Beacon — Restaurant in Jupiter

I wanted the experience of Beacon to be fresh in my mind (I was there last night) when I wrote this review to truly share the reason for 3 and not 4 stars (I rarely do 5 stars because those should be special when given and not common). First of all, I want to focus on the positive aspects of my dinner and commend the restaurant for an INCREDIBLE FOH. I had called in the early afternoon looking for a reservation to celebrate my cousin's birthday. Geri (I believe that was her name but otherwise, it was the person in charge of reservations) was professional, engaging, and thoughtful. Also, upon arrival their FOH team, particularly, Michael, could not have been more lovely. His attention to detail and welcoming nature were FOH dreams. I cannot emphasize how important for a diner that first experience is (more on the concept of first experience later). Upon being seated, we were promptly and warmly greeted by our server, Terry. We ordered the Portside (gin-based) and Bullfighter (tequila/mezcal -based). Both drinks were lovely and I do believe their cocktail menu is so worth trying in its entirety. For our first course we ordered the Ember-Roasted Stone Fruit Burrata and the Charred-Spanish Octopus. The burrata was delicious and octopus was tender and not chewy. For our second course we ordered the Lobster Bucatini and Ricotta Gnudi. The lobster pasta was light and the gnudi was delicate. Please note portions are on the smaller side so I don't recommend this as a true entree, but as a typical pasta course (second) they are acceptable. For our third course we initially wanted this enticing seared scallop dish on the menu, but were informed the dish has been replaced by a bouil·la·baisse type of dish and frankly, I was unsure why such a change would be made given Florida's summer temperature and how great it pairs with the scallop dish. The NY strip was perfectly cooked with a medium center and the accompanying sweet corn polenta could do without the fava beans. For dessert we ordered the chocolate and tropical fruit and they were both excellent. I love pavlova so I would love the tropical fruit in a less deconstructed manner (the chards were soggy and didn't retain the merengue consistency) but otherwise, their desserts are delicious and adequately priced (which desserts should be to entice a guest to maybe eat something they are too full to consider otherwise). In regards to the price which has been a topic of discussion in many reviews, I will say this, you are paying in part for the waterfront location. Do I think the price is a bit off? Yes. I recently had a very similar meal at a very well-known restaurant in Napa where the chef is an alum of 3, 3-Michelin star restaurants, and their version of charred octopus, their out-of-this-world and work-of-art version of their gnudi were cheaper than the versions offered at Beacon and their 35-day aged NY prime was similarly priced. This is the higher end location out of the 4-restaurant concept so I can see why the pricing is not on par with local market. Lastly, I want to preface the following comments by stating that our server, Terry, was beyond attentive to the extent that I left a nearly 25% gratuity. After we ordered our initial drinks and before our first course arrived, Terry had brought 2 glasses with maybe a 2-ounce pour of some sparkling (a true champagne/sparkling pour is 4 ounces and this appeared to be half). When the bill arrived we were charged for the sparkling and I would never make an issue, especially during a celebration, of why something that was provided when not ordered was charged, but I found the gesture to be not only tacky but, desperate. Never has a restaurant charged me for an amuse bouche sent by a chef or a celebratory drink sent by the bar. First impressions in dining, especially higher-end, matter because it is an experience and not solely the food that you are paying for. If you want to charge the prices for higher end/fine dining, you have to adhere to the quality and expectations that...

We SO wanted to love this place. Been wanting to check out the new restaurants on Love Street in Jupiter. Checked out Lucky Shuck a couple months ago and loved it. Couldn't wait to check out the Beacon. Unfortunately, this is a case of wanting being better than having. First of all, I was expecting a nicer place. The "bar" seating wasn't what I was expecting. I was thinking "Food Shack" on steroids but it wasn't even as good. Nowhere near as intimate and connected to the people cooking your food. On top of that, there's a lot of bench seating. Surprising, especially at this price point because that type of seating is more reminiscent of budget friendly places...which this place is not. The host was very nice and engaging as was our server Justin. Service was definitely top notch from everyone we interacted with and drinks were great too! Unfortunately, the food was a mixed bag at best. First of all, it's an odd menu which we felt was kind of small and left us a little lost trying to find something interesting. Our appetizers, the cheese and octopus dishes were okay but not great. Our entrées (both specials) were again okay but not great. My Wife had the snapper and I had the surf and turf. My steak was a great cut but undercooked. I ordered medium-rare but I got rare. The steak was very basic but the real disappointment was the "surf". It was shrimp instead of lobster and it was totally plain! Maybe a little salt and pepper but that's it. REALLY? For $94?! Dessert was good, we had the apple. Tasted interesting but was tough to eat. They serve it with spoons but it's actually easier to eat with a fork and knife. So, bottom line, the menu is overly ostentatious and crazy expensive so I doubt I'd ever go back, especially since the food doesn't live up to the hype. You can write this review off to being subjective but I think I may be on to something since the place was virtually empty at 7pm. Something that none of the restaurants around...

Our two couples had dinner on Tuesday nite, and had an unusual experience. First, this was my 2nd dinner at the Beacon, but the 1st in several months. The food was good….I had the Salmon , after an appetizer of Cacio y Pepe. I have food allergies, not the least of which is Celiac disease…and a major problem with asparagus. When ordering, I explained this to Max, our waiter. He was able to substitute gluten free pasta on the Cacio y Pepe. My comment was that it was average to good; the issue was that there was very little pepper in the dish, though a few whole peppercorns. Not inedible, but unusual. My choice for an entre came down to 2 items, both which had asparagus as the vegetable. I chose the salmon, and asked the waiter to substitute any green vegetable for the asparagus. He immediately told me… “No Substitutions”, but that he would check with the chef. When he came back, he said again that there were no substitutions. I explained again, and asked that the salmon be delivered with Brussel Sprouts. The meal came and the food was good. I suffered no allergy problems. When the bill came, I was charged $43 for the salmon and $11 for the brussel sprouts. How stupid, it’s supposed to be a restaurant, and cater to the needs of customers. To be unable to substitute a vegetable is utter nonsense. Of course this made the price of the salmon dish $54, which is really out of line. There are 6-7 restaurants within 3-4 miles of the Beacon, that serve the same salmon for $34-38 dollars. Sadly we won’t be back to the Beacon, as it’s not flexible enough for our needs. I’ve eaten at many Michelin 2 and 3 star, and they have all been accommodating. A silly, and impractical way to...