Gourmet Hideaway
TWO CHEFS RESTAURANT, NOW IN ITS 3RD DECADE, CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
Resident culinary wizard, Chef Jan Jorgensen
What could be better than a restaurant that started as a cooking school? Answer: That same restaurant, years later, still run by its master chef and founder – who still runs a cooking school next door.
Chef Jan Jorgensen is now in his third decade as the resident culinary wizard at Two Chefs, a quiet, elegant hideaway in what is an otherwise unremarkable pocket mall on U.S. 1 about a mile and a half south of UM.
The fact that Jorgensen has been the at helm for some 25 years is a testimony to the inventiveness of his dishes. A native of Denmark trained in classic European cuisine, Jorgensen cooks what he calls American food, albeit with his own unique spin.
“We are a classic kitchen, but some would call it an American kitchen. We are not working in oriental flavors, or Japanese, or ceviche. We just cook,” says Jorgensen, who updates the menu every few weeks to reflect whatever is fresh, available, or interesting to him. “Of course, we keep certain things on the menu that are favorites for our customers.”
The interior of Two Chefs has a golden glow, created by alabaster saucer chandeliers overhead and enhanced by the flames of oil lamps at every table. The décor is 20th Century retro, with a long curvilinear bar that defines the space. The kitchen is partly open, but also dimly lit where it brackets the dining room, with a brick oven that adds its own warmth to the space.
The interior of Two Chefs Restaurant
The brick oven is also where Jorgensen makes his popular flatbread appetizers, ranging from one with salmon and caviar to one with shitake mushrooms, goat cheese, caramelized onions and truffle oil. Both excellent.
Another Jorgensen menu perennial is the tuna tartar with hand cut potato chips and yellow pepper sauce, a perfect balance of salty crunch, buttery tuna, and just the right zing. We also tried a tasty baked, almond crusted goat cheese atop heirloom tomatoes, but it was upstaged by a lump crab cake on a bed of roasted red peppers and marinated green beans. It had a thin, crisp exterior surrounding a rich and creamy crab interior. Light and flavorful.
Lump crab cake on a bed of roasted red peppers and marinated green beans
In the entrée realm Jorgensen offers a round robin of what he calls “larger plates” – and they are generous – of meats and fishes. His salmon dishes use salmon only from Denmark’s Faroe Islands, and ours was perfectly broiled atop a mound of toasted spaetzle with basil pesto. This is classic Jorgensen, coupling different foods to produce a new medley of flavors.
Other standouts from our dinner were the ‘chicken thigh chop’ with mushroom risotto and the New York strip steak with bourbon glaze and steak fries. Both were flavorful and moist.
For dessert at Two Chefs there is but one choice: the soufflés that are its signature dish. Jorgensen has mastered the art of this delicate puffery. We tried the bitter sweet chocolate soufflé served with chocolate ganache sauce and the stone ground pistachio soufflé served with crème Anglaise. Both were wonderful.
Chocolate soufflé served with chocolate ganache sauce
The other elements of Two Chefs earn equally high grades, including an excellent wine cellar and a loyal wait staff that apparently never leaves – our waiter Brian had been there for 20 years. Why leave this elegant enclave of fine food cooked with such creative flair?
Two Chefs Restaurant $$$-$$$$ 8287 S. Dixie Hwy 305-663-2100
