When a restaurant celebrating its 5th anniversary is at the top of its game, well established as an island favorite, there would seem little reason for change.
But Scott Varricchio, owner and executive chef of the Citrus Grillhouse overlooking the sea at Humiston Park, is not one to stand pat.
Last Thursday night, as we prepared to dine, he came by our table inside the pale blue dining room and confided that starting in May, he plans on some evenings to offer a special tasting menu.
“Want to try it tonight?” he asked. While I had been musing all day about his pan-seared sea scallop entrée, how could we say no?
So with some advice from our server, we ordered a couple of glasses of chardonnay, and sat back to await the start of the seven courses.
But first came an amuse bouche, a bite-sized hors d’oeuvre that on this occasion was an Asian-inspired tuna tartare. A very light and refreshing taste, with the heat of the marinade perfectly offset by an avocado purée.
Then the main event got underway with fresh spears of asparagus that had been steamed and chilled, topped by a poached egg that had been lightly deep fried. Seasonal asparagus and a poached egg make a lovely welcome-to-spring starter.
The second course was a deconstructed BLT sandwich, featuring a beautiful slice of Benton’s Tennessee bacon, slices of roma tomato, and in place of the lettuce, a sweet pea and pistachio pesto. This was served with mayonnaise that was a nice complement to the bacon’s smoky taste.
Next came scrambled eggs that had been whipped with a bit of Sardinian truffle pecorino, restored to an egg shell, and topped with fresh shaved truffles from Alba.
Sublime.
The fourth course was tagliolini, also with truffle pecorino, truffle butter and fresh shaved black truffles. Nothing goes better with this classic Italian pasta than a truffle sauce. From the very first taste, this dish was heaven.
The fifth course was a filet of Virginia flounder, lightly baked, set in a sweet pea stew. Very delicate.
Next came beautiful slices of a Wagyu New York strip steak, served medium rare, with a potato puree and haricot vert. The steak melted in our mouths.
And finally came dessert. We were given two to sample, a dark chocolate pot de creme, with salted caramel, chantilly cream, Marcona almonds, and a caramelized banana tart, vanilla cream, crispy puff pastry, chocolate ice cream, rum anglaise. Hard to choose.
With several glasses of excellent wine (we ultimately switched to a cabernet), our tab for two came to about $200 before tax and tip.
Chef Varricchio tells us he intends to offer a variety of seven-course tasting menus for $79, and four-course tasting menus for $49. Your total tab can run more or quite a bit less than ours, depending on which tasting menu you pick and your selections from the Citrus Grill’s excellent wine list.
We would strongly encourage diners to put Varricchio’s creativity to the test later this spring and try the tasting menus. In the meantime, there are a number of excellent entrées to choose from on the regular menu – including my scallops, which were being enjoyed by a diner at the table next to ours.
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.
