Sand on the Beach
3 palms
Where: 1005 Atlantic St., Melbourne Beach
Hours: Breakfast 8 to 11a.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday; lunch and dinner follow until 10 or 11 p.m., depending on the crowd; bar downstairs closes when kitchen closes; upstairs Bikini Bar is open until about 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, depending on the crowd, and last call is 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Call: 321-327-8951
Other: Check out the menu at www.citytropics.com/sand.html and other Pepaj restaurants at www.citytropics.com.
At Sand on the Beach, the new restaurant and bar in Melbourne Beach, it’s all about location. The food may not have been all that, but the location is irresistible: right on the ocean, just south of the State Road A1A dogleg.
The newest Pepaj restaurant has a mid-priced menu with appetizers, sandwiches, salads and a few “main plates,” but its chief attraction likely will be the Bikini Bar upstairs. A narrow deck offers prime seating for pairs of people next to a rail overlooking the ocean; the doors and windows of the indoor bar also look out upon the Atlantic. For the most part, the dining, at least for now, is in quasi-outdoor shaded areas. We ate downstairs, accompanied by a pleasant ocean breeze.
Service was a little slow but pretty good when we were there. Fair warning: I’d already heard horror stories from a few people about extremely long waits for breakfast. But we got our appetizers fast: a decent fish dip ($7.95) garnished with capers and jalapenos and served with crackers that the kids in our party scarfed up; good coconut shrimp ($7.95); and very nice, sashimi Ahi tuna, served with an Asian cucumber slaw ($8.95).
Entrees were straightforward. Our friend got a burger, and he liked it even though he ordered it medium rare and it arrived as a solid medium. My lobster Reuben ($14.95) was enjoyable, though I am never quite sure why chefs choose to pair subtle lobster with strong flavors like Thousand Island dressing and sauerkraut. It jacks up the price without adding much dimension. The shellfish occasionally peeked through the overall taste, which was good, as were the fries. My husband’s seafood combo ($12.95) was less successful. While the coconut shrimp and crabcake were fine, the mahi was rubbery, and calamari arrived cold.
As the restaurant gets its sea legs, it likely will become more consistent, and in the meantime, it’s a great place to enjoy a drink and the pink twilight over the hiss of the waves. For the view alone, it’s worth three palms.
Contact Kridler at 321-242-3633 or ckridler@floridatoday.com.
What other people are saying...
momz122 from South of Melbourne Beach - October 14, 2009 at 7:36 AM
Way over priced for small town Melbourne Beach! Beautiful view but that's about it...
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