chef's table at the edgewater

i eat out a lot due to being out of town for work 4 months a year. i took my father down to orange county national for fathers day weekend but the only dinning we could find was in winter garden. we stumbled upon this little resturaunt for a nicedinnerand i was shocked! this may be the best dinning experience i have ever had! if this place was near down town orlando it work need a week in advance reservation & be 3x as expensive. it was that good! we could not stop eating. we had the tuna & duck fat frys to start & the chicken livers & beef wellington for dinner. the owner came up to us and not like a normal manager of how was your meal. she checked on us and talke with us for about 10 min and you can tell her passion for food. i will drive out of my way to go here again

lovely area, first class service and food!. lovely christmas lights and decorations led us to the front doors of one of the best restaurants we have ever visited! you know you are somewhere special when the exec chef and owner takes the time to personally visit each table to welcome diners and review the menu, which changes regularly to reflect the newly incorporated fresh local and sustainable ingredients. rare and appreciated! chef kevin tarter's delectable offering and warm personality made it easy to see why this restaurant has been named best restaurant in orlando multiple times. because we were celebrating and hungry, we had the prix fixed menu with wine pairings and the butchers board. when the butchers board arrived, along with the fabulous assortment of cured meats and cheeses, was a bonus...a sampling of the chef's house made tuna prosciutto. really tasty. for dinner, we chose lamb osso bucco and wahoo with housemade cavatelli. both were amazing. last time my husband had lamb osso bucco was at commander's palace in new orleans, and this louisiana-born chef in orlando makes it better! my fish was perfectly crispy on the outside and bright white in the center. but the jewel ofdinnerwas the sweet potato bread pudding, served with the tastiest, most incredibly fluffy mousse i have ever had! the texture was unlike anything i have ever tasted, but i wanted to rub it all over my face...yes, that good. i will dream about that mousse:) so worth the drive up, and at $55/person for three substantial courses + $23 for 3 very generous glasses of wine pairings??? it was one of the best valued meals i have ever had! love this place!

perfect balance of atmosphere, service and food. i was recently planning my anniversarydinnerand decided to give chef's table in winter garden my business. i had looked them up and done my homework, however i was not expecting it to be quite as good as it was.
the atmosphere… nestled in the heart of quaint, historic downtown winter garden, chef's table seats (i'm guessing) about 20, in a couple of small kitchen-view rooms where you feel like you are part the family.
the service… the highly skilled staff is personable and friendly, and your hosts (and proprietors) kevin and laurie will bend over backwards to make your dining experience a pleasure.
the food… the price is $55 per person. you chose a first course, and main course and a dessert (there are 3-4 choices of each per night) wine, cocktails or the addition of a cheese tasting plate are all additional.
of course we had to get the cheese plate for the additional $16. the glorious cheeses accompanied by the flatbreads, nuts and honeys were all well worth the extra couple of dollars!
my first course was roasted beets, baby arugala, pomegranite vin-goat cheese crème. it was earthy, fresh and flavorful!
my main course was braised beef short rib wellington with blue cheese/ red wine demi. it was an enormous portion, the beef was tender and the puff pastry was delicate and buttery.
finally for dessert i chose the chocolate mousse cake with fresh berries. it was rich and decadent, any chocolate lovers dream!
in my opinion chef's table was the perfect balance of atmosphere, service and food, and i rate them all with the highest marks possible. thank you for making our anniversary so special.

a hidden gem!. we made a 35 mile trek to this little diamond right on the main drag of winter garden and were not disappointed in the least. the interior is rather small and slightly dark but the dishes, a prix fixe offering of several first courses and 3 main entrees plus several desserts, were fabulous and quite inventive. who would have thought to make "candied collard greens" with a brined and grilled (double) pork chop? worked for me!

owner chef kevin tarter is perfect as a host/executive chef/busboy and general source of wonderful conversation. when was the last time you had a 2+ hourdinnerthat seemed too short???

the service staff were all willing to please and i will not take any of them to task for minor foibles. part of the ambiance is the general cheerfulness and attention to every diner.

chef's table is a perfect excuse to get away from the bustling madness of the theme parks and tourist traps. the town, the street and even the edgewater hotel (now a charming b&b) are part of a long lost florida that should be enjoyed before urban sprawl takes over.

one of central florida's top restaurants. the chef's table at the edgewater hotel is an unlikely star in the central florida dining scene. certainly one of the top five restaurants, and perhaps second only to the infinitely more expensive victoria and albert's at disney's grand floridian, the chef's table is tucked away in historic winter garden, a few miles north of the theme parks. it's an intimate place, with only a half dozen tables (although an expansion is in the works that will offer small plates in a more casual setting).

the chef's table offers the most personal dining experience i've yet to encounter. chef kevin visits every table to explain (in mouthwatering detail) how each dish is prepared. it's no surprise the food is so good, as kevin worked at both victoria and albert's and emeril's commander's palace.

kevin's wife and business partner is laurie, who is a very talented sommelier. she is perhaps the most talented wine matching expert i've encountered, and the wine pairingdinneris an absolute steal.

after a leisurelydinneryou can often catch a stage show in the historic garden theatre across the street.

this restaurant has swept the local dining awards several times, winning for best chef's table, best wine pairings, most romantic, and several other categories. it's good for intimate couples dining, business dinners, and vacationing foodies alike. highly recommended.


-----30 sep, 2010-----

brilliant wine pairings. this is a cozy little restaurant with food about ten times better than one would expect, rivaling some of the top restaurants in florida. kevin tarter is a truly gifted chef, who personally selects his foods, so when you get, for example, a steak, it will be incredibly tender; and his sauces are as good as i've had. what really sets them apart, though, is the wine pairing flights that are designed to match the various courses of the prix fixe menu. co-owner laurie tarter is brilliant at matching flavors of foods and wines, and her suggestions are always both surprising and delightful. i rate this restaurant second only to the wildly more expensive victoria & albert's for central florida dining.

well i never. the food was horrible. it all tasted freezer burned. i got the over all sense that all the ingredients were purchased at restaurant depot. the chef came over to my table to explain the menu which at first i thought was a nice touch but than he wouldn't leave. telling me and my wife about this and that. i was there to have a romanticdinnerwith my wife not have some chef as the third wheel. i also had the mushroom tort which on the menu said had wild mushrooms in it as far as i know button mushrooms are not considered wild mush rooms. my wife had the tuna which in all our years of dining out we have never had such a bad piece of tuna as this piece was. and for desert i believe i saw bread pudding on the menu i'm sorry but for a $50 plate and wanting to call your self fine dining i don't think so. back to the matter at hand i had the berries served on a biscuit on which was hard as a rock and sub par vanilla ice cream. now grand marnier is one of my favorite cognacs and those berries were definitely sauteed in it. it tasted more like triple sec. in my opinion don't eat here your $50 would be better spent else where especially in the economy.

like eating at the chef's home. eating at this fantastic restaurant is like eating at kevin and laurie's home if they were hosting a smalldinnerparty. as we were seated kevin came over to welcome us and tell us about the menu and offering to accommodate specific food likes and dislikes. we ended up ordering three appetizers- a delicious salad with green goddess dressing, an indulgent and savory mushroom and cheese tart, and a salmon, asparagus and artichoke plate. all delicious through the last bite- and quite generous portions, too. the wine pairing was also a good match.dinnerwas osso bucco with cheddar grits (worth forgetting about your diet), and shrimp etouffe. again, large portions. the shrimp were perfectly cooked and they clearly use high-quality ingredients. dessert was a bread putting that was good but not something i would order again. the restaurant warrants a trip- and return visits. it is cozy, romantic, very well run and one of the best meals you'll get in central florida.

wonderful restaurant!. my wife and i dined at the chef's table for the first time on march 5, 2011. it was a great experience which we will repeat often. food and service were not only excellent, but personalized - kevin, owner and chef, visited us often to explain menu items and to chat. laurie, co-owner and kevin's spouse, poured the wine pairings and likewise visited often. in addition to great food and service, the restaurant is lovely and seating is limited - it was refreshing to actually carry on a conversation with my wife duringdinnerwithout having to overcome the noise of a crowd.

we look forward to their saturday afternoon tea in two weeks, as well as another visit fordinnerin the not-too-distant future.

just what greater is missing...found. my wife and i wanted to do something local and special for our anniversary. not wanting to deal with the tourist corridor we booked a room at the historic edgewater hotel and had afternoon tea anddinnerat the chef's table downstairs. amazing.

tea was excellent, with a phenomenal selection of finger sandwiches, desserts, and scones that were to die for (and i'm not a huge scone fan).

dinner was in a league of its own. recommended by the owner's wife and functional head server, the shrimp chowder was incredible. the broth had hints of lobster and a subtle sweetness, a more than fair portion of shrimp was in the bowl, and cayenne pepper added a subtle but meaningful spice. my wife's mushroom and cheese torte was also excellent and could've been a main course. don't miss the cheese plate either, each cheese paired perfectly with an accompaniment. our main courses were also delectable. my wife's braised beef short rib was served boneless, trimmed of fat, and created leftovers due to the portion (would've for anyone!). my rack of lamb (4 ribs) was also perfectly cooked and the mint (not jelly) accent was expertly done. we were full by the time dessert came, but finished it anyway; bananas fosters and fall spice creme brulet.

in a nutshell, this is the kind of small, local, detail minding, affordable fine dining that orlando can be criticized for missing - granted it's a quick drive to winter garden. the personal service from the owners made us feel welcome, appreciated, and as if the value of the chef's table's prixe fix only menu was well beyond the actual price. this place is a must for those who appreciate food!

fantastic!!!!. the chef's table was the first restaurant we thought of for my father in law's 80th b-day. my family has dined there quite a few times. it is one of our favorites. their private room was cozy for 22 people but perfect for our event. kevin, laurie and their staff went out of their way to make thisdinnerspecial for us and our guests who traveled from all over. excellent food and excellent service!

terrific dinner! my husband and i just haddinnerhere. the food was amazing and the service even better! i would highly recommend it!

best restaurant in central florida!. the last time i ate at this restaurant i told everyone i knew this was the best overall restaurant experience i possibly ever had. so when we received the email about being open for lunch we had to try it. we both had the beer and cheese soup, which was awesome. she had the southwest chicken flatbread and i had the taco trio special which were both very good as well. in fact everything was so goood we came back fordinnerthe very same night. kevin, laurie, and staff made made it another memorable dining experience, far outshining our previous experience.