Palm Beach Grill — Restaurant in Palm Beach

Tonight, we ate at the Palm Beach Grill located in the Royal Poinciana Way. We had heard good things about this place earlier in the day. Believe it or not, their hot dog and ribs were supposed to be outstanding. We ordered drinks and my first pet peeve was triggered. They gave me a bottle of 6 ¾ ounce Diet Coke for $5. I know it's only $5 but I hate when places rip you off like this. We ordered the deviled eggs. They brought over 3 halves…c'mon, eggs are reasonably priced again. They had celery and relish in them but I couldn’t taste the deviled part. Funny thing is that this was the only dish not overly spiced with black and red pepper. Both plate presentations were nice with a good amount of food arranged nicely. Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures because I wasn’t expecting issue’s with the manager. I heard the hot dog had a natural casing. I heard wrong. The foot long kosher dog was laying in a poppy seeded soft bun which was brushed with a thin layer of somewhat spicy chili, onions and yellow mustard. It came with hot shoestring fries and a lot of Cole slaw and 1 half deviled egg. The slaw was tasty and the meal was OK. It would have been much better with a natural casing dog. Spicy Mayo and ketchup came with the meal.

My wife ordered the ribs. She loves ribs…but not these. They brag about them falling off the bone. That is actually overcooked but not a big deal. The rub or sauce they use is very heavy I black pepper. She barely ate any. I ate most of it and I could feel the black pepper piperine in my mouth a half hour after eating the ribs.

We ate at the bar. The bartender asked about the meals and my wife voiced her displeasure with the ribs. The bartender said she would let the manager know. A little over 15 minutes later, the manager came over to confront us. We just wanted her to know the food was spicy. We were not confrontational. She was. Her name is Brook and she shouldn’t be managing a restaurant. She said we should have said something earlier but the bartenders were busy and didn’t come by. My wife agreed but then Brook, in a loud nasty voice said that she heard that my wife didn’t like Palm Beach Grills sister restaurant chain, Houstons. My wife said that we heard that this was a step above the rest of the chain. Brook, then said that the Palm Beach Grill was just like the others in their chain. I gave her a credit card and she set the card on the table. Nothing was comped and she stormed off. I worked in the hospitality business longer than this “manager” has been alive. She really pissed me off . I could have punished the bartenders but that would have made two wrongs. I left a very good tip for them. We departed the Palm Beach Grill, never to return. I like being able to write a review even though I know I will be reprimanded by those who think the customer is always wrong and I’m pretty sure that the restaurant does won’t care or change the way they deal with...

Tonight, we tried Palm Beach Grill after reading the reviews of some experienced Yelpers. We have had some excellent meals this week. Though we live nearby, we had a staycation and stayed on the Island for the week. This restaurant is my favorite thus far. The restaurant is located just before the Quadrille bridge (the northernmost of the three bridges) in the Poinciana Plaza. Easy parking with an efficient valet option. When we entered, we were greeted by a highly energetic atmosphere and a friendly hostess. Our table was not ready. We were happy to hang out at the lively bar and have a drink but I could see being perturbed by the twenty minute wait under different circumstances. While at the bar, we could see the open kitchen with beautiful plates of artfully presented, apparently delicious dinners being finished. We started with an heirloom tomato salad, a caesar salad and the smoked salmon appetizer. The smoked salmon appetizer wowed us. This was not lox or nova slices. It was a full salmon steak, smoked to perfection and served with olive-oil infused thinly sliced french bread toast points. This set the stage for the understated menu where toast points are delicacies in and of themselves and where a smoked salmon appetizer is a unique and unexpected meal. The heirloom tomato salad was actually my favorite part of the meal. Served atop a lemon champagne reduction, the homemade, crusty croutons absorbed the sweetness. The tomatoes were garnished with creamy blue cheese crumbles and basil. The tomatoes were seemingly fresh off the vine with firmness and vitality. The caesar was served as full romaine heart leaves with the same delicious croutons and a nice, not overly fishy dressing. Then came the boom boom pow --- my aged prime rib cooked medium rare. I have had prime rib at the famous "The Prime Rib" in Baltimore and quite a few steakhouses of renown. This was the best I ever had. The steak itself was tender and full of flavor and the crust was roasted to perfection with kosher salt and a dark, crusty finish. I savored each bite. The aged prime rib is served with a Close Encounters mound of mashed potatoes and dark green sautéed spinach. My bride had an omelette. Yes, an omelette! In keeping with the understated menu, the Grill offers kosher hotdogs, omelettes, sliced steak sandwiches and other diner food. The omelette was made with first-rate goat cheese and was definitely not your normal breakfast fare. We skipped dessert but we're tempted by the key lime pie and banana creme pie. Service was excellent with a courteous and attentive server. We resolved to come back and highly recommend. P.S. I was informed that the Palm Beach Grill is owned by the Houston's Restaurant Group and this makes sense. The systems and kitchen organization seemed very...

Tonight, my wife and I dined at The Palm Beach Grill, and I was looking forward to taking her there since she had not been there previously, as my previous experiences had felt like a step up from a typical Houston’s. Unfortunately, this visit was a step down, and I won’t be returning for a while.

Instead of enjoying a nice evening out, we felt rushed from the moment we sat down until we paid our check. We managed to have drinks and three courses in just 45 minutes. Why the hurry?

Now, onto the real issues. We first ordered a margarita along with some fries with ketchup and their spicy mayo. The fries arrived first, and we were told the condiments would follow shortly, but they never did. I finally received my margarita (which was excellent, as always), but by the time the ketchup and spicy mayo arrived, the fries were cold. We requested a replacement of hot fries, and they were happy to accommodate us. However, before they brought the new fries, they wanted to take the rest of our order. We ordered two PBG salads, the Dover Sole, and a side of red cabbage with goat cheese (which turned out to be the best dish of the night).

When our salads arrived just after the new fries, I asked if they could hold off on starting the Dover Sole until we finished our salads. They assured me it wouldn’t be a problem, but sure enough, just as we were finishing our salads, the Dover Sole arrived. I then inquired about the red cabbage and goat cheese, and after about 10 to 12 minutes—just as we were nearly done with the Dover Sole—it finally arrived, after it was first offered to the table across from us.

As for the Dover Sole, after over 40 years of dining at Houston's restaurants, it was the most disappointing dish I’ve ever had. It could have been cod or flounder or any decent fried fish you might find with fish and chips; it certainly wasn’t prepared like a delicately sautéed Dover Sole that allows you to appreciate its fine flavor. At that point, as much as we wanted dessert, we couldn’t bear any more disappointments and decided to pass.

I’m not sure why there were so many hiccups tonight, but this is when good restaurants that start to rest on their laurels get into trouble, which was certainly evident this evening. In the future, I may give this chain another chance, but it will be at the West Paces Ferry location in Atlanta, where it’s tried and true, not...