Slate – 8323 West Sand Lake Road Orlando
Slate simply describes itself as a “Classic Modern American Restaurant, boasting wood grilled cuisine and open air dining in the heart of the Dr. Phillips neighborhood.” But believe me they are selling themselves short, this place is “Amazing.”
We dropped in for “Brunch” today and were absolutely blown away by the ambiance, service and quality of the food.
You can tell straight away when you walk into a restaurant if it has that welcoming and familiar subliminal message and tone that commence your dining experience with the comfort that you chose the right place to eat. Slate is absolutely one of those places.
We were shown to our table by Ginger (the pastry Chef ) who just happened to be passing the host desk when we walked in. She gave us a quick tour of the restaurant and seated us with menus at our selected table. The restaurant is classically modern in design with clean lines and great accents from the lighting features to the log fire and theater open kitchen. Seating is mixture of booths and dining tables with additional seating around a central bar. A stunning copper clad wood fired oven completes the restaurant design features with seating around the Pizza oven servery in bar stool style.
Gerry was our server and he delivered the most professional, unobtrusive, but attentive service and made us feel truly valued as customers. He described the menu and offered great suggestions and knew the preparation and provenance of all we ordered. His style should be bottled and used to “On Board” and train all staff, this is how it should be done.
The Brunch menu is divided into sections – Brunch Cocktails – Start – Grains – Greens – Pizza – In Hand – Eggs – To the Side.
Brunch Items that stood out were:
ROASTED GARLIC HUMMUS
Crispy chickpeas, baby carrots, celery and flat bread. A combination of a Hummus platter and Crudités, smooth Hummus and whole chickpeas with fresh crunchy vegetables and sweet peppadews. Crackle Bread completes the medley.
SMOKED BRISKET
Chili-brown sugar rub, paprika home fries, basil eggs. Gerry suggested this dish and am I glad he did, the Brisket just melts in your mouth and is by far the best I have ever had. Combined with home style potatoes and basil infused omelet style eggs it was the perfect brunch.
SANDLAKE BENE
Ciabatta, poached eggs, grilled zucchini, slow roasted tomatoes, herb hollandaise. A great alternative to regular “Eggs Benedict” with perfectly poached eggs and balanced well with a herb hollandaise.
LEMON CORNMEAL PANCAKES
Blueberry compote, lemon curd whipped cream. Three light and fluffy, cornmeal pancakes slightly seasoned with lemon zest and topped with delicate Blueberry compote and a lemon curd to accent all the lemony flavors.
Although I did not sample the Pizza, I observed a couple complimenting the Pizza Chef as they left the restaurant by telling him it was the best Pizza they had ever had.
Insider Tips:
Great parking at the rear of the restaurant with access off the parking lot.
Ask for Gerry he is phenomenal.
Look out for the fire place area, great when the days eventually turn at little cooler.
Slate is a collaboration with Concentrics Restaurants the famous Atlanta based restaurant group, Design firm The Johnson Studio and Sand Lake dining partners.
Yes, I liked Slate a lot as I think you can tell, but give credit where credit is due on my visit they got everything right, which is a very hard thing to do. As a testament to how good it was I am going back next weekend to sample the regular menu. I just hope there are some Brisket options.
