Russell’s on Lake Ivanhoe, the upscale casual restaurant in the historic district north of downtown, isn’t a French restaurant per se. But with a French chef/owner, Emmanuel Clement, there are bound to be some dishes with French influences. Wonderfully so.
And now, with the addition of some new menu items created by Clement, there are a few more. I met with some friends for dinner at Russell’s recently and had a chance to sample some of the new dishes.
I was delighted to see frog legs back on the menu because I had just had some tasty ones in Paris and wondered why they were so hard to come by back home. These were also quite delicious, sauteed in butter with garlic and parsley. The meat was tender and fell easily off the tiny tibias. People either love frog legs or find the thought of them off-putting. But owner Philippe Villain said that so many people had requested them that he decided to bring them back, so I’m not alone.
And now there’s rabbit stew, too. No bones here, just cubes of rabbit meat stewed in onions and herbs – a hint of mustard there, too, I think – and served over pommes aligot (think of them as cheesy mashed potatoes). The meat was tender and I loved the way all the flavors came together.
The aligot potatoes also serve as the base for the new dish of short rib, slowly braised in a red wine demi glace. The rib was served on a ploof of the potatoes, which were surrounded by a moat of the sauce, and topped with fried onion rings.
If pasta is more your style, you’ll want to make note of the scallops pappardelle, which features three plump and pillowy sea scallops seared to a light golden hue, serve on the wide noodles that have been tossed in garlic, lemon and olive oil.
You’ll find plenty of your other favorites, too, such as the crispy duck confit served over sauteed spinach, and the massive double pork chop with chimichurri sauce and aligot potatoes.
Russell’s, which opened in 2020, has quickly become a top destination-dining choice for downtown Orlando. The new dishes from chef Clement will keep it as one.
Russell’s on Lake Ivanhoe is at 1414 N. Orange Ave., Orlando (map). It is open for dinner daily and brunch Saturday and Sunday. The phone number is 407-601-3508.
