Celeste Hotel and the Aurora Restaurant
by Jeannine Gage
Delicious new experiences await at Aurora, the on-site restaurant at the Celeste Hotel on the University of Central Florida campus, where brunch is now being served every weekend. The new brunch menu offers a wide selection of breakfast and lunch offerings, both traditional and unique.
Examples include Chicken Tikka Masala and Waffles, and Tempura Fried Brioche French Toast Sticks.
“We take common brunch favorites and elevate them to create an exquisite brunch experience,” says Sarah Ehmke, director of sales at Celeste.
Celeste is part of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio line, one of 83 boutique hotels across the country.
Brunch at Aurora will be served every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and everyone in the community is invited. No hotel reservation is required.
“We want the community to think of us as a great restaurant in their neighborhood,” Sarah says, “not just a hotel restaurant.”
Executive Chef Michael Trudnak, who came from Marriott’s Ritz-Carlton line, runs Aurora’s scratch kitchen and uses locally-sourced ingredients as often as possible. The menu changes frequently to highlight seasonal flavors and in-season local produce.
Omelets, sandwiches (including a Double Impossible Burger), and salads top the menu. Desserts include Aurora’s signature delight, Supernova, a dark chocolate dome atop a Ghirardelli brownie with ice cream, raspberries, and candied walnuts. Hot rum-flavored caramel sauce is poured over the dome at the table causing it to break open and reveal all the goodies inside. Alcoholic beverages including bottomless Mimosas ($20 per person) from the restaurant’s craft cocktail bar are offered, as well.
And if you’d like to enjoy the hotel after brunch – or anytime – locals can purchase pool passes for $20 a day. Cabanas are available for rent, too, and parking is validated for both restaurant and pool guests.
Sarah says that while the hotel is located on the UCF campus, it is not affiliated with the university, which means a common UCF challenge – parking – is no problem at Celeste.
“We have plenty of our own parking, and when you come for a meal, of course we validate it, so it is complimentary,” says Sarah.
Aurora, which offers both indoor and outdoor dining, is open seven days a week. Breakfast is served from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m., lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and dinner from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. The new brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Reservations are taken through the OpenTable app.