With golf season upon us, and a rare warm Saturday, we decided the time was right to check out the 1759 Grille, the new restaurant at Pembroke Pines Country Club.
The semi-private golf course, just southeast of Concord, has been undergoing a complete renovation, and the new clubhouse, which also includes a wedding venue, is a big part of its more upscale look.
When we arrived at the course for a late lunch around 2 p.m., the parking lot was completely full. We had to drive around and wait for someone to leave to grab a spot.
The course had just opened two days earlier, and it really was a perfect day for a round. But we couldn’t help but wonder how busy it will be when golf season gets into full swing.
The first impression of the restaurant was a bit daunting — the word that came to mind was “din.”
A large table of 14 exuberant golfers reliving their rounds was partially, but not entirely, responsible for the noise level. Also a factor were the acoustics of the large, high-ceilinged room, which features booths, tables and high-top tables around a central bar.
But the view.
A wall of large windows offer great vistas over the 18th green, 10th tee and the hills beyond. The large outdoor deck was empty that day, but promises to be a great spot for lunch, dinner or drinks when truly warm weather arrives.
We felt lucky to snag a booth, one of only two open tables we could see.
But be forewarned: If you go with a golfer, as I did, they’ll be distracted by the magnetic pull of the TV screen in each booth that’s tuned to whatever golf tournament is going on. In our case, it was Round 3 of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Note to self: Perhaps not the best spot for a romantic dinner. But it’s a great place to meet friends, and the locally sourced menu is sure to please everyone, with creative appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers and entrees.
Nathan, our server, was friendly and accommodating. He apologized for the long wait, something he would have to do multiple times.
It may take the kitchen a while to catch up to how busy the place is likely to be.
The 1759 Grille's spinach and artichoke dip is a terrific version of this classic appetizer.
The 1759 Grille offers some intriguing appetizers, including empanadas, fried pickles, and pretzels with “beer cheese.” But we’re on an eternal quest to find the perfect spinach and artichoke dip ($12).
When I asked Nathan if the dip is gluten-free, he warned me off, due to cross-contamination from the chips going into the same deep fryer as fried food. Bonus points for him knowing that’s a risk for celiacs.
He quickly agreed to add some raw vegetables to the order for dipping. Extra bonus points.
The dip was creamy, cheesy and delicious, baked golden brown on top, a fine version of this now-standard app. My Carnivore said the chips were great, and the carrot and celery sticks were ice-cold and crisp.
The 1759 Grille's white sangria, with flavors of white cranberry and peach, offers a taste of spring.
I ordered the sangria ($11), and when it came — after a long wait — it was light and tasty, with flavors of white cranberry and peach.
The entrees menu seemed custom-made for the Carnivore, a comfort food fan, with shepherd’s pie, chicken parm, mac and cheese and shrimp scampi. He couldn’t resist the Classic Turkey Dinner ($19), all white meat served with traditional sides of stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and choice of vegetable.
When it arrived, he was a bit stunned at the portion size — three large slices of turkey with plentiful servings of the sides.
The turkey was moist and fork tender, and the asparagus was grilled to perfection. The chef “could have been a little bolder with the seasoning” on the potatoes and stuffing, he said, as he added salt for the third time.
Still, he gamely ate his fill before bringing home more than half of the dish for leftovers.
Grilled haddock was enlivened with cole slaw, pickled red onion and tomatillo salsa, and served with mashed potatoes.
I ordered the Grilled Fish Tacos ($16), with corn tortillas to make them gluten-free, and it turned out to be a great choice. (You also can have chicken or steak.) The fresh, flavorful haddock was heaped with crunchy coleslaw, pickled red onions and a tangy tomatillo salsa that elevated the dish to memorable. I’d definitely order it again.
Sandwiches and most entrees come with a choice of sides, which include onion rings, mashed potatoes, sweet potato tots, vegetable and side salad.
The gluten-free yellow cake on the menu wasn’t available, but the GF chocolate lava cake ($9) Nathan offered instead made for a fine substitute. Moist, dense and decadent, oh my. Perhaps a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top next time to cut the richness?
The chocolate lava cake was gluten-free and delicious.
Other desserts, made in-house, include a fruit tart, tiramisu and a hot fudge brownie sundae.
The total bill for two came to $67 before tax and tip.
We hadn’t planned to invest more than two hours in lunch, but it turned out to be a much-needed respite after an overly busy week. And we’ve been dreaming of sangria on that deck ever since.
