Chef's Table at the Edgewater — Restaurant in Winter Garden

I don't know this place calls itself the "Chef's Table" when in reality it's more of a "Chef's Mistake". Have you ever been to a place where you have your appetizers and immediately cancel your main order afterwards? Well this was the place for me.

To start off, entering the restaurant, I can't really tell what vibe the place is going for. Is it trying to have a pub vibe, while blasting mid 2000s alternative rock? I wasn't really sure what to expect of the place, but I guess the dated interior matches the food that ended up being served. When entering I was greeted by the owner(s)? I'm assuming, they were nice and quickly got my party seated. We looked at the menu and placed our order for some appetizers and drinks and then we waited and waited some more and finally some food came (more on the food later) and then we didn't see our server again until sometime after where we decided we didn't want to order anything else.

Onto the food, the menu proudly states that these are "items our guests have loved for over a decade" and well for most of this food it definitely feels like it was left out for a decade before being served to my party. Personally I had a french onion soup, this soup came out relatively quickly, like I mean they just went and scooped it into my bowl and served it to me. This soup was room temperature and barely had any warmth to it. I don't know about you, but when I order a soup, especially a french onion soup I want it hot (I need that delicious cheese pull from the soup) and most definitely want it as fresh as possible, none of which was achieved.

I tried the brussel sprouts, they were very inconsistent, some of the brussel sprouts were undercooked or overcooked and they weren't seasoned. There was supposed to be a honey chili butter and I didn't taste that at all, usually when you overcook brussel sprouts a little bit, it'll suck up any sauce or juices you marinate it with, these sprouts were dry and uninspired, the maple bacon it came with was ok, but I ordered brussel sprouts not the other addons mixed in with it.

My biggest disappointment and what was the final blow for me that made me want to leave and go somewhere else was the mini beef wellington trio. As someone who absolutely loves beef wellington and has had all kinds of amazing takes on beef wellington on top of cooking it myself, this was genuinely the worst take on beef wellington I have ever had. The puff pastry was borderline burnt, very dry and lacked any flavor, I didn't notice any duxelle and instead was stuck with what I would equate to a dry pulled pork with a demi glaze that lacked any glaze and instead tasted like burnt puff pastry. I had half of one and just left it, I had no interest in it. For almost $30? I'm better off going to publix and getting a freezer aisle beef wellington.

Overall, I'm unsure if the actual Chef's Table experience is any good, but the tasting room needs a lot of work and is something I would recommend steering FAR away from. I really don't like giving such negative feedback, especially to a local business but I REALLY want to see restaurants like this one to succeed and I feel like offering my genuine opinion is the best way to achieve that. I did read some other reviews about declining food quality as well as accolades on the door of the restaurant being several years old and I can definitely imagine a point in time where this place probably served at a much higher caliber, but those times definitely seemed to have passed, or maybe I just came on a bad night, I don't know if I'll come back...

The Chef’s Table at The Edgewater is a fantastic experience perfect for a date night or special occasion. We made a reservation a few days before we went via open table. We received confirmation texts and a text a few minutes before our reservation time alerting us that our table was ready. We were greeted and escorted to our table without a wait. We walked through the tasting room area, past a banquet room, and into The Chef’s Table. There is a smaller room with 3 tables and a larger room with 6 tables. We were seated at a table for 2 in the larger room. It was perfect. There is a glass double door where you can see inside the kitchen. Our server greeted us promptly as we looked over the beverage and food menus. He was knowledgeable and engaging. It’s a 3 course meal and you choose your appetizer, entree, and dessert from a few options in each category. We decided to add on the wine pairing and are glad we didn’t order additional drinks because the wine was more than enough for both of us. You can add on the cheese sampler which we did. It consisted of crostini and 5 different cheeses with accompaniments. It included Gouda, Blue Cheese, Cheddar, candied pecans, dates, and honey. The honey and Gouda was a great combination and something I’d never think to try together. It was delicious and a great way to begin dinner. We opted to do a wine with our cheese tasting and omit the wine that would have been paired with dessert. We both enjoyed all three of the wine pairings. For our appetizers I had the Mediterranean Octopus. It was tender and the tzatziki sauce was delicious. My husband chose the Mushroom and Chive Crepe Torte that he enjoyed as well. I had the fresh fish for my main course. It was pastrami seasoned cod and prepared perfectly. The flavors of the dish were great and I really liked the asparagus and turnips. Yum. My husband had the pork ribeye. It was perfect ~ tender, rich, and flavorful. We chose the Lemon Thyme Creme Brûlée and the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding for desserts. Both were great choices and a perfect way to finish our meal. The entire experience was 2.5 hours and flew by. The service was great and the food was delicious. It was an enjoyable dinner and we’re looking forward to trying The Tasting Room menu options sometime in the near future. We couldn’t find much about the dress code online so we decided on casual and were glad we did. Be mindful that you’re practically sitting in the kitchen and it gets hot while the entrees...

Updated Review 2024: After frequenting The Chef's Table for over six years for everything from special occasions and New Year's celebrations to regular weekly dinners, I’ve seen the best of what this restaurant has to offer. We've enjoyed both the tasting room and the kitchen tables in the back, which were once quintessential parts of the Chef's Table experience. Unfortunately, I find myself writing this review in the past tense after our most recent visit for a birthday dinner, as it seems the restaurant has lost a significant part of its charm.

Historically, the Chef's Table offered an intimate setting of 5-7 tables around the kitchen, allowing diners to feel part of the cooking experience. This intimacy was what made dining here so special. However, this time around, we were placed in a separate room that accommodated a large party, complete with a TV on the wall that, while turned off, significantly detracted from the once cozy and engaging atmosphere.

On the service front, despite noting the birthday occasion in our reservation and reminding our waiter twice, the evening concluded without any birthday acknowledgment—no candle on the dessert, no festive card, nothing that used to make such celebrations feel personal here. The oversight was all the more apparent when, upon leaving, we noticed a neighboring table receiving a candle with their dessert.

As for the food, the quality remains high with delightful dishes like pork, duck, and duckfat fries, which are still worth mentioning. There was a hiccup with an overcooked steak, but the manager handled it promptly and courteously, which was appreciated. A personal disappointment for me was the change from a beloved mushroom tarte to a mushroom roulade, which didn't quite hit the mark as the former did.

While the overall experience has taken a step back, the excellent service during our visit and the magic of Winter Garden itself will bring us back to The Chef's Table. However, we might skip the Chef's Table seating in favor of the tasting room next time, hoping to recapture some of the original vibes that made this place a favorite. Here’s to hoping for a return to form in the future.

Original Review 2018: Best place in the world! What...