chef john's place

wow. great food. great atmosphere.. my wife and i have a strong "no chains" rule when traveling. we believe in supporting local restaurants and pubs, instead of big franchises. sometimes our "no chains" rule, doesn't work out. today was not one of those days. it worked and we were rewarded with a most excellent meal at chef john's dockside inn.

my wife, two daughters (ages 10 and 15), and i were looking for a local restaurant that served seafood while on vacation at universal studios. we were staying in kissimmee, fl and didn't want to travel far. a quick internet search turned up some favorable reviews of chef john's dockside inn and after a quick google maps look, i decided this was our dinner destination.

i called at 3:30pm for reservations at 5:45pm and the staff that answered the phone were pleasant and accommodating. we had our reservation for four. upon our arrival, we were promptly seated in a table that had our name and reservation on it (for no prior seating) and our drink order was promptly taken. i can't say enough about the waitress we had. she was pleasant, helpful in suggesting the specials, and in explaining the differences in the fish they were serving that evening.

we ordered the fried clam strips for an appetizer and they were absolutely delicious. i ordered the grilled mahi mahi served over a bed of linguini and scallops in a light citrus sauce with a cesar dinnersalad(it was delicious). my wife ordered the parmesan crusted snapper served over a bed of cajun rice (she was really pleased with how it tasted and raved about it) . my oldest daughter ordered the chicken alfredo (served with sun dried tomatoes) and a dinnersaladwith the house balsamic vinaigrette (again, she loved it and it was a different alfredo sauce then we are normally served in st. louis). lastly, our youngest daughter ordered the kid's menu fish and fries and was pleasantly surprised (the fish was fresh cod, that had been breaded and fried and was delicious, and the fries were thick cut steak fries; not normally what you find on a kid's menu).

we each tasted a little bit of everyone's food, and everyone was completely happy and surprised at the food. the waitress continually checked on us and kept our table clear and our drinks filled. she suggested that we order a piece of the key lime pie as a dessert to share, and we took her advice. the key lime pie was like no other we have had before. it was a great way to end a great meal. i can't recommend this place enough, if you are traveling through kissimmee, fl you should check it out. the atmosphere was great, even if small, so i would call ahead for reservations, even if not needed.

(as a side note, there looked to be several neighborhood bars in the area as well, if you chose to grab a drink before or after the meal).

awesome food, great atmosphere. chef john's dockside inn should be requirement for any visitor to kissimmee or anybody who lives in the city. we went for valentine's day and there was great, relaxing jazz music playing and fresh flowers on each table. my boyfriend had the grouper linguine, while had grouper with pastasaladand steak fries. we also had salads with out entrees.

first, the salads were excellent...yes a salad. the caesarsaladwas topped with a strawberry and the housesaladhas fresh veggies with homemade ranch dressing.

the blackened grouper linguine had the perfect amount of seasonings and spices. the right balance of herbs just bursting with flavor. the fish was fresh omg. the standout to me was the pasta salad.....i wanted to hug the chef is was sooooooooo amazing. it consisted of orzo pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers and this amazing sauce.

for dessert we had quite possible the greatest carrot cake ever!!!! the icing was not to sweet...it was perfect, smooth, creamy and divine. the cake had a nice hint of cinnamon and the carrot bits provided an excellent balance.

i can't say how much i enjoyed my experience at the dockside inn.it was quite possibly one of the best times i have ever had. the wait-staff were perfect and attentive. the chef and his wife seem like good people. we will definitely be back.

now to whoever is reading this....get there asap!!! you won't regret it!

disgusting! bad service & food.. my husband and i stopped by this restaurant for lunch--and it turned out to be a huge mistake. he ordered gumbo, which resembled nothing like the dish we are use to (being originally from southwest louisiana) but at least that was edible. i ordered the chickensaladsandwich, described in the menu as a regular recipe. what i was served instead was a soggy, vinegary, salty-sweet mix of grilled chicken, cubed grapes, and some other unidentifiable mix. it was revolting. i sent it back, and the waitress had an attitude, snapping "well, do you want something else?" hungry, i thought i would stick to something simple, so i ordered a cheese quesadilla. even worse--a plain small tortilla, filled with yellow cheez-wheez looking cheese, store bought yucky salsa and a teaspoon of sour cream on the side. that was it--i called her over and said i didn't want it, and which point she rolled her eyes and said "fine, i'll take it." when the bill came, a whopping $26.00 for my husbands fried fish & chips and one bowl of gumbo, she had the audacity to say "i do apologize (with a smirk) and have a wonderful afternoon." now, please tell me, how does one have a great afternoon with nothing to eat? maybe when chef john prepares the food. take my advice--stay away from this overpriced, bad service nightmare.

we really enjoyed our meal here. the gumbo is a must! i had the shrimpsaladand it was wonderful. if in kissimmee this is worth a visit.