Chef Nate’s on The Drive

by South Florida Eats · Published March 13, 2021 · Updated May 9, 2021

Chef Nate’s: 2045 Wilton Dr, Wilton Manors, FL 33305

Chef Nate’s is one of the newer restaurants on Wilton Drive. I’ve passed it a few times and had been wanting to try it. So when two of my friends wanted to meet there for dinner, I jumped on the opportunity. I arrived early at the restaurant and waited for my friends Solomon and Robert to arrive. This gave me the chance to observe the staff and their social distancing protocols. The entire staff was wearing masks, and the spacing was okay. The tables are a little closer than some people might want, but I did not feel uncomfortable at all.

The Restaurant:

Chef Nate’s is located in the former Mind Your Manors location. It’s a decent-sized location with outdoor and indoor seating. A bar takes up the entire eastward side of the restaurant with a good amount of seating. You can order a full array of cocktails and even some specialty ones as well. The way the restaurant is configured, you can enjoy your meal no matter what the weather is like outside. The owner used to own Tropics and a few other places before he opened this new venture.

The Food:

Solomon was the light eater of the group. He chose to go with the large house salad. It’s mixed field greens topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons, crumbles of bleu cheese, and house balsamic vinaigrette. Everything was very fresh, and Solomon devoured it pretty quickly.

Next up was their friend who ordered the pork tenderloin. It was served pan-seared and topped with violet mustard and aromatic herbs, then finished in the oven. Accompanied with a fresh mango sweet and sour glaze. He said that the pork was cooked to perfection with a good flavor. It was tender and easy to cut. He opted to go with french fries and a mix of green and waxed beans. The fries were cooked well done with a nice crisp to them. He very much enjoyed his meal and would order it again.

Robert chose the Jambalaya. Chef Nate makes his with chicken, ham, shrimp, and andouille sausage prepared in the Creole fashion and served over rice. A fresh sprig of rosemary added a great touch to the presentation. The sauce had a little kick to it which Robert said added an excellent flavor. The shrimp, chicken, ham, and sausage were all cooked perfectly, and the cajun seasonings enhanced their tastes. He was delighted with his meal and said that he would order again. The dish was almost licked clean by the time he was done with it.

I opted to try one of my favorite dishes, the Chicken Francaise. This dish is a breast of chicken, egg washed and then pan sautéed in a white wine lemon butter sauce. The dish was accompanied by white rice and a mixture of green beans, waxed beans, and carrots. The meal was, delicious and I would definitely have it again. My only complaint was that I light the breading to be a little crisper on the outside of the chicken. There was just the right amount of sauce, which can be a problem with this dish at some restaurants as they either give way too much or way too little—neither of which I had to worry about at Chef Nate’s. The vegetables were not my favorite, but that has nothing to do with the restaurant. I am just not a fan of beans.