One of the things that has always bemused me is the belief of some Vero restaurateurs that newspaper dining reviews are – or should be – written for their benefit. The only reason for dining reviews, they argue, is to put more bodies in seats at restaurants.
Forget whether a dining experience in their establishment has been good or bad. Why would we hint that anything was less than perfect? Who cares if a reader, based on one of our reviews, visits a restaurant, and feels misled? Even the slightest criticism by us brings howls from restaurateurs. “How could you do this?”
Interestingly, a leading detractor over the past seven years has been the proprietor of a restaurant that we actually like – Bobby McCarthy, owner of Bobby’s.
Bobby seems to lump this paper with American Express cards and websites in the category of things he could do without.
We mostly say very good things in reviews of Bobby’s because this long-established beachside hangout has been serving good food – from burgers to steaks – for as long as we can remember.
Bobby, on the other hand, seems always to be grousing about our reviews, and we somehow have annoyed him to the point where this past week, he declined to let our photographer take food photos – we try to always photograph a restaurant’s tastiest looking dishes – and said he didn’t need or want our “promotion.”
Well, let me start by saying we don’t view our efforts to inform readers what they can expect on a restaurant visit as “promotion.” And we intend to continue writing reviews – and accompanying the reviews with photos of dishes – whether Bobby likes it or not.
It hasn’t yet come to the point where I feel the need to wear wigs or other disguises in visiting Vero restaurants – a practice not unknown to dining critics in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. But if it comes to that, I still have a wig leftover from chemotherapy.
In any event, on our most recent visit to Bobby’s when things were thinning out a week ago at mid-evening, we had an excellent dining experience.
For starters, I enjoyed the house salad – included with entrées – while my husband ordered a wedge salad (a nominal upgrade fee, as is a Caesar). The wedge salad is in fact one of the best in town, and the house salad is good as well.
Then for entrees, I ordered the broiled sea scallops ($22.95) and my husband ordered the seared tuna special. The sea scallops were perfectly prepared, and the slices of seared tuna were a thing of beauty.
On an earlier visit, I had the prime rib ($26 for the 12-ounce size; $29 for the 16-ouncer) which is touted on the menu as “local’s favorite.” The prime rib, juicy and tender, may well have been worthy of this accolade.
Another time, I had a flatiron steak served with five shrimp prepared scampi style. Then there are the steak tidbits, strips of marinated London broil served open face with gravy on garlic bread. Bobby’s says this is its number one seller, and it is easy to see why. The steak is as tender and tasty as you could possibly ask, and at $12.75, the price is more than right.
I would also be remiss in not noting another entrée we have tried on previous occasions – Bobby’s baby backs ($23.95), a rack of seasoned and flavorful glazed ribs which are better than those at any of the rib houses in the area.
Dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine, before tip, runs about $90. If you stick to Bobby’s excellent burgers, the tab with wine runs about $60.
After all these years, Bobby’s is still going strong.
It’s a place where you can dine fairly late by Vero standards, and still enjoy a good meal. Bobby may not always like our reviews, but we still like Bobby’s food.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.