Julie F.
Yelp
This word gets overused and underappreciated, but in one word this restaurant was amazing!
We had made reservations (highly recommended) and came to dinner over the weekend with another couple. In all the years of dining out together, I've never known him to say that this was one of the best dining experiences that he'd had in a very long time. Especially since he is very picky and opinionated, but we love him dearly all the same. And all of us agreed that it was wonderful.
The restaurant is located on the east side of Dixie Highway. Once you are seated in the open-air covered venue, you seem quite removed from the hustle of the street. There are ceiling fans throughout for cooling, but there was also a slight breeze. Even though we normally crave air conditioning, the inside area which is quite small is very unappealing.
We didn't have that much of the menu, but what we did have we really liked.
We were given rustic sour dough bread slices along with a black olive tapenade. The bread was addictive. And we took our leftovers home (they made great french toast for breakfast, btw). We enjoyed conversation and adult beverages while waiting for the rest of our food.
We wound up sharing an heirloom tomato salad. We weren't planning on sharing, but it was a larger portion than expected and we all wanted to try it. The various tomatoes -- yellow, red, small red cherry -- along with some greens, a few black kalamata olives, a few pieces of hearts of palm, and a wedge of avocado were all bathed in a light vinaigrette. This was a very refreshing start to our meal.
After the salad and bread, I had their wild prawns for my main dish. Four huge crustaceans with their shells and heads on. I used the grilled lemon half to douse the greens and prawns, then easily, but slowly, ate two of them with my sharp knife and fork. I took the other two home, as I wanted to save room for some dessert.
Both the gentlemen had the mussels appetizer as their main. Each was a nice sized portion and came with a slice of that same sourdough bread. The guys thoroughly enjoyed not only the mussels, but the seasoned broth that had saffron, fennel and tomatoes in it. His wife had their burger. She'd requested it well done -- which she said it actually came cooked that way. Two thinner patties that were perfect along with a plethora of thin, crispy french fries.
For dessert, we shared a warm chocolate souffle. We'd been advised by our waiter that it took about 15 minutes to prepare, so we'd ordered one mid-entree. It came out nicely puffed. Another server sprinkled the top with powdered sugar and proceeded to gently break the top crust. She poured some of the creme anglaise from a tiny pitcher over the top. If you like chocolate, this is the dessert for you.
Even though they were quite busy, we were able to have a leisurely dinner and never felt rushed. We had excellent service from Adrian who handled all our questions and special requests with grace and patience. The complimentary valet parking was quite convenient. And yes, I want to go back here very soon. Put on your nicest sun dress or fancy Hawaiian shirt and enjoy rubbing shoulders with the "in crowd". You'll have a great meal and thank me later.