Reviews | Page 5 | Vero Beach Foodie

Cobalt – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

Next restaurant on my follow up from the Taste of Vero is Cobalt. Located in the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa on Ocean Drive, and the #12 out of 227 restaurants in Vero Beach on Trip Advisor, this is one dining experience I’ve been looking forward to for a while now.

Parking is limited at the hotel, so they offer free valet parking, or you can park on the street. Walking up to the hotel, it is very beautiful and has a nicely manicured exterior. There is a separate entrance for Cobalt and their in-house spa. Upon entry, you are greeted with an elevator, and a winding staircase to head up to the second floor of the hotel, which is where the restaurant and spa are located.

As you enter the restaurant, the large wall of windows at the back of the dining room grabs your attention immediately, as does the ocean view. The dining room has a comfortable elegance to it with dark stained wood paneled walls, beautiful lighting fixtures, and very comfortable table and booth combinations with tons of pillows. There is also outdoor seating for those of you that want that direct ocean view.

We arrived around 5pm on a Thursday for an early dinner and the dining room was quite empty. As the evening progressed, it filled up as did the outdoor seating area. We were greeted shortly after taking our seat by the Executive Chef Daniel Traimas. An Illinois native, he joined the team here at Cobalt in January 2016 and brings lots of experience and his mid-western cooking influences. I spent most of my life in the mid-west, so I should be familiar with the flavors and his style of cooking.

Now on to the food! Let’s jump right in and see what we had to eat and drink!

Christopher Huarte, general manager at Cobalt came to our table to introduce himself to us and take our drink orders. I asked what some of the more popular drinks were that we could try, and he recommended that we try the following two drinks.

Grapefruit Fizz – ($12.00) – This is one of their most popular drinks, and I can see why. It’s a mixture of grapefruit infused grey goose vodka, St. Germain, rose water, grapefruit juice and soda. It was very refreshing!

Pineapple Crawl – ($12.00) – This was my favorite of the two drinks I had. It has milagro silver tequila, ancho reyes chili pepper liqueur, agave nectar, lime, and a pineapple juice ice globe in it. As the ice globe melts, the drink starts to get sweeter from the additional pineapple juice. The only thing that was confusing was the orange slice for a pineapple drink. Perhaps they were out of pineapple slices? Maybe we should introduce them to Nature Farms.

Bacon Wrapped Dates – ($12.00) – Chef Daniel presented us with this amuse-bouche to start the evening with. It’s a bacon wrapped date, stuffed with Boursin cheese. The bacon was slightly crunchy and smoky, it was sweet from the date, and creamy from the cheese stuffing. All three of these ingredients are favorites of mine, so even before I took a bite, I knew it was going to be great.

Escolar Ceviche – ($15.00) – Our second course was this wonderful white tuna ceviche, with cucumber, red onion, orange slices, cherry tomatoes, served with wonton crisps. It was slightly chilled, very fresh, and the tuna was very tender. It was seasoned with a lime ponzu salt. My dining companion and I thought it was a little bit under seasoned, but as we got closer to the bottom of the dish, the liquid at the bottom is where the salt settled and was better when we tossed it in the juice.

Grilled Jumbo Prawns – ($18.00) – Next up was this show stopper! The chef told us that he had a few larger than normal prawns that came in so he presented us with one of them. This prawn is a U-4, meaning there are only 4 of them per pound. As you can see from the picture above, it was plate engulfing in size. It was dressed with a sriracha aioli, then torched to add a slightly smoky flavor. It was very flavorful, with just a touch of heat from the sriracha. It was perfectly cooked, and seasoned to perfection. The prawn was laid on a bed of farrow, and lemon arugula to garnish.

Braised Short Ribs – ($30.00) – I can definitely see the chef’s mid-western influence in this dish. A classic meat and potatoes dish that has been elevated to a whole new level. It’s braised short ribs with a poached farm egg on top, white truffle hollandaise sauce, roasted baby potatoes, over grilled asparagus and garnished with chopped chives. The meat was fall apart fork tender, the white truffle cream sauce added a touch of elegance. I cut the poached egg and the yolk was still runny and added an additional richness to the dish. The roasted baby potatoes tasted like french fries, and were nice and salty! I think this was my favorite dish of the night.

Turtle Brownie – ($ n/a) – Last but not least, was the Turtle Brownie dessert presented to us by Chef James. This is not a usual menu item, so price was not available at the time this article was written. The brownie was made with dark chocolate and walnuts and was very moist. It was topped with vanilla ice cream. The plate was garnished with caramel drizzles, chopped walnuts, whipped cream, and a solid dark chocolate turtle and was fantastic! For each dessert they sell, they will donate $1.00 to the Save the Turtles foundation.

In Conclusion:

What a fabulous dining experience we had while visiting Cobalt! The chefs took very good care of us and gave us a nice variety of dishes to try and we were more than impressed with their offerings. While the prices might seem high for some, consider the value you get here. You are dining at one of Vero’s upscale hotels, at a fine dining restaurant at the beach, so I think the value is incredible, considering all that you get. If your budget does not allow you to dine at Cobalt, then I suggest you check out Heaton’s Reef. The outdoor bar next to the pool has a full menu of lower priced appetizers and entrees that will fit any budget, and it still has the same ocean view.

Stay tuned next week for our full review of Heaton’s Reef. My dining companion this evening was my new friend, neighbor and culinary student Eden Colonna. She is a first year culinary student and is interested in food writing. She will be writing the review of that restaurant, so be sure to check back for her full review.

Read our review of Heaton’s Reef

Have you tried Cobalt? What has your experience been with them? Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts, or feel free to email me at thefoodguy@verovine.com with your questions or comments.

Atmosphere – 5 Forks

Service – 5 Forks

Food – 5 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Cobalt

3500 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, Florida 32963

(772) 469-1060

Citron Bistro – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger for Vero Vine

Tucked away in the Village Shops just a little bit north of Vero on the A1A is this fantastic little eatery that I discovered at the Taste of Vero in early April. If you read my review on the Taste of Vero, you know that they came out as my number 1 pick for my Top ATE dishes from that event. They served Ahi Tuna over Asian noodles and it was exceptionally good. I’ve been looking forward to visiting them and trying more of what they have to offer. Earlier this week I got that chance to visit for lunch and taste a few of their most popular dishes, and dessert too. Let’s take a closer look at Citron Bistro and see what they have to offer!

After you park your car near the J. McLaughlin shops out front, you need to walk between the buildings to the courtyard area behind to find the restaurant. It’s a beautiful courtyard with mature palm and oak trees, brick paver walkway, and some comfortable looking outdoor furniture to relax in.

It was a beautiful day so I chose to sit outside in the courtyard. Their tables are white with blue placemats and napkins, and directors chairs for seating. They were quite comfortable.

Now on to the food! Let’s jump right in and see what I had to eat!

Honduras Blue Mountain Light Coffee 12 oz – ($2.45) – I read another article about the coffee they served being made with a French press, so I thought I would give it a try. They feature the Rio Coco Coffee which is roasted locally in Vero and ground fresh daily in house. I added some cream and sugar and it was the perfect cup of coffee.

Shrimp Bruschetta – ($15.00) – The first starter they brought out for me to try was this stunning interpretation of the classic bruschetta. It had jumbo shrimp served scampi style and was perfectly cooked. It was served with tomatoes and scallions on grilled sourdough bread, and was finished with micro greens as a garnish. The sauce on the plate was a lemon ver blanc sauce with balsamic vinegar for decoration. It was outstanding!

Crab Stuffed Avocado – ($16.00) – The second starter they brought out for me to try was this beautiful dish. The avocado half still had the shell on it to help hold it together and was generously filled with lump crab meat and fresh herbs. It was finished off with a zesty buerre blanc sauce, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and topped with micro greens as garnish. The crab meat filling was very generous and seasoned perfectly. The avocado was slightly warm and very fresh tasting. The side salad was a nice spring mix with red onion, diced tomatoes, and olives to finish it off. The salad dressing was light, tangy and sweet.

Now on to the main courses!

Maple Balsamic Glazed Salmon – ($29.00) – Would you take a look at the color on that salmon fillet? Wow, it’s absolutely gorgeous! As I flaked the salmon open to see the cook on it, and as thick as this fillet was, I was expecting it to be undercooked slightly, but that was not the case. It was perfectly cooked through, and succulent. This salmon is Scottish and one of the most flavorful I think I have ever tasted. The rice was of the wild variety and was cooked well and seasoned perfectly. Fresh green beans were the vegetable of the day, which I thought were a bit crunchy and under seasoned for my taste. French fried onions and micro greens completed the presentation.

Half Roasted Chicken – ($22.00) – The color on the skin was beautiful, and the chicken was perfectly roasted. As I was removing the leg, the bone pulled out cleanly. As I cut further into it, the thigh meat was tender and juicy. The roasted potatoes were buttered and salted and had a slight crunch to the edges. If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you will know that I am not a fan of broccoli, but in the interest of the article, I did try a small piece. It was cooked and seasoned nicely as were the rest of the vegetables, but I’m still not a fan.

Now on to dessert!

Banoffee Pie – ($8.00) – To round out my tastings, I was presented with this house made dessert. It has a graham cracker crust, lined with bananas, toffee filling, topped off with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa on top. It was smooth and creamy, and the predominant flavor was the banana, with the toffee being more subtle. An excellent way to round out a fantastic meal!

In Conclusion:

What a fantastic dining experience I had while visiting the Citron Bistro! The food, the atmosphere, the staff, all contribute to a superior dining experience. I had an opportunity to speak to the manager, Jessica Lawson, and she is a true delight and seems to know her stuff when it comes to running a restaurant. With Chef Tibor Andrejszky running the kitchen, and Jessica managing this place, it’s definitely a winning combination that is sure to please anyone that stops by.

Have you tried Citron Bistro? What has your experience been with them? Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts.

Atmosphere – 5 Forks

Service – 5 Forks

Food – 5 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Citron Bistro

6260 Florida A1A, Vero Beach, FL 32963

(772) 231-6556

Orchid Gourmet Catering – Review

by Stacy Cook – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

Orchid Gourmet is on 14th Avenue in Downtown Vero Beach in a converted residence owned by Executive Chef Jesse Alexander. They have done a fabulous job keeping the external structure still looking like a home and a neighborhood feel. The entire venue is brand new including the kitchen with attention to modern style and industrial details. This venue can be reserved for private parties, but their specialty is on location catering and dinner parties. The dining area seats 12 comfortably at the table and 6 at the bar. They can create menus for any dietary constraints, tastes and budgets.

The presentation of individual hors d’oeuvers did not disappoint. Crisp, white serving plates were topped with detailed and colorful presentations making it contrast and hard to resist picking up and to eat.

Crab Cake Bites

The crab cake bites were made with jumbo lump crab meat and tarragon aioli inside, a dab of tarragon aioli on top, and an edible nasturtium flower leaf as garnish. I tasted it with and without the leaf and it was desirable both ways.

They brought out the actual flowers and we sampled them as well. The flower barely had any flavor and the stalks tasted like a light scallion. These flowers are grown on the property.

Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio

A beef tenderloin carpaccio, with arugula filling and parmesan + reggiano cheese and a champagne Dijon on top. You are supposed to swipe it into the sauce as you pick it up. It was outstanding!

Wild Mushroom Tartlets

A wild mushroom tartlet with cream cheese, shiitake, baby bella and enoki mushrooms inside. These are light and flavorful. As a mushroom fan I did not want to stop eating them. I wanted this whole plate to myself!

Artichoke Franchaise

Artichoke Franchaise is the sauteed heart and coated in a homegrown Meyer lemon beurre blanc sauce and finished off with a baby leaf of the nasturtium. So tasty!

Lobster Corn Dog

This was definitely something new I had not seen before. The lobster corn dog bites were served with champagne the Dijon mustard sauce which was a perfect pairing. The lobster pieces were large and the batter was very thin so you really could taste lobster with each bite. A lime was placed uniquely on the plate to hold the leftover sticks.

Meyer Lemon Sorbet

The sorbet was very refreshing! It was lightly sweetened, had a nice tartness to it, and it did have flecks of lemon rind in it. This would be the perfect summer dessert on a hot day!

While guests are arriving, drinks are served with views of Nate Harrington’s (NateHPhoto) Personal Art Gallery that is on display in the dining room. It is absolutely stunning to see in person. These photos do not do any justice!

Nathaniel Harrington

www.natehphoto.com

Orchid Gourmet is available for your private party. Chef Alexander will meet with you to help plan and organize the perfect meals for your fundraiser, special day, holiday party or just an evening out with close friends.

For catering booking information:

Orchid Gourmet Catering

1766 14th Avenue SW, Vero Beach, FL 32962

Owner & Executive Chef Jesse Alexander

(772) 532-4160

www.orchidgourmet.com

Jeremy Collins, Chef de Cuisine

Bobby’s – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger for Vero Vine

Bobby’s has been an institution in Vero Beach for over 30 years, and has won numerous awards, including the TCPalm 2014 Reader’s Choice Award for the Best Sports bar. Since my wife and I are still fairly new to Vero Beach, there are a lot of restaurants that we have not had the opportunity to try yet, and Bobby’s was one of them. We’ve heard rumors that it’s where the locals hang out and that they have the best burgers in town. With a claim like that, I’ve got to check this place out for myself!

We arrived at dinner time on a Friday night. As we entered the restaurant, we were promptly greeted by the hostess. Since the weather was gorgeous out, we asked if there was an outside patio we could dine on. There was, and we were ushered through the restaurant and out to the patio. The inside dining room was somewhat dark, and had stained wood booths with padded seating. The walls were a dark green color. It reminded me of a country club type of dining room. The walls were adorned with sports pictures and memorabilia. Being that this restaurant was at the beach, I was a little bit disappointed that there was not an ocean view from the patio. However the patio was nice and somewhat private. The chairs look like your typical patio lawn furniture, but were much sturdier than what you have at home, and they were surprisingly comfortable. The tables were moderately decorated with candle in an orange colored glass candle holder, and a basket with the usual condiments. The patio was surrounded with a short concrete wall with plants and was nicely decorated. A strings of lights were hung around the patio to provide a low light ambiance to the area. It was very nice!

Let’s dive right in and see what we had to eat!

Beef and Barley Soup – ($3.95) – My wife ordered this soup as her appetizer, and was glad she did. The soup is house made and was very good. It had a nice depth of beef flavor to it, and was not too salty.

New England Clam Chowder – ($3.95) – This is one of my all time favorite soups. This is made in house and was spectacular! The clams were soft and tender, it was not overloaded with potatoes, and had just the right amount of salt in it. Very good!

Cheese Burger – ($10.95) – My wife got the cheese burger and she thought it was very good! The burger patty is quite large and it comes with the usual toppings. The french fries were lightly fried, but still had a nice crunch to them and were lightly salted.

Bobby’s Burger – ($11.95) – I ordered Bobby’s burger since I figured this was the house specialty and one of the more popular burgers on the menu. My instincts were correct, the burger was a good choice. It had a 10 oz (pre-cooked) weight and overhung the side of the bun. The mushrooms and onions were plentiful, and it was served with the usual toppings. My choice of side was the potato salad since I figured that was also made in house. While it was good, it did not stand out for me. It was your typical mustard potato salad. I thought it could have used a touch more seasoning to make it a little tastier.

In Conclusion:

We decided to skip dessert since we were both stuffed. The burgers were quite large and were exceptionally good. Service was prompt and courteous, and the atmosphere, while lacking an ocean view, was very nice and seems somewhat private out on the patio. My expectations were set high before we arrived since I’ve heard so many good things from multiple people around town, and we were not disappointed. Our total bill (without tip) came to just under $40.00 so dining here will also not break the bank. If you have not had a chance to check out this Vero institution, you definitely need to.

Ratings:

Atmosphere – 4 Forks

Service – 4 Forks

Food – 4 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Bobby’s Restaurant & Lounge

3450 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32963

(772) 231-6996

Alley Tacos – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger for Vero Vine

I got a HOT tip from Vero Vine’s editor that there was this secret taco place in an alley off of 14^th street somewhere downtown. He wanted me to go and look for it and try it out. I pressed him for more information since it was vague at best, and he reached out to the person that gave him the tip. We finally got the exact location, and my wife and I drove around and eventually did find the place. I parked on the street and walked down the alley to it. To my surprise, it’s just what you see in the picture above. It’s a pop up taco stand that only operates only on Friday nights from 7:00pm till about 2:00am right out the backdoor of the Irish American Club. Don’t let the appearance fool you though, the food is AMAZING! They serve tacos, Mexican soda’s and bottled beer. Let’s dive in and see what I had to eat!

All of the taco meats are freshly cooked before service and as they run out. From what I can remember they offer beef, chicken, pork, chorizo, al pastor, and beef tongue. I arrived around 6:30pm and they were not quite ready for service yet, so I hung around and watched them cook. The smells were intoxicating! If the tacos are half as good as they smell, then I’m in for a treat!

Here are a few of the toppings they offer. Cilantro, white onion, a mixture of what looks to be white onion, cucumber, habanero peppers, and sliced radishes. They also had sautéed onions as well

Two different types of salsas to choose from. The reddish orange one is hotter, and the green one is milder. I like things hot, so I tried the reddish orange one on my tacos.

Here are the two tacos that I got. One beef and one pork. They come with just the corn tortilla and the meat. You then choose what else you want on top. I went traditional and did white onion and cilantro, salsa and lime juice. They were amazing! The tortillas were grilled, the meat was flavorful, and the toppings were fresh.

In Conclusion:

I went to Mexico back in the mid 90’s and these tacos are truly authentic and brought back memories of my travels there. While the location is somewhat hard to find, it’s definitely worth the time to seek them out. At only $2.50 per taco, you can eat till you are stuffed and not empty your wallet either. They have been doing this for almost 3 years now, and I think they will continue as good as they are.

Have you tried them? What do you think? Sound off in the comments below and let me know your experiences with them.

Atmosphere – 2 Forks

Service – n/a

Food – 5 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Behind the Irish American Social Club

1314 20th St, Vero Beach, FL 32960

Taste of Vero 2016 – Part II

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger for Vero Vine

OK, here we go with part 2 of my review of the Taste of Vero Event! Which dish came out on top for me? Be sure to check out my TOP ATE dishes from this event at the end of the article!

Let’s jump right back in where I left off. . .

Chive – As an avid BBQ fan, ribs are one of my favorites, so I was looking forward to trying their offering. This is a deep fried spare rib with a maple soy glaze & fresh garlic. The rib was tender, but not fall off the bone tender. I could definitely tasted the maple, but the garlic must have been more subtle since I did not taste any in the sample that I had.

Wild Thyme Catering – While it was a small sampling, it was interesting to say the least. It was a breaded chicken satay with a thai peanut sauce. The chicken was perfectly cooked, but the outer coating was not as crunchy as I had hoped it would be. The thai peanut sauce was good, but could have used a little bit more heat to it.

Baci Trattoria – They were serving a Meatball Gondola as their main course, and a hibiscus flower infused limoncello tiramisu in a small cup for dessert. The meatball was perfectly cooked and seasoned to perfection. It had a simple tomato sauce over the top with shaved parmesan cheese. The dessert was the star of their offering. It was tangy, creamy, and oh so delicious! I only wish they gave out a larger portion, because two bites and it was gone!

Heaton’s Reef – Now this looks interesting! What could be inside? This is a Bacon, Cheddar, and Grits Croquette with a beer cheese sauce. The outside was crunchy, and the inside was soft and fluffy. It had cheese and bacon inside, plus the beer cheese sauce on the plate, with a sprinkling of bacon and chopped chives to garnish. Another one of my wife’s favorites of the night!

Cobalt – It’s an Ahi Tuna Crisp with cucumber, scallions, and its topped off with an Avocado crema. This dish has a lot of components that I like and was fantastic! The wonton was crispy, the tuna was slightly chilled and seasoned well, the cucumber was crunchy, and the avocado crema on top was smooth and creamy. A very nice offering from Cobalt!

Amalfi Grill – I got to them later in the evening and they ended up running out of the roasted porcini risotto they were offering, so I did not get a chance to taste that, but what I did taste was really good. In the picture above is what they had left. Tuscan short ribs and Pollo Cavatappi Amalfi pasta. The short ribs were slow roasted and very tender. The sauce they were in had a great depth of flavor, the kind you get from slow cooking them for a long time. The pasta had a lot going on with it. It had rosemary roasted chicken, sweet Italian sausage, spinach, portabella mushrooms tossed in a white truffle cream sauce topped with parmesan reggiano cheese. While it was good, I was unable to taste all of the components in it. Perhaps we just did not get everything in the sample we were given, but my expectations for this dish were higher with all that it had going on.

Blue Agave – I’ve had the pleasure of eating at Blue Agave one time previous to this event and the meal was awesome, so I was definitely looking forward to trying what they had to offer. Here we have a Cabeza (Beef Cheek) taco with a carrot slaw and a cucumber watermelon margarita sample. The tortilla was made from corn and held together well, the cabeza was very tender and flavorful, and the carrot slaw was tangy, sweet, and crunchy! The combination was definitely a winner, as they were awarded the top honor of the night with the people’s choice award for best dish. The margarita was quite strong and was definitely a crowd favorite that night.

Osceola Bistro – I got in line to try their dishes fairly early in the evening, but the line was long and not moving. It appeared as if they were not ready for service at the start of the event, so we decided to move on and come back to them. This was the last booth we visited for the evening and they were out of everything except for the wings. The wing is the Bireley Family Favorite Chicken Wings and were lightly breaded and tossed in a spicy garlic, ginger, local honey, and other secret spices. The wing was hot and freshly cooked and I loved the sauce. The sauce was tangy and a bit spicy. The wing was perfectly cooked, still moist and tender inside. I only wish I could have tasted the other dishes they were offering, as they sounded interesting.

WOW, there were definitely a TON of great dishes offered at this year’s Taste of Vero event. Which dishes made my TOP ATE? Check out my list below:

8. The Wave – Rock Shrimp Ceviche

7. Heaton’s Reef – Bacon, Cheddar, Grits Croquette

6. Joey’s Seafood Shack – Crab Cake and Cabbage Slaw

5. Bistro Fourchette – Trio of Crostinis

4. Ocean Grill – Caramel Flan

3. Vero Beach Yacht Club – Trio of Compound Salads

2. Blue Agave – Cabeza Taco with Carrot Slaw

And my #1 favorite from the night!

Citron Bistro – Ahi Tuna over Asian Noodles

In Conclusion:

From what I heard about last year’s event, I certainly was not disappointed. Over 20 restaurants came together to let you sample what they have to offer, and to support a great cause too. The H.A.L.O No Kill Animal Shelter is definitely a worthy charity, and the community always comes out in droves to support them. Tickets for this event sold out in less than 2 days! If you would like to attend next year, make sure you follow the Taste of Vero event on Facebook to keep up to date on when the tickets go on sale, and I’d suggest you purchase them the day they go on sale next year!

After tasting so many different dishes that evening, I was FULL, but very satisfied! ToV is a great way to get a sample taste from many different restaurants you may not have visited yet, but have been meaning to. If you attended the ToV, how did my favorites stack up with yours?

Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts on my selections.

Read The Taste of Vero 2016 – Part I

Taste of Vero 2016 – Part 1

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger for Vero Vine

The Taste of Vero 2016 – Part II

After hearing great things about this event last year, I’d been looking forward to it this year. Where else can you try so many different restaurants in one place, at the same time, for one price? The Taste of Vero is where! This event is sponsored by and a benefit for the H.A.L.O No Kill Animal Shelter and tickets go quick! This year they added an additional 100 tickets, for a total of 550, and it sold out in less than 2 days! You have to be on top of your game once the tickets go on sale to make sure you get them. Since Vero Vine was a sponsor, I was invited to attend the event and write about all of the great food served this year. There were over 20 different restaurants participating, serving up some really great food! Lets dive right in and see what everyone was presenting!

Vero’s Caribbean Kitchen – The first restaurant we tried is one of my absolute favorites in Vero right now. Chef Charles has some really awesome Caribbean flavors and he served two of his most popular dishes. Up front is his Caribbean Pork with a Pineapple Mango Caribbean sauce, and in the back is his Jerk Chicken. The pork was very tender and the sauce was sweet with just a little bit of heat. The piece of jerk chicken I got had a lot of bone in it, but was spiced perfectly! I’ve had his chicken in the past and thought it was under seasoned, but not this night. It was bold, but not spicy, and had lots of flavor. If you have not had a chance to check them out yet, I definitely recommend you do!

Eva’s Polish Kitchen – Up until my recent review of Eva’s, I had not had the opportunity to try authentic Polish food before. I was really glad to see them at the ToV this year. On the back of the plate was a Polish marble cake called Babka. It was moist and delicious! Next I had the Polish sausage with sauerkraut, and finally a stuffed cabbage roll. The sausage had the familiar snap to the casing and the kraut was tangy and very tasty! Their stuffed cabbage was fantastic! The tangy, slightly spicy red sauce over the top really makes the dish, and the meat filling was seasoned perfectly! Unfortunately Eva’s ran out of food before the night’s end. An indication of how good it was? I think so! Hopefully if you were there you got to them early enough to try some of their great offerings, if not, head on over to Eva’s on 43^rd Avenue, you won’t be disappointed.

Chelsea’s on Cardinal – Their offering was several different kinds of pizza. I selected one that looked out of the ordinary. I believe my selection was a Vegan Pesto Pizza. The crust was fairly thin, but was still strong enough to not flop when picked up. The vegetables were well seasoned and the pesto was slightly tangy. Overall a very nice offering.

The Buggy Bistro – They were serving a Pork Taco with onions and green pepper, with a cabbage slaw and grated cheese over the top. While the presentation was nice, the dish fell short of my expectations. The tortillas were not grilled before service and fell apart while eating the taco. The onions and peppers were quite crunchy and appeared to be raw. The flavors were somewhat mild, but the pork was nicely cooked and had good flavor.

Joey’s Seafood Shack – I’ve experienced Joey’s twice now, once at the Top Chef qualifier, and as a finalist at the Top Chef finale event, and both times their food has been outstanding! Their offering tonight was no exception, a Crab Cake with Cabbage Slaw. The crab cake was cooked perfectly, containing a generous amount of crab meat. It had a slight crunch on the outside which gave a nice texture variation, but the slaw was my favorite part of this dish. It was sweet, creamy, and oh so delicious! I definitely need to pay them a visit sometime to see what other great offerings they have on their menu.

Ocean Grill – This turned out to be one of my favorite desserts of the night! A Caramel Flan with berry sauce and whipped cream on the side. It was very smooth, creamy, and had this wonderful toasted marshmallow flavor. It only got better with each bite!

Countryside Citrus – Up next we have another dessert offering, this time from Countryside Citrus. A small slice of Key Lime Cheesecake, their wonderful Orange Soft Serve Ice Cream, and a sample of their Peach Salsa with Tortilla chips. While the two desserts went well together, I was a bit confused by the salsa. While it is very good, it did not really belong on the plate with the desserts.

The Wave – A very nice presentation and generous offering from Costa d’Este. They were serving Rock Shrimp Ceviche. It was topped with match stick sliced radish, micro greens, and fried plantain chips to finish the dish. Served alongside was a lime mojito. There was a generous serving of rock shrimp in the cup and they were wonderful. Tangy from the lime juice, the radish provided that nice crunch and the plantain chips were crispy. The mojito had a nice limey flavor with a hint of mint. The rum was a bit strong for my taste, but I’ve heard people rave about the Costa d’Este Mojitos so they must be good!

Trattoria Dario – They were offering two kinds of Meatballs. Two were in their tomato sauce, and the one was in their BBQ sauce. While the tomato sauce was good, and the meatballs were homemade, I was a little disappointed with their offering, considering what else I had already tried thus far this evening. The BBQ sauce was definitely homemade, but it lacked the punch I was looking for to drive these over the top.

Bistro Fourchette – This is a restaurant I had not heard of, but I definitely need to check them out after tasting their offerings. The salad is from Osceola Farms and is tossed in their in house champagne dressing. The three crostinis are as follows, from left to right: Caramelized Onions with Goat Cheese, Eggplant Caviar, and Oven Roasted Beef & Tartare Dressing. Everything on this plate was fantastic, the salad was lightly dressed, but very tasty, the crostinis were crisp and the ingredients they were topped with paired nicely with each other. A very well thought out dish!

Vero Beach Yacht Club – My wife was in attendance this evening to assist me, and this was one of her favorite dishes of the night. We were saddened knowing that by not being VBYC members we’ll probably never be able to enjoy this dish again. The trio of their “Signature Compound Salads” starting on the left are as follows: Tropical Krab Salad with Chef Bill’s one of a kind dressing, Massaged Kale Salad with an orange poppy seed dressing, and a Chicken BLT Salad with their unique creamy dressing. All 3 salads were fantastic! I’m not a big fan of kale, but this was very good. I think the BLT salad was our favorite out of all of these. So simple, but SO GOOD!

Citron Bistro – This was one of my favorites of the night! The dish was seared Ahi Tuna over Asian noodles and it was outstanding! The tuna was seared perfectly, and it was extremely tender. The noodles were cooked perfectly and the seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, and finished with chopped green onions. Kudos to the chef and staff in the picture above for this fabulous dish!

This concludes part 1 of my coverage of the Taste of Vero event, and I’m just scratching the surface of the offerings from the event with this first article. Stay tuned next week for part 2 and my final thoughts on this event and my TOP ATE dishes of the night!

Please leave your reviews, favorite plates in the comments below…

LOV Juice – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger for Vero Vine

View All Vegan Restaurants in Vero Beach | How hard is it to eat Gluten Free in Vero?

As someone who eats a mostly organic diet, I was curious to learn more about this place. I first got to try them with the gift certificate that I won from the Vero Vine Make a Plate contest. The more I visit this place, the more I learn about them and I’m impressed with what they are doing here and what they are offering. They are not only a juice and smoothie bar, but they offer some food items as well. LOV Juice has been in business locally for 3 years now, and just recently moved to a new location in Miracle Mile Plaza next to Fresh Market to better serve their customers. Lets dive right in and see what I had to eat!

Vegan Taco Salad – ($8.00) – I’m a huge fan of Mexican food, so I decided to give this salad a try. The greens are cabbage, the meat is made from walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and a Mexican spice blend. The sour cream and nacho cheese sauces are cashew based. I was simply blown away with how good this salad was. It was bold, crunchy, and the sauces were amazing, so full of flavor! If you think eating healthy is bland, LOV Juice will definitely change your mind. The taco “meat” had a meat like texture and had a nice mild southwest flavor to it. The salsa had a tiny bit of heat to it, not too much for the average person, and the sour cream and nacho cheese sauces were cool and very fresh tasting. I’m impressed!

12oz. Acai Banana Walnut Smoothie – ($8.00) – I asked what was one of their most popular smoothie was and ordered it. This smoothie contains acai berries, banana, walnuts, almond mylk, and apple juice. It was slightly sweet from the bananas and apple juice, the acai berry gives it the purple color, and the creaminess comes from their in house made almond mylk. While it had walnuts in it, I did not get much of a nutty flavor, but I do think it added some texture to it. I see why this is one of their most popular smoothies, it was very good!

Raw Avocado Key Lime Cheesecake – ($4.00) – I don’t normally order dessert, but this looked interesting. Don’t let the green color fool you, it does not taste green at all. You can’t even discern the avocado in it either other than the color. It was super smooth, very creamy and had a bold key lime flavor to it. The crust was made from almonds, dates and the coconut and was nice and sweet. I think this was my favorite part of the meal, so I’m glad I did not skip dessert this time!

In Conclusion:

I was really surprised by my experience at LOVJuice. I thought they were pretty much just a juice and smoothie bar, but they turned out to be so much more. I’m impressed with their offerings and the flavors I experienced during my visit. If eating healthy is important to you, then I suggest you give these folks a try and see for yourself how good their products really are!

Atmosphere – 5 Forks

Service – n/a

Food – 5 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Eva’s Polish Kitchen – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger for Vero Vine

I live close to Eva’s Polish Kitchen and have driven by it many times, but have not had an opportunity to try it yet. If you are not looking for it, you may miss it since it’s set back a little ways off of 43rd Avenue and its attached to the Chevron Gas Station. I finally had the chance to dine there and I am glad I did.

As a bona fide foodie, I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t have much experience with polish food, so this will be a new experience for me. I arrived in the evening on St Patrick’s Day and had the place to myself. While they have a very loyal following of customers, they must have been somewhere else enjoying corned beef and cabbage this night. As you enter Eva’s, you walk into what looks to be a small store with freezers containing frozen polish entrees and a counter to place your order.

While originally only offering take out, they later expanded and added a dining room to accommodate their customers’ desire for a place to dine in. I placed my order at the counter and was directed to have a seat in the dining room. The dining room is cozy yet comfortable with a plant shelf and black & white artwork of what I imagine are polish landmarks. Table cloths were colorful and each table had a small vase with flowers in it. A condiment bar is also available for your convenience.

Looks like my food is ready, so let’s dive right in and see what I had to eat!

Pickle Soup – ($3.99) – I’ve never heard of pickle soup before, so I decided to give it a try. This traditional polish chicken and vegetable soup is made with potatoes, carrots, onion, pickle, garlic and finished with chopped dill. The pickle aroma was subtle, but you definitely knew it was there. The dill was not overpowering at all, it had a nice mellow flavor.

Goulash – ($6.95 lunch) – One thing I did notice on the menu that sounded familiar was this dish. To me, goulash is what I grew up eating in the 70’s. You remember that mixture of ground beef, tomato sauce, and elbow macaroni? Thankfully our palates have expanded since then. This goulash was made of pork, celery, onions and secret spices. The pork was tender with just a little bit of chew to it and was not spicy at all. What I received was obviously different than my expectations, and not having much experience with authentic polish food, I was pleasantly surprised, it was very good! The price above is for the lunch portion, but I asked for more of a side dish of it so I could try it.

Polish Plate – ($15.99) – I ordered the sampler platter since it was the best way for me to try many different polish dishes all at once. Starting at the back left was the stuffed cabbage. The red sauce over the top was sweet, bold, and had a tiny bit of heat. It was really good! It’s made with tomato puree, catsup, pepper, onion, garlic, heavy cream and was topped off with freshly chopped dill. The cabbage was generously filled with a mix of ground pork, turkey, white rice and spices. Next I tried the smoked kielbasa & sauerkraut. The sausage was smoky, salty, and had a nice snap to it when I took a bite. It was served over a bed of sauerkraut and topped with caramelized onions. The potato pancakes were fantastic! The edges had a slight crunch to them from being fried, and the middle was soft and tender.

The potato pancakes were served with sour cream, but you can also request applesauce on the side as well. I tried them both ways and I think I liked them best with the sour cream. I definitely could have eaten a few more of them! Last but not least were the pierogis. The menu says it comes with 3 of your choice, but they gave me 4 of them, so I could try each variety. Cabbage, Cabbage & Mushroom, Potato & Cheese, and 3 Meat (Beef, Pork, & Turkey). They were all topped with diced caramelized onions. My two favorites were the Potato & Cheese and the 3 Meat pierogis. The Potato & Cheese is one of the most common combinations. The potato was nicely seasoned and it definitely had a bold cheese flavor to it. The 3 Meat pierogi was seasoned with onions, garlic, and I believe a little bit of dill. Everything on this sampler platter was very good!

In Conclusion:

Since this was my first time having an authentic polish meal, I don’t have any previous experience to compare it to. I’ve never been a big fan of sauerkraut, but this dining experience has changed my opinion about it. Eva’s is truly a hidden gem in Vero Beach. If you are looking for a truly authentic polish dining experience, then look no further than Eva’s!

Ratings:

Atmosphere – 4 Forks

Service – n/a

Food – 4 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Come out and Try Eva’s Polish Kitchen at The Taste of Vero April 6th from 5:30pm – 8:30pm hosted by The Oceanside Business Association.

Eva’s Polish Kitchen

40 43rd Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32968

(772) 978-4200

Vero’s Caribbean Kitchen – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger for Vero Vine

As I would drive by this restaurant just off of 20th and 43rd Avenue, I would think to myself “that place sounds interesting, I should try it sometime”. Now I’m sorry that I didn’t try it sooner! I had the opportunity to try some of their food at the Top Chef preliminary event, and what I tasted there piqued my interest in going there to try more of those Caribbean flavors! A few weeks ago I stopped by for lunch and the food was amazing! Charles Cervone, Caribbean Kitchen’s owner and chef, started cooking out of his home. When demands for his food outgrew his home kitchen, he decided to open the restaurant. He faced many challenges, but with the help of his family and friends, Caribbean Kitchen opened a little over a year ago and is doing very well. I went back for dinner the other night and below are the dishes I tried during my visit.

I went for dinner on a Tuesday night and the place was not too busy. The dining room decor is simple with seating at the counter or in booths and the walls adorned with some colorful artwork. I sat at the far end of the counter and was promptly greeted and offered something to drink. As I browsed the menu, I realized that there were so many items that I wanted to try, that it was going to take a many visits to be able to do so. I placed my order and only had to wait a short time before my first plate was presented to me. Lets dive right in and see what I had to eat!

My dinner selections came with a small dinner salad and some steamed cabbage to start. The salad was a simple green salad with chopped tomato and cucumber with the chef’s house made balsamic dressing. It was thick, slightly sweet and tangy. I detected a hint of Italian seasonings in it. The lettuce was crisp and the vegetables were fresh. The steamed cabbage was cooked perfectly, and had a little bit of heat to it. Cooked cabbage can sometimes be bland, but this was really good!

Oxtail with Black Beans and Yellow Rice – ($12.00) – If you are a regular reader of my articles, you will know that oxtail is one of my favorite meats. I had it at the Top Chef finale and it was wonderful! The oxtail here is no exception. It was cooked until perfectly tender and the dark rich sauce over the top was fantastic! The meat is still on the bone, which adds additional flavor, but it also makes it a little more challenging to eat. I chose black beans and yellow rice as my sides and they were both delicious! The beans are cooked in a ham base, and have onions, garlic, cilantro, and the chef’s house made sofrito sauce. This is one dish that I would order again!

Ropa Vieja with Roman Beans and White Rice – ($10.00) – The smell from the Ropa was intoxicating! It reminded me of my grandmother’s stuffed peppers. It’s made with shredded beef and is in a tomato and pepper sauce that is absolutely delicious! The meat is very tender, and the tomato pepper sauce is very mild. The Roman Beans were fantastic. Made with cumin, onions, garlic, cilantro, and chorizo sausage, they had that slow simmered taste and were very tender!

Arroz Con Gandules – ($0.00) – The chef came over to my table during dinner and brought me a special treat to try. This is not something that is on his menu, and he only makes it occasionally. It’s called Arroz Con Gandules, or also known as Rice & Pigeon Peas. It has onions, garlic, peppers, and pigeon peas, along with the chef’s house made sofrito sauce. Unfortunately it’s not on the menu, but it should be, it was that good!

Sweet Plantains – ($2.50) – To complete my meal, I decided to try his Sweet Plantains, and I was not disappointed. They were fried perfectly with a slight crunch to the outside, and the inside was soft and sweet! A really nice way to round out a fantastic meal!

In Conclusion:

If you’re like me, always driving by and saying that this place looked interesting, NOW is the time to stop and give them a try. They get great reviews from everyone I’ve talked to, and the food could not be more authentic. The chef takes great pride in the food he prepares and it shows with every bite.

Ratings:

Atmosphere – 4 Forks

Service – 5 Forks

Food – 5 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Vero’s Caribbean Kitchen

4211 20th Street Vero Beach, FL 32960

(772) 257-6361

Come out and Try Vero’s Caribbean Kitchen at The Taste of Vero April 6th, 2016 from 5:30pm – 8:30pm hosted by The Oceanside Business Association.

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