Tonight we ate at Meridian 42, which was great, just as it was last year – it’s become a new favorite. I first stopped in there for cocktails with a friend in 2006 and while perusing the menu, decided that we MUST try it last year and that was a very good decision.
Their menu changes seasonally, so I was looking forward to seeing what was on tap this year. It’s heavy on the seafood (shocker here at the beach) and has a mediterranean theme, but not so much that it would scare people off. They usually have about a half dozen apps, 2-3 salads, a soup, and then 6-8 entrees and then one or two specials depending on what’s good and in season.
I was debating between the sea scallops and the “fresh catch” in wasabi sesame seeds, when the server came about with the specials…
Fire Grilled Grouper.
OK, that’s usually pretty good.
On a zuchinni blini (why can’t they just say pancake?)
Alright, I’m still listening
with grilled asparagus
Oooooooooh
And heirloom cherry tomatoes with crabmeat
No more calls we have a winner
In a caper/dill compound butter
Bonus.
It was SO GOOD. The grouper was cooked just perfectly. The blini was really tasty – quite similar to zuchinni madeleines that I’ve made in the past. The asparagus was done just the way I like it – just cooked through so it’s hot, but still has a nice crisp to it. The tomatoes and crabmeat were just, well, it’s tomatoes and crabmeat – it’s awesome. And the butter complimented everything just beautifully.
I just wish I could have finished it all. The grouper itself was a nice sized filet, which had that been all there was, I could have polished it all off. But that, plus the blini, plus the tomatoes and crab, and the asparagus AND the butter adding even more richness to the mix, well, at least I polished off a good chunk of all of the treats on the plate. They could easily go with smaller portions and still have a dish that is exceptionally satisfying.
My brother got the chicken roulade. But it was rolled with basil and pancetta and cheese with a lobster cream sauce, over a polenta cake and sweet corn succotash. He seemed to really enjoy it, but also had the same problem of it being exceptionally rich and the portions could have been smaller and no one would have missed anything.
It’s not a terribly cheap place to eat as entrees range from $20-35, but it is definitely worth it. They also make an excellent Grey Goose dry, dirty vodka martini.