chef's table at the edgewater

fresh and delishous --just amazing!. we have dined here in a saturday night and were completely blown away by how fresh and delicious the food was. do not skip the mushroom first course and if they have the filet on the menu it's one of the best in town. also the wine pairing was perfectly paired with our food.
our nextexperiencewas for mothers day brunch, and wow. the chefs did a great job with the new orleans dishes and service was spot on.
we can't wait to go back.

what are you going for..... more to the point, are you obsessed with eclectic and sometimes bizarre? are you in the trending crowd that feels like an up and coming foodie that thumbs your nose at anyplace that has a location in more than one city? do you dare not ever step foot in anywhere that is part of a corporation, albeit, fine dining? if you've bobbed your head to the aforementioned, you are likely to look past the minor inconveniences of widows that are taped shut, musty ceilings, and rooms that felt like refurbished storage closets. maybe you find mystique in being guided through narrow openings, prep stations, and "employees only" areas that seem like a cheap manipulated backstage to a theme park. an interior designer may fall prey to an artistic coma at places such as this. believe me i would have skipped the keystrokes if this were a review for a craft beer locale or an exotic taco franchise. this is written to an audience that is gauged to enjoy fine dining, whether a once in a great while celebration or to those working through a check list of the best of the best.

now the food...i will address this to the highs and lows of each course for the table. first course...sorry not really a high among the table. first course low, goes to the mushroom and chive crepe tort. the flavor was not necessarily the culprit here, best i could describe would be quantity and presentation. the appearance was that of an ill-conceived mushroom birthday cake, quickly sliced so that everyone could have a big "chunk". the shame here is that the first several bites were quite good--with that, you very well could just eat half and be pleased. however, one bite or two past the "too much of a good thing" has you wishing you stopped one bite before the stopping point. i am not implying that you are simply full, i found that it became an overwhelming flavor that transformed from pleasure to regret.

main course. the high would go to the chef's filet mignon, but before i end my praise, wait for the gut punch. the filet was outstanding, a buttery hint with a velvety texture that led one bite to the next. unfortunately, at this price point there are many winners in preparing a good filet and the differences are only razor thin. now the bad to the good...the accompanying honey chili roasted brussels sprout. the first was good but both the increase in time and/or quantity was quite cruel to this creation. before the plate was removed, the sensory connection of smell to the past lingering taste made for a painful connection. the low, winner, porcini rubbed pork chop. after making this selection, the oh so accurate phrase was uttered by our server; the pork on pork on pork. i have since imagined a filet, on burger, on roast and quickly concluded there should be neither beef on beef on beef or pork on pork on pork. the chop itself was flavorful and lent itself graciously to a well blended sweetness that also complimented the greens. the chop (alone) could have saved this entree. as a side note, i would humbly suggest that a meat pile not be served via bowl. tackling a mound of meat required a certain finesse when not on a plate.

third course high (unfortunately the menu online is not current) the winner was a heavily chocolate based dessert with an espresso topping and was well blended and not overpowering. however plating was once again suspect as the trailing/smudged chocolate sauce was reminiscent of a snail's trail; complete with a peanut brittle type garnish standing in as the snail. the low here was a forgettable banana creme brulee. there was an aftertaste of burnt wood, perhaps a matchstick was consumed.

i would be remiss to not mention the wine pairing. if you refer you the first of my review, i might have to inject a similar sarcasm. perhaps you prefer over-trendy, over-described, and perhaps too finely tuned. as mid-level wine enthusiast, only one pairing was superior, one mildly near the mark, and one horrendous. anyone beyond a novice may do well assuming the pairing to be good for suggestion but certainly explore where your pallet gravitates.

lastly, i feel just a twinge of guilt in that i had to select a thumbs up or thumbs down. on a five star scale i would likely go 2 or 3. our server rec'd a 20% tip for his efforts, no complaints were lodged from the table and theexperiencereminded us what we take for granted...there are establishments that have perfected the experience, the plating and the fare. i know a couple chef owned businesses in orlando that i would give a five star review and about three "corporate" businesses that would get a five star from me as well. would love to endorse them here but i want this to remain an unbiased review. i hope my honesty will leave you satisfied wherever you spend your hard earned dollar.

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 nice dinner and i was shocked! this may be the best dinningexperiencei 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

probably my best diningexperienceever.. my wife and i ate at the chef's table in the spring of 2012 while on vacation in florida. we try to find at least one nicer, upscale restaurant to eat at during our vacations. i happened to find the chef's table with some googling. we ate at narcoosee's at disney the year before and decided to try something different.

let me tell you, narcoosee's was really good, but the chef's table was absolutely outstanding. it has been long enough that i don't remember what exactly we had for dinner, but i do remember that my wife and i made sure to each get something different for all three courses, in addition to the cheese plate, and everything was completely wonderful.

what made the chef's table extra special, however, was the experience. we made a reservation to sit in the back by/in the kitchen. chef kevin greeted us and thouroughly explained the menu. he was very friendly, down to earth, and passionate about his food. he answered our questions and came to check on us make sure everything was satisfactory after we recieved or meals (it was more than satisfactory of course). everything was flavorful, balanced, and a pleasure to eat.

the atmosphere was cozy and romantic. it was romantic enough that my wife and i witnessed a couple getting engaged. it was such a wonderful moment that we even bought them a bottle of wine.

if you ever find yourself near orlando, i would highly recommend the chef's table at the edgewater hotel. it was probably one of the best dining experiences i've ever had!

perfect balance of atmosphere, service and food. i was recently planning my anniversary dinner and 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 diningexperiencea 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.

the emperor's new clothes we ate at chef's table in early december, and were really looking forward to it. at first things seemed to go well - we were enthusiastically greeted by laurie (one of the owners), but then things went downhill. i've had far more attentive and polished service at red lobster. the servers appeared to be local high school kids on their first jobs (nieces of the owner perhaps?), as they basically forgot about us. we had to ask for more bread which didn't arrive until the end of the course (we had asked for it at the beginning of the course.) also, the butter was rock hard. when we asked what the cheeses were on the cheese plate, laurie said she didn't know, so shouted over her shoulder to the kitchen to find out what the cheeses were. then she said, "well, i guess you heard what we have." none of the cheeses were anything remarkable (i believe you can purchase one of them at publix.) the wine pairings were ok, but honestly i felt like one of the wines may have been corked as it had a musty taste. my tuna was supposedly sushi grade, but it was very lacking in flavor. the desserts were unimaginative and amateur in their execution - the chocolate sauce tasted like hersheys or similar grade. the ambiance was...odd...they had the most peculiar mix of bad 70's pop ("muskrat love", no kidding!) playing a little too loudly. hard to pretend you're at a sophisticated diningexperiencewith abba and cap'n and tenille warbling. the noise from the kitchen was way too obtrusive also - i know it's supposed to be a show kitchen, but i felt that i was eating in my own kitchen. i do not pay upwards of $150 to eat in my own kitchen! i had also informed the owner, when i made the reservation, that this was a birthday dinner, but there was no acknowledgement of this in any way. we had also informed them that we had something of a time crunch as we were going to a production at the winter garden theater that evening, but then still had to ask for the bill. an attentive staff would have borne all this in mind. the owners dropped by to apologize that they were "really busy with a bigger party" in the other room. basically, i think the restaurant has a lot more ambition than ability - it was, in a word, amateur. i could easily overlook all this at a less expensive restaurant, but when you're charging professional prices, one had better be prepared for high expectations. i was very unimpressed, and can only conclude that the great reviews this restaurant is getting may be attributed to the emperor's new clothes. either that, or nobody wants to admit that they paid a lot of money for indifferent food and rotten service.

amazing meal and wine pairing. very knowledgeable wait.staff and very friendly. uniqueexperiencei would revisit. suggestion given that the plates should be warmed.

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 diningexperiencei'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 pairing dinner is an absolute steal.

after a leisurely dinner you 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.

not to be missed. this was such a surprise, we went here with a gift certificate and left with it being one of my top restaurant experiences of all time. food was on par with any 5 star restaurant i've been to in the big cities, and the value is unbelievable. i honestly felt guilty that i only paid $50 for such a top notch meal with so much attention to detail and quality ingredients. the owners truly made it a specialexperienceas well. we will be back whenever we are in town!!

wonderful restaurant!. my wife and i dined at the chef's table for the first time on march 5, 2011. it was a greatexperiencewhich 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 during dinner without having to overcome the noise of a crowd.

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

food fit for a king (brian) and a queen (deb). our firstexperiencedining at the chef's table was on our 7th anniversary. it was more than we expected - the ambiance was exquisite, the food a culinary delight, and the owners, chef kevin and laurie were delightfully hospitable.

first course: creamy corn and lobster bisque: my husband wanted second and third helpings. he wouldn't share but just a small bite. it was our anniversary, so i bit my tongue though "scrooge" was somewhere in my frontal lobe. so glad it didn't come forth from my tongue to ruin the celebratory mood, but since it was a special occasion i forgave him by the end of the night.
i had mushroom and gruyere torte with shallot cream. it was very good, creamy and intense with layered mushrooms intertwined with thin pastry. delightful.
main course: lamb rack, roasted w/sweet potato, corn, and bacon hash. my husband the australian loved this, it was done to perfection, med. rare with a generous serve of 4 cutlets. i had the seared scallops and shrimp, with lemon and asparagus risotto, equally good and the risotto was cooked perfectly.
dessert: (husband said best on the menu) berries grand marnier saute, ricotta pastry and whipped cream. this utterly delicious dessert was paired with zonin baccarosa, which made the it even more scrumptious. it was a slightly fizzy wine/champagne with a hint of berry which made it an excellent accompaniment. i had the caramelized peach and candied pecan upside down cake with ice cream, which was to die for! the wine pairings would have delighted the most critical connoisseur and both of us felt that each wine selected was with great care. overall, our first diningexperiencewas very enjoyable and we both look forward to another greatexperiencedining at the chef's table in winter garden for my birthday.

as good as it gets.... i have to start with..go book a reservation now...pause reading this and go call. yes, it was that good.

the chef's table tucked away in the quaint historic area within winter garden was such an amazing treat and as good as it gets. the food was impeccable, service was highly personable without being intruding, the chef's knowledge and passion about his creations is palpable!

booking my reservation i had high hopes (based on the other food reviews) but i was mildly apprehensive about what the atmosphere would be like. i was not disappointed. walking up to the historic edgewater, the chef's table is tucked within the building but when you open the door you are immediately enveloped by a sense of warmth from both the style of the restaurant and from the staff alike. we were immediately greeted by one of the owners and brought to our table which was awaiting our arrival. within minutes the chef came by to also introduce himself and speak about the nights presentations.

the food itself was cooked and presented with exquisite execution. every bite was full of complex flavors but so balanced. each course was a true joy to consume. the wine selection is quite on par as well.

the service was warm and enjoyable. i felt well taken care of and it was clear our enjoyment of all things chef's table was paramount.

in an age where customer service seems all but lost, the chef's table is a true testament the belief that it is not all gone away. that passionate people who can execute well are still able to deliver an amazing diningexperiencewith out pretension.

i hope you enjoy it as much as we did :)

memorable occaision. before i discuss the meal, i should mention the facilities. the chef's table at edgewater is in the edgewater hotel in winter garden. the entire area is historic. i have been to "historic" places where basically there are dilapidated buildings that people feel bad about knocking down. this is not the case; the historic area is very nice and i feel like i transported back in time to the 1940-1950's.

the hotel itself looks like something from a movie set and is worth seeing. the restaurant itself is toward the back of the hotel and is split into the kitchen/dining room (hence the chef's table concept) and a separate party room. there are nine tables in the dining room providing an intimate fine dining experience.

you can tell that the owners are passionate about food and their restaurant. the menu changes, at least weekly, which probably keeps their motivation and the customers' interests up. some dishes are inspired by louisiana cooking. since you can see into the kitchen, i actually caught the cook smiling a couple of times - i got the feeling that the staff enjoys working there which ultimately leads to a better experience.

the chef's table offers a prix fixe menu meaning that for one price you get the whole meal - in this case an appetizer, entree, and dessert. there is a limited selection of entrees; we called before actually showing up to confirm we each ate something on the menu. you must make a reservation - nine tables filled up quickly even on the tuesday night that we went. you can also order a wine pairing for your meal for a reasonable price and a cheese plate.

i went to the chef's table with three other people. i and someone else had the mushroom torte, one had the lobster macaroni and cheese, and the other had the shrimp bisque. the mushroom torte was the best thing i ate that night - the torte was actually more like a crepe and was prepared perfectly. the lobster macaroni and cheese was prepared with slipper lobster (a smaller lobster but larger than jumbo shrimp) and fine cheeses. the shrimp bisque was very creamy and filling.

for entrees, the other guests each ordered steak, i ordered a duck breast. the steak was very good, but i thought the duck was special. the owner explained how they cook the duck upside-down in the oven and then flash the top of the duck to get a crispy skin in a broiler afterwards. the sauces on both the steak and duck were perfect matches. you can see an array of liquor in the kitchen that they use to make the sauces with.
i and someone else ordered the grand mariner covered berries with a biscuit; the two others ordered a chocolate cake. the berries on my dessert were simmered perfectly and the sauce soaked into the biscuit so that it almost tasted like an orange and berry cake. the chocolate cake was server with a small cup of chocolate sauce which i "borrowed" for my berries.

overall, theexperiencewas excellent. my only complaint would be about the timing of the service. obviously, a fine diningexperienceshould not be a production operation where you feel rushed. but, i think we waited too long for each entrée. i think there was also a relationship to the long wait and why some of the food was warm and not hot. the duck and steaks were sliced into large pieces - sliced food loses its heat quickly. also the shrimp bisque was lukewarm. i think this might have just been a fluke or maybe just the timing of our reservation versus the other eight tables. even so, it would not stop me from going back and next time i would make a later reservation.

best restaurant in central florida!. the last time i ate at this restaurant i told everyone i knew this was the best overall restaurantexperiencei 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 for dinner the very same night. kevin, laurie, and staff made made it another memorable dining experience, far outshining our previous experience.

i made several efforts to make a reservation at this restaurant to no avail; the first attempt i was haughtily told "we do not have any reservations for the coming weekend". after hearing a few people had enjoyed theirexperiencewe decided to make a reservation for four. we called and was told it was "wide open", upon mentioning that there was a baby coming along i was told that they did not accomodate children, when explained it would be a six month old baby sleeping the reply was "it may disturb other guests". apparently they went from wide open to all booked up. skip this, it's not worth the effort and to to the thai restsurant next door.