I cannot speak highly enough about this restaurant.
I adore the fact that the menu is primarily, if not entirely, locally sourced. As someone who's all about farm-to-table this is huge to me and what actually led us to eating there.
The food is amazing and the head Chef is an absolute genius with pairing flavors, I'm quite envious.
I got the Allicin Wonderland burger which was cooked to perfection. It's hard to get a rare burger, most places give you the tiniest bit of pink or just take it to well done. The onion straws paired with the French onion reduction and the gruyere with the garlic aioli danced on my tongue.
My partner got The Boulevard chicken sandwich. I'm a total chicken snob and almost never order chicken at a restaurant because it's dry, this was the furthest thing from dry. I don't believe I've ever had a chicken breast that moist. The herbed goat cheese paired with the balsamic glaze was phenomenal.
My partner chose sweet potato fries, again somethin I'm not a fan of but these twisted my brain because they were so good. Generally speaking sweet potato fries are sweet the moment they hit your tongue, these gave more of a potato vibe on the front end then the sweetness came on the back end with a carmelization taste that was surprisingly pleasant.
The desserts were like a warm blanket wrapped around you. Their flavors sang of autumn. I got the pear/ginger creme brulee, the candied ginger on top was divine without the spicy kick of fresh ginger. My partner got the oatmeal cookie sandwich. You have no idea you're eating gluten free or vegan!!! As a Chef/Baker myself who loves working with special diets, I'm quite jealous that I haven't a clue how to reproduce this in my own kitchen. The cinnamon in the cookie plus the maple syrup took me back to maple weekends when I was stationed in upstate NY. As we had such a difficult time deciding on dessert we brought home a slice of the Chai Banana Jamma cake to share after supper because t contains pineapple (my partner's kryptonite) and it was that warm blanket all over again, the spices used reminded us both of zucchini bread. As a hater of most things coconut I was leery but it was amazing and made me think twice just like the sweet potato fries.
The restaurant is quaint and you need to check in at the alley window to make sure there's seating which is pretty cool in my mind, I hate walking into crowded places to see if there's a table. There was no wait when we were there. Our server was friendly an on point. I love that they cash you out at your table rather than walking off with your card.
The pride sticker on the front door, the pride flag above the inside of the door and the all gender bathroom made us feel safe which is a rarity for us in many places. We live whenever we end up anywhere that shows the smallest bit of pride but this felt like home.
I'm also a huge fan now because their whisk/knife logo is the same as my tattoo lol.
Trust me, hit up DeLand for this amazing spot then walk around Artisans Alley and the rest of the area checking out the cool shops and the monarch butterfly garden. read more