A frosted glass of orange juice, squeezed right at the bar, as an appetizer at the recently opened Sunshine Sunset Grill in Ormond Beach was refreshing. Audrey Parente said she almost ordered a second glass before lunch, but it would have been too filling on top of the meal she shared with her friend, Laurence Bennett, during a mid-week noon-time meal.
What was the place like?
The same location on West Granada Boulevard was previously occupied by a dank English pub, so what an unexpected pleasure it was to discover the new grill had brightened the place immensely. Gave hope at the outset the meal might be a pleasant experience. We weren't disappointed.
What was on the menu?
The menu listed breakfast 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., lunch 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. This was smack at noon, and breakfast food didn't appeal, except of course for that cold, cold and sweet O.J. ($2.75), so -- we went straight to the lunch menu options.
So many choices and so little pocketbook. Trying to keep lunch under $20 per person was difficult, since there were at least 20 dishes to choose from, including Blackened Mahi Mahi sandwich ($9.25), Tomato-Portabella Stack ($7.65), Steakhouse (N.Y. strip) Salad ($9.95) and Prime Rib Dip sandwich ($8.25). And there were temptations like Pier Shrimp Salad ($11.25) and Eastern Shore Crab Cake Sandwich ($10.65). The crab cake was most tempting and we ordered a garden veggie wrap ($7.95). We two shared half of each sandwich. Each dish came with a pile of sweet potato fries.
How was it?
Really tasty food, nicely prepared and presented -- although there were two disappointments. The crab cake menu item listed crisp romaine, sliced tomato and red onion with a remoulade sauce. It came with iceberg lettuce. I don't like iceberg lettuce. The waitress scurried quickly to the kitchen and came out with a small plate of chopped romaine so I could rebuild the sandwich. Problem solved.
The veggie wrap was supposed to include avocado, and we didn't discover any. But we let that go, because the wrap was stuffed with veggies and we were full by the time we noticed the missing item.
Too bad, no room for items from the dessert menu, including Black Forest Cheesecake, Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Banana Parfait. Espresso choices were appealing, but we were out of time, and a line was beginning to form, so we didn't feel like we should dawdle over coffee with so many folks wanting to be seated.
How much did it cost?
Fresh squeezed orange juice $2.75; crab cake sandwich $10.65; veggie wrap $7.95. Total with tax and tip $26.74.
Anything else about the restaurant itself?
This gem is tucked into the middle of a strip plaza with an Italian restaurant on one end and a salad bar on the other end. At lunchtime the generous parking lots were pinched for space.
Sunshine Sunset Grill
WHERE: 1185 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach<cm, for the map, north side of Granada
HOURS: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
MISC.: Some outdoor seating, handicap accessible. Major credit cards accepted.
