“This sounds like something I used to have at Dexter’s,” my dinner companion tells me, pointing a manicured finger at the Mediterranean pasta ($21).

It’s not a coincidence.

We are at The Imperial on Park, the latest Imperial for owner John Washburn, who opened one of my first favorite places to drink in Orlando 18 years ago.

But long before becoming a wine bar owner, Washburn became a wine enthusiast — as part of the team for the very first Dexter’s.

The year was 1988.

“It was on Fairbanks, right across from Miller’s Hardware,” Washburn tells me with a smile. “I had hair back then!”

At 23, Washburn loved the gig, the vibe, the people — and though he left for a few years to scope out life in San Francisco, it was his friends from Dexter’s who eventually lured him back home to help open the Thornton Park location, where he stayed just long enough to make a few lasting friendships.

My companion, a frequenter of Dexter’s from way back, was enthralled to find her long-missed Mediterranean pasta on the menu, here ordered sans tomatoes. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

One of them was with executive chef Drew Weisner, whose kitchen spun out V.1 of Dexter’s beloved Mediterranean pasta, a shallow bowl of which cushioned the landing of my dinner bud, eager to reconnect with her Dexter’s days of yore.

It was as good as she remembered, she told me, twirling soft angel hair, lovingly lubed in a mild pesto, redolent of garlic and wine. She’d gone for the chicken upsell, but I stabbed a tender artichoke heart instead, wondering what dish I might order if I could go back in time for my own ’90s-era comfort food, channeling her nostalgia as she embraced the carbs.

The hot duck sandwich is among a few popular reboots from the days of Dexter’s that fans from that era will appreciate. It’s a good’n. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

“It happens all the time,” Washburn tells me, as fans of the now-defunct Dexter’s brand find their way here. “They have that pasta and say, ‘This is my childhood!’ or that it tastes just how they remember it.”

The same goes for the hot duck sandwich, though that one predates even Weisner, going back to chef Adrian Mann’s kitchen on Fairbanks.

Liquor is relatively new at The Imperial on Park. This brunchy blueberry cosmo proved refreshing. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Weisner, though, Washburn tells me, sees it as sacrosanct no matter its origin story, and has amped up the artistanship in the process.

“He roasts the duck in-house — it’s cooked in its own fat — then puts on the gloves and pulls the meat off with his hands. There’s no shortcut.”

Tender meat, decadent brie, grilled onions, pressed into a lengthy, crusty plank. I don’t need my own words here.

“It’s a freaking delicious sandwich,” Washburn proclaims.

He’s not wrong. Even the language is on point.

Warm vibes have always been the norm at The Imperial’s various venues around town. On future visits, I would definitely opt for a bar seat. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

The Imperial may be on ritzy Park Avenue, but like Washburn’s own words suggest, it’s very come-as-you-are. And also like Washburn and Weisner, lifelong Winter Parkers, exceedingly local.

“Granted, we’re on the Avenue so we do get quite a few tourists, but outside of that, it’s hyperlocal,” says Washburn, who says folks remember them from their first spot, around the corner on Morse. “We’re not trying to be fancy here. We’re just a bar and a restaurant.”

Guests reflect this. On each pop-in, there were as many folks in T-shirts and shorts as anything else. As the musician set up for a set on my last visit, early on a Saturday, couples were doing early bird date night at the bar, families — multigenerational — took up table space. Gen Z and Millennial women in pairs kibbitzed over glasses of rosé and fruity sips in frosty cocktail glasses.

It’s not a neat eat, but who cares? The Imperial’s burger is solid pub grub. Easily shareable by two. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Liquor, a new addition here, is something of a coup, but Washburn — with the aid of his old friends at Winter Park Distillery — managed a workaround to some of the city’s more restrictive policies. Right now, there’s bourbon, vodka and gin, but soon, more spirits will follow. Guests, he says, are thrilled. So, too, was my brunch pal, with her blueberry mojito alongside straightforward chicken and waffles.

I opted for the fish sandwich I’d heard so much about, having discussed it with Weisner for a recent story. The black grouper has much in common with the roast duck in that Weisner brings it in whole, fillets it himself, cutting massive planks that mimic Indiana’s famed pork tenderloin sandwiches, crisp and golden, wearing the bun in the center like a tiny hat. For $28, perhaps even Gov. DeSantis would pull the trigger.

The Imperial on Park’s fried grouper makes for nice, flaky eating. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Weisner doesn’t cut the fries that come with in-house, but if you want, he’ll truffle them, and he does a solid job. I don’t recommend this “upgrade” in too many restaurants, but this kitchen’s hand is conservative with the stuff, and as I sampled them more than once, I can say with confidence that it’s steady.

Weisner’s lived in Winter Park since he was about 4, but his birthplace — Baltimore — may have rubbed off a little based on The Imperial’s crab cake ($19). Generous, with fall-apart hunks of blue crab, the tiny, dressed arugula salad beneath makes a nice complement to the richness of the slab.

The Imperial on Park’s crab cake is large and lumpy. In a good way. Ask for more sauce on the side. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

“People get that for lunch,” Washburn tells me of the dish. “He perfected it at Dexter’s years ago, and the ratio is super important and very precise.”

After each crab slab is formed, the chef jams his finger in the center, says Washburn.

“And then he puts even more crab in the hole,” he laughs.

Industry pros: ‘Governor, $32 is not too much for a local grouper sandwich’

If seafood’s not your bag, though, this neighborhood joint’s Imperial burger, cooked perfectly to temp on my visit, will require multiple napkins, but you won’t be mad about it. And unless you’re sharing, you likely won’t finish it either.

It might have you coming back, though, if Washburn’s familiarity with many of the tables on my final visit is any indicator. That’s certainly what new partners Washburn and Weisner are hoping.

“I told John I wanted to make a place here that was fun like Dexter’s was. Because Dexter’s was the fun in town. Hannibal Square, Thornton Park, whichever it was, we were fun. And that’s why people came back.”

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.

If you go

The Imperial on Park: 136 S. Park Ave. in Winter Park, 321-972-9294; imperialwinebar.com

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/25/imperial-on-park-review-amy-drew-thompson/