Café Coconut Cove: Authentic Deutsche cuisine
Having lived for some years in Munich, from time to time I get a hankering for German food. While there is no place to totally satisfy that craving in Vero (the Melody Inn is an excellent choice, but it’s Swiss), I discovered a few years ago that you can get an authentic German food fix by driving north on Vero’s barrier island to Café Coconut Cove in Melbourne Beach.
The name of this restaurant offers no hint that the cuisine inside is prepared by a restaurant family that came here two decades ago from Aachen. But in this attractive hide-away on the Indian River lagoon, the décor and ambience is unmistakably Rhineland, and the menu is definitely Deutsche.
On our most recent visit, we dined a bit on the early side (we were on our way back to Vero from Melbourne) and decided to pass up the excellent appetizers. We previously have started meals with the German potato pancake appetizer ($7.50), small, golden brown and crispy potato pancakes, served with sour cream or apple compote, and delicious homemade liver paté ($7.50).
This evening, we began with the small but excellent German mixed salad which is included with your meal.
For entrees, my husband opted for the peppercorn schnitzel ($23) and I ordered the grilled ribeye steak ($22) served with creamy horseradish sauce.
I had not previously had the ribeye here. Generally, I go for the rouladen plate ($18), consisting of a bratwurst (yum), red cabbage, and a thin slice of beef rolled and stuffed with seasoned meat and onion (the rouladen), braised in its own gravy, or the combination plate ($20.50), which also gives you the brat, sauerbraten and red cabbage along with a jäger schnitzel (pork schnitzel).
But the ribeye, cooked medium rare, was nicely complemented by the creamy horseradish, and my husband enjoyed the schnitzel, a lightly breaded veal cutlet, sautéed to perfection, served with a creamy peppercorn sauce. Both dishes came with a potato puff and a vegetable, in this case sugar snap peas. We also shared a side of asparagus ($5), nice tender spears that were a perfect accompaniment.
On previous visits, other favorites have been the pork shank ($22), slow roasted with tomato, onion garlic and seasonings, and the Wiener schnitzel ($22), cousin of the peppercorn schnitzel which instead of a peppercorn sauce is served with sautéed mushrooms.
For desserts (which are all $4.50), the classic German choices are homemade Black Forest cake and homemade apple strudel topped with vanilla ice cream. Impossible to go wrong with either.
Dinner for two at Café Coconut Cove, together with a nice bottle of wine, comes in for well under $100 including tip.
Café Coconut Cove also has a handful of outdoor tables, right on the Indian River. The combination of the riverside setting, the old-world European charm you find inside the restaurant and the good German food are hard to beat.
But I should note that the restaurant, which sits back down a lane from A1A, is a bit hard to find. It’s easy to miss the Café Coconut Cove sign. Your best bet is to note the mileage as you cross the A1A bridge over the Sebastian inlet. When you have gone 11 miles from the top of the bridge, you are about there.
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
Dinner: Tuesday through Saturday, 5 pm to 9 pm
Bar
Beer and wine
Address (MAP)
4210 South A1A, Melbourne Beach, FL, Phone: (321) 727-3133
Online
www.cafecoconutcove.com
