Café Chardonnay: Fine dining in Palm Beach Gardens
With Vero Beach 32963 now publishing weekly all year, there regrettably are not 51 restaurants in our community that warrant an annual review. So from time to time, I will be visiting restaurants within easy driving distance that have been recommended by readers.
One that several island residents have told me they enjoy is Café Chardonnay, a nouvelle continental/American restaurant in an unlikely setting next to a dry cleaner’s in an aging strip mall a couple of blocks north of the PGA exit from I-95 in Palm Beach Gardens. Since Café Chardonnay is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, we figured they must be doing something right – and decided to give it a try.
When we stopped there on the spur of the moment on a Tuesday, arriving without a reservation (not a great idea at this popular place), the smiling hostess did not stick us at a small table (which has been known to happen elsewhere) but escorted us right past a couple of these to a corner banquette for four with a view of the entire attractive room.
In addition to a small raised dining platform at one end, there is also a loft area, making the quite elegant restaurant more visually appealing – and giving it a more intimate feel – than it would have had otherwise.
While we thought our gracious treatment by the hostess might be attributable to expectations of a slow evening, that guess turned out to be wrong. By 7:30, the restaurant was full.
Within seconds of our arrival, one of the many servers hovering about arrived to present a basket of bread (rosemary focaccia and French bread) and take our wine order (we chose a modest Merryvale chardonnay from a good wine list, $46).
On this evening, I started with one of the day’s specials, a watermelon salad ($11). My husband wanted to start with the sautéed foie fras and apple tatin ($22), but I talked him out of it and he went for something only slightly less rich, the escargot scampi style ($12).
The watermelon salad consisted of baby arugula, feta cheese, pine nuts, cucumber, and of course tiny pieces of watermelon, all in a sherry vinaigrette. An excellent, refreshing salad. The escargot was not the classic approach, but was served with cherry tomatoes in a garlic white wine sauce with grilled crostini. A different and very good dish.
Then for main courses, I ordered the hand cut fettuccine with Maine lobster and diver scallops ($39) and my husband had another of the day’s specials, the fire roasted black grouper ($35).
The fettuccini was perfectly cooked, and the nice chunks of lobster and plump juicy scallops were served in a truffle reggiano parmesan cream sauce. Yum. The grouper came with a lobster risotto carbonara with peas and bacon. A very nice piece of fish and a very tasty preparation.
We concluded our meal with espressos ($2.95). With wine (but no room on this evening for dessert), the check came to $150 before tax and tip. It is very easy to top $200 for two at Café Chardonnay.
While we only have sampled the two seafood dishes, on a return visit we would be strongly inclined to try the herb and Dijon crusted rack of lamb ($38), the Portobello and gorgonzola stuffed pork chop ($28), or the pan roasted veal chop served with an organic wild mushroom risotto and a brandy morel sauce ($43).
The excellent food and fine wine here are fully matched here by the service, which is exactly what you would hope for in a top-tier restaurant. This is certainly a fine place to pause for dinner after a day of shopping at the Gardens Mall, and if shopping is not your thing, it is well worth a drive on its own.
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 Vero Beach 32963.
Hours
Monday to Saturday, 5:30-10 pm Lunch weekdays, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
Bar
Full Bar
Address (MAP)
4533 PGA Blvd (in the Gardens Square Shoppes)
Telephone: (561)-627-2662
