Casa Bella
512 West Third St. 561/223-0077
Stuart
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This cozy new kid on the block is a mission to the north from Singer Island's larger and splashier Portofino. The menu is standard Americanized Italian, but with distinctive twists: The veal is sauteed with chopped shallots, bits of prosciutto and tomato, christened with vodka and finished with cream; the shrimp is partnered with garlic, mushrooms and spinach; the plump chicken breast is filled with mozzarella, mushrooms and spinach, sauteed with mushrooms and onions. Dinner, entrees $9 to $15, nightly.
Chuck Muer's Key West
1405 N.E. Indian River Dr. 561/220-3000
Jensen Beach
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This ultra-casual waterfront rambler dates to the mid 1930s, when a team of Tahitians built a Polynesian escape for singer Frances Langford. It was converted to a restaurant and part of the Outrigger Villas and Marina in l96l, five years after Langford married outboard-motor magnate Ralph Evinrude. The fun spirit of the late Chuck Muer is overlaid as an extra attraction. His group took over in l993, installing a seafood menu with an array of soups, salads, ribs, Jamaican jerked chicken, pastas and reliable steaks. Lunch and dinner, entrees $l0 to $24, daily.
Flagler Grill
47 S.W. Flagler Ave. 561/221-9517
Stuart
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Opened last January, this is the third of Julie and Don Loyd's downtown delights. If you want a sports bar, check into T.A.vern's, complete with a wood-burning oven; if you're looking for a casual cafe, there's the Riverwalk. For more serious sessions punctuated with a sensational wine list, start with an arugula salad dotted with mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes in olive pesto, or an endive-pear salad sporting goat cheese and toasted pecans in sherry-spiked roast beet vinaigrette. Follow with seared rare peppered tuna with bok choy, noodles and a lemongrass dipping sauce made with soy; wild mushroom ravioli with roasted red pepper sauce; or filet mignon with black bean-roast corn chili and mashed potatoes Dinner, entrees $19 to $25, nightly.
Flare's Village Cafe
6260 North Highway A1A 561/234-2666
Village Shops, Vero Beach
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Formerly known as the Village Cafe and before that Coco's, this attractive hideaway was taken over last winter by chef Jeffrey R. Rigg, who's gathered impressive credentials in San Francisco and Hawaii. Look for shrimp-filled papaya salads; shredded duck and crisp noodles tossed with sesame-wasabi dressing; grilled portobello club and Maui style crab cake sandwiches; sesame crusted seared tuna served sashimi style on Hawaiian cole slaw; cajunized tournedos of pork; and grilled tuna with tropical fruit salsa. Lunch and dinner, entrees $11 to $18, daily.
Hurricane Harbor
1540 N. Indian River Dr. 561/589-1773
Sebastian
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"Your Most Affordable Place for Seafood and Continental Cuisine on the Treasure Coast," declares the menu, but that's only one reason I'm fond of escaping to this old-timer on the Indian River. I like the sense of place, the history going back to 1927, its use as garage and fish market, oyster canning factory and bootleggers' warehouse. I like the freshness of the thick fillets of grouper, the respectful treatment of shrimp, the ribs and steak, and the fact that the first Tuesday of each month is German Night, with kraut smothering smoked pork, red cabbage and the best of the wurst. Lunch and dinner, entrees $9 to $19, Tues.-Sun.
Jolly Sailor Pub
1 S.W. Osceola St. 561/221-1111
Stuart
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Jolly indeed, in the best British manner, befitting an owner-operator with a sea chest of memories about all the nautical niceties hanging about from his nearly three decades on British ships. The sidewalk cafe is great for people-watching, the cozy pub ideal for meeting friends by appointment or accident, and the menu bristles with pub grub held at bay with standard, reliable American favorites. Lunch and dinner, entrees $7 to $16, daily.
Pearl's Bistro
56 Royal Palm Boulevard 561/778-2950
Vero Beach
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A balmy breeze from the islands where you can commence your reveries with white chicken chili, Rasta pasta and Jamaican jerked shrimp. Then proceed to Caribbean chicken with fruit, mesquite-grilled fresh fish sandwich or sensational shrimp enchilada with rice and beans Bahamian style; New York strip with super pepper-rum sauce, crisp fried Jamaican-style shrimp with mango salsa or dolphin steak. Lunch Mon.-Sat.; dinner, entrees $7 to $16, nightly.
Riverside Cafe
1 Beachland Boulevard 561/234-5550
Vero Beach
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A sensational spot to engage in the nightly sunset ritual. Settle on the deck, a few feet from wharf and boats at the eastern side of Barber Bridge, sip a drink, enjoy freshly shucked clams and oysters from the raw bar, spoon crocks of Carolina black bean soup, Caribbean conch chowder or chili with cheddar and chopped onions. Stretch your mouth over half-pound burgers, Reubens, sauteed grouper medallions, or get serious with such headier fare as crab-encrusted salmon, barbecue pork loin with a bourbon-Coca-Cola glaze, classic cioppino or paella. Lunch and dinner, entrees $12 to $19, daily.
Ruddy Ducks
4445 North Highway A1A 561/234-3880
Vero Beach
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With a name like this, what else do you expect than superlative roast duck and duck salads? Preceded by some excellent home-brewed soup, that's usually enough for me, but there are also fresh catches of the day, lemon-zapped chicken breasts and beef. These ducks take advantage of the waterfront location with a profusion of window tables; service is spiffy. Lunch Tues.-Sat.; dinner, entrees $l0 to $l7, Tues.-Sun.
Tangos
925 Bougainvillea Lane 561/231-1550
Vero Beach
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Opened in February l996 by Ben and Jill Tench, this spring-bright bistro lives up to its Creative American Cuisine subtitle. The kitchen impresses with roasted red pepper soup dolloped with chive-sprinkled sour cream; roast pork tenderloin with honey-bourbon barbecue sauce; grilled Colorado veal chop in a madeira-thyme reduction with risotto, and grilled fresh fish: grouper with papaya-pineapple salsa, salmon with dill-pesto coating and mahi-mahi in a macadamian crust. Lunch Tues.-Fri.; dinner, entrees $17 to $24, Thurs.-Sat.
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Restaurants
Around The State
Southeast
MIAMI
Casa Juancho
2436 S.W. Eighth St.
(305/642-2452)
A great tapas bar and a gathering place for doers and shakers in the Cuban-American community. Latin music nightly. Lunch and dinner, entrees $13 to $30, nightly.
Southwest/Tampa Bay
TAMPA
Mise En Place
442 W. Kennedy Blvd.
(813/254-5373)
Marty and Maryann Blitz have risen from a catering business to the peaks of culinary creativity. Lunch and dinner, entrees $12 to $20.
Central
WALT DISNEY WORLD
Flying Fish Cafe
Disney's Boardwalk Resort
(407/939-2359)
A fine display kitchen and a menu headlining flown-in fish and all kinds of California produce. Dinner, entrees $18 to $25, nightly.
Northeast
GAINSVILLE
The Sovereign Restaurant
12 S.E. Second Ave.
(352/378-6307)
Swiss-born chef-owner Elmo Moser delivers the best food in town: fine classics also variety with the likes of ostrich. Dinner, entrees $17 to $27.
Northwest
DESTIN
Elephant Walk
9801 Highway 98 West
(904/267-4800)
Exciting fresh seafood with dishes such as grilled tuna with scallops, served with Asian wildberry sauce.