✭✭✭1/2
Review: Sugar Reef Tropical Grill in Hollywood
By Judith Stocks, Sun Sentinel
Important: This article was last updated on April 8, 2010. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
 |
 600 N. Surf Road, Hollywood 954-922-1119 sugarreefgrill.com Cuisine: American Cost: moderate Hours: breakfast Saturday, Sunday; lunch Tuesday-Sunday; dinner daily Reservations: advised Credit cards: all major Bar: beer, wine Sound level: quiet in a beachfront sort of way Outside smoking: yes For kids: high chairs, boosters, children's items on request Wheelchair accessible: yes  |
|
Background: Hollywood's Broadwalk is packed with restaurants, but few refine the beachfront experience the way Sugar Reef does. Chef Patrick Farnault and Robin Seger — the husband/wife team who opened this gem in 1994 — call their restaurant a tropical grill, though the menu is eclectic and the French trained Farnault borrows flavors from around the world. You might remember the couple from their Victoria Park Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale.Ambience: The real estate is prime, with some tables just steps from the sand. Jimmy Buffett meets the mainland with glass mosaics and a funky ocean blue paint job.
Starters: Three gorgeous sea scallops remind me why I like Fernault's food so much. He has an extraordinary way with the ordinary. Beautifully seared, the blackened scallops ($15) with mango salsa arrive atop hollowed out cucumber cups filled with spicy mayo. Fresh red beet carpaccio dotted with goat cheese and scallions ($9) is another winning example of his skills.
Entree excellence: Farnault masters seafood, whether it's simply grilled mahi mahi with Creole salsa ($24), sauteed rainbow trout with lemon caper sauce ($23), grilled whole yellow tail with mango salsa ($33) or tropical fish stew ($24). Just as good is his sliced pork loin with Jamaican spices ($21), draped over buttery mashed potatoes drizzled with tasty brown sauce. Tender grilled veal tenderloin ($16, 4-ounces/$28, 8 ounces) has a thin wash of onion mushroom sauce with perfect amounts of Dijon mustard. Plump crawfish and andouille sausage ravioli ($25) pair perfectly with roasted red bell pepper sauce.
Sweet!: That vanishing classic, chocolate mousse ($6.50), is homemade, rich and chocolaty. But do not miss espresso dark chocolate cake ($8), which raises the bar on all other flourless chocolate cakes.
Service: Attentive and professional, they do the honorable thing by informing you that an automatic 18 percent gratuity is included when they drop off the check.
Dining deal: Order any dinner entree from the menu between 5-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and soup or a small green salad and dessert is included.
Contact dining correspondent Judith Stocks at judithstocksreviews@yahoo.com.