Lunch Review: Stonewood Grill & Tavern

The little things make Stonewood

My lunch at Stonewood Grill began on a positive note, which is the way all restaurant meals should begin – but too often don’t. While waiting for my wife to join me, I took a seat at the handsome, horseshoe-shaped bar and ordered a Seabreeze, made with vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice. (It’s a tremendous anti-scurvy tonic; I’ve lived in Florida 36 years and haven’t had a single bout.) Usually the grapefruit juice comes from a can, which to me is sacrilegious given the fact that we live in the land of fresh citrus. So it was nice to see the bartender reach for a plump Ruby Red grapefruit, cut it in quarters and squeeze the juice by hand. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a customer come back.

The menu at Stonewood is a step above your typical sports-pub grub. Yes, you can get a burger if you want, but I decided to go off the chain a little bit and ordered the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich ($9). The beef was tender and flavorful thanks, in part, to the fresh toppings of mushrooms, onions, peppers and provolone cheese. A little dry, but tasty.

For appetizers, my wife and I shared an order of Bleu Cheese Chips ($8) and the Chicken and Feta Flatbreads ($9.50). Both were good but the flatbreads were the better of the two. The crisp breads were layered with fresh spinach, grilled chicken breast, roasted red peppers and feta cheese. The sweet, reduced balsamic vinegar sprinkled on top kicked the whole thing into high gear. (This appetizer is a meal in itself; we wound up taking half of it home.)

For her entrée, my wife had the Fresh Fish Tacos ($11) made with a blackened white fish and jicama apple slaw in a soft tortilla drizzled with Diablo sauce and the house dressing. It’s an impressive-looking dish; unfortunately the flavors didn’t live up to the appearance. The tacos were dominated by the slaw, which disguised a meager portion of fish. For $11 we expected better.

We took a chicken pot pie ($14) home with us for later and we were glad we did. Lots of chicken, carrots, onions, mushrooms and peas swam in the delicately flavored white sauce. Our attentive server put the puff pastry in a separate box so it wouldn’t get soggy. If you’re paying $14 for a pot pie, you expect it to be really good, and it was.

For dessert, my wife had the Florida Orange Cake ($7.50) made with (here we go again) fresh orange juice. The cake was moist and redolent of citrus, so good she was reluctant to share even a bite.

Stonewood offers a dark, comfortable dining atmosphere. It’s mid-range pricey though you can have a flavorful, satisfying lunch simply by ordering off the appetizer side of the menu.