Foreigner Restaurant's ‘Quatro': exceptional - and accessible | Review

As I began to write this story last week, Florida was on the verge of its Michelin Guide-related announcements, and I sat at this laptop wondering why Foreigner Restaurant had not yet found a place in it.

Because the dry-aged lamb dish I had recently at Chef Bruno Fonseca’s comptoir de confiance in Audubon Park, simply put, is starworthy.

Perfect and pink on its plate, the thick and buttery cut, beautifully rare, from Pennsylvania’s Pure Bred is accompanied by crispy custardy panisse, nutty morels and ramps bursting with the sweet taste of spring.

The eggplant beneath is a wonder - seared, then stewed with two vinegars, four herbs, honey, onion and tomato. It poaches in Portuguese olive oil before it is pureed and perfected into a pool of love where the lamb will rest.

With a $35 seared filet of foie gras upgrade, or perhaps a $42 flurry of Australian black truffles, this dish is everything the Guide seemingly stands for. Even without the fancy enhancements, I’d say the same.

My hope was that by the time you read this, Fonseca and his team would have their own iconic star, shining down from a backlit shelf as they did their deft-and-determined dance of hospitality - a fascinating show that comes with exemplary fine food.

Alas, this was not the case.

So, let this writing be some semblance of validation. And let their $85 four-course Quatro menu - a steal amid this city’s still-growing roster of chef’s counter options - be the thing that gets you in the door before Michelin does.

Fonseca’s longer, 11-course confiance dinner is an absolute marvel (and at $195, less steep than many others) but about a year ago, the Quatro menu appeared - a beacon for new customers.

“I wanted more people to know us,” Fonseca told the Orlando Sentinel, noting the rising costs of just about everything that’s affecting just about everyone.

Many have taken him up on it, and decided to come back. But Quatro has also been a revelation for regulars, who want to be more regular, but don’t necessarily have the time or tummy for the whole magilla.

“If you have tickets for a show at the Dr. Phillips Center, if you want to come in at 5:30 and be out by 7, you just let us know and we can make it happen,” says Fonseca.

Or you can stay awhile, which is very easy to do. In fact, you can even lengthen the Quatro experience by adding plates from the larger tasting menu ($20-30 apiece).

Regardless, the leisurely visit is a melting-in process that begins when Guest Relations guru Lauren Nasca hands you a welcome mocktail - on this night a pink concoction, fruity and light with a foundation of hibiscus tea.

You take in the action behind the broad, beautiful counter.

The music hits.

Someone hands you a wine list.

And before you know it, that first bright sip of pinot noir becomes the gateway to bread service featuring activated charcoal and black cocoa sourdough. Enjoy this Foreigner exclusive from local breadsmith CM Bakari with Fonseca’s black garlic/truffle and bay leaf/local flower butters and seasonal pate on the side ($30).

First out in the four-course, though, was a beautiful salad, much of it sourced from local favorite Sugar Top Farms. Arugula and dandelion, sweet-tart grapefruit, earthy brown butter beets and crunchy-buttery hazelnuts - all of it set upon a heavenly puree of leek tops.

That farm-fresh dishes change so much is actually the goal. These aren’t just ingredients with local fingerprints all over them, they’re highly seasonal. Soon, says Fonseca, a dish saluting Central Florida’s celery heritage will be in the works.

So, too, do seafood dishes ebb and flow like the tides on both coasts.

Rooster crest pasta with Sapelo clams sourced from Georgia offered seaborne sweetness alongside herbaceous fennel and smoky espelette on this evening - after a quick taste of Andalusian Cinco Jotas Jamon ($40), another available enhancement.

The seats were filling in now with guests enjoying both dinners in varying stages. It’s an incredible thing to watch. Amid it all, my water glass remained forever full, my napkin recovered and replaced before I’d even known it had fallen.

Fonseca chuckles.

“It’s intense, but the team is incredible. I don’t have good enough words to describe them.”

Same goes for the coffee service, a $20 add-on of Lineage that’s the best I’ve had outside my own kitchen - something I’ve written about before and dreamt on since my last sip. It comes with gorgeous house-made chocolates (Mandarin and coffee and mint, oh my …) and a macaron, which makes it doubly satisfying - though it could cut into your dessert space.

On this night, tres leches sat atop “strawberry tartare,” a torched drift of strawberry meringue on top. My companion, who “doesn’t like fruit desserts,” ate the whole thing. And several bites of mine.

We didn’t have tickets for anything that night. There was no need to rush. Dinner was leisurely, lovely.

Stellar, in fact.

Perhaps not literally. But my own, less-inflated assessment still stands.

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let's Eat, Orlando Facebook group.

If you go

Foreigner Restaurant: 2816 Corrine Drive in Orlando, 321-517-6985; foreignerrestaurant.com.

Newsworthy: Soon, items from Foreigner’s larder (butters, fruit pies, terrines, salsa and more) will be available for take-home purchase. Stay tuned to the restaurant’s social media accounts (facebook.com/theforeignerexperience; instagram.com/foreigner_restaurant) for updates.

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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 5:13 AM.