Booked this restaurant a few months ago based on some Reddit recommendations from the Tampa sub. Nice surprise is that they received a Michelin star a few weeks after booking. With that being said, we all know Michelin is not always an indicator and sometimes competition in the same locale matters. No regrets with this dinner, though. We had a lot of fun. And considering this restaurant only opened 11 months ago – really impressive.
(Photos in menu order, except for Vendance Caviar which I put as the initial photo)
The just-ok:
Service was a bit haphazard with us needing to remind them about wine for two of the courses. Wine pours were meager for the price (and we realized we were only served seven glasses in the eight glass pairing). Some parts of the space are a little rough around the edges (bathroom, for example). Some of the dishes in the first few courses felt a little same-y when it came to flavor, though still well executed.
The great:
No real waiters here! The chefs who worked on your food are the ones serving. You’re seated at a horseshoe shape bar, at table height. The result is that it feels both interactive and intimate. As noted above, the service felt a bit haphazard, like they could use one additional person, but all were very friendly, knowledgeable, and personable. This is certainly fine dining, but with a more casual and approachable twist.
Almost all the food was really well executed about beautiful to look at (the duck was the one exception- it didn’t blow us away like everything else). Wine selections were truly excellent and enhanced the food in a wonderful way.
We had a really enjoyable dinner and appreciated the lack of stuffiness that sometimes accompanies a fine dining experience, though it still had many of the refined trappings that we still like.
I suspect, when these guys have some time to breathe and reflect, this will continue to get even better and more polished (in the right ways). If you’re in the area, worth checking out.
by mugroot7