Delano on the Park

Delano on the Park is a very nice place with excellent food and service. I have had lunch at Delano's a number of times and it's always been a very good experience. About a year ago they ventured into the dinner business. My first visit there for dinner was just after they expanded and, though the food was good, there were a few "rough edges" that needed polishing. They've succeeded, grandly!

My parents are in town visiting and along with my friend, Tommy, we went there for dinner on a somewhat dreary Friday night. The atmosphere inside was warm and inviting, though a bit loud. There was entertainment which added to the noise level. Basically, everyone in there had to talk loud. It was not painful loud, just a bit on the noisy side. We were promptly seated and our waiter, Dominic, promptly appeared. 

I had a glass of the house Merlot. It was decent and, at $5, reasonably priced and proportioned. My folks had coffee, my friend Iced Tea. We were hungry and chose to go right for dinner, no appetizer needed.

After we ordered, our salads appeared rather promptly. They were very good salads, chopped mixed lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and a few other things, nicely mixed and not over-dressed. It was a very good salad, very fresh and very tasty.

My one complaint is that there was somewhat of a wait for our main dish--the food was a bit slow in coming out. However, Dominic checked up on us frequently and eventually assured us the food was on its way. It was definitely worth the wait!

My Mom ordered the Mahi Ceasar Salad. A large bowl of nice and fresh salad, primarily romaine, was topped by a very healthy portion of mahi-mahi. The romaine was poperly dressed with a Roman Ceasar dressing with parmesan cheese and croutons. The fish was perfectly cooked. It was moist and tender and juicy and warm and flaky, not at all dry. I had a bite and indeed, it was so very good. Mom loved it!

Dad, being more of a meat-and-potatoes guy, had the Root Beer Glazed Pork Chop. This was a chargrilled center cut piece of pork loin, glazed with a slightly sweet glaze containing root beer. It was delicious. The pork was tender and juicy, not at all dry, and exactly what a good pork chop should be. It was accompanied by perfectly cooked asparagus--not at all overcooked, young and tender, and with red roasted potates. It was delicious and Dad manged to finish all his dinner. Very good and very filling.

Tommy, for his salad, hesitated. He wanted the Ceasar salad but was hesitant because, of course, Ceasar dressing contains anchovy. Dominic assured him that the anchovy would not be "fishy" in the least. Tommy acquiesced, and after having his salad, agreed that it was indeed very good without any fishiness. For his main course, he had the Blackened Chicken. This was two nice pieces of chicken breast with a nice curst of blackening spices, not overly spicy though, just enough to impart a lot of flavor. The piece that I sample was excellent, a nice flavor, tender and juicy. Tommy reported that one piece of chicken was excellent, but one was just a bit dry. Still, very good. He also had the oven roasted tomatoes on the side as well as Garlic Smashed Potatoes. The potatoes were very good, not overly garlicy, but nice and somewhat creamy and smooth. They had a delicious flavor.

For my dinner I chose the Coconut Rum Mahi Mahi. This was an excellent choice. A good-sized portion of mahi-mahi was coated in a panko crust and topped wtih a coconut-rum beurre blanc--It was excellent. The panko crust was nice and crunchy. The fish underneath was perfectly cooked--it was moist and tender and juicy and had a very nice flavor--among the best mahi I have had in a long time, maybe ever! The beurre blanc was also very good and a nice compliment to the fish and crust. The pineapple and coconut gave just a hint of sweetness, not at all overpowering, and the portion of sauce was excellent, not too much, just enough to add the right depth of flavor. I would eat this dish again (too bad my photo did not turn out so well!). I had the steamed broccoli to go with--it was very tender, and, though I generally enjoy broccoli that is less cooked, it was certainly not overcooked. It was very good. I also had the Oven Roasted Tomatoes--though they were good, I thought they suffered from the lack of something. Maybe just a bit more salt? The parmesan/bread crumb crust on top was good, the tomato had a nice fresh flavor and was not overly soggy, is just was missing something to make it pop! Maybe a hint of basil? A hint of lemon juice? I'm not sure. It was good, but not great.

Overall, we had an excellent meal here. Delano on the Park is located in "downtown" Lake Mary, across from the city hall. I was pleased to see it busy on a Friday night. It's a nice atmosphere (though was a bit noisy) with good food. They have certainly gotten their act together. Dominic, our waiter, was excellent and remembered everything we ordered and everything we asked for--and never once wrote a thing down. I like that. I konw for sure I'll be back her for lunch again and again, and now I know that I will be back for dinner as well. Our total bill was just under $60 before tax and--of course--generous tip. It was well worth it!