Chef’s Table at the Edgewater

WINNER: BEST WINTER GARDEN RESTAURANT

Photo by Roberto Gonzalez

Back in 2008, when Kevin and Laurie Tarter opened Chef’s Table, downtown Winter Garden was a food desert. Couples looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion had to drive out to Sand Lake’s Restaurant Row. The Tarters wanted to change that. So, they leased space in the historic Edgewater Hotel, set up nine candlelit, white-clothed tables and pieced together a three-course tasting menu. 

Kevin, who trained in New Orleans before cooking at Disney’s Victoria & Albert’s, manned the kitchen. Laurie, a veteran server from Disney’s California Grill, was the one-woman waitstaff. 

Thanks, in part, to a glowing review from Scott Joseph, the concept took off. Not only did Chef’s Table become the go-to date night spot for locals, but people started traveling to Winter Garden for the sole purpose of trying the Tarter’s menu. 

This was before Uber. Couples would show up in a taxi. Then, at the end of their meal, they’d be unable to find a cab driver willing to come to Winter Garden to pick them up. So, Laurie and Kevin became de facto chauffeurs, driving happily sated diners back to their homes. 

Today, Chef’s Table has 18 tables. The Tarters serve small plates in the hotel bar and they have seating in the atrium. Oh, and they own The Attic Door, a wine bistro across the street.

Kevin no longer spends his time behind a cutting board; instead he turned his knives over to Executive Chef Chandler Cook and his team. 

“We want them to express themselves and showcase their talents,” said Laurie.  

Although there might be new faces in the kitchen, Chef’s Table retains its Old-World charm. Stepping into the softly lit bar – with its wooden ceiling beams, exposed copper ductwork and vintage vinyl tablecloths – is like walking into a Parisian Bistro in the 1920s. 

The concept is the same as it was on the day they opened; for a set price, diners get a three-course meal, including appetizer, entrée and dessert. Cook’s well-balanced flavors are Southern inspired and classically executed. Although he continues to add new dishes to the menu, he has not abandoned the mainstays, like duck fat fries. 

The potatoes are hand cut each day, blanched then dunked in the deep fryer till golden. From there, they are sprinkled with truffle oil and duck fat and served with smoked mayo. Lastly, they are topped with shaved parmesan. The salty, sweet cheese cuts through all that fatty smoky deliciousness, making for an addictive snack. 

Another standout is Cook’s pork ribeye. The meat is brined in the restaurant’s secret house spice blend. The ribeye has a bite to it, yet is tender enough to melt in your mouth. It is accompanied by sweet creamed corn and cider vinegar collard greens cooked with 10-day smoked pork. The ribeye is topped with a thick slab of chard pork belly and fried leek straws, adding both flavor and texture. This dish will tickle all your taste buds.

BROWSE WINNERS BY CATEGORIES

Winter Garden Restaurant
Brewery
Caterer
Chocolate Shop
Community Coffee Shop
Hotel Lounge
Frozen Treat
Something Sweet
Specialty Food Store
Tacos
Wine Store
College Park Restaurant
Downtown Restaurant
I-4 Restaurant
Osceola County Restaurant
Restaurant Row
Seminole County Restaurant
Winter Park Restaurant

Winter Garden Restaurant

1 Chef’s Table at the Edgewater
Winter Garden
chefstableattheedgewater.com

2 Bella Italia
Winter Garden
bellaitaliaristorantefl.biz

3 The Hangry Bison
Winter Garden & Winter Park
thehangrybison.com

Brewery

1 Crooked Can Brewery
Winter Garden
crookedcan.com

2 Ivanhoe Park Brewing Co.
Orlando (Ivanhoe District)
Ivanhoeparkbrewing.com

3 Hourglass Brewing
Orlando & Longwood
hourglassbrewing.com

Caterer

1 Arthur’s Creative Events & Catering
Altamonte Springs
arthurscatering.com

2John Michael Catering And Weddings
Winter Park
johnmichaelevents.com

3Puff ‘n Stuff
Orlando
puffnstuff.com

Chocolate Shop

1 Peterbrooke Chocolatier
Winter Park
Instagram: @PeterbrookeWP

2Laderach
Mall at Millenia & Florida Mall
laderach.com

3Kilwin’s
Winter Park
kilwins.com

Community Coffee Spot

1Axum Coffee
Winter Garden
axumcoffee.com

2The Robinson
Downtown Orlando
robinsonroomcoffee.com

3Cup of Love Café
Oviedo
instagram.com/cupoflovecafe.inc

Hotel Lounge

1 Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando
Orlando
hardrockhotels.com

2The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
Orlando
ritzcarlton.com

3Hyatt Regency Orlando
Orlando
hyatt.com

Frozen Treat

1Twistee Treat
Multiple Locations
twisteetreat.com

2The Pop Parlour
Orlando
thepopparlour.com

3Jeremiah’s Italian Ice
Multiple Locations
jeremiahsice.com

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice

Something Sweet

1Jeremiah’s Italian Ice
Multiple Locations
jeremiahsice.com

2The Glass Knife
Winter Park
theglassknife.com

3Kilwin’s
Winter Park
kilwins.com

Specialty Food Store

1 Trader Joe’s
Winter Park & Orlando
traderjoes.com

2 Dong A Supermarket
 Orlando

3 Petty’s Meat Market
 Longwood
 pettysmeats.com

Tacos

1 El Zocalo
Sanford
elzocalosanford.com

2Gringos Locos
Multiple Locations
gringoslocos.com

3TaKo Cheena
Orlando (Mills50)
takocheena.net

Wine Store

1 Tim’s Wine Market
Multiple Locations
timswine.com

2Total Wine & More
Multiple Locations
totalwine.com

3Regency Wine & Liquor
Winter Garden
regencyliquor.com

The Tap Room at Dubsdread

College Park Restaurant

1 The Tap Room at Dubsdread
College Park
taproomatdubsdread.com

2 Armando’s
College Park
armandosorlando.com

3 Shaker’s American Café
College Park
shakerscafe.com

Maxine’s on Shine

Downtown Restaurant

1 Maxine’s on Shine
Orlando (Mills50)
maxinesonshine.com

2 Latin Square
Downtown Orlando
latinsquarecuisine.com

3 Kres Chophouse
Downtown Orlando
kresrestaurant.com

I-Drive Restaurant

1 Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
Orlando
delfriscos.com

2 Café TuTu Tango
 Orlando
 cafetututango.com

3 Twenty Pho Hour
 Orlando
 twenty-pho-hour.com

Osceola County Restaurant

1 Crabby Bill’s
St. Cloud
crabbybillsstcloud.com

2 Columbia Restaurant
Celebration
columbiarestaurant.com

3 4 Rivers Smokehouse
Kissimmee
4rsmokehouse.com

Restaurant Row

1 Eddie V’s Prime Seafood
Orlando
eddiev.com

2Seasons 52
Altamonte Springs & Orlando
seasons52.com

3Fleming’s
Multiple Locations
flemingssteakhouse.com

Seminole County Restaurant

1 Jimotti’s Restaurant
Sanford
jimotti.com

2 Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café
Sanford
hollerbachs.com

3 Enzo’s on the Lake
Longwood
enzos.com

Winter Park Restaurant

1 Boca Winter Park
Winter Park
bocawp.com

2 Reel Fish Coastal Kitchen
Winter Park
reelfishcoastal.com

3 Cocina 214
Winter Park
cocina214.com

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