VERO BEACH — Ever have an evening when you were in the mood for food that was a continent away from the culinary cravings of your dining partner?
Well, last Tuesday evening, I was in the mood for paella and my husband was convinced it was a night for seafood or steaks.
The easy solution was The Wave at Costa d’Este, where you can enjoy great steaks, fresh seafood, the best paella in town, or interesting Cuban and Peruvian dishes.
Sound like something for pretty near everyone?
This was the second time in little over a month that I enjoyed the paella at The Wave ($30 for one, $50 for two), and Peruvian Chef Antonio Estremera certainly has this dish perfected.
The key to a great paella lies in the rice, and on both visits, Chef Estremera’s rice could not have been tastier. The mix of seafood, chicken and chorizo also was excellent.
While my husband on occasion joins me in the paella, on this most recent visit he ordered the pan-seared Scottish salmon filet ($26). This was an excellent piece of salmon, cooked in a citrus beurre blanc, and served with roasted fingerling potatoes, sautéed baby heirloom tomatoes, asparagus and beech mushrooms.
Both of us left The Wave happy, as was the case a few weeks earlier, when I again had the excellent paella and my husband on that occasion had the blackened swordfish ($28), a thick piece of swordfish served with a pineapple chutney over Caribbean coconut rice.
For starters on that earlier visit, we began – as we often do – with ceviche.
While my husband in the past had particularly enjoyed the ahi tuna and avocado ceviche, we decided on this evening to share a “trinity” of ceviches.
This beautifully plated dish consisted of a black mint and corn ceviche, the rocoto pepper ceviche, and a Peruvian yellow pepper ceviche.
The ceviches were served with crispy dried plantains. All three of these ceviches owe their exciting tastes to Peru, which currently is having its moment in the gastronomic sun.
The rocoto pepper ceviche, a mix of calamari, shrimp, white fish, red onion and cilantro, was bright, flavorful, and surprisingly not too spicy despite the influence of the rocoto chile peppers, one of the staples used in Peruvian cuisines.
In fact, we found the Peruvian yellow pepper ceviche, which had pretty much the same seafood but in this case marinated in a Peruvian yellow pepper Leche de Tigre, to have a bit more of a kick.
The two were wonderfully complemented by the ceviche made from Peruvian black mint and Peruvian corn.
While the paella and fresh seafood was just the thing on these visits, I would be remiss in not mentioning Costa’s “steak nights.”
Every Wednesday is “steak night” at The Wave, where you can have a choice of sizzling cowboy steaks, filets, ribeye steaks and strip steaks, accompanied by a variety of steakhouse sides, all for a price in the low $30s.
On our most recent “steak night” visit, from the four steaks on the menu, I opted for the Kansas City strip steak and my husband picked the five peppercorn-rubbed cowboy steak.
The other choices were a bacon-wrapped petit filet (this is the first time I have ever seen my husband pass up anything wrapped in bacon) and a 14-ounce blackened ribeye.
Since the steaks continue to sizzle away for a few minutes on their skillets, I would recommend asking for them to be cooked a speck rarer than your usual preference.
Both steaks were well seasoned, which made them very flavorful. With my steak, I asked to have both a garlic and herb butter compote and a horseradish cream served on the side.
Of the two, I thought the horseradish cream better complimented the steak. My husband had an excellent brandy and black pepper cream sauce with his ribeye.
Whether you are in the mood for a steak, seafood, a paella or perhaps one of the excellent Cuban dishes from Gloria Estefan’s kitchen, when you visit, you are in for a great meal at The Wave.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at [email protected].
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.
