It sits out in the middle of nowhere, is a bit on the smallish side, doesn’t take reservations, and if you blink while you are blasting down U.S. 1 at 50 miles an hour, you might easily miss it.
Not exactly the conventional formula for success in the restaurant business.
But forget the conventional wisdom. Against the odds, Chill & Grill has turned an out-of-the-way location on U.S. 1 – midway between Vero and Sebastian – into a restaurant success story.
Located in a bright pink building set back from the street across from the Polish-American Social Club (that’s the landmark to look for), this cozy grill – with open kitchen at back and bar along the south side of the room – has a friendly, casual vibe.
But the dishes being served there by Chef Scott Burch – for six years executive chef at Windsor – are the equal of any being offered in the area’s fine-dining restaurants.
On our most recent visit, we arrived at about 7:15 on a September night, and were ushered by Chef Burch’s wife Csilla to a table on the right side of the dining room.
For starters, I ordered steamed clams ($13.99), my husband went with the iceberg wedge ($7), and our companion chose the calamari fries ($10.99).
My husband’s large wedge of iceberg was as nice as you could want, topped with red onion, smoked bacon, tomato and a delicious blue cheese dressing.
But I quickly noticed that he seemed more interested in my steamed little necks and our companion’s calamari fries.
The latter look just like French fries, but are made from calamari cut lengthwise, rolled with panko bread crumbs, and deep fried. Served with aioli, they make a tremendous appetizer to share.
But I wasn’t very eager to share my little necks. Steamed in a pinot grigio, garlic and clam sauce, this dish is heavenly, and is accompanied by a baguette for soaking up every drop of the delicious sauce.
For entrées, I chose the lamb chops ($17.99), my husband opted for the tuna special ($24.99), and our companion had the crab and bacon mac and cheese appetizer as an entrée ($14.99).
My two T-bone lamb chops were perfectly grilled medium rare, and were served over a summer tomato salad with feta cheese and a Greek dressing.
The tuna special consisted of two steaks, grilled rare as ordered, and served with white rice and green beans in an extremely tasty creole style étouffée.
Our companion’s bacon and crab mac and cheese was one of the most sinfully rich dishes I have tasted recently.
On previous visits, we have enjoyed the seared duck breast (beautiful thin, medium rare slices of duck on a bed of spinach); the wood oven roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes (a wonderful comfort dish); the blackened shrimp and grits (a great rendition of this Southern classic); and braised short ribs (they fell apart with the touch of a fork).
On this most recent visit, we passed on desserts – but on other occasions have been unable to resist the house-made Key Lime pie.
Chill & Grill at this point has a more than adequate selection of wines, and an interesting selection of specialty craft beers on draft.
Dinner for two with a couple of glasses of beer or wine should run in the $90 area before tax and tip.
In its U.S. 1 home, Chill & Grill has developed an intensely loyal cadre of customers who come from both Sebastian and Vero to this restaurant.
While the location may require a bit of a drive, try Chill & Grill and I think you will agree the 15 or 20 minutes in the car was time well spent.
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 this newspaper.
