Like many longtime fans of the Scampi Grill, we were eager to see its new home on 20th Street just west of U.S. 1. So last Friday, less than a week after it opened, our party of three arrived promptly at 7 for our reservation (don’t even think about going without reserving).
Unlike the old Scampi, diners at the new Scampi have three options: a delightful rear patio area that seats about 40; the section nearest the door that is lined with booths; and a section with bare wooden tables that has more of a trattoria ambiance.
The patio, however, was already full when we arrived on a beautiful fall evening, and the booths had filled up as well. So we were shown to a table in the far section, which by 7:30 also was packed.
Our excellent server, Massimo, quickly took our wine order, and returned with a basket of hot garlic bread.
For an appetizer on this evening, we shared an order of calamari fra diavolo ($11.95), tender calamari sautéed with roasted garlic, Italian herbs and olive oil, tossed in a mildly spicy (oh, so good) marinara sauce. A tremendous start.
We then moved to the mixed salads, baby field greens with sliced red onion in a balsamic vinaigrette, which are complimentary with an entrée.
For main courses, I ordered one of the evening’s specials, the seafood pasta ($32.95); my husband went for another special, the almond crusted yellowtail snapper ($28.95); and our companion chose the melanzane al forno ($18.95), baked eggplant.
My entrée consisted of clams, mussels, shrimps, calamari, lump crab meat, and chunks of snapper and salmon, all served over linguine with a fra diavolo sauce. Absolutely fabulous.
My husband’s crusted yellowtail snapper was perfectly prepared, and finished off in a tasty chardonnay butter sauce. Delicious. And our companion raved over her eggplant, which was stuffed with ricotta and Romano cheese, herbs and fresh spinach, and backed with fresh mozzarella cheese and a plum tomato sauce. Yummy.
For dessert on this visit, we shared a slice of tiramisu – a great end to a great meal.
Dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine, before tax and tip, is likely to run you $120.
As we were preparing to leave, Chef Alessandro Amelio came out of the kitchen and began chatting with regulars from the old Scampi Grill.
A few years ago, Alex took over as executive chef from his father, Mimmo, and in our view Chef Alex is the most talented of the younger generation now holding forth in several of Vero’s long-established Italian restaurants.
So what’s our preliminary verdict on the new Scampi Grill? The food, we would have to say, is right there at the top of the Vero dining pyramid.
The ambiance of the new restaurant at this point is not as warm and intimate as the old Scampi, but a few more of Mimmo’s paintings and knick-knacks on the walls will remedy that – and the noise level is much better.
On the whole, with a cast of veteran servers, everything seemed to be going remarkably smoothly, though servers and the kitchen were both still getting accustomed to a new electronic ordering system. All in all, the new Scampi Grill is off to a smashing start – and Chef Alex and his veteran servers are waiting to welcome customers old and new.
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.
