3030 Ocean at Marriott's Harbor Beach Resort & Spa
BY BARB FREDA
Feb 16, 2009 - 12:28 PM

Dining Room at 3030 Ocean

BARB FREDA

If you haven't been to 3030 Ocean, now's the time. Chef Dean James Max has recently been announced as a James Beard Finalist for Best Chef, South--and if my dinner there recently is any indication, my odds are on him as a finalist, at least. The recognition will send even more people into this elegant but comfortable and welcoming dining room.

I enjoyed a warm frisee salad with a poached egg, bacon and raspberry vinaigrette--I think I'd be happy eating that salad every day for the rest of my life. Okay, for a long, long time. The warm egg mixes with the dressing and the warm, smoky bacon and is complemented by the slightly bitter, crunchy lettuce.

I couldn't resist the combo short rib of beef and monkfish (a.k.a. poor man's lobster..)The beef was meltingly tender and served up under a sheet of house-made pasta. The monkfish was perfectly cooked, rich and tender and finished with a thyme sauce.

An anjou pear salad was a heaping mountain of baby greens with spicy pecans, blue cheese and anjou pear slices all tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

The grilled local mahi mahi was a large slice of the fish, beautfiully grilled, served with creamy golden potatoes, nicely bitter broccolini, fresh corn--a coconut curry sauce finished the dish. Not a bite was left.

We got a special dessert sampler--chocolate panna cotta, banana creme brulee, molten chocolate cake, lemon meringue on a crispy sheet of phyllo and raspberry sorbet, all creations of Paula DaSilva, who is currently starring on Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen. She's my new favorite! Truly, though, DaSilva shows a refined touch with the desserts. I love the crunch of phyllo below the sweet tart lemon meringue, and the chocolate panna cotta came with a salty nut brittle that added great texture to the dessert.

Guests all seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the space opens onto the bar, where food can be enjoyed, too. Chef Max has created a gem of restaurant. His spot on that James Beard Semifinalist list is well-deserved.

Not to be overlooked is one of the best deals going--The 3030 Chef's Selection. This is a three-course meal chosen daily by the chef. When we were in three courses were $43. If we added wine (tastings, not full glasses, but one per course), the cost went up to $55. This is a real deal and was hard to pass up--but I was craving that salad. Chef's Selection the night we visited: Creamy Soup of White Water Clams, Sauteed Florida Red Snapper and Banana Cream Tart with Coconut.

3030 Ocean, Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, 3030 Holiday Dr., Fort Lauderdale. 954-765-3030