Thanks to a solid pedigree and a menu full of creative cocktails and well-prepared plates, downtown Orlando’s DoveCote rises above the rest.

DoveCote, a French brasserie created by chefs James and Julie Petrakis, former French Laundry chef Clayton Miller and wine industry veteran Gene Zimmerman, opened in downtown’s Bank of America building last summer. Miller—named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2010 returns to Orlando since helping Norman Van Aken open Norman’s at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes and after high-profile stretches at The French Laundry, Daniel and more recently, Miami’s Yardbird. Zimmerman in best known around town for inspiring the craft cocktail movement with The Courtesy Bar, which he owns and operates.

DoveCote’s atmosphere is charming, the tables are laced with white flowers in tear-drop shaped glass vases, a pastry counter with a barista on hand at the Foxtail Lounge to make specialty coffees for the working crowd, and high-top seats overlooking a raw bar and massive wine collection for those wishing to relax after hours. The space has transformed into a quaint French brasseriewith soft blues and creams, natural woods and aged brass.

Although Zimmerman is a master of the wine glass, I chose one of his craft cocktail creations. “The Cannes Artist” ($11) is a well-made blend of bourbon, mango, pineapple and bitters. This creation wins the Palme d’Or for bourbon cocktails. The earthy tones and the sweet hints of mango and pineapple make this as smooth as Gerard Depardieu. My wife had the “Dove75” ($11) made with Horizon gin, butterfly pea flower, orange oil sugar, lemon and Champagne. It is a very lavish drink and quite refreshing on a sticky Orlando evening. The bar seemed to have more clear liquor cocktails for the hot and stormy season, but our server said the cocktails shift and sway depending on the time of year.

Tim, our server was educated in all things DoveCote. I questioned him on the décor, atmosphere, and inspiration behind the restaurant. I also asked for recommendations and insight on the menu. He seemed excited to answer my questions and steer me in the right direction to create a great experience.

We started with the pain maison ($3) which consisted of four French rolls served with roasted garlic and black olive butter. It was as delicious as we anticipated from a brasserie of this quality and a fine way to kick off the evening’s meal.

From there we opted for a half-dozen West and East coast oysters ($15), served on ice with a mignonette and house-made cocktail sauce. The oysters were a bit small and the cocktail sauce needed more of a punch from the horseradish and could have been a bit thicker to coat the oyster.

Next to taunt our palate was the crab and shrimp beignets ($12). They were wonderfully crisp with a soft and pillowy center. You could taste the precision of the beignets as you bite down and taste the sweet crab and shrimp. The aioli that it was served with had me reaching for anything left to dip in it. This was French perfection.

The breaded pork cutlet ($20) was paired with a potato pancake the size of the cutlet itself. The caper brown butter and lemon beurre blanc paired with the pork and accompanying cranberry tied the dish together nicely.

DoveCote’s mussels and frites ($22) are easy to enjoy with its creamy beer sauce, chorizo sausage and onions. Halfway through the plentiful bowl of mollusks, I said to my wife, we should have ordered another round of pain maison to sop the broth. At that precise moment, my fork pushes into what seemed like a huge portion of a French baguette sitting at the bottom of the bowl doing all the work for me. My eyes widened with excitement and a huge smile lay across my face. That baguette was such a surprise; you can tell that Chef Miller knew you would be asking for it. The croque monsieur and frisée salad ($16) that we heard so much about lives up to its reputation. The thick bread, house made ham, broiled gruyère cheese and mornay sauce on top of the sandwich was hearty and savory while the salad had a simple but delicious vinaigrette.

Tim came by to see how the meal was and ask if we would be indulging with one of their chocolate and Grand Marnier soufflés ($10). That was the easiest answer of the day. In traditional French fashion, Tim poked a whole in the middle of the soufflé and poured in rich melted chocolate. It was delicious but could have used a couple more minutes in the oven to firm up.

We also ordered the classic vanilla crème brûlée ($9). The sugar was caramelized beautifully on top of the rich custard and you could see the beans from the vanilla still clinging to the sides of the dish. All I can say is yum, it was wonderful.

A French restaurant here in Orlando seems unexpected; however the location is set in the heart of downtown, attracting a rich mix of clientele. I see DoveCote succeeding where others in that space have not, especially for those who not only appreciate fine French cuisine, but also the masterful technique used to prepare these tantalizing plates coming out of the kitchen. I can’t wait to get back in the cooler temperatures to take advantage of the outside seating looking over Orange Avenue and exploring more of the creative cocktails and culinary wonder that surely awaits me.

DoveCote
Bank of America Building
390 North Orange Ave. | Orlando
(407) 930-1700

This article originally appeared in Orlando Family Magazine’s October 2017 issue.