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At first impression of The Plantation restaurant in Harvey Cedars, the interior had an old tavern feel, lit dimly, but brightly enough, with a stone tile floor and comfortable wooden chairs. On inspection of the menu, presentation of the food and further thought, I got a sense of being outside in the evening on some tropical island, tiki torches for light, relaxing into the night.
The restaurant features Island-inspired cuisine and decor to match, giving it a “Caribbean, ‘Tommy Bahama’ type look,” general manager Paul Sabarese said. “We thought it would fit in perfect with the Island.”
Adding subtle, quirky touches to the charm are swirly-handled silverware, asymmetrical, twisted glasses and a bi-level floor, with two steps going up or down throughout the main floor. The central bar area itself is between these two levels, with some seats normal height and two steps down to the slightly lower level with chairs of bar stool height.
The menu is speckled with Island infusion, with lots of coconut, tropical fruits, spice and some Asian influence.
We started our meal off with one of their specialty appetizers, Key West conch fritters with papaya-jicima slaw, mango-habanero ketchup and finished with Jamaican dark rum. The trio of fritters sat in the spicy mango sauce with a good level of zest. We also sampled the creamy lobster bisque, drizzled with chili oil for a little kick of its own. Also popular as an appetizer are the ahi tuna nachos, served with avocado, jalapeno, roma tomato, red pepper jam and a soy drizzle.
Sabarese says their signature main course dishes include their pan-seared local sea scallops with sweet white corn, asparagus-smoked bacon risotto, pesto aioli and tomato vinaigrette; grilled ahi tuna with scallion-sticky rice cakes, baby bok choy and sweet chili soy vinaigrette; and coriander-dusted beef tenderloin with roasted pablano-cheddar potatoes, asparagus and lump crab-lime hollandaise.
My companion had the honey-chipotle glazed pork tenderloin, served with Gulf shrimp, fufu mash, blood orange-red onion mojo and micro cilantro. The fufu mash, made up of plantains, bacon and apparently joy, was to him perhaps the best thing on his plate, and the waiter had great things to say about it as well.
In addition to the regular menu, a separate vegetarian menu is available, freshly revamped as of last week.
“We try to change the dinner menu and lunch menu every season,” Sabarese said, but the vegetarian menu hadn’t been changed in a while and they needed an update for the summer. The new menu includes sweet potato enchiladas, red bean and plantain ravioli and orange-ginger glazed tofu with wild mushroom rice, among other delicious-sounding and meat-free options.
I chose an entrée on the previous vegetarian menu, as we dined the last day it was available. The Thai coconut curry tofu and vegetable stir-fry featured baby bok choy and asparagus (also frequent on the menu). I was pleased that the firm tofu didn’t fall apart with the insertion of my fork, as I have experienced in other restaurants.
For dessert, the Sandy Coconuts caught our attention. A half-coconut sat on a plate of crumbled graham cracker sand, full of coconut and chocolate mousse with toasted coconut slivers on top. The Plantation serves alcohol, so I had a tasty dessert drink — their Café Plantation creation, hot coffee with Malibu rum and Kahlúa.
The Plantation also has happy hour drink specials every day from 4-7 p.m., including $2.50 mojitos, 20 percent off liquor and glass wine and $3 domestic bottles.
The restaurant opened in 2003, as part of a group based in Philadelphia, “one of the many restaurants and hotels in a partnership group headed by the highly respected Martin Grims.” Among those others is Daddy O in Brant Beach, where Sabarese has also served as opening dining room manager.
The Plantation is open daily for lunch and dinner, and is located at 7908 Long Beach Blvd. in Harvey Cedars. More information, including lunch and dinner menus, can be found on the restaurant’s Web site, plantationrestaurant.com. For reservations, visit the Web site or call (609) 494-8191.
