Located in what once was Tropics, now is Wilton Manor’s most upscale eatery…The Grille on The Drive. While The Grille opened last summer, they have spent the last year ironing out the kinks of opening a new restaurant and refining the menu. The Grille offers up huge portions of delicious food, served in a plush setting by attentive wait staff. You can enjoy a long list of appetizers, salads and soups to start followed by juicy steaks, chicken and seafood dishes, pork or veal chops, burgers, sandwiches and much more. A great brunch menu is also offered on Sundays. While you nosh and sip, enjoy live performances from some of your favorite local talent.
On my most recent visit, drag diva Athena Dion and I were seated in the main room on one of the comfortable, cozy, blue banquettes and quickly greeted. We arrived during full daylight but as we browsed the menu, the sun began to set and the interior lighting dimmed to an appropriate evening level. It took us a bit of time to decide on dinner, since there are so many tempting things to try at The Grille. As usual, I ordered an array of things and we shared everything.
For starters, we chose the seared sea scallops. Cooked perfectly, the Dayboat scallops are pan-seared and rest on a bed of saluted spinach and roasted red peppers, drizzled with Balsamic glaze ($16.95). We also added grilled octopus from the daily specials menu. The Spanish octopus was chargrilled and featured crispy potatoes, spicy yellow pepper aioli and salsa ($16.95).
Moving on to a salad course, the Burrata salad is over the top at The Grille. A bundle of creamy Burrata cheese sits atop of a bed of arugula, surrounded by fresh fig halves, shavings of prosciutto and sweet tomatoes, glistening with Balsamic glaze…so delicious (14.95)! The Strawberry Fields salad and the classic Wedge also look delectable. I can’t wait to go back and try those!
For our main course, we devoured the Mixed Grill ($28.95) which includes a generous portion of petite filet, sausage, pork ribeye and a grilled chicken breast. Mixed seasonal veggies and roasted wedges of potato barely had enough room to join this platter of proteins. This is definitely enough for two hungry Drag Queens! The Grille also does seafood right. We opted to add Mahi-Mahi and Shrimp Piccata to our turf selections ($24.95). Locally caught Mahi-Mahi and jumbo shrimp swam harmoniously in the lemon butter and white wine sauce with a side of linguini.
The Grille plates up a decadent array of daily desserts including cheesecake, creme brûlée, carrot cake, Tiramisu, brownie a la mode, Banana Foster bread pudding and Key Lime pie… but be sure to save room for the peanut butter pie (7.95). This truly was one of the best desserts I’ve had in ages! Basically a Reese’s Cup on steroids, it is creamy peanut butter mousse with a brownie crust and a mountain of chocolate ganache….Amazing!
The Grille offers a full service bar, extensive wine list, $10.95 Early Bird dinner specials from 4-6pm Monday through Thursday, Prime Rib and Baby Back Ribs specials on Tuesdays and a new dinner variety show on Wednesday evenings hosted by Dee Dee Van Carter.
The Grille on The Drive is located at 2000 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors Florida and is open 11am to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 11am to 2am Friday and Saturday. Reservations are encouraged and are available now at 954-530-3361.
