Our dining critic’s take on Lake Nona’s Chroma Modern Bar + Kitchen

A relatively new entry to Lake Nona’s growing foodie scene, Chroma Modern Bar + Kitchen is the brainchild of Executive Chef Jason Bergeron, a Culinary Institute of America graduate with more than 20 years’ culinary experience. Although Bergeron built his career outside of Florida, I had heard nothing but good things about his work at Chroma, so I was eager to experience his creations firsthand.

Located in Lake Nona Town Center, the restaurant is certainly a visual standout, with chic design and décor setting the vibe before you even sit down to eat. In addition to an open kitchen—a feature I always love— Chroma offers a wide range of seating options, including an outdoor lounge and covered patio. As the night was forecast to be on the cool side, my wife Toni and I opted to sit inside for our first time out.

We were promptly greeted by our server, who was knowledgeable about the menu and readily answered our questions. As Chroma specializes in small plates, we decided to order a variety of dishes to get the best possible feel for Bergeron’s skills—but not before Toni ordered their Moscow Mule ($10.50) and I opted for a Garden Rita ($11). The latter was a delicious take on the classic but with a slight veggie taste, and the combination was clean and refreshing.

About five minutes into our cocktails, our first four small plates arrived. First up was the Flash-Fried Goat Cheese ($9), served with fresh thyme on top of organic honey. These were deliciously crisp on the outside with soft, pillowy goat cheese inside, and the honey added just the right amount of sweetness. Next was the Crab Spring Roll ($8), garnished with corn, pickled ginger, daikon radish and ponzu sauce. Although it was well made and tasty, I think adding some daikon and corn inside the roll would have given it a better texture.

My wife went with the Port Judith Kung Pao Calamari ($14). Served with roasted peanuts and a spicy sauce, it was extremely tender and well-seasoned, and the presentation was out of this world. However, they ladled the sauce on top of the calamari, which resulted in otherwise perfect crispiness becoming soggy. I like to dip my calamari, so we asked for more sauce, and I’d recommend that they serve it on the side to begin with.

The next dish to arrive was the Tempura Fish Taco ($8), which was actually three tacos with zesty slaw and chipotle aioli. Each taco had a generous piece of white fish, and the finished product had all the variables of a good fish taco.

We were then immediately hit with the Lamb Ribs ($12) and the Sticky Florida Pork Ribs ($11). Both were fall-off-the-bone and extremely tender. Plus, the lamb had no gaminess and the Korean sauce was perfectly matched. The pork ribs had a spicy rub and blueberry sauce, which complemented each other nicely.

We were clearly on a lamb kick, because we also went with the Lamb Burger Sliders ($10), which came as a two-pack with pickled red onion and feta-mint aioli. Shortly thereafter, the Sautéed Mussels ($11) arrived, and even though we had thought they were coming out sooner, they were worth the wait. There were a surprisingly large number of succulent mussels, plus grilled rustic bread, with a smooth almond romesco sauce.

Last but not least for the main courses were the Wagyu Skirt Steak ($15) and the Roasted Bone Marrow ($13). The steak was tender and paired nicely with its bleu cheese wedge salad, while the marrow was served with rustic bread and mustard vinaigrette. The bone itself was a long cut and glistening from the heat, with a nice caramelized crust, resulting in a decadent dish.

Full disclosure: We didn’t even try to finish all of the dishes, as we wanted to save room for dessert, which were offered by way of a flight with five options. I ordered the Key Lime Pie ($4), which had a dense, tangy filling with light whipped cream on top. It had all the key components that true Floridians look for in our official state pie. Toni went for the Apple Crumble ($4). The apples were sautéed and al dente with brown sugar and butter, with baked crumble on top and a delicious house-made ice cream.

All in all, it was a fantastic meal, and if I had any suggestions beyond those previously mentioned, it would be to stagger the dishes a bit more, as we could have used a little more time between some plates. But we had an amazing culinary journey, and Bergeron has done a great job with the menu and is spot on with the execution. Lake Nona might be small, but Chroma is dishing out some big-city cuisine for visitors and residents.

An Orlando resident for more than 25 years, Michael Lit is the executive chef for Central Florida Regional Hospital and also has extensive experience in both casual and fine dining.

Chroma Modern Bar + Kitchen
Lake Nona
(407) 955-4340

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