Not since a sinkhole swallowed an entire city block has there been this significant an opening in Winter Park. OK, maybe that’s a bit much, but so is The Chapman — the most ambitious undertaking yet by Artistry Restaurants, whose presence along Park Avenue has long been established with mainstays Boca and Atlantic Beer & Oyster, with Oak & Stone, a pizza and beer concept, coming later this year.
The Chapman, however, is in a category of its own. All 6,700 square feet of it. The restaurant celebrates the history of Winter Park and founders Oliver Chapman and Loring Chase, who transformed the city into a refuge for “men of means.” The Chapman, it seems, is a refuge for their descendants. Scan the tables and booths on any given night and you’ll see the unmistakable face of old-money Winter Park. The menu, under the direction of Clifford Pleau, the former executive chef of California Grill and co-creator of Seasons 52, seems to cater to those palates.
Yet I’m sure even sojourning tycoons in turn-of-the-century Winter Park would wonder why roasted bosc pears in a burrata and prosciutto salad ($15) still had seeds in them. Or what unnecessary alchemy was responsible for balsamic “pearls” when a drizzle would’ve been just fine. And sniffing out fishy tuna is not some post-postmodern superpower. No, the focal ingredient in the ahi two ways ($26) seemed like it was a couple of days old, leaving us little choice but to relegate the dull plate of raspberry poke and seared tuna to the fringes of our table.
Hopes were higher for the red snapper ($44), a dish we felt obliged to order seeing as this was a Florida restaurant touting Florida ingredients. But the overdone fillet set over a cauliflower-hominy hash sitting in an acidic roasted tomato vinaigrette just left us a bit baffled. Kitchens have off nights, and this was certainly one of them. When a roasted boneless half-chicken ($32) also came out parched, and on top of undercooked farro “risotto” no less, I vowed to return when the kitchen was in better form.
Two months later, accompanied by Ada and Jherome, a lovely couple who bid on a dining experience with me in an auction hosted by Shepherd’s Hope, I gave it another go.
Luckily, things got off to a much better start. Cocktails impressed the first time around, and a pre-meal quaff at The Chase Lounge inside the restaurant exhibited the same level of craft. We headed over to our table and talked about some heavy topics — healthcare, racism, classism, nationalism — over an outstanding colossal lump crab cake ($28) and sticky bang-bang lion’s mane mushrooms ($19).
Bucatini ($29) in a San Marzano tomato sauce was lauded for its flavor, but cracks began to appear. First, rubbery citrus-seared shrimp in the pasta; then, an overdone brisket burger ($23) accompanied by underdone, almost crunchy, steak fries. And finally, by the very same snapper dish, which was just as overdone as it was last time.
Desserts weren’t immune to the ups and downs of the kitchen. The up, a warm pear and tart cherry “mai chai” crisp ($14) topped with vanilla bean ice cream, lent the comforting ending we craved. The down, a citrus meringue pie ($17), was just as cloying as it had been before. And cutting through that gingersnap crust required major effort — “Use the serving spoon,” I suggested to Ada after seeing her struggle with a fork.
“It just feels like a lost opportunity,” she remarked on a post-meal walk up Park Avenue. “The front of house seems to have it together,” I said, “but I don’t know what’s going on in the kitchen.” When I asked if they’d come back, their silent response said it all.
At the very least, the cocktail game is strong. In fact, they even snagged Daniel Lugo, the talented barkeep who was previously at Bar Kada, to embolden their beverage program even further. So as things currently stand with The Chapman, it might be best to just cut to The Chase.
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
Related Stories
The Imperial returns to Winter Park at a new location
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2025.