Chef's Table at the Edgewater

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 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.

Colibri Mexican Cuisine

I was recently going out for dinner with a friend and we decided on Mexican. He suggested that we go to Colibri in Baldwin Park, because it was similar to Paco’s except they had a full bar and he could get a Margarita! I was excited – A New Mexican restaurant for me to add to my repertoire!

The ATMOSPHERE… Indoor or outdoor seating that overlooks the lake, casual and comfortable

The SERVICE… Standard, not overly friendly but not bad either

The FOOD… The menu is full of your basic Mexican dishes, with probably more seafood offered then most other Mexican places.

As I looked over the menu nothing seemed to jump out at me, so I decided on the Lake Fiesta Combination Platter with my choice of two items. I chose a Taco and a Quesadilla (both with Chicken) and it also came with Rice and Refried Beans - $9.99.

As we waited for our entrees we enjoyed (well, tried to enjoy) the Chips and Salsa. Not the greatest, but I’ve been to plenty of restaurants with mediocre Chips and Salsa that had really good food so I was not discouraged. Then came the meal…

It was certainly on a big plate, however the presentation was lackluster. There was no offering of Sour Cream or Guacamole, no diced tomatoes or anything that added the slightest bit of pizzazz, just a small portion of sad lettuce. (See Photo) Then to seal the deal… there was absolutely no flavor! A big disappointment! Although I let it slide this time, I was angry with my friend for comparing this place to Paco’s (which is Delicious). I will not be listening to his suggestions anymore, nor will I ever be returning to Colibri. I wish them the best, but I am not expecting them to stay open for very much longer.

I wished I would have read the reviews on urbanspoon.com before going there.

Wendy's - Bacon Portobello

Wendy’s has a new promotion for their Black Label Burgers.

When I saw “Bacon Portobello” listed I had to give it a try.

The description: a quarter-pounder with mushrooms, muenster cheese, bacon, tomato, and pepper sauce.

I decided to get the double instead of the single.

When my combo meal came to almost $10 I was a little surprised, but when I bit in to it and realized how delicious it was it made it OK.

If only all drive thru could taste this good.