Every neighborhood has a local watering hole with good eats. Jensen Beach is no different when you find yourself at Caps.

If you’re looking for a cold beer and a well prepared, tasty and affordable meal in a relaxed and  comfortable setting, this place is where you want to be. Being within walking distance for many of its patrons, it is easy to understand why most of my neighbors visit Caps on a regular basis. You can tell right away that the owner and his clientele know each other well from the banter back and forth between them. It is always great to have a place where you can go and feel like its yours. In a sense, its like being Norm in Cheers. You get that from Paul, the co-owner, bartender, waiter and busboy all mixed into one.

Tonight we dined on pizza, which although quite simple in ingredients, can always be a difficult thing to make well. Surprisingly, the pizza was terrific. With a very crispy crust, tasty sauce and an abundance of toppings, this pie satisfied my craving quite well. Coupled with cold draft beers and friendly service, it made for an enjoyable evening out with our friends.

Items on Caps menu range from Thai Calamari to Mahi Reuben’s, and I understand that their Burgers are very good too. There are enough interesting choices on the menu to make me want to return for a second go ’round. I am definitely looking forward to trying a burger!

The Regular Guy Rating * * *1/2

Caps

10999 S Ocean Dr

Jensen Beach Fl

772-229-3287

I can’t tell you how many times I have commented to my wife that people need an alternative to fast food that is fresh and healthy. People…my request has been answered.

Mecafresh is the perfect place to escape to for a delicious meal made fast and made fresh. I have to say that upon entering the establishment I immediately had a good feeling. A large menu placed above the register provides an easy to read and understand outline, of the limited but extremely different choices that await you.

You will not find burgers, fried chicken or $5.00 foot longs here but you will find Mahi Mahi soft taco’s, freshly made Pad Thai noodles and some very different appetizers/sides. One that we tried was a twist on Eggplant Parmesan. Fresh slices dredged  in Panko crumbs, lightly fried then plated over tomato sauce and decorated with what I believe was a Pesto drizzle. Not something I would have expected to find here.

The fish taco is one of the best I have tasted and I compare them to a place called Surf Taco back in New Jersey. Both places use the freshest ingredients and are made to order. I would say that Mecafresh’s taco’s are better because they use grilled Mahi instead of fried, and they have a great tasting slaw and dressing.  The Pad Thai noodles were better examples of such, then I have had in two other full service eateries in this same town, one of which was a Thai restaurant. The difference, which I pointed out to the cook, was that his not only presented better   but also tasted like he just cut the vegetables minutes before he cooked the dish. I can tell you that we had crisp zucchini and squash , tender chicken and very tasty fresh cilantro tossed into the spicy peanut sauce. It’s beyond me how some restaurants prepare the ingredients hours before service, so much so, that you can’t determine exactly what vegetables you are eating.

We were served by ” Louie”, who introduced himself to us as one of the owners of Mecafresh. Being it was the first time we had tried Mecafresh, Louie made it a point to give us some background on his concept and how Mecafresh came about. If this meal represents how Louie plans on serving up this fine food, then he has a great future ahead of himself with his Mecafresh restaurant.

The Regular Guy Rating * * * *

Mecafresh

4203 S.E. Federal Highway
Stuart, FL 34997
(772) 286-3770

www.mecafesh.com

Unless you are a card carrying member of Peta, you probably enjoy eating a great steak dinner at least once in a while. Peter’s Steakhouse is a place you treat yourself to once in a while when you want to have a great steak.

Once a waiter in Peter Luger’s in N.Y., the owner has bought his talent and knowledge of great steaks to Jensen Beach. Perhaps the best steakhouse in the area, Peter’s offers terrific food and excellent service.

Everything on the menu is a la carte and the prices are perhaps a bit more than you would expect from a restaurant in this town, but after dining you aren’t so upset that you spent about $150 on dinner ( for two including tip).

We ordered the house salad ( crisp lettuce mixture, apple wood smoked bacon, shrimp and homemade dressing) , a 9 oz Fillet,  Angus NY Strip with a crab cake, a side of potatoes and two glasses of wine. Everything we ate was superb and left you wanting to eat more than your stomach could handle. The steaks of course are the reason you dine at Peter’s and also the reason you return. They are worth every penny and are an experience for your taste buds.

One last thing about Peter’s. The service staff is extremely well trained and gracious. They do not miss a thing when waiting on you and always give more than expected. For instance, the wine bottles they served from were near empty after serving numerous tables, so they returned to our table midway through our salads and refilled most of our glasses with the remaining wine that was left in the bottle. The little things that add up to great service.

The Regular Guy rating   * * * * 1/2

www.peterssteakhouse.com

3200 Northeast Maple Avenue

Jensen Beach, FL 34957-7262
(772) 225-2516

Restaurant.com has coupons for eateries all over the country and tonight my wife and I tried Sachi Sushi in Stuart Fl.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were impressed with the layout and design. the lighting was a little too low to be able to read the menu, but all in all the ambiance was very warm and inviting. You have a choice to sit at the sushi bar, a table or a small enclosed booth with cushions on the floor instead of chairs. The booth is enclosed in linen drapes that can be closed for privacy, a very nice touch. We opted for the table although I believe my wife wanted to sit in the cave!!

The menu in very extensive and we had a hard time trying to figure out what to order. Our waiter wasn’t very helpful with suggestions either and extremely difficult to understand.

We wound up ordering edamame, two sushi rolls, salads and an entree, Pork and Shrimp with Vietnamese sauce and rice noodles.

The edamame was very good as was the green tea. I like green tea but can’t seem to steep it just right and it winds up being bitter, so when I get a chance to have some out, I make sure to order it.

The salad was average and the dressings were odd. The peanut dressing was hot, which I think was a mistake and not an actual salad dressing. My wife’s dressing was an Asian ginger style but was pretty weak. We decided to mix them together and it wound up tasting good.

The rolls, although moderately priced, weren’t very impressive. They lacked plate appeal and were very ordinary in taste too. Nothing I would order again. Maybe we should have ordered a special style roll,, but then again no one suggested what was popular.

Our entree was weird. The noodles, pork and shrimp were in a bowl, and the Vietnamese dressing was on the side. We proceeded to mix the sauce into the dish and after tasting it we asked for some more peanut sauce and some chili pepper sauce to add some zip to the rather bland dish. The noodles were a decent portion but the pork amounted to less than a chops worth of meat and the shrimp were 21/25 count and only six or so were included with this dish.

The worst part of the meal wasn’t really the food as it was the poor service. Not that the waiter was bad, rude or inefficient but he didn’t talk to us to see if we were regulars or not. That is important because he could have made suggestions for a better meal than what we chose. The place was pretty busy for a Monday night so I would expect that some of the dishes they serve are probably very good.

All in all, we will return for a second try, as we have one more Restaurant.com certificate to use.

Regular Guy Rating  * * 1/2

Sachi Sushi

3508 SE Federal Hwy ( Rte 1 South)  Stuart Fl (in Publix shop center)

Okay, I ‘m from New York and have been eating pizza before John Travolta made it cool to down two slices at the same time ( see Saturday Night Fever, in case you didn’t get the clue). New Yorkers love pizza and we have this thing about finding the best pizza everywhere we go.  Its always “Its good but not like our pizza back home”. So what do I do when I get to Jensen this time? I go looking for the perfect pizza. And guess what. I damn near find it.

Now I really hate recommending a place, especially after just one visit but I get real good vibes from this joint. Our waitress Stephanie seats us quickly and hands us menus and runs for glasses for our wine that we bring along. Just for your information, Big Apple  Pizza serves wine and beer. When we realized this, we were told it would be okay to pour our own. I don’t think this is common practice so leave your bottle at home. Very nice gesture though.

Take a look at the menu and it begs you to ask “What is this?”  A lot of options for pizza. I lose out and we order a thin crust extra large pie, with sausage and mushrooms. I opt for the Sicilian but everyone else wants thin crust. Good thing I lost as it turned out the thin crust pie was extraordinary. Two things make an ordinary pie extraordinary. Sauce and crust. Lets face it there isn’t much to a pie but sauce and crust,,  so you better make them really good. Big Apple Pizza does both exceptionally well. The sauce is top shelf and the crust was thin, crisp and very tasty. A lot of flavor in those two items. I hope they know just how good the pie is because they should be bragging about it.  So I sprinkle a little hot and a little cheese and magic happens. Sooo  good. Pour me some more of that Chianti I am not going anywhere until I eat my share.

So all told we order a plate of Wings (12), 2  house  salads ( that feed 4) , and a large pie , as noted earlier. Oh yeah, we also get a complementary helping of Garlic Knots which also are as good as I have had anywhere.  Total for this evenings event, $ 34.00. Great good food atunder $10 a person. Hard to beat that deal. We left very full and satisfied that we found the best pizza in Jensen Beach.  I can’t wait for my next trip back to the beach and Big Apple Pizza.

Regular Guy Rating  * * * * 1/2

Big Apple Pizza

Publix Shopping Center Downtown  Jensen Beach on the blvd ( next to Dunkin’ Donuts)

Breakfast is always a big deal for me.  I love eating out for breakfast, so my search for a good breakfast spot is never ending.

Mulligans is a neighborhood restaurant/bar on the corner of Jensen Beach blvd, in a cool little beach town on the east coast. Mulligans boasts open outdoor seating and a tiki style bar with endless drink specials.

On Friday this past week, my wife and I decided to search out breakfast in our little town. Our usual spot closed down due to a lease problem so we needed to find a new favorite.  Mulligans posts a sign each day welcoming patrons to breakfast at the very low price of $1.99. The Regular Guy just has to try this special.

Our waitress greets us with coffee and tea and offers up her special of two scrambled eggs, home fries and toast all for a buck ninety nine. I ask if the eggs have to be scrambled and she replies that for $1.00 more I can have fresh eggs any style. I do not like frozen liquid eggs especially for breakfast. Believe me people, you do not want to see how those eggs are handled and kept from day to day.  Any way we both opt for the eggs over medium in place of scrambled.

Two things are a must for a great breakfast place.  A waitress who knows when you need more coffee and terrific home fries. Lets face it, anyone can make eggs if they can cook, but really, really great home fries are few and far between.  Home fried potatoes should never be from last nights baked leftovers. Nor should they be fried wedges of last nights baked leftovers. Home fried potatoes must have at least onions and a good seasoning blend. It’s really not rocket science, but it just takes some effort to put out a good home fried potato. After all it is half of what makes up your breakfast plate.

Mulligans needs to look at the way they do breakfast. I really don’t expect too much for $1.99 but two eggs, a few potatoes and toast really doesn’t cost that much to prepare, so why not do it right?  The breakfast turned out to be just what we expected. The eggs were fine, the home fries were horrible and the toast, well it’s toast. The home fries were made from wedges of potatoes ( probably leftovers) that were deep fried. All five small wedges worth. The coffee though was surprisingly good. The service was also nice and friendly.

Cost for the two specials with fresh eggs, one coffee and one tea..around $8.95..oh yeah rye bread will cost you a buck more too.  All in all it would have been twice as good by just doing two things. ALWAYS use fresh eggs and make a really, really great home fried potato. The search continues….

Regular Guy rating of * * 1/2

Mulligans

Corner of Jensen Beach Blvd and River Road

Jensen Beach Florida

I am told that there are three good restaurants on the river in Port Salerno. One of which myself, my wife and another couple visited while attending the Seafood Festival ( see Seafood Festival Port Salerno Fl blog entry) on a beautiful day in January.

Plenty of outdoor seating right on the water, makes this spot a welcome site. We literally sat right next to some one’s cigarette boat as we ate our lunch. Tables with umbrella’s for those who don’t like eating in the sun’s strong rays or right out there in the middle of the heat. They also have outdoor seating in the bar area that has a covering over top of the serving and table areas.

We chose the table in the shady part of the outside seating to get the best of both.

I come to Florida as often as possible and when I do I make it a point to find a place that serves Grouper. If you don’t know, Grouper is a white fish with the texture of lobster meat. It should be cut fillet style for best portions. I like it because it is thick and flaky when prepared correctly a this one was. I ordered the Crispy Grouper Reuben which I later found out is one of the house specialties. As with any good Reuben the Crispy fried Grouper is sandwiched between two slices of grilled rye bread. Instead of sauerkraut, Shrimpers uses Cole slaw with a light spread of thousand island dressing and Swiss cheese. Served on the side are Seasoned Fries, a pickle wedge and Cole slaw. I have to say that this was one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten.. From the crispy Grouper to the grilled rye, everything about the combo was fantastic. I now understand why Shrimpers is known for its Grouper Reuben. The price is a little steep at $13.95 but everyone should experience this sandwich at least one time.

As luck would have it my friends decided to follow my lead and order the same thing. My wife on the other hand loves Sushi Tuna seasoned and grilled rare over a bed of greens. She couldn’t resist this salad on the menu. Served with wasabi, fresh ginger (ask and they will gladly bring you extra), a sesame ginger dressing and some crispy noodles as a garnish. The Tuna was exceptional and as good as any we have had before back in New Jersey. The salad cost $12.95 and the portion was enough for her, although she was hungry later that day and I couldn’t eat a thing until late that night.

Beers were cold and from a pretty decent selection. The fancy drinks leave a little to be desired as with most places the alcohol gets lost in the fruity drinks they add to them.

Overall for three Grouper Sandwiches, a Sesame Tuna Salad, three beers and a fancy mixed drink, $77.00. As I said earlier, a little pricey but the excellent food more than makes up for the cost of lunch. Service by Stephanie was terrific and cheerful. She was very knowledgeable and helpful with the menu and  her suggestion was right on the money.

Regular Guy rating of * * * *

Shrimpers

on the river in Port Salerno Florida

( 20 minutes southeast of Stuart) off Dixie Highway