Ebb & Flow — Restaurant in Melbourne

Ebb & Flow Element Melbourne Oceanfront Hotel 2655 N. Hwy. AIA Melbourne, FL 32903

3.5 Stars

Well, butter my buns and call me a biscuit! I thought for sure I was done with Brevard, but we have a few more to get to before we skedaddle out of these here parts. This one is for the restaurant located in the new hotel built on the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Oceanfront, specifically the Element Melbourne Oceanfront by Marriott. I do not put much stock in hotel food, based on my own experience. They have you trapped and know it. This is the same reason a bottle of water will cost you $ 5 in an amusement park and $ 2 at a 7-11. Now that the parking lot is gone, everyone must use valet parking; however, if you are dining and not a hotel guest, there is no charge.

Before delving into the grub, I have to mention the server, Jonah was outstanding in every way a server should. I am batting a thousand since my return, and life is good. I asked Jonah for one Dragon bowl and one Birria Beef Dip Sandwich. Whatever you do, do NOT look at their website for a valid representation of their food. You will be catfished.

When Jonah returned with my order, I snapped the prerequisite photos and sat aghast. The fish in the Dragon Bowl looked to be at least seven years old. However, it did not have the smell one would expect to find wafting off of a fish that had been sitting around for seven years. I found that it is the sauce that gives it that look. It consists of ahi tuna, sushi-grade salmon, spicy krab salad, sushi rice, shaved black radish, edamame, avocado and wakame. This was quite tasty on the palate. The rice was fluffy, fun and as good as you will find in any sushi joint. The edamame was also excellent.

I found the Birria Beef Dip Sandwich to have a similar visual appeal to the fish bowl. It was also surprisingly edible and lip-smackingly scrumptious, just like the aforementioned Dragon dish. This thing looked like an escapee from the microwave oven and was bursting with flavor, with zero bad aftertaste (which, upon inspection, one kind of expects). The garlic and herb vegetable chips that accompanied the sammich were fresh, crispy and delightful.

The Big Boy says, “The view is spectacular, Jonah is awesome and the food is slightly above...

Food was good. I do wish they offered something other than kettle chips for a side. The Ebb and Flow smash burger is far from a smash burger. Either the quantity of beef was not truly smashed and seared or the quantity was not enough for the desired patty. At the bar, Drew was fantastic even though I only met him for a night. I felt that he offered an unbiased opinion when asking him what I should order. Lindsey was also a great bartender and she remembered me throughout my stay. However, it was a little off putting that she wore a birthday girl ribbon twice while I was here. First on a Tuesday, then again on a Thursday. It made the interaction feel inauthentic and was being “gamed” for tips. I don’t have a reason not to return as the stay was great with excellent, daily housekeeping which seems to...

My fiancé and I wanted to try this restaurant so we went and took a seat at the table near the pool to catch the view. We waited and waited and no one came to wait on us. I then went to the bar to order drinks and the bar tender assured me that she would send a waiter over to our table. Waited some more. Then a waitress seemed to be coming to our table but she smiled and spoke and kept walking. We then noticed that same waitress serve another party that came in after we did. I did notice we were the only BLACK people in the establishment so maybe that explains the lack of service we received. We left and went to Long Doggers across the street and received excellent food...