Boca Kitchen, Bar & Market has welcomed Executive Chef Jake Brenchley to lead culinary efforts for this farm-to-fork restaurant on Park Avenue. A French-trained chef, who prepared the 2015 New Year’s Eve dinner for the James Beard Foundation, joins Boca after a successful run with The Kessler Collection. Naturally, we jumped at the opportunity to taste Chef Brenchley’s latest creations as well as some oysters and cocktails from sister restaurants Atlantic Beer and Oyster and Park Social.
We started our evening at Boca sipping an airy melon cocktail filled with local ingredients and a hint of sweetness. Anyone can make a craft cocktail, but ingredients and care make a drink memorable. After enjoying a post-work drink we headed around the corner to ABO, a quaint oyster bar tucked in Winter Park’s Hidden Garden, a whimsical courtyard tucked behind bustling Park Avenue. From reclaimed wood to specialty beers, inside ABO you’ll be transported to a fisherman’s wharf – just trendier and not as smelly. We, of course, were treated to oysters topped with a specialty hot sauce. I couldn’t muster up the courage to taste this seaside delicacy, but based on my dining companions’ reactions, I’d fully recommend ABO to any oyster connoisseur.
For the main course, we headed back to Boca for a four course tasting menu from Chef Brenchley. From arctic char to wild boar, the menu was unlike any farm-to-fork experience we’ve tasted! Here’s what we tasted, experienced and enjoyed at Boca:
Ricotta Gnudi: English peas, bacon marmalade, seven minute egg, breakfast radish and Meyer lemon featuring ingredients from Lake Meadows and Long and Scott Farms. A creamy, melty, pasta-like dish filled with flavors and aromas pleasing to all the senses.
Arctic Char: A cold-water fish akin to wild salmon only milder and slightly sweeter than its counterpart. Accompanied by carrot dashi, mirin cured beets, heirloom carrots and dill flower with various ingredients from Frog Song Organic Farms.
Chicken Wing: A tasting with a twist – no buffalo sauce or celery allowed on this plate. The poultry was served crisp with a fried green tomato salad, buttermilk nage and onion scapes. Luscious chicken with a southern flare, this wing was my favorite plate of the night. Bonus points to the chef for his green thumb and sugar soil – the sweet greens in this dish were grown in his very own garden.
Wild Boar Ribs: Once I got the image of eating Pumba from The Lion King out of my mind, I enjoyed a forkful of this uber-tender, meaty dish. Accompanied by bacon creamed corn, sweet pepper gastrique and a squash blossom polenta, these ribs were a welcome change from your standard barbecue fare.
The evening was capped off at Park Social, the Avenue’s only speakeasy complete with retro pinball, dessert and a password required for entry. A throwback to the ‘70s, you’ll feel completely transported to another era with modern bites ranging from Lamb Kabobs, to Sage Brown Butter Parmesan Popcorn and a variety of sushi rolls. The perfect spot for cocktails, mingling and hiding away in Winter Park’s chicest spot.
Boca, ABO and Park Social are emerging as the Ave’s power trio, you’re sure to find something for every mood, occasion and taste. If you haven’t visited the revival of the former “cursed corner,” you’re missing out on some of this city’s chicest and tastiest dining spots.
Note: We were invited to a courtesy media tasting, all opinions belong to Spork, we only write about tasty tables!
