Ryan Perry, Staff Writer
The Red Door is a small but lively restaurant located on east Palmetto Street.
The Red Door is able to provide a great fine dining experience in all angles of the restaurant.
The Red Door’s website says, “Equal; as in congruent. We use the same principles to guide us in how we look at both the front door of our business and the back”
The design of the restaurant is one of its most appealing attributes. It is housed in a small, cozy building and showcases rustic, yet elegant decorations like walls made completely from wine bottles. A wonderfully warm fireplace envelopes guests with a homey feeling on brisk days and nights. The Dim lighting provides a nice romantic feeling for couples looking to get away from it the stresses of every-day lives and busy weeks.
To complement the pleasant atmosphere, live music often takes place on the patio behind a huge fireplace in front of the restaurant. The ambiance is perfect for a hearty glass of wine and the company of a friend or loved one.
According to the The Red Door’s website the goal of the resturant is to be organic. Not in the sense of organic food, but used in the sense of authenticity. ‘Expressions’ inspired by others but created by the Red Door. They want to be authentic in their approach to food.
While Red Door’s menu selection may be small, everything included is unique, fresh and delicious. One great dish is the poutine. Poutine is hand-cut fries, chicken gravy, cheese curds, brussel sprouts, braised pork and a fried egg. The best way to eat it is too break up the fried egg, cut it up with everything else and mix it in, getting a forkful of all the components at once.
This petite restaurant may display beautiful adornments and great music, but it also has a mission to offer the best for the community of Lakeland with a fine dining experience. Their name signifies that role.
“We are a hospitality business; so we also have a strong desire to serve not only food or beverage, but also our community and the needs of our guests,” DeAngelis said. “The meaning behind the name Red Door is more than meets the eye. In early American tradition, having a red door signifies a sign of welcome. We want to be relevant, which comes easiest when you are a student of the game; as in we never think we are high and mighty, we are always trying to learn more and looking for ways in which to improve and get better. Our culture is everything.”
The mission of the red door restaurant is to bring the ultimate craft dining experience to Lakeland. So, the next time you are driving on Palmetto Street, if you spy a small, dainty building with a bright, inviting red door, it’s a spot that is worth the stop.
