From time to time, we like to venture forth from Vero in search of something new and different.
While we have become spoiled by three decades of island life, and now complain like everyone else if we actually have more than a 30-second wait at a traffic light, a 30-minute drive to dinner really isn’t a terrible price to pay for an interesting dining venue and good food.
So last Thursday, we drove north up A1A for a half hour. We had been warned in advance that the appearance and décor of Ocean 302 Bar and Grill – set in a strip mall in Melbourne Beach – do not instantly shout “fine dining.” But give it a try, we were urged. The word several used to describe the chef’s approach with fresh farm-to-table ingredients was “eclectic.”
So we went in, were ushered to a table in the corner of the large dining room, and were handed both regular menus and a list of specials of the day.
You really want to tackle these menus before you start drinking. The description of the dishes was among the most complex I have ever seen.
Take the “Goose Island calamari” ($11), which our companion ordered as an appetizer. It was described as hopped, marinated bean town calamari, plus watermelon radish, plus herbed feta, plus wood-roasted spicy green tomato marinara, plus micro tops. Or the “nutty spicy tuna” ($14), which my husband chose. It was described as Georgia peanut and Carolina cayenne pepper crusted tuna, pan-seared and sliced, plus mango red pepper and sea bean salad, plus guava and papaya poppy seed coulis, plus sunburst farms trout roe, plus mustard blossoms. Whew!
Both turned out to be successful appetizers (through I didn’t think the feta did much for the calamari). But I decided to go for something that seemed relatively uncomplicated – the “wild and fun guy soup.” This turned out to be a delicious mushroom soup, though our server – unable to explain the “wild and fun guy” name – also had no idea why the price was $6.23. Got to be a story there somewhere!
Then for entrees, I picked the day boat scallops ($28), my husband chose the 16-ounce veal chop ($36), and our companion opted for the 10-ounce filet mignon.
My beautifully seared scallops were arrayed around a crispy hominy grit cake and were topped by collards and crispy leeks. Our companion’s filet was topped with Béarnaise sauce and crunchy toasted onions, and was surrounded by roasted potatoes and assorted veggies.
But the star of the evening was my husband’s veal chop. “One of the best veal chops I ‘ve ever had,” my husband said.
For dessert, we were handed a third complex menu and wound up sharing a dish called “camp fire” ($10) – chocolate pumpernickel cake, plus dark chocolate mousse, plus torched marshmallow, plus milk chocolate feuilletine, plus salted caramel sauce, plus cocoa soil – and a second dessert called “jamoka-me-crazy” ($10) – New York-style wahoo coffee cheesecake, plus graham, plus cocoa powder, plus duck fat, plus brown butter, plus 12-year Appleton rum foam, plus dark chocolate yum-yums.
Dinner for two at Ocean 302, with a couple of glasses of wine, can easily run $120 to $130 before tax and tip – but this is also a place where you could grab a couple of burgers or a pizza from the brick oven and spend less than $50.
So what’s our verdict: The food here is very interesting, combining lots of different flavors.
Is it worth a 30-40 minute drive from Vero? My husband would vote yes, if only for the veal chop. I would say, if you are looking for a new place to try for some very interesting tastes, it really is a fairly short trip.
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 this newspaper.
