The Fat Snook — Restaurant in Florida

This place is so phenomenal we cancelled our reservations at another restaurant the second night we were in town so we could come back!

The first evening we were waited on by Denise. She was an absolute gem to have as our waitress and provided us detailed information on the specials, along with answers to our questions about the regular menu items and wine menu.

Both nights we were greeted with an amuse-bouche from the chef. I can't quite remember the whole description, but know that it included a bright and acidic cranberry jelly beneath a nut of sorts.

We ordered the 'Blue Crab Special' as an appetizer--that day it was a tamale, stuffed with corn and crab, atop an earthy mole sauce. The crab didn't overpower the rich corn flavor of the tamale. It was a nice, light hint of crab.

For dinner, my mother and I agreed to order the U-10 Seared Scallops and Farmers Market Pasta and split each of our dishes with each other. My father ordered the Catch #2 (sorry, he wouldn't let me take a photo of his food) which was a tripletail. Each entrée was artfully prepared and perfectly portioned. That's one thing I love about this restaurant--they don't have huge portions, which means you'll always have room for dessert! The scallops were HUGE and cooked to perfection. I also loved the toasted farro and blueberries which brought in both earthy/savory and acidic flavors to the dish. I wish I could take home bottles of the sauce on the Farmers Market Pasta. It was so light and fresh, which was the perfect complement to the vegetables.

My mother couldn't resist the calling of the Key Lime Pie that night, so we all got dessert. I opted for the chocolate pudding (they had a much fancier name for it) that had all kinds of whipped goodness on top of it. I was almost through with my dessert until my dad ended up finishing it for me after he asked for "one bite" to test it.

The second night we were lucky enough to get a table when they opened at 5:30. I had called ahead to make sure they had room and noted that our special occasion was me (FINALLY) graduating with my MBA. I was really touched when we arrived at our table and the staff had put together a congrats card on my graduation. Albeit something small, it was truly appreciated! Shoutout to Dante for making that happen--you're a rock star!

For an appetizer on the second night, we opted for the Ropa Vieja Lettuce Wraps (an off-menu/chef special item). Sorry guys...I forgot to take a photo of these because they smelled so good! I decided to try something different for my main course (shocking, since I'm a creature of habit and realllllly wanted to order the scallops again) and opted for the Lamb Chops. My oh my was that an amazing choice! I've never had freekeh before, but plan on including it in future dishes I cook after eating it at The Fat Snook. The plate was very well-balanced and the chef even allowed my lamb to be "shmedium" as I like to call it.

We all ordered dessert again (yummmmm) and I decided to have the almond cake with the pear baked inside of it. What made it extra special was the "Congrats" written in chocolate at the bottom of the plate. Again, a small gesture that really helped brighten my day!

I would definitely suggest calling ahead for reservations. The Fat Snook was packed both nights we were there! They are in the process of moving to a new location that will hold seating for more than twice as much as they can...

The Fat Snook, 2464 S. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, FL, 32931

5 Stars

New BBDO Numero Uno

After hearing nothing but good things about The Fat Snook in Cocoa Beach, I was excited when the name spewed from my random name generator. Other than hearing the food was delectable, I also read that they have been dedicated to supporting local food purveyors...no Industrial Food Service? I'm so there!

Gina is the waiter this evening, and let me tell you, she is incredible. She is now the new Number One server for the 3Q with a month to go. Game over. Thanks for playing. Gina performed her duties as one who truly loves helping people explore dining at its finest and not one under the guise of an ancient wedbedrip. My only regret is that I did not record her exemplary performance as a lesson to all who come after her. From menu knowledge to effective food presentation, Gina had it all. Maybe it helped that the food was so good, but I have a sneaky feeling Gina could turn a dining experience at your local Waffle House into a black-tie affair, though I find it hard to believe she would spend any amount of time jousting with an unreasonable customer request.

I asked Gina for one order of the Yellow Fin Tuna and the Amber Jack Sriracha Mussels. Before I even try to describe the array of flavors laid before me, could you look at the pictures? If I rated on presentation alone, this would be 5 Stars, and I would be done. However, as we all know, all I care about is execution. Hey, someone has to taste this stuff!

One bite of the Yellow Fin, and I knew I was in the presence of a master chef. I have rarely had any fish taste so extraordinary. The combination of the fresh vegetables and mandarin oranges assured me I had left the ordinary and stepped into the fine dining promised land. I don't know how else to explain it other than it was otherworldly, complex, delightful, and comprised of flavors I didn't know could be combined to achieve such edible bliss.

Forcing myself to move on, I placed a forkful of the Amber Jack into my mouth and died a little right there. If the Yellow Fin was all that, this was the bag of chips. The chef used an orange peel to offset the heat of the sriracha and in so doing turned a mild fish into a dazzling array of flavor layers you would expect to find in a Big City seafood joint as opposed to mild-mannered Brevard County.

The Big Boy says, “Hands down, new Number One. You need to go. They book through Open Table....

My first visit was during the 2018 October Flavor! FLORIDA TODAY Dining Month, and we loved every bit of the experience. See photos from this visit which are labeled with "2018 Flavor" in the captions. The following review is based on my most recent visit.

We recently came in for a midweek dinner date without a reservation, and potentially risked not being seated. The dining room isn't large, and from what I could tell there are only few tables that will accomodate a group larger than four. I strongly recommend getting in the habit of making reservations, for any day of the week.

Drinks - Beer and wine only, however a nice selection. Great wines by the glass and some really nice bottles to choose from as well.

Menu - Certainly a Florida seafood-oriented menu, though accommodating for the strictest carnivore as well. You can count on fresh seafood for the daily specials.

Amuse - We were started off with an amuse of a delicate pastry puff with goat cheese, celery and red onion. Wonderfully presented and bite-size, and packed with flavor.

Starters - Seared Jumbo Scallop and Roasted Beet Salad. The Seared Jumbo Scallops were perfectly cooked and the sear was well seasoned and on point. The accompanying banana polenta and bacon marmalade are what honestly, dreams are made of. Clearly we loved it! The Roasted Beet Salad was a delicately dressed and assembled. Lots of flavor is discovered in every bite.

Entrees - Bombay Seafood Pie and Grilled Duck Breast. The Bombay Seafood Pie was every bit of comfort food we were looking for. It's a rather large portion and plenty of scallops in the pie. The Grilled Duck Breast stole the show, as it did for me back in October. The temperature was perfect and the parsnips puree and mostarda bring it all together every time. The cracklings are my guilty pleasure.

Dessert - Nutella Chess Pie. Yeah, they basically had me at Nutella. To top this off, the pie is dressed with hazelnuts and an orange-scented whipped cream. Seriously, you can't make this up!

Decor - Coastal contemporary. Dim-lit dining room with uncluttered tables and a substantially intimate setting.

Service - Super passionate and knowledgeable staff. Again, small dining room and the staff certainly knows how to work the room in an efficient manner. With exception of the food expeditor, we interacted exclusively with our server.

Authenticity - Incredibly authentic menu. Incredible desire to provide fresh and local flavor to...