The Pinery — Restaurant in Orlando

As the phrase goes, "Wow - Just wow!!". Our weekend dining group (usually 4 - 7 people) arrived as a quartet yesterday for our first-ever experience of The Pinery. It was listed for the 2023 season of Magical Dining and seemed like a very interesting choice to try. In a nutshell, we loved it, will be returning again soon, but we also want to tell others about how wonderful it is so that they'll get the recognition they so very much deserve. We had reservations for the opening hour (4:00) and we were greeting with a big welcome smile by Nick B (Asst GM) who helped us find the perfect table and introduce our fantastic server (Mackenzie). For a while we were the only diners in the main dining room. That room is perfectly designed and has proper lighting for reading menu, etc. There is also a full-service bar that a few were arriving to enjoy. Mackenzie was able to answer all questions about the meal options as well as offer personal recommendations, and they were totally accurate. Our group often ends up ordering the same things, but for today it was a variety, which gave us opinions of multiple selections. For appetizers, the Zucchini Fries were a visual and tasty treat to start the meal. Although a Caesar Salad sounds like a simple item available anywhere, this one was somehow a bit different (in a good way), and also a bit more filling than anticipated. All three items on the MD menu were chosen by our group, and it was seemingly a challenge to decide who enjoyed theirs the most. Our server's favorite choice, the Bison and Gnocchi, got a fun eye roll and humming sound from one of us. Those getting the Scottish Salmon said the seasoning, temperature and texture was pretty much perfection. I had the Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken, and it was plated a bit differently than I'd expected, but that was also in a good way. It was two cutlet-style pieces that were extremely easy to cut, and had a mild crunch to the outside rather than some sort of heavy breading. Not one tiny morsel remained on my plate. It is served with a side of grilled watermelon, which had intrigued us all just in name alone. We all sampled it and loved loved loved the original taste it provided. Who knew such existed? All three desserts were tried, and each offered a bit of surprise over what was initially expected, and (like everything else) all in a good way. Those getting the Dark Chocolate Pot De Creme mentioned it had the pleasant taste of hot cocoa, but just not being hot. The accompanying beignets were a powdery messy perfect addition. The Chef's Croissant Bread Pudding was an actual 'slice' that created a nice plating, and was delicious. I had the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, which was a bit thinner in the ramekin dish than standard, which resulted in an absolutely perfect texture after the burning and topped with pecans and berries. I rarely finish a dessert when we dine, but I did this time! Do I have any hesitations or suggestions for this restaurant? No, none. Keep doing what you do. We were all totally pleased and will look forward to a return trip. Nick and Mackenzie were both apologetic for that they thought might have been slower service delivering our desserts and checks, but we enjoy the weekly social time as well as a meal and didn't notice anything being slow at all. Perfect timing for us. A lot more diners arrived while we were eating, so we were glad we chose the earlier hour for our reservation. Parking can be a bit tricky on this downtown street, but they do offer valet parking, which I may do next time. It is extremely easy to recommend The Pinery to others. It was amazing from start to finish and should thrill all who decided to get it a try. Go! Go now! Enjoy!!

JUNE 2024 UPDATE We fell in love this restaurant last year, and initially agreed the first visit was the best possible experience because it was new, but . . . we were somehow wrong!! We re-gathered for the Bite30 dining and it was pure Magnificence. Server Lili shined in all the right ways to pair with a meal that was truly splendid. ...

First time trying today on Mother’s Day and it will be my last. I decided to take my mother here for Mother’s Day because of the beautiful dining room ambiance. DO NOT BE FOOLED! We arrived at 4:17pm with reservations. When we got inside it wasn’t that many tables seated with guest simply because they were just opening. We are seated by the hostess (very sweet lady), and we did not receive water or meet the server until 10 minutes after being seated. Our server Tiara was verryyy sneaky, please avoid this server and her section unless you want to be charged for drinks you never asked for!! I was seated with my mother for 10 minutes and the first thing the server introduces is the monthly beverage. Me and my mother do not drink, so we order a lemonade and asked if there was any way to put strawberries in it. She claimed there was no way SHE could do that but SUGGESTED that the bartender could. So like any paying dehydrated customer we agreed. When the drinks were brought out they were in wine glass filled with mostly ice…. And it was clear to both me and my mom that what we were drinking was a mocktail and not a LEMONADE because it contained some sort of seltzer. Me and my mother aren’t huge fans of carbonated beverage so the drinks were not the best. When we explained to the server that the drinks weren’t to our liking and we simply want lemonade (sugar/lemon/water). She then took the drinks back and then proceeded to bring ANOTHER mocktail to the table. This mocktail had no lemonade/lemon flavor at all. So at this point my Mother and I are confused at what’s going on with the drinks and I decided to go up to the bartender to ask what we have just received. He then proceeded to let me know that we received a STRAWBERRY MOCKTAIL (we never asked for this drink) and he was making what was rung in by the SERVER. When I asked the bartender for lemonade one was brought to the table in under 30 seconds. The server could’ve done this to begin with! The server obviously knew what she was doing and wanted to charge us. On top of that our apps too over 45 minutes to come to the table. All we ordered was the crab dip and conch fritter which were good, but could’ve been better if it came out quicker. Luckily the apps were removed from the check. When I asked the server, Tiara, for a refill, it turned out she was capable of making glass a lemonade. However it was brought to me in a filthy glass. So I proceeded to ask for a clean glass of lemonade which the server was able to do. She then grabbed our entree orders, which did not take that long to come to the table. I had the blvd burger which wasn’t terrible and came out in 25 mins. Overall, don’t waste your time or money going here.

5/17 Response to OWNER (Caroll): It’s quite amusing how you suddenly appear from the shadows to address critiques but conveniently vanish when it comes to acknowledging the positives. It's like the restaurant version of a disappearing act. You know, it's funny you mention calling you directly, considering you haven't bothered to provide a contact number anywhere. But fear not, I won't be wasting my precious time playing detective to track down the elusive owner of a restaurant that seems to thrive on drama rather than professionalism. Here's a thought: instead of engaging in online skirmishes, why not invest that energy into cultivating a welcoming environment for your guests and ensuring your staff feel supported? It's a revolutionary idea, I know. But hey, if playing whack-a-mole with negative reviews is your idea of productive use of time, who are we to rain on your parade? Just remember, the internet...

Seven weekends of Magical Dining Month. Seven restaurants chosen for amazing menu effort. Too many restaurants phone it in for MDM and offer chicken (boring) or a cedar-plank salmon (yawn). Out of literally hundreds of restaurants, you have to stand out somehow. I ranked all the restaurants, and sought out the best of the best.

I saw The Pinery's menu, and my jaw dropped. Super unique appetizers, very decadent and comforting entrees, and fun fun desserts. At least two standard deviations above the average menu. So we made reservations, showed up on time, and let the fun begin.

Apps

I started off with the Cast Iron Blistered Shishitos (toasted peanuts, smoked chili butter, chives). This was nice. The shishitos were very plump, had good bite, and were adequately blistered. The chili butter did nothing for it, so I kind of with there was a separate dipping sauce, but hey, that's why you go to MDM places with people, so you can share and try other things.

I also got to try the Zucchini Fries (Parmesan panko encrusted, roasted garlic aioli). Very well breaded! Spices and herbs very visible, muchly needed to add flavor to bland zuccs. Not very oily. Extremely dippable in that creamy aioli. Solid app.

Mains

Then my main event showed up. Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken (petal honey drizzle, red beans and rice, grilled watermelon). Wow. This was perfect. The chicken was So moist and juicy. It was a boneless cutlet, which was fine, considering the target audience of this restaurant. The breading was a perfect crust that had crispy edges and bits that fell off so you could thrown them into your red beans and rice.

Speaking of that red beans and rice, this was the best red beans and rice I have eaten in Orlando. The holy trinity was in there, along with massive amounts of flavor. It was more like an etouffee for heaven sake! Wonderful stuff. And then a slice of perfectly grilled watermelon, for good measure. I have a feeling maybe a lot of people reading this have never had grilled watermelon before. Try it. Trust me.

I also got some of the Bison and Gnocchi (brown butter toasted gnocchi, roasted mushrooms in a garlic truffle cream sauce, arugula salad). Oooh. Unctuous and decadent. These were perfectly dense gnocchi with an excellent chew. The bison was in big hunks, so you gotta shred it, but if you do that, get some bison in every bite, you will get lost in perfect gluttony with this Garlic Truffle Cream sauce. Yummm.

Desserts

I finished up with the perfect homage to an afternoon spent at the Cafe du Monde, lounging next to the Riverwalk down in New Orleans. Dark Chocolate Pot De Crème (Cointreau noir infused whipped cream & mini beignets). Almost perfect beignets, a pot de crème to mimic that chicory coffee, and a good time with a perfect dessert.

I also got to try the Chef's Croissant Bread Pudding (served with Kelly's homemade ice cream). The title is confusing. There was nothing croissant-y about the bread pudding being offered, but that being said, it was still very good. More dense, less soaked, but with a little ice cream in each bite, it'll do just fine.

Overall, this menu looked like a 10/10, and it delivered. A wonderful touch of The South for us down here in Florida. The only thing that I really hated was the fact that this southern place, with pineapples of welcome on the freaking front door, doesn't have sweet tea... That really disappointed me. I had to settle for unsweet tea with some simple syrup. Sad. But...