Restaurant review: Jack's Seafood Bistro

Jack's Seafood Bistro serves upscale surf and turf dishes in the Hilton Melbourne Beach Oceanfront in Indialantic. This is the Florida Black Grouper entree. (Credit: Chris Kridler, FLORIDA TODAY)

Jack’s Seafood Bistro
Where: Hilton Melbourne Beach Oceanfront, 3003 State Road A1A, Indialantic
Hours: Breakfast, 6:30 to 11 a.m.; lunch, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; dinner, 5 to 10 p.m.
Call: 321-777-5000
Other: Go during daylight hours to enjoy the beachfront view; there’s also a view of the pool from the restaurant, depending on where you sit. The hotel bar is a few steps away, off the lobby.

Jack’s Seafood Bistro is the new restaurant at the Hilton Melbourne Beach Oceanfront, featuring upscale surf and turf dishes with a view of the ocean. Upscale may be a code word for pricey, but that’s to be expected at this upmarket Indialantic hotel. The attractive dark wood floors, hanging lights with large, yellow lampshades and windows overlooking the sea and pool all let diners know they’ve entered the resort zone.

I started with a glass of Sterling Cabernet for $8; you’ll pay $4 for a Bud Light or $6 for a Guinness, as others in our party did. We ordered two appetizers. The crab cakes ($13) consisted of two tasty cakes made with satisfying chunks of crab and an accompanying chipotle aioli with a smoky flavor that was surprisingly spicy, as in, hurry-up-pass-the-water spicy. The sesame-encrusted ahi tuna ($10) was served appropriately rare, though its sesame seeds offered more flavor than the fish.

Our server was kind enough to substitute lobster bisque for the salad that came with a friend’s entree, and it was buttery-good. Our salads were nice, too, with fresh, leafy greens, cherry tomatoes, onions and cucumbers, though our server, who was otherwise attentive, got the dressings mixed up. The entrees were prettily presented, garnished with an orchid blossom.

One friend found his grilled mahi ($20) a little salty. Another companion got the Florida Black Grouper ($24), grilled with “Florida bay seasoning,” according to the menu, and served with mango citrus beurre blanc. It had a lot of flavor — a lot of spicy flavor, and definitely more heat than I’ve come to expect from a hotel restaurant menu.

With that in mind, I was a little worried about how hot my Cajun seared scallops ($25) would be, but they were sauteed nicely, with just the right touch of spices, and served with a mound of angel hair pasta with creamy Alfredo rose sauce, a pleasant counterpoint to the heat.

I wasn’t as happy with my garlic mashed potatoes, which were cooked to a pastelike consistency.

Florida hotels pretty much have to have Key lime pie on the menu, so we gave it a try ($7.25). It was enjoyable, with a thick, tart custard and a graham cracker crust, but like the other desserts, it is not made on the premises.

Contact Kridler at 321-242-3633 or ckridler@floridatoday.com.

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