Then we get to the fourth and final course, dessert. It was an Argentinian Chocolate Cake. The menu said it was a close relative of tiramisu and oh wow was it amazing. 

We received a glass of wine with our meal – our choice of red and white. There was also a cash bar, which Tyler took advantage of to get a bourbon and coke. 

The venue

Following our meal, we were encouraged to check out the venue. We had never been to the Dr. Phillips House before, so it was fun to check out a piece of Orlando history. Established in 1893, this historic landmark is technically four stories because it has a wine cellar – who knew that there were basements in Florida! We can totally see why this is a sought-after wedding venue and event space, it was so beautiful and regal.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Apparently, the house is a bit haunted, which added a fun element to the night since we went in October just a week before Halloween.

The cost

The cost for the event is $80 per person plus 20% gratuity. So while it does make for a pricier night out, based on the level of care given to the location and meal, we highly recommend doing it; especially if you’re looking for a special date night or to celebrate an anniversary, birthday, or another occasion. 

The Verdict on Sub Rosa Dining Experience

Sub Rosa Dining Experience was a truly unique date night for us; we’ve tried experimenting with different dining experiences before, but have never been to anything else like this. It was fun to have someone else plan a night out and just go with the flow. But mostly, it was a lot of fun to go out and have a brand-new dining experience while helping out our local Orlandoans. 

Update

Since we initially wrote this article, we attended two more Sub Rosa Dining Experiences and they were all spectacular. One was an Indian-themed dinner in Winter Garden and the other was a Quebec-themed dinner at Ivanhoe Brewing Company.