Private groups looking for an entertaining dining experience, rather than just a meal, may want to reserve Bar J Me, a tasting bar inside the professional kitchen at Winter Park’s Cuisiniers Catered Cuisine and Events. The 12-seat dining counter opened in January under the direction of Cuisiniers owner and executive chef Jamie McFadden (hence the name—J Me). Guests sit at an L-shaped counter that overlooks the kitchen, so McFadden and his colleagues can explain each step of the meal’s preparation and and answer questions as they cook.
And there’s a twist: Using seasonal ingredients, McFadden plans each 10-course menu along a theme of breakfast-lunch-dinner. So the opening course might be his interpretation of steak and eggs, with beef tartare, sesame wasabi aioli, quail egg, and kombu crackers. Next comes the lunch course, which could include a version of soup and sandwich—deconstructed vichyssoise, salmon rillettes, and rye crostini—followed by a dinner course meant to evoke meat loaf and mashed potatoes: bacon-wrapped country pâté, cauliflower mash, and fried corchions.
The meal costs $95 per person and includes wine pairings. McFadden opens Bar J Me to public reservations two nights per month; the remaining evenings are available for private groups.
