From time to time, we stray a bit far from Vero in search of interesting places to dine.
That’s because we don’t review roadside bars, delis, or breakfast places. We limit our dining columns to restaurants you might want to visit for an enjoyable dinner.
We update you on Vero’s fine-dining restaurants – and review some casual spots with music or great food – about once a year. In the greater Vero Beach area, the universe of these restaurants consists of just over three dozen – maybe 40 or so when you figure new ones open each year.
With 52 columns a year to produce, writing about these plus a couple of favorites in Fort Pierce, a couple more in Melbourne, and of course one in Jensen Beach, leaves me occasionally looking for other dining adventures to share.
So this week, I thought I would introduce you to two restaurants a bit farther south of us, but still an easy day’s outing. Jetty’s Waterfront Restaurant in Jupiter and the Ke’e Grill in Juno Beach, both owned by Jim Taube, have been around for years.
Jetty’s occupies a spectacular outdoor setting, offering al fresco dining on a terrace looking out at the Jupiter Lighthouse and boat traffic coming through the Jupiter Inlet.
For starters on our most recent visit to Jetty’s, we enjoyed the house salads that are included with all dinners. Then for entrées, my husband ordered the grilled swordfish ($32.95) and our companion went for the house crabcakes ($32.95). I, however, opted for a special which never seems to be included on the printed menu but is almost always available: fresh hog snapper ($38.95).
This is my favorite of all warm-water fish – a firm, white, mild-tasting fish that melts in your mouth – and Jetty’s prepares it magnificently in a lemon butter and wine sauce, topping it with crab meat and shitake mushrooms. To die for.
A couple of weeks later, we once again visited the Ke’e Grill. We often stop there on the way back home from Palm Beach Gardens. While it is not directly on the water, the Hawaiian ambiance – bamboo poles overhead and tiki torches by the bar – is very attractive.
On this excursion, my husband and I started by sharing a large California baby greens salad. Then for a main course, I opted for the Ke’e Grill cioppino ($37.95) – a medley of shrimp, scallops, fresh fish, clams, mussels and chunks of lobster, served in a fish broth over pearl pasta. While the broth needed more seasoning, the Ke’e rendition of this classic was a feast of perfectly cooked seafood.
My husband ordered the bronzed swordfish ($34.95), a beautiful piece of swordfish basted with light soy sauce before grilling. An interesting and delicious approach to swordfish that he said narrowly beats out the very good swordfish at Jetty’s.
Entrees at Ke’e come with two sides, and the most popular is their famous spinach Maria – a creamy spinach baked with a crust of cheese. A very rich, and popular, dish.
Dinner for two with a nice bottle of wine at either of these restaurants is going to come to about $120 before tip (though both offer a limited menu of great summer specials priced at only $19.95 for those who arrive before 6 p.m.; the crab cakes on Ke’e’s summer menu, for example, are identical to those on the regular menu for little more than half the price).
Jetty’s and Ke’e have been local favorites for many years, and are two of the northern Palm Beaches’ top places for seafood. Both are open daily, and are very much worthy of a summer road trip.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at [email protected].
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of this newspaper.