With many of Vero’s top restaurants closed on Sunday, you might want to consider taking a leisurely drive south to Hutchinson Island – the barrier island immediately below us – to try one of two restaurants there named Pietro’s.
That’s right: just south of the St. Lucie nuclear plant, you come first to Pietro’s on the River, then a couple of miles beyond that, you reach Pietro’s on the Ocean. Both plan to be open on Sundays all summer.
Our advice would be to keep going the extra two miles down A1A, because while the two restaurants boast great island views – expansive sea vistas at one, sunsets over the lagoon at the other – Pietro’s on the Ocean has a slight advantage in ambiance and food.
On our most recent visit this past Sunday, we were seated at a window table overlooking the sea grapes and beach. For starters on this evening, I opted for the roasted beet salad ($8), our companion went for the classic iceberg wedge ($9), and my husband decided to try the lobster bisque ($9).
My beet salad was very nice, as was our companion’s wedge with fresh beefsteak tomatoes. But my husband’s lobster bisque was superb – large chunks of lobster in a not-terribly-creamy bisque augmented by a dollop of sherry. One of the best I’ve tasted (yes, I insist on sampling).
Then for entrées, I chose the seafood special of the day, a piece of cobia ($34); our companion opted for the lobster-crab cake entrée ($32); and my husband ordered the prosciutto-wrapped swordfish ($27).
My cobia was beautifully pan seared, sealing in the juices, served over a wonderful sundried tomato and mushroom risotto, and topped by a citrus fennel salad with a mango gastrique. Our companion’s two sautéed lobster-crab cakes were topped with fresh mango pineapple salsa.
But my husband’s swordfish made him the evening’s double winner – a thick, perfectly broiled piece of sword, wrapped in prosciutto, and served with a chardonnay butter sauce over sautéed spinach and tasty herbed orzo. When swordfish is good, it is wonderful.
We finished our meal with an apple crisp ($8) and espressos.
The dining experience was a bit of an upgrade over our visit the previous Sunday to Pietro’s on the River, which befitting a restaurant located on the grounds of the Island Dunes Country Club, has a country club ambiance.
On our most recent visit there, we started with a crispy fried calamari appetizer ($10.95), and both the calamari and the marinara sauce were excellent. Then for entrées, I ordered the Veal Porterhouse Toscano ($33.95), and my husband decided to try the filet ala Pietro ($31.95).
My husband’s tenderloin of beef, served with sauteed mushrooms in a light demi glace and sprinkled with gorgonzola cheese, alas came more medium than the ordered rare. I was happier with my veal, pan seared then finished in the oven, and topped with a rosemary infused chianti demi glace and roasted mushrooms.
While the food the evening we dined was good, it did not measure up to what we had at Pietro’s on the Ocean. And where the architectural detail of the beachside restaurant is really quite spectacular, Pietro’s on the River feels a bit in need of a refresh.
At either of the two restaurants, dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine is likely to run about $130 before tax and tip.
If you are disinclined to drive after dark, both of these restaurants also serve lunch. Whether you decide to stop at Pietro’s on the River, or go the extra two miles to Pietro’s on the Ocean, good eating and great views await you an easy hour drive south of Vero Beach.
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.