Chez Vincent

I’ve been here several times, for lunch and dinners and it’s always a good experience. Most recent visit was for lunch with my elderly father. Greeted promptly, seated, water delivered. Now, most times I dine with my dad, the servers read off the specials to me. Seeing my dad was older, the server read them to him. Nice touch. Dad ordered the filet, which he said was fabulous, and dad is a serious food critic. I had the poached salmon, cooked just right. Both came with a starch and vegetable. This is not an ordinary place to come for a quick bite of institutional food. The food preparation, plating is outstanding. Perfect for special occasions, like lunch with dad.

I travel to Winter Park frequently and always stop in at Chez Vincent. Years ago I went to Rollins College and often ate at the restaurant where Vincent was the chef, before he opened up his own restaurant. I thought, it’s about time I write a review and opened up my Unilocal app. I am truly surprised to see this only has an overall 3 star review. I started looking at the reviews and noticed a few trends. The good reviews were made by people with lots of reviews of a lot of different restaurants. The bad reviews were mostly written by people who have not written many reviews. Kind of strange, not sure what that indicates. I typically only listen to reviews where the person has a lot of experience and also is not one tune singer i.e. All 5 stars or all 1 and two stars.
I also will never judge a restaurant on one good day or one bad day. I will eat at a restaurant at least twice, but usually more than that before assessing the quality of food and dining experience. Once in a while, if it’s just not my type of place, I will give it a review after one meal. Those will typically be burger joints or sports bars since I just don’t like them.
I love French food, formal service, small portions, not too many carbs (but can always go for crispy crust French bread with unsalted butter). I really love the food at Chez Vincent. I would not be fat if I lived nearby instead of living in Michigan eating in restaurants with mostly mediocre food with unhealthy portions that I finish out of boredom. When a restaurant here is moderately good I give it 5 stars because everything is relative. Chez Vincent is also cheap compared to Reataurants in Ann Arbor. He makes the most divine sauces, and really is a fabulous chef! I have eaten at Chez Vincent over 50 times, probably more and it is still my favorite restaurant in the United States that I have tried with the exception of a couple of NYC restaurants, which I should also review one day.

On last Saturday the sixth, a small group of us had the opportunity of celebrating two birthdays at this establishment. My wife and I inquired about the grouper dinner. I asked the waiter, at least four times, if the fish was fresh or frozen. He insisted that the fish is fresh and that shipments receive several times a week. In addition, I inquired if I could see a piece of fish prior to ordering our meal. This was not possible, however we made the foolish mistake of still ordering two grouper dinners. The fish was old, tough, not flakey and the flavor was marginal. Why the kitchen tells the waiters that fish is fresh, when they know that it is not, mystifies me. We very very disappointed. On the other hand, the other couple ordered venison and they appeared to be contented. In good conscience, we could not recommend this restaurant to any of our friends. Of course, we will not visit this restaurant again.

I met a friend for lunch here while on a business trip in Orlando.
Pro:
Service — Polite & attentive
Drinks, Apps & Entrée — We had the quail appetizer;very tasty. I ordered the goat cheese salad with grilled chicken. Very good. My friend ordered the seafood crêpe which he liked very much.
Wine & coffee were exceptional.
Con:
Atmosphere — Cold and and a little stuffy
Dessert — We had the tart and it was uncooked a bit.
Definitely worth a try!

Without a doubt, this is the best French restaurant in Orlando. After seeing they got voted best French restaurant in the Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards, we decided to give it a try.
And we were not disappointed. The homemade cream of mushroom soup was the best I’ve ever had. My friend tried the soup of the day — cream of carrot soup. And said it was awesome.
Then on to dinner with an amazing ahi tuna burger. It was cooked to perfection with a side Caesar salad. Great tasting dressing and the waiter told us it is homemade. My friend tried the pan seared rack of lamb. Mouthwatering deliciousness.
Can’t wait to go back with my wife and try some of the other great options. A great overall experience!

***Use caution when booking private dining event***Negotiate everything prior to giving your deposit!
My husband and I chose them for a vow renewal reception we planned for this month. We visited the restaurant and spoke with Vincent (co-​owner and chef) about the ONE change we wanted on the menu — which was to have plain chocolate mousse instead of the one they offered that had fruit. He told us that it’d be no problem. We were quite excited and the coordinator, Teri (wife and co-​owner) was very responsive and pleasant up until I sent her our non-​refundable $ 250 deposit. After that, Teri failed to fully answer my questions regarding the dessert menu of which she had over a period of almost 2 months to answer. I finally called the day prior to our event once my emails started getting kicked back saying «recipient’s inbox FULL» only to find out that Teri never relayed the agreed dessert change to her husband, Vincent (the chef). I was also told that there would be additional charges and a change in other dessert options due to our request. This could have all been thoroughly settled over the nearly two month period between time of booking and day of event. To top it off, they both were less than pleasant to speak to over the phone — Vincent at first told me I couldn’t have the dessert I requested and when I said that it was already confirmed with his wife, he reluctantly said ok. When I talked to Teri she said «he has to go to the store last minute to buy all of the ingredients» as though it was my fault. Lack of communication, sour attitudes, and overall poor business practices led us to cancel our reservation. We also requested our deposit back based on the fact that this was the owners’ error but haven’t heard back.

Really disappointed. Incredibly overpriced and the portions were so insanely small. I left with a completely empty stomach. The atmosphere and service was not. But the food was not that great.

Kinda like the more low-​key older brother to Hannibal’s on the Square next door. The two inter-​connected restaurants sort of play off each other. Hannibal’s is the more trendy bar/​lounge where Chez Vincent is the more quiet and formal dining room.
My boyfriend and I dined at Chez Vincent for my birthday this past year. It just so happened that Magical Dining Month was also going on so we took advantage of the 3-​courses for $ 33 deal. Chez Vincent’s chefs definitely know what they’re doing in the world of French cuisine! Our meals were fantastic! I ordered the duck and he had the filet. Both cooked to perfection! And awesome presentation on the desserts. Not only were they super tasty, they looked freaking gorgeous! Almost too pretty to eat. Almost…
…instead I ate all of it.
Chez Vincent is a little pricey, but I’d definitely recommend dining here for special occasions. Also check them out during Magical Dining Month. September is a great time to try out tons of local restaurants at a great price!

The ambience, service, food and wine were all PHENOMENAL! The chef was kind enough to come out and greet each table. I even got to practice my French. Will definitely be dining again soon!

First of all, I was disappointed. Very pricey for a Jenny Craig portion size of food. Food was tasty but I have tasted better. Never again. But if you have Money to waste then please do.

Food was good but not outstanding. The portion sizes are small especially the carb portions. When you order seafood, it comes with about a quarter cup of rice. This is fine if your having an appetizer or soup before. The cream of mushroom is the bees knees! But desert, Crème Brûlée or Upside Down Apple Pie with ice cream was just ok, the vanilla ice cream was the best part of desert and I don’t think they made that.

Big disappointment. Went for an Anniversary dinner after reading it was on the «Orlando’s Best» list.
Food was less than satisfactory. I ordered the Duck L’Orange. When brought to the table, the expeditor could not distinguish between the Pork Tenderloin and the Duck. He had to ask the bartender which was which! Both dishes had the same brown sauce. Our server came by and we asked why both dishes had the same sauce. She apologized and took the duck back to the chef to prepare a new one. That took 20 min. So much for enjoying a meal together. The presentation and taste of the food was also very mediocre. Not up to the hype.
The chocolate cake dessert was also a bust. The three layer cake looked like it was missing two layers.
On a positive note, the wine recommendation was spot on. The décor was nice. But we will not go back again.

I really enjoyed dinner here. The escargot was perfect, the grouper was a smaller portion but very nicely seasoned and cooked correctly, and the Crème brûlée was magical, especially paired with the white port that the owner so generously added as a thank you for stopping in. Service was fine and not overbearing. I will go back again.

French food is an art, a balance of tastes, ingredients and cooking times, if any of those pieces fail, you have a failed product.
I’m glad to say that Chez Vincent didn’t fail. The French say you should see through the crêpe. Not only was the crêpe thin enough to see through, but durable enough to hold a meal and it was tasty. They spared not on mushrooms or beef in the sauce contained within. The carrots and peas were a nice compliment. The whipped potatoes definitely held up on their end.
My Boyfriend ordered the Eggs Salmon, which I was also able to sample enough to say the eggs were poached perfectly, with a firm outer edge, splitting when broken, the English muffins were soft and fluffy, melting in your mouth. The flavor of the dish with the salmon had a hint of spice, but was not overwhelming, with a bright finish, courtesy of the capers.
We opted to split the customary staple of french desserts and were not disappointed. The crème brûlée had a nice crispy carmalized top with a creamy dessert layer. Again, something that appears simple, but hard to perfect, done beautifully.
Finally, hats off to our server. He was attentive, kind, respectful, funny and rocked a great handlebar moustache.

I went with my boyfriend for the magical dining. I have to say I definitely wouldn’t pay for this place full price. Didn’t think it was even worth the $ 33/​plate. The plates looked kind of slopped together. The potatoes tasted like the kind that come out of a box, but worse, there was so much salt they weren’t even edible. I got their signature chicken dish which included a fatty thigh and a tiny, I do mean tiny, leg slopped under some sauce. My boyfriend got the grouper, which we were told would not be a thick sauce… but it was, and it was awful.
However, the escargot was tasty.
The desserts were pretty good, and the only dish presented well.
The service was amazing. They deserve kudos.
I just can out get over the disappointment of our meal.
It is also a tiny little restaurant and we happened to given a chair that was broken and sinking.
Wouldn’t recommend this place.

Service was awful. Treated us like we were homeless. Sat at the bar for 8 minutes before we were served. Sat at a table in the back by machinery. Extremely loud and irritating. Waited another 7 minutes for service. The food however was excellent so 4 stars but service, just pitiful. First time last time.

My daughter and I had the privilege of dining at this wonderful restaurant for lunch today. While our family has eaten at Chez Vincent dozens of times, I’ve never taken the time to write a review. Today is that day.
While the food and service are always excellent, today our experience was absolutely top-​flight! We were using a TravelZoo coupon, which was graciously accepted (and that’s not always the case everywhere). We both had the almond trout — superb. My daughter’s wine was excellent. The crème brûlée was, as always, the best anywhere. The host, Luis (Louis) was friendly — without being familiar — and our waiter was unobtrusively attentive.
What a gem!

First time and although the cuisine is French I was disappointed with the portion size for the price. Our waiter was all of 20 and very nice but we waited long periods for everything. The ahi tuna was tasty but did not fill me up. The highlight was the free desert crêpe they felt obliged to serve due to the wait.

I went to Chez Vincent with a party of 8 and had one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in years. The food was mediocre at best, the management was arrogant and condescending, but the waiter service was good (she was doing her best given the complete lack of support by her management).
Just to be clear through this whole story, the waiter service (I can’t remember her name, she was French) was as perfect as it could be given the circumstances. She did her absolute best even though her management completely unprepared for the evening.
We went during Magical Dining month, so we did expect the restaurant to be busier than usual, so we had reservations for 8. When we arrived, it was much less busy than expected. We were seated immediately. Great! That’s where the fun ended.
We were informed that there was a rehearsal dinner taking place at Hannibal’s on the Square (apparently owned by Chez Vincent owners) and that the kitchen was backed up. Not a big deal I thought, we’ll have more drinks, however «backed up» was the understatement of the night. It took over an hour after ordering to get our appetizer. Another hour after that to get our main course. After my friend and I were fed up, we made our issues known to the manager. His response was «Well, we do have a rehearsal dinner going, but as you can see, this place is very popular». Typed words do no justice to the level of condescension in his voice.
I am not concerned with how popular your restaurant is. You as the manager should have known that you’re completely incapable of handling the wedding party and standard dinner service at the same time, but instead you tried to make a few extra bucks. The lack of experience showed.
So another 30 minutes has past since the main meal (that’s 2.5 hours now since we’ve ordered) while we’re waiting for the dessert, and that was enough. We said, forget it, give us the check. We’re done. The check was the only thing that was done with any punctuality.
But you’re saying, maybe the food makes up for that, right? No. No it does not. It was bland, very boring in both presentation and creativity, and had seemingly very little effort. I had a pork tenderloin, steamed vegetables, and mashed potatoes. That’s a very simple meal that I didn’t expect a world of flavor out of, but it somehow made me think of a frozen meal. The meat was lukewarm and bland. The steams veggies were alright, not great. And the mashed potatoes had chunks and was flat out cold. As in, stuck in the fridge cold.
The summation, I will not be going back, ever. I brought a group of out of town friends here and it ruined the entire night through the poor service but also since we wasted 3 hours of our night here.

For us, Chez Vincent is like a little trip back to the neighborhood restaurant we always ate at in France.
The service is amazing, professional, anticipating every need, offering tastes of the wines by the glass, just perfect. The fact that our waiter handled the nearby table of French patrons (an endorsement in itself) fluently in French, then switched to us with no detectable accent was impressive.
The food is completely authentic. The house made pâté is served just as it should be, with mustard and cornichons. My escargot was perfect – tender and just the right amount of garlic butter (which is to say, a lot!) I had the corvina in caper butter, a lunch special, and it was perfectly pan seared and then finished in the oven.
Food prices at lunch are reasonable for the quality, and there are many decent wine prices as well. My only complaint was that several of the wines I tried to order were unavailable; it’s time to update the very extensive list to reflect reality.
We loved this place, and will be back soon.

Delicious! Magnificent! Impeccable service!
A wonderful time with my family, a beautiful and mouth-​watering meal!
We had the Coquilles St. Jaques (Sautéed sea scallops with a tarragon sauce), L’Assiette Gourmande: Fruits de Mer (A mini sampling of five of the fish & seafood entrées), L’Assiette Gourmande: Les Viandes (A mini sampling of five meat entrées), and the fish of the day, a delicious concoction of which I’ve now forgotten the ingredients! Each and every entrée was perfect.
We started with the Soupe á L’Oignon Gratinée and a sautéed calamari, both wonderful! Lovely bread was brought to the table as well. Wine was excellent, as was my diet Coke (someone had to drive!).
Coffee was very good, and the crème brûlée was outstanding!
To top it all off, the service was superior! Never felt ignored, never felt imposed upon, and the server didn’t even mock my French accent! An altogether delightful experience!