06/06/09

could become habit forming

by billw1944

Food was excellent and well presented. A really good wine list, fairly priced.

A better view would be hard to find.

CAUTION could become habit forming.

Bill W.Lauderdale Marina

• Pros: service..excellent and friendly
• Cons: no smoking area

03/14/09

The best brunch in town!

by jannyflo

I travel almost every Sunday from West Palm to have brunch here. The crabcakes are the best I have ever had an everything else is just as delicious!

• Pros: Fantastic array of food
• Cons: They don't offer it everyday!

02/16/09

Disappointed, Overpriced

by coug100

There was a 10 minute wait for valet, then 45 minute wait with a reservation, the food was disappointing the halibut dish which was suppossed to include mushrooms did not, the proscuitto and brie appetizer was mostly cheese; and to top it off my girlfriend got sick. NOT RECOMMENDED- HIGHLY OVERPRICED!!Take your money elsewhere.

10/27/08

Great waiter, bad hostess, ok food.

by mandj1234

The best thing about this restaurant was the waiter, Perry. I would definitely recommend asking for him. The worst thing was the hostess we dealt with. She wasn't the brightest and seemed to be very confused. We made reservations ahead of time yet we still had to wait almost 40 minutes to be seated. The food is good but not GREAT. I've had better. The outside seating atmosphere is very nice but also very crowded. They have the tables pushed so close together that it's even hard for the waiters to get by.

I would rather recommend EMERIL'S on South Beach, you won't be disappointed !!!

• Pros: Waiter, Perry.
• Cons: Hostess

02/16/08

Go to Red Lobster instead!

by ExhaustedMom

First of all, they make you wait until ALL members of your party arrive before they seat you - my husband says they do this to make more money on bar drinks.

Then we waited a long time, about 40 minutes for the food, with only baskets of bread (and roasted garlic), and some of the bread had half cooked parts.

I had the "Lump Crab and Corn Roasted Grouper with Asparagas Risotto and Red Wine butter". Well, the best thing about it was the Red Wine butter! There was nary a lump of crab to be seen or tasted, maybe a few strands of it, in a very bland glop on top of the grouper with a few kernals of corn. The grouper was also very bland and could have used a bit more butter sauce to give it taste. The risotto was awful! Gloppy and tasteless! Bland on bland!

On the other hand my husband's sea bass was very good, but as with all the dishes served to our party, the portions were pretty small, especially when you consider the average entree price was $30! Everyone inhaled their food in about 5-10 minutes!

I took my baby into the ladies room to change her, but there was NOWHERE to do so!

• Pros: Valet parking, nice dockside view
• Cons: Way too noisy, overpriced, too long to wait for food, not impressed with taste for that $, they make the entire party wait if even one person is late.

03/28/07

%&#@! that was good!

by singingjim

Firstly, prepare to valet park unless you want to feed a meter. The stuffed baby cow (Prosciutto Stuffed Veal Tenderloin with red onion jam and smoked gouda griddle cakes} was absolutely fabulous. My apologies to any PETA people out there, but I highly recommend it. To truly describe the meal I?d have to curse so I?ll just say it was pretty gosh darn tasty. We started with the Prosciutto and Sun dried Tomato Wrapped Brie, toasted walnuts and green apple relish with Jamaican rum butter and I wanted to eat about 10 more of these little puff pastry stuffed miracles of heart disease. My mom had the Herb Crusted New Zealand *ack of Lamb and Soft Polenta with grilled vegetables and port wine demi and wanted more because it was so good. Christina (my much better half) had the Sauteed Yellowtail Snapper and Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes, pan seared asparagus, artichoke hearts and kalamata olive salad. She raved about the fish and the potatoes were awesome-she was kind enough to share with me. I won?t bore you with what my Stepdad and his friend had, but they were quite happy with their choices as well. The worst part of the meal? The check of course. Poor rich step dad (snicker). It?s easy to say that it?s worth the money. We had a large table with ample room outside on the intracoastal and except for when Mark (our waiter) forgot my Mom?s iced tea (he comp?d it), he was right on top of everything without the whole, ?How is everything?? every 10 minutes. The only negative I could possibly bother whining about is that is was a bit loud where we were sitting but only because the table next to us was a party of 5 rather loud talkers and they were in the corner so the noise was bouncing right back at us. But I would highly recommend this place even if you had to stand and eat with loud country music blaring out of loudspeakers 6 inches from your ears because the food is so good.

• Pros: food food food
• Cons: parking, noise level outside on patio, inside was quiet

02/01/07

Almost perfect...

by Godzuki24

For ease of understanding, I'll keep my review simple:

Valet- Nice touch as parking is not ample in the area, though it does add a touch of West Palm Pretense.

Hostesses- Truly, just eye candy. Other reviewers point out their ineptitude and though attractive, I would have to agree. The girls need some training.

Bartenders- Muy Caliente, but also knew their stuff. Nothing better than a hot barmaid who knows wine/booze.

Ambience- dim, cool, jazzy, raw bar is a nice touch. Outdoor seating is always nice- even in the winter.

Service- Perry was a star. Knew what he was talking about, added humor when applicable, was everpresent without being overbearing. Humble and courteous, everything a server should be. He enhanced the meal and in snobby SoFla, that is indeed a high compliment.

Apps- Stone Crab Claws were decadent. Slightly disappointed that they only had jumbos, but c'est la vie. The foccacia and roasted garlic is indeed a treasure.

Entree- Crab/Corn Grouper was good, not great. Rissotto was fantastic and the sauce was delicious. My companion had the Mahi-mahi, which looked and tasted great. The one thing we did notice is that the presentations of entrees were all quite nice, but the smell of the food on our table as well as on surrounding tables was unreal. We wanted to try everything.

Dessert- No Key Lime pie is a supreme shock. Its a SoFla staple and should be added. Hell, I don't care if they put their own spin on it and make it foofier, but it was a big let down to a great meal. No Cuban coffee either- though to be fair Perry did save the day by making some for us.

Price- Expensive, maybe not quite worth it. However, the view and ambience make up for it a touch.

Overall, the dinner was very good. The space is a touch crowded and noisy (they could lose 4-5 tables outdoors to make a better environment), but the cool factor reigns over sensibility. I'd go back again and again.

• Pros: Service, Ambience and Location
• Cons: Noisy, Too many tables

01/29/07

Great food, not so good outcome

by jjcraig

It was supposed to be a special evening celebrating my daughters birthday. Little consideration was given by the hostess when she seated us at a table that was three inches from the next occupied table. Numerous empty tables were around us, only to have walk in couples seated at them well after our reservation time. The food was great, and so was the waiter we had. The staff needs to train their hostess(s) to be more than "eye appeal" and represent the establishment they so desire.

• Pros: food and service
• Cons: host/hostess staff, seated promptly not properly

10/22/06

Best seafood in town

by e30enth

i consider myself an ameteur sea food connoisseur and after living down here for 3 years and eating all over, i can say this is the best sea food i've had since eating freshly caught california halibut back home. the ambiance and mood is dim and lively with chatter and jazz playing in the background (not live), upon driving over the bridge, the place doesn't even look open. the staff is wonderful and very zealous about making your meal a wonderful experience. i had the halibut (pretty sure was alaskan), my wife had the surf 'n' turf, my friend had "the best dophin i've ever eaten", and his wife had the applewood bacon stuffed chicken breast. true, the appetizers and desserts are the price of most entrees at an average restaurant, however this is no average restaurant. for entrees, about 30 bucks is minimum, but worth it. while some places serve small, artistic, creative dishes, that may look more appealing than the taste, this place sets the bar--large, perfectly complented dishes, served in a very artistic manner. and the taste is no less than phenomenal. between 4 of us we easily spent about 220, not bad really. and we had the works, appetizers, main course, wine, desserts, etc... was expecting far worse. for a birthday, special occassion, this place is great.

• Pros: everything
• Cons: parking....valet or watch out for the meter maids

07/11/06

Upscale seafood house lands a few, lets a few get away.

by Contributor

In Short
Art deco reigns with dark mahogany, bronze lamps, wrought-iron accents and frosted glass panels etched with sea life. Start by squeezing roasted garlic onto tomato-olive focaccia, then move on to appetizers like mussels with pancetta, rosemary and garlic or pastry-covered brie with apples, walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes and prosciutto. Shellfish and lobster tails also highlight the menu. For dessert, finish with the Grand Marnier soufflee.