INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A year ago, we visited one of Vero’s more venerable restaurants, the Quilted Giraffe, shortly after longtime owner Alberto Luis sold it to Patrick Tomassi.
At the time, Tomassi assured us nothing much was going to change at the Quilted Giraffe – and on balance, we thought this was probably good news for the restaurant’s loyal cadre of silver-haired followers who in some cases had been dining there for 13 years.
After all, how many Vero Beach restaurants can you name that became better after the original owner sold?
But a year later, we find Tomassi has made more changes than he originally anticipated – both chef-wise and menu-wise – and while we would not be inclined to say that things are great, a couple of recent visits suggest to us the Quilted Giraffe is moving in a positive direction.
When we stopped by on a Wednesday evening a couple of weeks ago, we were quickly seated amid the faux foliage in the dining room (yes, the ambiance is still pretty much the same).
For starters on this visit, we all went for salads. I opted for the spring mix with a vinaigrette dressing and my husband and our companion both had the Caesar salad, a classic rendition complete with anchovies.
Both were good; neither was remarkable.
For entrées, after some agonizing whether to try a dish new to the menu, the wild mushroom veal sauté, or the familiar filet of sole, I chose the veal; my husband opted for the evening’s special, lightly blackened swordfish ($25); our companion ordered the chicken breast rollatini ($18).
The swordfish was far and away the hit of the night – a gorgeous chunk of fish, perfectly prepared, and accompanied – as were our other dishes – by yummy smashed potatoes and tender asparagus.
Couldn’t have been better.
Our companion also enjoyed her chicken breast, a rollatini prepared with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and arugula. A bit dry, but tasty.
The surprise of the evening, however, was my veal: instead of the new veal sauté that our waiter had been talking up, I was served the Quilted Giraffe’s veal scallopini ($23).
Our waiter freely confessed to the mistake, but in fact the scallopini, topped with prosciutto, mozzarella and served with a shitake marsala demi-glace, was a very successful dish.
The veal was tender and the sauce was very tasty.
But I was curious about the dish I didn’t have, so a few nights later, we returned.
Our companion, instead of a salad, went for the New England clam chowder, which was better than most.
For entrées, I chose the wild mushroom veal sauté ($25), my husband ordered the sautéed filet of sole ($20), and our companion decided to try the cracker-dusted lump crab cakes ($24).
Let me start by saying that you really do expect to find at least some lump crab in lump crab cakes. This is not the dish to order here.
As for the sole, this very mild fish was lightly sautéed in a lemon butter sauce, with tomatoes, capers and chunks of artichoke atop the filets.
This dish was, in a word, bland – though a dash of salt helped.
The veal sauté – nice slices of veal in a blend of wild mushrooms and onions – was described as having a white wine pan sauce. The sauce, which would have considerably enhanced the dish, was pretty much missing in action.
For dessert, we decided to share a slice of a good espresso cheesecake. A party of two can have a full meal with a nice bottle of wine for about $90, before tip.
The Quilted Giraffe currently is selling two-for-one meal cards good for a year for $20, which would bring the tab down considerably if you plan to dine there regularly.
This restaurant seems to be on a positive track, but menu items involving sauces and spices need those to be a success.
Hopefully, the kitchen gets this right soon.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.