VERO BEACH — For a special night out, there’s still something special about Maison Martinique – even though it’s no longer the near-unanimous pick for island’s top restaurant as it was during the glory years of Chef Yannick and hostess Valerie.
Nevertheless, while dinner with Yannick and Valeria long gone can be frustratingly inconsistent, this temple of classic French cuisine remains one of Vero’s most elegant – and most expensive – restaurants. And on any given night, it can be very good.
So on a recent Saturday night, we dressed for dinner (you don’t see many people in beach casual at Maison Martinique) and along with our two guests, presented ourselves for our 7:30 reservation. Greeted warmly by the hostess, we were ushered to a table in the Bamboo Room, the larger (and in our view more attractive) of the two dining areas.
After starting us with glasses of chardonnay, the server began the lengthy recitation of the evening’s specials. Remembering all those dishes each night cannot be easy, and it’s a challenge for guests as well as for the servers.
For starters, I opted for the blueberry salad ($12), my husband chose the escargots ($14), one of our guests voted for the spinach salad ($12) and the other picked the tomato salad ($10).
The tomato salad, consisting of sliced red and yellow tomators, greens, red onions and dressed with a goat cheese balsamic vinaigrette, was excellent. The blueberry and spinach salads were also very tasty.
The escargots are served out of the shell in a cassolette with a mushroom, shallots, garlic, thyme and cream sauce. Sinfully rich.
Then for entrées, I ordered the roast rack of lamb ($42), my husband had the grilled swordfish ($36), one of our companions was tempted by one of the evening’s specials, the veal chop ($40) and our other companion ordered another special, the filet stuffed with gorgonzola cheese ($36).
The lamb was wonderful, beautiful lamb chops served a perfect medium rare, roasted with Dijon mustard and garlic herbed bread crumbs, and served with a Garlic-Herb Sauce.
The swordfish was also perfectly cooked – quite an achievement given that the fillets were a bit thin – and the steak drew plaudits from our companion. The veal chop, however, was a disappointment. Instead of the thick juicy chop that had us drooling when ordering, this one had been butterflied and was overcooked.
Puzzling.
All of the dishes were beautifully plated, accompanied by very nice sides.
For dessert, two of us shared a three tier almond cookie crisp ($12), consisting of créme chantilly, fresh strawberries, and raspberries with a raspberry coulis. The other two, who didn’t know what they were missing, enjoyed sambucca’s ($10).
Dinner for four with wine came to $320 before tax and tip.
While these are not bargain prices, we were surprised to see that Maison Martinique’s special summer menu has morphed into a fall menu that continues to be offered nightly from 5:30 to 7:30 – a three course dinner for $19.95. This menu offers chilled soup or salad, a choice of one of five entrées, and dessert.
As we reported in the summer, the portions served on this menu are generous, seemingly indistinguishable in size from the entrées we enjoyed from Maison Martinique’s regular menu.
Best of all, this deal can get a party of two out of Maison Martinique, even with a glass of a modest wine, for around $70 including tip – an unheard of tab for dinner at this stylish restaurant.
Chef Yannick’s acolyte Posner, who still reigns over the kitchen by night, is clearly able to turn out a fine meal. And if you yearn for the old Maison Martinique, and strike it on a good night, you can still enjoy some excellent French cooking.
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.
