Once upon a time, en route from either the Orlando or Melbourne airports back to Vero, we used to regularly stop off for dinner at the Chart House in Melbourne.
Part of the same group of restaurants that occupy many of the most spectacular promontories along the California coast, Melbourne’s Chart House was a dependable source of good food and drink – particularly on nights when another hour to Vero would get you there past what was then an earlier closing hour.
At the Melbourne Chart House, you could decompress from your travels with a martini while watching Charlie, the great heron, do a little fishing in the lagoon shallows. Then there was the salad bar – one of the best of the salad bar era of the ‘80s – and a nice piece of fish or a steak to follow. What wasn’t to like?
Then in the ‘90s, a Chart House opened in Vero. This seemed like a big deal at the time – a big time restaurant coming to Vero – but the Chart House on Royal Palm Pointe never really caught on. Its disappearance was not widely mourned, and as other restaurants sprung up on the route home from the airport (think Yellow Dog in Malabar), we drifted away from the Melbourne Chart House as well.
But recently, on a trip back to Vero from Orlando, we decided to see if it was still there – and I am happy to report that the Chart House in Melbourne is alive and pretty much as we remembered it. Entering the restaurant almost seemed like taking a step through the looking glass, with Charlie the heron (or perhaps Charlie’s grandson) still pacing back and forth outside the picture windows.
Our hostess seated us in front of one of those windows on a Friday evening, and our waiter quickly appeared to take our drink order. (Service here was very attentive.) As we glanced around, it struck us that little had changed since our last visit.
While the Chart House still has a salad bar (the manager said the regulars would riot if it ever were removed), we decided to order from the menu. For starters, I chose a Caesar salad ($7.99) and my husband decided to try the fried asparagus ($8.99).
The Caesar salad was a classic rendition – crisp romaine, shaved Parmesan, croutons, anchovies – and very large portion, easily large enough to be shared. The fried asparagus, four spears topped with fresh tomatoes and blue cheese butter, were tasty, though the upper part of the stalks was a bit chewy. An interesting appetizer.
For an entrée, I decided to try the jumbo lump crab cakes ($29.99), and my husband opted for the spiced yellowfin ahi. The crab cakes were two of the best I have had in some time, large cakes filled with lump crab and barely enough binder to hold them together, drizzled with lemon shallot butter and accompanied by Asian green beans. Superb.
The two large pieces of tuna were perfectly seared, rare exactly as ordered, and served with a ginger soy sauce, wasabi cream, and wasabi mashed potatoes.
While the waiter tried his hardest to talk us into the Chart House’s signature hot chocolate lava cake (which needs to be ordered at the start of the meal), we decided to decline – though one at a neighboring table, with a molten center made with Godiva liqueur, was drawing raves.
The Chart House has never been inexpensive. Dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine is likely to come to $120 before tax and tip.
But if you find yourself passing through Melbourne, or are of a mind to drive up on a Sunday for their brunch, we suspect you will enjoy this oldie but goodie.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at [email protected]. The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.
