We had the chance to have a very candid chat with Chef Matthew Wall of North Quarter Tavern recently, one of our new favorite restaurants in town featuring a chef driven menu.
They recently opened their Bar Room next door with happy hour specials and started Sunday Brunch service with bottomless mimosas.
“I like to let the dish be the dish, I don’t need to do “a play” on something, I’ll just make it right.”
On Beginnings
Chef Matthew Wall started cooking late in college while at UCF in 2004 where he studied English and anthropology.
“I needed a job, and was a pretty accomplished home cook. I always cooked dinner for my friends in college, we would all throw our $5 bucks in and head to Publix and I would cook dinner instead of us eating ramen and fast food like most kids.” he told us via e-mail.
He then got a job at Waitiki and the Monkey bar on Wall Street in downtown Orlando just as it was first opening. He had never worked on the line before, but quickly passed all the culinary school grads who were already there.
“I am a self taught chef. I would see something on Food network or Great Chefs of the World (this was back when Food Network had actual chefs and not all this Suzie Home maker Rachael Rae crap they have now), and I would replicate the dish at home. it was great practice to learn the fundamentals of cooking,” Chef Matt told us, reminiscing on his beginnings.
On Inspirations
His inspiration is drawn from all things – watching his dad cook dinner every night as a kid, dishes he may have tried at a restaurant, or a memory of a dish from childhood. He could see something on TV or read about a dish and be inspired.
“I really just love to eat, that’s what drove me to cook in the first place. I knew that if I learned how to cook, I would never be too far away from a good meal.”
“I’m inspired by all things pork – nose to tail. They are the greatest animal.”
Chef Matt’s father, Rich, was a chef before he was born, and then opened a restaurant when he was in high school.
“[My father] is a great cook – he would make bad ass home dinners for the family, throw dinner parties for friends, and I would sit in the kitchen and watch, absorbing all I could, help peal the garlic or other little chores. I remember loving coq au vin when he made it.”
On North Quarter Tavern
“Overall, I’m just looking to make great food in a casual setting. I set out to have the best $15 in the city. And I feel pretty confident about achieving that. I think too many chefs put their ego first, always playing around with the classics too much.”
“I like to let the dish be the dish, I don’t need to do “a play” on something, I’ll just make it right.”
“Right now my favorite menu items are probably the charcuterie board, the steak tartare, and the Rueben. We take a lot of pride in taking cheap cuts of meat and applying old school techniques to make great food. There are only a handful of places in town that make their own charcuterie, salami, capicola, etc.”
“We love to dry cure and age the meat in our home made chamber – it’s a huge source of pride. I couldn’t do with out the help of my sous chef Jason O and chef de cuisine Ian Hollman; they head up our charcuterie department and do a great job.”
On the Future
“I’d love to add more sausages to the menu in the future – right now we make a great beer bratwurst. And run sausages as features: sausage and peppers. We made real hot dogs, smoked polish kilbasa, plus all the salumi items in our curing chamber for charcuterie. I’d love to get more rare cuts of meat on the menu, beef and pork cheeks, tongues, shanks, etc.”
North Quarter Tavern
861 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 757-0930
http://northquartertavern.com/
