Jason and Sue Chin have been flying high ever since their James Beard Award nomination for Outstanding Restaurateur earlier this year. And while losing out on the coveted accolade at the June affair in Chicago may have brought the duo back down to earth, the landing was brief. That’s because the Chins had just launched Sparrow in late May, and early indications were that their fledgling North Quarter wine bar was a total vibe.
A vibe? Hell, Sparrow’s an aura. Its mid-mod manner meshed with a sultry, after-dark aesthetic plays like a paean to nightclubs of the velvet-rope era. Makes quite the striking first impression, too. Then there’s “Rhonda,” a disco ball that glitzes things up when the moment strikes. “Our staff named it,” says Sue Chin. “They said she reminded them of a ’70s showgirl.”
What really glitters, however, are a couple of girls who also put on a show: Reyes Mezcaleria and Sparrow chef-partner Wendy Lopez, who churns out dishes drawing on French, Italian, Portuguese and, of course, Spanish influence; and beverage director Lorena Castro, whose curated wine list reflects everything she loves most about wine. “For me, it’s a balance of fun, geeky and a little funky,” she says, “while at the same time respecting the classics.”
We certainly respected the 2023 “Palmberg,” a racy Riesling ($58) that accelerated the silky, earthy sweetness of a mushroom pâté ($12) fashioned from maitake, shiitake and oyster mushrooms splashed with madeira.
We glou-gloued it with pan con tomate ($9) funked with Manchego ($5) and silver-skinned boquerones ($5), as well as a puree of charred eggplant ($12) laid on a disc of pan frito topped with roasted red peppers, sweet onions and piparra peppers. And after an appreciably spicier dish — house-made lumache ($22), or snail pasta, smothered in vodka sauce and spiked with nduja and Calabrian chili — the bottle was all glugged out.
As far as the cocktail program, Castro’s aim is to “force people to drink more sherries and vermouths.” Which we did in the form of superb, olive- and piparra-pepper-brined martinis ($20) poured into a chilled glass served with “bird seeds” (a mix of spiced seeds and nuts) and highballs ($13) made with olive oil-washed gin, blanc vermouth and Manzanilla sherry.
A suggestion: Sink into a leathered swivel chair in the middle of the restaurant (OK, wine bar) and sip on tipples while surveying the scene. It’s a preferred vantage point, even if those deep seats require extra effort to prop oneself up to eat. No matter, Lopez’s cooking makes the lean worth it, whether hovering over a hearty house-made rigatoni verde with short rib ragu ($24), or a sole meuniere ($42) prepared as Escoffier intended, or one of the best endive salads ($10) served in the city since Cheesecake Factory’s version 20 years ago.
It did, however, take a couple of tries to get the arroz negro with head-on prawns ($26) right. The Calasparra rice was, at first, startingly bland. But a re-done version was brought out later during our meal, and flavors of sofrito and seafood stock filled very kernel of the squid and cuttlefish-inked rice.
For some, the nine-seat bar may seem a bit tight, but I really like the snuggly seating. More so, I like starting my meal here with some slivers of jamon ($9) or slices of bluefin tuna and Faroe Island salmon crudo ($17) nested in chunky caper salsa verde before crossing the checkerboard floor to a table. Special thanks to general manager Nicole Peters and her staff for handling seat-shifting with aplomb.
By the time desserts come around, Rhonda the Disco Ball is usually in full spangle, but I was dazzled by a gorgeous Basque cheesecake ($10) with Valencia orange, and an almond-sponge chocolate cake ($16) with a mirror glaze so glossy I could see myself eating it. A little birdy told me both are the work of Steve Brinkman, a guy who works the line at Reyes on some days and makes Sparrow’s desserts on others. Just another reason to put this restaurant (OK, OK, wine bar) on your regular rotation. So the next time you’re contemplating a chill spot to check out, let Sparrow flutter into your consciousness.
(Sparrow, 807 N. Orange Ave., 407-203-8524, sparroworlando.com, $$$)
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This article appears in Sept. 17-23, 2025.
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