OCEAN2000

It had been a while that I had taken a drive to Broward County to enjoy the culinary offerings at OCEAN2000 located at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort, at 2000 North Ocean Boulevard. I happen to love this place; not only for the restaurant, but for the amazing accommodations and amenities found at the resort. It's a fabulous spot to take a weekend off and transport yourself to luxury and relaxation at a moment's notice.

If you remember from a previous post I wrote on OCEAN2000, it is right on the sand, just steps away from the ocean. You can literally hear the waves as you look into your date's eyes. Romantic to the core, you may never want to leave.  Imagine then how excited I was to come back again and check out their new menu offerings. Chef Michael Bloise put together a magical menu for us, highlighting the fresh ingredients and flavorful combinations he is known for. Many of the spices he uses to prepare his dishes come right from a garden on the hotel grounds.

Chef Michael Bloise

The cocktail and wine-filled evening began with an array of starters that awakened our palates with both their presentation and aromas. For example, the first wave we shared included the 50 Mile Simple Salad, a fresh combination of leafy greens and shaved carrots drizzled in roasted shallot vinaigrette, and the Red and Yellow Beet Salad, an original salad prepared with meyer lemon, aji amarillo, white soy, and curried cream cheese. It was hard to imagine we were eating such healthy treats. But perhaps my favorite in this first round of delights was the Tiradito. Chef Michael Bloise created his own version marrying the flavors and textures of citrus, cilantro, avocado, aji panca and popcorn with the fish. It was amazing.

50 Mile Simple Salad

Red and Yellow Beet Salad

Tiradito

Local Littleneck Clams

Berkshire Pork Belly

As we heard the soothing sound of the waves crashing against the shore, our second wave of dishes were placed on the table. My top picks in this round included the Local Little Neck Clams made with all your favorites and mine: bacon, beer, foie gras and corn bread croutons and the Berkshire Pork Belly, a tasty mouth-watering dish tickling our taste buds with the flavors of dashi, orange juice, coconut broth, rice, basil and cilantro.  Another outstanding selection that had me oohing and aahing was the Oxtail Terrine, prepared with mirepoix, brown sugar soy and kale. It was definitely one of the most memorable dishes of the evening for me.  As if all this goodness wasn't enough in this very powerful wave, Chef Bloise treated us to an experience of his Chicken and Dumplings, a plate he takes great pride in and creates by grounding up chicken legs into a sausage, then giving it a Jamaican spin with macadamia pesto.

Oxtail Terrine

Chicken and Dumplings

Ancient Grain Risotto

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

The third and final savory wave, (before dessert of course), indulged us in a variety of equally excellent dishes from both land and sea. The parade featured Pasture-Raised Farm Chicken, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, fresh Local Snapper, tender and juicy Filet Mignon and my eternal soft spot, Seared Rare Ahi Tuna. The entrees were served with several house made sauces that were phenomenal. I tried just about all of them with different main dishes and they rocked. I brought home a bottle of Brown Sugar Soy and I practically wanted to drink it on its own. As for the side dishes that we sampled, my favorites were the Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and the Ancient Grain Risotto.

Pasture-Raised Farm Chicken

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Local Snapper

Filet Mignon

Seared Rare Ahi Tuna

Coconut Panna Cotta

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

You're probably wondering how I had any room left for dessert, and most importantly, how do I stay in such great shape after these feasts I partake in? Well, the answer to the first question is lots and lots of practice and the answer to the second question is lots and lots of gym time. So on to the sweets. The one that blew my mind both for its ingenuity and ode to my childhood with a bit of adult naughtiness was the Fruit Loops Creme Brûlée. This was one of those surprises you were hoping would work but you weren't quite sure it would. Let me tell you, not only did it work, but I didn't want to share it. I was hoping my fellow diners would just continue to talk amongst themselves while I dipped and repeated as much as I could. It was that good. Another dessert that was spectacular because of its presentation and delicious taste (of course I'm always partial to chocolate) was the Chocolate Chunk Brownie S'more. It had a perfect combination of sweet and salty with its salted caramel and toasted meringue. Other sweets we tried were the Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie and the Coconut Panna Cotta.

Fruit Loops Creme Brûlée

Chocolate Chunk Brownie S'more

I highly recommend that you go visit OCEAN2000 real soon and get a taste of their new seasonal menu. For more information, visit their website or call them at 954-556-7667.