Chelsea LeNoble
Google
Heads up: you may very well leave Foreigner Restaurant a changed person. Here, flavors, textures, awe, connection, and joy are doled out like notes forming the harmony of the kind of emotional & sensory experience anyone disillusioned with the world these days might’ve no longer felt was possible. But it is possible. And the best part is that you can go there and experience it, too.
You are taken care of and your comfort and enjoyment is the utmost priority from beginning to end. The way the team staggers your dining times allows them to spend focused moments with your party, so every course they set in front of you has an extra, personalized touch. As everyone knows, Chef Bruno is a treasure, and every moment with him is a gift of warmth and knowledge. He
exudes the most welcoming, calming vibes that instantly make you feel at home. The time he spends with each guest party truly sets the experience here apart. It’s cool to see the way the team works together to execute each course. You get to see their skills, their cool equipment, how they arrange unique, custom made dishes and utensils. Their cohesion is apparent and authentic.
Dishes are often comprised of locally sourced ingredients, always expertly prepared and plated. There was not a thing I would change or prefer a different way. Even when donned with my least favorite foods like oysters or eggplant, I could’ve liked every plate clean. They have achieved a balance of innovation (like cotton candy wrapped cheese on a stick) with the simple elegance of a perfected traditional techniques (e.g., the best, crispiest duck you’ve ever had). They also have a bread and charcuterie course!!! I’m now convinced that every tasting menu in Orlando needs a dedicated bread & charcuterie course. I can’t remember what life was like before having a tasting menu experience with a bread & charcuterie course. The dessert stands on its own rather than being somewhat of an afterthought, which is really impressive for a restaurant that already hits the mark and then some on every one of its dinner courses.
I tend to not be much of an add-on or optional enhancements person, so believe me when I say that as much as I am already dreaming about my next visit to Foreigner Restaurant, I would never dream of doing so without opting in for the Iberico jamon. It. Is. Life. Changing. I never would’ve thought that a plate of thin jamon slices could change the way I see the world, but here we are. I can’t remember what life was like before the jamon, either.
The temperature in the dining room is perfect, the lighting is perfect, the music is perfect, the seating is perfect. Service is not only flawless but also such a major aspect of what makes the overall experience so comfortable and welcoming. I hate how much I’m overusing the word “experience,” but everything else in the thesaurus really falls short of describing what it’s like here. While my husband and I have been to several chef’s tasting menus, this was my mother’s first time; she’s never been to anything like this and tends to balk at places with a per person price above $100. Let me tell you, she was raving about every single aspect of this experience before we even left. The fact that they can create something equally incredible for someone brand new to and somewhat more versed in this type of dining is evidence of their unpretentious genius.
You will be impressed. You will become a broken record of “Wow”. You will have loads of fun. You may even tear up a little after the first bite of lamb. Whatever dish it is that sends you, you will want to come back and experience it all again.