When visiting the beach on the East Coast of Florida, fresh seafood is a must have. I was recently there with some friends from work and we decided to check out Stonewood Grill in Ormond Beach.
They are in a perfect location, just across the street from the beach. When I got out of the car I could feel the ocean breeze. They have great outside seating. It would have been perfect if it was not raining that day.
Since I was there with a group, we all decided that we would order a few appetizers to share. While we were all trying to agree on what to order, our waitress brought out a basket of fresh breads. This basket was not filled with ordinary bread, they had cranberry rolls and fresh baked pretzel bread.
As soon as I laid eyes on the pretzel bread I knew I needed to grab it quickly while it was still hot. It was lightly covered in salt. The pretzel dough was super soft and very sweet. I could have eaten an entire basket of just this. The only other item that would have made this outstanding would have been beer cheese for dipping.
The first appetizer to come out were the Bleu Cheese Chips. These were homemade, fresh cut potato chips. These were just like the ones my dad would make when I was younger. On top of these chips were bleu cheese crumbles; a balsamic vinegar reduction that drizzled across the chips. There was also a bleu cheese aioli that was poured on top.
There were a few accents of Rosemary and Thyme. Those were just for appearances because it did not add anything to the taste. The tanginess of the balsamic and the bleu cheese kind of canceled each other out. Not one overpowered the other. The bleu cheese aioli kept everything calm. The chips added great crunch.
The other appetizer we got was the BLT & E Crab Stack. This was basically a salad that was piled up into cylindrical layers of color.
There were layers of lettuce, ripe tomato slices, hard boiled egg slices, chopped up bacon, and topped off with layers of tender lump crab meat. Drizzled all over the layers was a homemade remoulade, basil pesto, and a balsamic vinegar reduction. This was an amazing salad. It ended up being a little harder to share. We had to cut the lettuce and tomato in order for everyone to have a little. This would have been perfect for one person to order as a salad prior to their meal. There was no need to have to share it.
For my main dish I ordered the Ginger Lime Salmon. This fresh filet of salmon was covered in a ginger lime marinade and then grilled over oak wood. The salmon was placed on top of a fresh Asian slaw.
The crispy slaw was made up of cabbage, carrots, and snap peas and then covered in a sesame ginger dressing. The dressing was full of flavor and I just wish they added more to the plate.
The salmon was cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy and took on the flavor from the grill. The fish was flaky and moist. It tasted great with the bite from the ginger.
It was time for dessert. We all agreed to get a few to share around the table. The Pumpkin Cheesecake was a sleeper. I did not expect this to taste so good. I figured it would be overly seasoned like other pumpkin items out there. The cheesecake was super creamy and the pumpkin added a flavor just like pumpkin pie.
The Lemoncello Cake was another amazing choice. The white cake was fluffy and soft. There was sweet cream in between each layer of the cake. On the top was a layer of lemon pudding. The lemon added the right amount of tartness that was calmed by the sweetness of the cream.
The last dessert we ordered was the Chocolate Bread Pudding. Chocolate was mixed throughout to create a chocolate bread. Then it was baked and covered with an amazing vanilla sauce. It was served with a deliciously creamy vanilla ice cream. They also accented it with a chocolate wafer-like cookie.
All of these desserts were amazing. Actually everything about the meal was amazing. They have 9 locations across the State of Florida, so I would recommend seeing if there is one near you. See their menu at www.stonewoodgrill.com
Enjoy!
T
