Harbor Cove Restaurant: Fresh fish, reasonable prices
Some 15 years ago, we discovered a new restaurant at what was then a new marina just across the drawbridge at the southern tip of our barrier island.
Then as now, if you drive south on A1A and make a quick left turn at the end of the causeway into the Harbortown Marina, a slalom course of twists and turns through the parking lot brings you to the dockside restaurant. There, it is easy to settle in at a table on the deck, watch the comings and goings at what has become one of the busier marinas around, and pretend you are still on the island and not on the edge of Fort Pierce.
Over the years, what is now the Harbor Cove restaurant has been through a couple of names, a few owners, and some ups and downs. But for a time now, it has been owned by Robert Maple – who also owned it for a spell in the early days – and it currently is serving up good fresh fish in a casual waterfront dining environment.
Two recent visits persuaded us that if your goal is fresh seafood, very reasonably priced, which you can enjoy in a relaxed al fresco atmosphere, the Harbor Cove is an excellent choice.
On our most recent visit, I started with a half-dozen steamed claims ($5.95) while my husband tried the New England clam chowder ($2.95). This ex-Bostonian rated the chowder 7.2 on his scale of 1 to 10 – higher than he gives the clam chowder at most restaurants in the area.
I was interested in trying the steamed clams because on my previous visit, I had the clams with garlic broth ($10.95), which I would be inclined to prefer. I think I still would pick the clams with garlic – the clams were smaller and tenderer, and I like the garlic – but I was not a fan of the yellow broth, which seemed to me to keep whispering “butter.”
For a main course on our most recent visit, I enjoyed the grilled scallops and scampi ($17.95). The scallops were tender and juicy, as fresh scallops should be, and we have found the scampi at Harbor Cove to consistently be fresh and delicious. My husband had the fried oysters ($14.95), perfectly fried, tender and succulent.
Both dishes were served with excellent fresh veggies.
On a previous visit, two members of our party enjoyed the shrimp scampi ($14.95) – again, excellent shrimp – while I had the same shrimp in a tasty provincial sauce (also $14.95). On this occasion, my husband had the sesame encrusted grilled tuna ($16.95).
This was a lovely piece of sushi-grade tuna, served lamentably overdone – but then replaced with a perfectly prepared piece by a most apologetic waitress.
For dessert, we tried both the Hurricane Cake ($3.25) – a rich chocolate dish not on the regular menu – and the Harbor Cove key lime pie ($2.50), a slightly sweeter rendition of this dish than we would prefer.
The best thing going for Harbor Cove is the freshness of the seafood. The sauces, alas, tend to be a bit bland (and on a couple of occasions, the explanation clearly lie in the fact that the raw shopped garlic which had been sprinkled on the dish had not cooked).
But you can have a first-rate fresh seafood dinner – with appetizer and perhaps even dessert – for under $25 a head before tip. Tough to beat that in these environs.
This restaurant is a bit out of the way for 32963 residents; even if you live in the Moorings, it takes a good 15 minutes to make it to the foot of the island. But it is a very pretty spot for al fresco dining. And if you don’t want to wander back up the island after dark, Harbor Cove is open daily at lunch time as well, offering similar entrees – at even more reasonable prices.
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
Daily, 11 am to 9 pm
Bar
Full Bar
Address (MAP)
1930 Harbortown Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, Telephone: (772) 429-5303
Online
www.harborcoverestaurant.com
