So Many Dishes

I promised a post about our lunch in Vero Beach yesterday, because it was a delicious meal in an unusual setting.

There aren’t many places where you can look out at the surf while you eat, but that’s a feature of the Ocean Grill. Built in 1941, it’s built on pilings over the beach. When it was built, it was 200 yards from the surf, but, as the beach has eroded over the years, the water is a lot closer now.

The building was constructed by Waldo Sexton, who was instrumental in the development of Vero Beach. Sexton was as quite eccentric, and that’s reflected in both the building and decor of the restaurant. You definitely need to watch your step, because it’s two steps up here, a step down there. I wish I had taken a picture of our table, which was an oddly shaped piece of wood—so unusual that the shape defies description. There are plenty of Spanish antiques, as Sexton was a collector. I looked up as I came out of the ladies room and came face to face with a suit of armor.

But what about the food, Lynn? As you might expect of an oceanfront restaurant, the menu stresses seafood. They try to always have three types of fresh fish available for dinner. The lunch menu included grouper and mahi sandwich specials, plus a seafood chowder that sounded really appealing. But I knew what I was going to order before we walked in the door. Ocean Grill serves a delicious roasted beet salad that is unique and one of my favorite salads anywhere. Red and golden roasted beets top mixed greens, along with red onion, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds. I opted not to add grilled chicken or shrimp, and went with the recommended balsamic vinaigrette. It was just as tasty as I remembered. Ken chose the same salad, but decided on the creamy dill house dressing, which he enjoyed.

There is no question, when we go to Ocean Grill, that we are going to split a piece of Bailey’s Irish Cream chocolate chip cheesecake for dessert. It’s as decadent as the name suggests. Ken isn’t even a cheesecake fan, but he loves this, too. It is worth every calorie!

We need to take another road trip to Vero Beach so that we have an excuse to go back to Ocean Grill. Hmm, it’s been a long time since we went to the nearby botanical garden….