Critic's Review
Formerly Joe's Riverside Grill, the guys who used to own Dixie Tracks Cafe took over this place; I reviewed Dixie Tracks just after they announced this place and I didn't care for the service, or their version of Jerk chicken. There was some comedy a few weeks ago when I was dis-invited to their media day at the last minute because it was "full"; it's pretty funny that they couldn't find a chair for the biggest site in the city. I wouldn't have gone, but it's nice to know when a restaurant isn't just inviting people that they know will tell them what they want to hear.
It's been cold in the mornings lately, but today it was 74, sunny, and I started thinking about brunches. I remembered this place; they're not open for lunch and I'll never come here for dinner, so I figured I'd go early when traffic was light. I like driving on Sunday morning; it's one of the few times I can crank up the M-Sport and have some real fun driving. I made it in 17 minutes, which is absurd; it would take me 30 minutes at lunchtime during the week. Rather than sit in the parking lot for 10 minutes, I took a spin around the neighborhood. Pompano is hopping on Sunday morning; the Beach Grill was packed. There's some sort of yoga thing going on at the beach and a lot of people walking around; Old people get up early you know.
I pulled in at 10:02 and there was a spot in the lot. It's a pretty small lot so I'm guessing that most of their customers are on foot from the nearby condos.
They've power washed the decking at the restaurant's entry so it looks a lot better than it did before.
The restaurant is actually part of a hotel; so you can also go in through the hotel. The decor of the hotel is dated; from a time when teenagers rocked the beaches here. I'm surprised they haven't remodeled in 30 years.
The bar is actually in the hotel lobby.
One good thing about being in a hotel is that you can dine poolside; I'm not sure if this it restaurant seating but they didn't offer to seat me by the pool.
On such a nice day I felt obligated to sit outside; although the fact that there wasn't a single person inside had some influence. I would have liked to sit "on the water", but the awning isn't quite long enough to shade the morning sun; you can't really sit in the outer seats unless you want to wear wrap-around sunglasses while you eat.
In the bright sun you can see the age of the chairs and the wax buildup on the tables. It's not a new restaurant.
I ordered coffee and the "Crabby" Benedict, which is advertised as blue crab with a yuzu hollandaise.
The coffee came out shortly; one good thing about coming early is that the coffee is likely to be fresh. But when I opened my rollup, I found that I didn't have a spoon.
I don't use sugar in my coffee at home, but I have really good, strong coffee at home. I have to add sugar when I get the junk they serve in restaurants now. I got a spoon and waited for the food.
The eggs came out in 11 minutes.
The first thing I do with a benedict is break a yolk so that it oozes all over the food; but the first "poached" egg was soft boiled, so there would be no oozing.
The second egg was cooked properly, so not a total loss. The first thing I noticed was that the crab was cold; the other obvious issue was that these tomatoes were not confit as advertised; they were "raw, sliced in half" (confit tomatoes are slow roasted in olive oil, typically.). These tomatoes had no place in this dish; they didn't fit in any way. The peas added some color but to me they don't pair particularly well with eggs. Another problem was that the crab was all over the place, which is why Benedicts are usually made with crab cakes. The "meat" is supposed to be between the egg and the bread, but this was more like eating a salad.
I tried to add some salt and pepper, but the pepper shaker was completely empty. I got one with pepper on request.
There was a biscuit underneath that was quite tasty.
The hollandaise was also nice and citrusy; very good. Despite the flaws, I liked the dish. It would have been better if the tomato was prepared as advertised. I would have like to get the brisket hash with the hollandaise; I think it would have been better than the crab.
Conclusion
What we have here is yet another restaurant with an overzealous chef using too many ingredients to prove his chefhood. The recipes are a bit too ambitious; they don't even have a classic Eggs Benedict on the menu for those who don't want crab and peas. But the big story here are the prices, which are too high for this end of town. These are Las Olas prices, which explains why the Beach Cafe was packed and there were 4 tables here.
The name of this place is beyond curious; it sounds like some sort of rustic taproom, but it's really just a restaurant in a small hotel with badly outdated decor. It is on the water, which is better than if it wasn't on the water.
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