Setting the nueva mesa Latina for success | Review
This is not your abuela’s mofongo.
Unless she makes it with yuca.
Oh, and lobster thermidor.
This version, which certainly speaks to chef Mario Pagán’s concept of “nueva mesa Latina,” a classic from the celebrity chef’s native Puerto Rico and showcased thusly with all the colors of the Caribbean, is run through a filter of fine French technique. It’s indicative, says Erika Camacho, of where Pagán is looking to take Latin cuisine, and as the general manager of Chayote Barrio Kitchen, she’s a fervent evangelist.
Celebrity chef Mario Pagán restaurant joins transformed Winter Park Village
“He is a Puerto Rican chef, but this is not only Puerto Rican cuisine. He takes influences from many of the countries of Latin America, and the result is a very unique menu where Latin food is portrayed in a very elevated and crafted way.”
The Langosta ($42), off the Mains section of the menu, is but one example, a posh one, but it gels with the vibe of a venue that has elegantly and effectively leveled up the dining game at Winter Park Village. Its wine list, featuring a roster of bubblies that would impress the champagne bar next door, seems a mile long with a nice selection of bottles and by-the-glass options.
Its craft cocktails, like the dazzling dark pink paloma rosa ($17), infused with smoky Ilegal Mezcal or the smooth, spicy bourbon of the Fashionista ($15), are as on point as any of the city’s toniest taverns. And if you need to banish the work week faster, they’ve got spirit(s), as the high-school cheer goes. Yes, they do.
The bar itself isn’t large, but there’s space not only to sit but stand and chat, courtesy of an open floor plan that manages to move through a range of seating areas — low, loungy tables, cushy-yet-mod, dining space that’s a little more formal, but still part of the scene, plus a few nooks served by curved sofas, sleek and plush all at once. This place is sexy.
Even with the Cheesecake Factory looming across the street, the patio seems an oasis, courtesy of the music — just loud enough to make outside guests feel like part of the party — and lush plants to shield them, mostly, at least, from the world outside.
Pagán had a hand in choosing said greenery, Camacho tells me. In fact, the restaurateur has a knack for design.
“He was in architectural school before he was a chef,” she tells me, “so he’s very into the look, the feel, the sensation. It goes beyond the menu. His details are everywhere.”
From lighting fixtures that flatter both the space and the people within to the chayote sculpture that will soon grace the restaurant’s entrance, Pagán’s influence shines, says Camacho. In fact, since the venue’s late October opening, the team has extended sitting times at the tables “because the guests just don’t want to leave!” (I can vouch. On my first visit, my friend and I lingered, as well.) The vibe, however, doesn’t outshine Pagán’s influence on the menu.
To segue from the sculpture to come, chayote is a gourd of Mesoamerican origin, one you’ll find in dishes like the Chayote salad ($21), in which gentle watercress and creamy avocado pair with hunks of chayote, plump ghost shrimp and a whisper of toasty quinoa for texture. It’s eminently shareable. In fact, much of the menu is designed that way, with small bites like the elegant tuna tartare ($16), four lovely orbs of gently seasoned tuna on delicate tostones, and diminutive and decadent chorizo sliders ($14), rich with provolone and chimi on cute little poppy seed buns.
“The menu is designed to allow guests to have a little bit of everything,” says Camacho, whose own Venezuelan background is repped in the pepiada ($26), generous chicken and avocado arepas elevated from food-truck familiar to fine-dining fancy via an ample topper of Osetra caviar.
“I feel very proud of how he showcases Latin culture,” she says. “It’s not just rice and beans. It’s not just roasted pork.”
Regardless, though, you’ll find all those things here, too. The arroz con pollo pegaíto ($28) is precisely that, and one of the most popular items thus far. It’s also one of many gluten-friendly options. There’s only one for plant-based guests, the sancocho vegano ($18), but it’s a good one, a hearty stew of corn, malanga, yuca, carrots and boniato in a gravy-like sauce that’s positively meaty (I mean this in the best way possible). Despite its placement on the Starter portion of the menu, for one, it’s a generous entree.
The runaway hit, however, is the Lubina ($56), where smooth, sweet, buttery Chilean sea bass sits atop truffled yuca mousse and a luscious sauce of foie gras and port. And not just any port, says Camacho, the good stuff.
“It’s pretty unheard of to use a 20-year port in a dish, but when you taste it, you appreciate the quality behind it, the way the flavors complement one another … that dish has my heart.”
Mine, too, from the sauce (you’ll want to mop) to the flawlessly crisp whisper of panko crust on top, it speaks to the talent in the kitchen, helmed by executive chef Monica Ortiz.
It extends to the pastry team, too, whose chocolate torta, like that fish, is the thing of dreams, gooey-warm perfection alongside rum banana ice cream and a crisp, gilded slab of praline. Oh, and with a poppy garnish that makes it look like something a duchess would wear to a polo match. Apropos, since the servers here, on both visits, seemed fit to serve the monarchy.
And amid the $50 million transformation of this shopping and dining complex, Chayote is most definitely a crown jewel.
If you go
Chayote Barrio Kitchen: 480 Orlando Ave. in Winter Park, 321-343-3003; chayotewinterpark.com
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
