1921 by Norman Van Aken

Reviews 4

RI

Richard Bosshardt

Always eager to try a new restaurant, we headed for 1921 in Mount Dora, FL, which opened about two weeks ago. It was a Saturday evening and all dining room reservations were taken. We were told that seating at the bar and in the courtyard were open. We arrived right at five and the bar was already full but there were plenty of bar tables around it. The decor is modern, clean, and open. Wooden floors, white walls with fine art from the museum across the street make for a very upscale and pleasant atmosphere. The tables are beautiful free form hardwood planks. Noise level as the restaurant filled up was high but tolerable. Our waiter, Dan, was knowledgeable and very helpful. He was also attentive and unobtrusive. Excellent qualities in a waiter. We order the wood roasted oysters with siracha hollandaise and pickled shallots. The dish was three oyster on a bed of rock salt in a beautiful wooden dish. Great presentation and delicious. I had the Caesar salad with preserved lemon. It was light and citrusy. It was the best Caesar I have ever had in a restaurant, and I love Caesar salads. Our entrees were snapper in a coconut curry with sweet potato for my wife and I had the black grouper with sweet onion sauce, corn, and a roasted green tomato. My grouper was excellent but the snapper was exceptional and alone worth a visit. We wished for a spoon to finish off the curry sauce like a soup. For desert, we had the beignets with two creamy sauces, a guava and a key lime. It was superb. I had the mango semifredo, a cold pudding like affair with pistachio sponge cake. Very good but the beignets were better. We had these with French press coffee, which is roasted in-house. Very strong and smooth. We finished with a Madeira. I had a draft beer and my wife had two glasses of wine. Dan was very good about bringing her different wines to try when she was unsure of what to order. I have read other reviews and agree with some statements and disagree with others. Yes, a basket of good bread would be nice and the main courses could have added a starch of some sort. The portions were modest; I would not call them small. On the other hand, this restaurant is clearly intended for a fine dining experience and is not a trough where large portions are expected. I consider myself a pretty big eater and I left very pleasantly full, after skipping lunch that day. I cannot fault the preparation. Everything was perfectly prepared, I thought nicely seasoned, fresh, and beautifully presented. The restaurant is pricey, but my wife said the meal and experience were right up her alley and worth it. Our total tab was $151 and the service was so good that I added a 25% tip for a total of $190. I have had many meals that cost this much and were not as good. I have no doubt that this will be a destination restaurant for many diners in Orlando and surrounding areas. It has the plus of a nice stroll around downtown Mount Dora to let your meal settle. The whole experience was so pleasant and so lacking in Lake County that I can only wish 1921 success.

CH

Charles Petersen

Was it the best meal ever served in central Florida? Without a doubt! It was the Chefs Table tasting menu, and for the first time, the Executive Chef (the Norman Van Aken of the name) and the talented Chef de Cuisine, with his talented team, devised, cooked and served a five course dinner, offered with optional wine pairings, that was not merely an assortment from the regular menu, but a succession of dishes that challenged the chefs and delighted the palettes of the 5 of us assembled in this temple. I have always had to answer friends from my home in Canada who asked about central Florida, that it was sadly a comparative gastronomic wasteland. Sure I could drive to Orlando, but then theres the 45 minute drive back that takes the glow off a good meal. Now, diners (acolytes) drive from Orlando for this experience. And an experience it was. First, theres the ambiance. Each room in the restaurant is decorated like a display in a museum, and theres a reason for that: the restaurants owners are the same group that owns the Museum of Modernism right across the road. The various rooms are themed differently, but none is more stunning than the first room one passes upon entering the restaurant. It is visible through the fanciful doors, - vines of leaves in steel I think, and even closed, one can enjoy the visual treat. But, if you book a group of 6 to 8 for the tasting menu, or book the room for a private function, you will spend your time savouring its treasures as surely as you will savour the dishes served. The table, a sheet of glass supported by concentric rectangles of polished wood, first narrowing down as the platform gets lower, then widening out again. And the chairs! Nothing that looks so very beautiful should be so comfortable. And there is the art on the wall (a mirror, framed as a window, with a ceramic woman leaning out of it looking into the room for example), and the side tables, both themselves and on them (a lamp as a bowl of Chihuly flowers). But then the magic of the meal begins. The Chef de Cuisine will explain the dish (e.g. the carrots were pick this morning right here on a farm in Mount Dora, roasted in our wood-fired oven, and served with a reduction of ...), and the manager, an accomplished sommelier, will do the same for the wine he has selected. And the courses! Which to choose as a favorite? The foie gras? The tile fish? The duck breast? The Wagyu beef? Each surpasses the previous! (The Wagu beef won IMHO) The meal lasted 3 hours. This is a good thing, - there is time to savour each without rushing on. This is dining, not eating. It will not delight everyone. But foodies, this is a must do. Dont just Bucket List it; make a reservation.

SC

Scott M. Palmer

I was thoroughly impressed with all aspects of this place. The decor is refreshing and inviting, with many tables made from tree slabs with free edges. The chairs are comfortable and lend themselves to relaxed dining and conversation. The food was an experience; all perfectly prepared and delicious. The cheese plate was perfectly balanced and I just cant find words to describe the tilefish and wreckfish entrees. They were among the best meals I have ever experienced in Florida. Dessert and coffee are normally something I do not have, but it was great here at 1921. The coffee is good coffee, really really good coffee and served French press at the table. Dessert was just sweet enough to polish the meal. The service was professional and spot-on. I would recommend this place to anyone visiting the area.

MO

Moto Maverick

This is a fairly new locale in Mt. Dora, 2016. An ever changing menu concentrating on utilizing floridas bounty of edibles. Fresh fish, beef, chicken, vegetables and more. Feels upscale walking through the door. A unique and ecclectic decor that continues throughout, has you feeling youve arrived to a special secret hideaway. You will be seated no matter your atire. Careful attention is placed within the establishment and I favor this. The staff is attentive and knowledgable about the meals and drinks. It seems the waiters are very limited to tables, which of course provides much greater service. They have a full bar, a satisfying wine list and an area outside the bar on the covered exterior patio. I believe credit is due here for their accomplishments and hope the tradition remains throughout.