What’s a creative chef to do when her restaurant is packed night after night with loyalists who like things just the way they were the previous year?
If you are Chef Leanne Kelleher, the answer seems to be to make changes around the edges: A different approach to an appetizer here, a new sauce for an entrée there, keeping the menu fresh while not straying too far from dishes that have established the Tides as the favorite of many island diners.
Judging by the crowds that make a reservation mandatory even for a weeknight dinner, this approach to providing comfort food for the culinary cognoscenti is working to perfection.
For example, on our most recent visit, two members of our party stuck with the tried and true. I went for one of Chef Leanne’s soups – a luscious curried crab and corn chowder ($8) with crunchy fresh corn and big chunks of lump crab – and our companion enjoyed what always has been a favorite at The Tides, the wedge salad ($10).
But my husband, finding an old favorite, the “oysters 222,” replaced by a half dozen blue points ($16) nestled in a mix of Champagne and gremolata topped by a hollandaise glacage, decided to give that a try.
The oysters were sublime, with the richness of the hollandaise, lightly browned under a salamander, perfectly counterbalanced by the tang of the Champagne and gremolata. A new favorite!
For entrées, I opted for the pan seared, potato-crusted local grouper ($36), my husband went for the grilled swordfish ($36) and our companion chose the chicken saltimbocca ($28).
The grouper was a very nice piece of fish in a traditional Tides presentation. It was topped with jumbo lump crab, roasted shitake mushrooms, shallots and an Indian River citrus beurre blanc, and was served with haricots verts and a cauliflower fritter. Our companion’s herb crusted chicken, stuffed with fresh spinach, prosciutto, and smoked mozzarella, was accompanied by roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
But my husband’s grilled swordfish, a beautiful piece of fish accompanied by Mediterranean rice and crispy bay scallops, was another dish that has been updated. It now is served with sundried tomatoes, Kalamatta olives, and a very tasty romesco sauce – a nut and red pepper based sauce from the Catalonia region of Spain. Superb.
The mix of the old and the new clearly works. But the food, good as it is, isn’t the only attraction that keeps diners coming back to The Tides. The restaurant for years has had far and away the best front-of-the-house team in town.
It all starts with über-host Claudia Arens, who directs the front-of-the-house staff and makes sure that Tides regulars are well taken care of. But it doesn’t stop there. Assisting her is Valerie Martin, host at Maison Martinique during its glory days when her late husband presided over the kitchen.
Both stop by tables and check up on diners all evening. And while our very attentive waiter on this visit was new to both Vero and The Tides, two long-timers who have served us on previous occasions came over to say hello – always a nice touch. Even the busboys here are solicitous.
On this evening, we decided to forego The Tides’ very tasty desserts. Dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine, if you have dessert, will run approximately $150 before tip.
So while there are new tastes to be had if you are feeling adventuresome, dining at The Tides is much the same as it has been in recent years – which is to say, the food and overall experience at this beachside restaurant is very, very good, indeed.
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.
