Review: From A to Z, Finesse Fits Its Own Definition

The paella risotto at Finesse is both beautiful and delicious, reflecting the owners’ passion for food. The Lake Mary eatery is a standout in a district packed with good dining choices.

By Scott Joseph
Photography by Greg Johnston

I t’s easy to tell when the owners of a restaurant are passionate about what they do. It shows in all aspects of the business, including the attitudes of the employees. And when the owners also happen to be the people cooking the food, you can quite literally taste the difference.

That was what I observed at Finesse, a restaurant in the Lake Mary dining district at C.R. 46A and I-4. The owners and chefs – the husband-and-wife team of Alex T. Brugger and Autumn M. McCoy – appear to be having a ball with their lovely little restaurant. And should you ask them about the ingredients of a particular dish or inquire about the preparation of an entrée, you’ll discover just how passionate chefs can be about their food.

And when it’s this good, why not?

There wasn’t one item I sampled on a recent visit that I wouldn’t order again. My absolute favorite, however, was the appetizer of grouper cheeks, sweet little dollops of meat marinated in buttermilk, lightly dusted and then fried. Absolute heavenly bites all by themselves, and the chipotle aïoli added a devilish note.

I also loved the saffron mussels, mainly because nearly every one of the black mollusks also had a chunk of chewy chorizo inside. The liquor had just a hint of saffron, which made it most sippable.
There was chorizo in the black bean soup, too, adding a spicy touch to the thick bean flavor. The lobster crab soup was rich on its own but entered another realm with the addition of brandied cream stock.

The chimi skirt steak (top), a grilled Angus cut with cabernet-infused onions and chimichurri sauce, is wonderfully chewy but not at all tough. The casually elegant interior (below) features a dictionary theme, with culinary terms and their definitions posted on the walls.

I chose the chimi skirt steak, a grilled Angus cut with cabernet-infused onions and a piquant chimichurri sauce. It was, as you would expect with skirt steak, chewy but not tough. It was served with regular shoestring fried potatoes, but I asked if I could try the duck fat fries that were listed with some of the other entrées. There was no comparison. The duck fat gave the potatoes such intensely rich flavor that I never want to have any other kind of fries again.

My companion had the pumpkin swordfish, which supposedly gets its orange-colored flesh from a diet of shrimp. There’s nothing to confirm that, but I can attest to the wonderful flavor and the rich mouth feel of the fillet, which was served with couscous and charred tomato salsa.

For dessert there was an amazing chocolate orange molten cake. Served more akin to a soufflé in its own dish, it was made with super-rich Ghirardelli chocolate and had a ganache center into which the server poured peanut butter anglaise. I’ve always prided myself with being able to take one bite of a dessert and push it away, but I’ll admit to a few more bites of this one.

There are a couple of things about Finesse I would change. One has to do with the ambiance, which is quite nice and casually elegant – once the sun has gone down. However, while it’s still light out, the front wall of windows floods the room with light, which sucks all the mood out of the room.
When the interior lighting is able to take over, you’ll notice the hot-red booths, the alabaster bar with backlighting, and the walls covered with raised letters that spell out culinary terms and their dictionary definitions.

The other thing besides the daylight brightness level I would change is the dictionary-definition trope, which is played to the nth degree. Every listing on the menu is shown as it might be found in Webster’s, with ingredients posing as definitions. I like it as a wall motif, but on the menu it’s a bit much.

Still, when that’s the only thing a critic can find to criticize, A to Z, you’ve got a pretty darn good restaurant. And that goes back to the zeal of Brugger and McCoy. There are many dining options within a few blocks – even a few steps – of Finesse, but you’ll find none where the entire experience is imbued with this kind of passion.

Finesse
Where: 7025 C.R. 46A, Lake Mary
When: lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Tuesday through Saturday and brunch Sunday.
How much: $$
Contact: 407-805-9220