Friday, April 22, 2011

Finesse: An Unexpected Family Affair

To celebrate a special event one night, I ended up Finesse in Lake Mary’s. Upon arriving at the hostess stand, I was greeted by Bella, the cutest little infant that I have seen in quite a while. It did strike me as odd that the hostess would have a child in her arms but Bella just happens to be the owner’s daughter. Bella, unbeknownst to me at the beginning, would become instrumental in my final perception of this new establishment.

To kick things off, let’s get the math out of the way. Sugar Cane Chicken $9, Duck Confit $13, Maytag Wedge $6, and Chimi Skirt Steak $18.

The sweet and slightly chary Sugarcane Chicken was good. Slightly on the drier side, the chicken was particularly enjoyable when you bite down on the semi-thick sugarcane skewer to extract some of the sugars inside the stem with each bite.
I especially liked this dish because it left the consumer at his/her own devices to figure out how to layer the cilantro, lime, and tamarind flavors in the dish with a delightful burnt sugar taste that’s derived with a little effort using their own teeth. If you didn’t want that flavor, you could skip it entirely for the next bite. So, the dish succeeded in presenting a slightly variable flavor profile depending on personal tastes. I dig that.

Alas, the Duck Confit fell short on its promise. The skin was extremely crisp and tasty, but the meat itself wasn’t fall-off-the-bone. If the dish wasn’t called this, then I would find no error with it as I enjoyed it very much (duck just happens to be my weakness).
A slow and low approach to the cooking process would have resulted in a more tender meat. The accompanying Shitake and Baby Bella (um, wordplay anyone? The menu could’ve easily described them as Criminis instead… *smirk*) mushrooms were perfectly executed- not overcooked, meaty, and just glide-down-your-throat good. Overall, there was a rich flavor to the dish which can only be described as tasty due to its fatty, mildy nutty, salty, and texturally crisp dimensions.

The Maytag Wedge left more to want. First, the portion size was small. Which I suppose is understandable for the establishment and the price point. However, touting it as the ‘best bleu cheese dressing’ was not accurate.
Acutely small chunks of cheese lacking that distinct tartness that goes hand in hand with a characteristic bleu cheese taste didn’t qualify this dressing anywhere near the top of my list. However, the salad as a whole was very fresh and all the ingredients (including the bacon) were crisp and enjoyable.

The Chimi Skirt Steak was suggested by the server as being the best option for a well-done cut of meat. So, I went with it with a slight adjustment- DUCK-FAT FRIES instead of ‘shoe fries’. This dish was simply delicious from one corner of the plate to the other.
‘Abuela’s Chimichuri’ was so addictively refreshing that I wished that there was more dotted around the Angus meat that sat beside onions cooked in a Cabernet reduction. The duck-fat fries were good as well. Crisp, decadently oily, and salty- the flavor of these fries are a notch above the regular kind. All in all, a perfectly executed dish for the main course.

Towards the end of the meal, the Bella’s mother Autumn McCoy (who also happens to be one of the chefs) started talking up a conversation with us. It wasn’t what she was saying, but rather what was being conveyed through it. It became very quickly evident that there is a lot of love, focus, and hard work that has gone into the making of this establishment. And love, above all, seems so centric to their vision- it has been the young couples dream to open this concept for many moons. And to crown the achievement, Excecutive Chef Alex Brugger named his new company Bella as well :)

IN A NUTSHELL: This place showcases good food and presentation. They have a sizeable trove of beers to choose from (I liked the Paulaner Hefeweizen for $6) but if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, there’s a full bar as well. Semi-private, small groups can book a large table in a separate room for a base price that can be negotiated with what you want served for your company. Sundays bring DISCOUNTED PRICES FOR THE BRUNCH CROWD- as well as a free first round of Mimosas or Bloody Marys on the house. Try the duck-fat fries for a deeper, fattier twist to a classic. Tastefully decorated, its ambiance beckons the casual-formal crowd. For a special night on the town, give this new place in Lake Mary a try.
P.S. A handful of people have inquired with me about the Brunch. I've attached a pic of the Brunch Menu but be forewarned that their prices as well as menus are constantly updated.


Finesse on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

  1. I have to agree wholeheartedly with your review. I ate at Finesse for the third time yesterday (dinner, lunch, and now brunch) and each time has been an exceptional experience. It does not get much better than this, and the price is quite reasonable. I know i'll be back again and again.

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  2. Thank you to both of you for the comments. I'm glad you enjoy our product and "understand" what we're doing. We have forward momentum thanks to guests such as yourselves and built this establishment with people like yourselves in mind.

    Thank you again,
    Alex, Autumn & Bella
    305-304-9064

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are welcome Chef. Please let us know if there's anything else I can do. Good luck to your business!

    ReplyDelete

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