When the Dockside Grille opened last summer in the location of the former Ellie’s on Royal Palm Pointe, it seemed a logical extension of Bobby McCarthy’s beachside restaurant – with a similar, slightly more extensive menu and the same great burgers.

A year later, Bobby is gone (differences of opinion, we are told, with co-owner Jerry Maher), and on a couple of recent visits, one of Vero’s great maitre d’s, Endre Toth (formerly of Carmel’s), was no longer presiding at the front podium (Endre assures us he’ll be back in October).

But while some of the faces are different, what hasn’t changed very much is the food, which remains excellent whether you are in the mood for burgers, steaks and seafood, or one of the many choices in between.

On our most recent visit, I wasn’t terribly hungry so I ordered the jumbo pan-seared scallop appetizer ($11) as an entrée. I was presented with three gorgeous, enormous scallops seasoned with diced scallions and red pepper and served in a luscious cream sauce, and the waitress also brought a side dish of rice.

Together with an excellent house salad, which included a couple of large chunks of prime tomato, it made for the perfect light dinner – at an amazingly low price.

My husband, who was somewhat hungrier, ordered the pork tenderloin ($20) crusted with peppercorns and served with a dollop of tangy sour cream garlic sauce. The pork, cooked medium rare, was perfection, and was accompanied by a baked sweet potato.

But these only represent a tiny sampling of the good things to eat at the Dockside.

On previous visits, as appetizers we have sampled Dockside’s tomato-based chowder ($4), which was excellent, and their lightly breaded fried calamari ($11), served with a marinara sauce.

For main courses, Dockside steaks and seafood are hard to beat – even by restaurants that make these a far more expensive specialty.

While the fresh catch of the day varies, on one visit my husband had a piece of perfectly seared soy-and-sesame encrusted tuna ($27) served rare, exactly as ordered.

For steaks, I generally opt for the 12- ounce New York strip ($26 – a 16-ounce version is $28), but on another occasion, the 16-ounce ribeye ($28) was, if anything, even better. And if you are in the mood for a smaller steak, the New York strip sandwich ($14) – an open-faced steak topped with onion straws – is a great dining value (and hardly can be called small).

The steak tidbits ($12), marinated London Broil served on garlic bread, are also yummy. Another house specialty you may want to consider, if you are a rib lover, are the Danish baby backs ($23) served in a zesty barbeque sauce.

If most of these sound familiar, it’s probably because they all also are offered at the original Bobby’s. But one item offered at the Dockside that is not found at Bobby’s are the flat breads. While these come in several varieties, my companion on one of our visits had the chicken flat bread with goat cheese, onions and broccoli ($11), which she pronounced very tasty.

No review of Dockside would be complete, however, without special mention of the burgers. Identical to those found at Bobby’s, they are – simply put – the juiciest, tastiest burgers found anywhere in our town.

While we rarely have room for dessert when eating at Dockside, we recently shared a slice of homemade blueberry bread pudding – which now seems to be the pièce de résistance of a number of Vero restaurants. Dockside’s is as delicious as any of them.

The Dockside Grille is split into two rooms -- the bar area, where booths surround the large central bar, and a dining room, where tables look out on the canal to the south side of the restaurant. There also is a small but very attractive outdoor dining area overlooking the canal for evenings that are not too sultry.

For the moment, if you are thinking of a visit to Bobby’s and want to try a Plan B, the dining experience at Dockside is close to identical. Which is to say, excellent food at a fair price. Dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine should come in under $100 before tip.

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.

Hours: Daily, 11:30 am to 10 pm

Bar: Full bar

Address: 41 Royal Palm Pointe

Telephone: 772-569-6865

Review first published: July 2, 2009