d i n i n g
Pescado: Against the Current b y L i e s e l S c h m i d t
menu starts with dishes such as Pepper- Seared Tuna & Blue Crab served with guajillo aioli and avocado mash; Seafood Salad filled with fresh tuna, shrimp, and lobster in a sesame soy sauce; and Steak Tartare livened up with shallots and caperberries, topped off with a quail egg and a finish of jalapeno aioli and truffle oil. Clearly this is not the run-of-the-mill seaside seafood restaurant, but one that views each ingredient and each plate as medium and art. This is most apparent in bestsellers like the Paella Valenciana: a beautiful Spanish-inspired dish of mussels, clams, shrimp, chicken thighs, and Spanish sausage all brought together in harmony in a flavorfully scented sauce
Chef’s Ceviche
and former Executive Chef at Cafe Thirty-A, as well as one of Freer’s partners, Pescado offers a menu of sharable plates and seafood-cen- tric items that are eclec- tic and sophisticated, taking a completely different approach to their food than anyone else in the area. Appro- priate to a restaurant whose name means “fish” in Spanish, there are inspirations of Latin cuisine, though Chef
with Calaspara rice. It’s a sharable worthy of being selfish with, though with so many other options on the menu to sample, you’ll want to save room for another of their signatures. Jetting off to provinces of China, the Cantonese Whole Lobster pairs the sweet succulence of lobster with Yakisoba noodles stir-fried in a piquant garlic-onion sauce, a clear departure from the ever- present plates of lobster linguini that so often claim a place on menus. For those craving meat, the Tomahawk Ribeye is a guest favorite, offering 48 ounces of choice, premium quality steak crusted in rosemary, garlic, and thyme serves with a veal demi-glace. Ideal for sampling a little of this and a little of that, Pescado also offers small plates such as Spiced Lollipop Lamb Chops, Pan-Roasted Pork Belly, Wagyu Sirloin, and Korean BBQ Short Ribs. Theirs is a restaurant that certainly achieves the vision of what Freer says they had in mind played it safe, it’s their determination to swim against the current that has put them at the top. Pescado Seafood Grill & Rooftop Bar is located at 74 Town Hall Road, Suite 4B, Rosemary Beach, Florida 32413. The restaurant is open Monday - Saturday 4:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.; Sundays, 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.- 10:30 p.m. Bar hours are 4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. (Monday - Saturday); 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. (Sundays). For more information, call (850) 213- 4600 or visit www.rooftop30a.com.
Cheese Board
U nparalleled views of the Gulf; elegantly executed plates of freshly-caught seafood and premium steaks; handcrafted cocktails that show skill and panache; and an atmosphere that is both casual and refined, the soothing sounds of waves crashing over the shore, the soft strains of music playing in the background; makes this getaway seem even more of an escape from the world below. Looking around the space, you’ll notice the clientele is all over the age of 18, which ensures the ambiance Pescado wishes to create and maintain: uninterrupted elegance that allows each diner to focus on the food, the views, and the company. “We really wanted it to be adults-only, so that our guests would have the opportunity to have time to themselves and be in an environment that’s both casual and upscale at the same time,” says Joseph Freer, one of the four partners of Last Call Restaurant Group, the team behind such area restaurants as Southside Slice; Shades Bar and Grill; Shaka Sushi and Noodle Bar. Building on the childhood experiences of Executive Chef Ken Duenas, a 20-plus-year veteran of the kitchen
Chef Ken Duenas
Ken also offers a great deal of reference in his dishes to his time growing up in Guam, as well as plates reflective of Asian, Italian, and French fare. It’s a recipe that has served them well; and since opening in spring 2018, the men of Last Call Restaurant Group — Freer, along with Greg Wakeham, Steven Sapp, and, of course, Chef Ken—have seen a steady stream of success, creating a following of clients who have great appreciation for that minimum age requirement as well as for the food. It seems natural, as Pescado strays from the unexpected to explore dishes that are not only unique, but bold in flavor. Featuring a raw bar that offers not the slightest whiff of the standard offering of oysters, the
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