Chow: Morgans on the Beach
By John McCartney
Special to the SunPost
On Tuesdays I spend the day with my grandmother. She’s a foul mouth old crow but knows her food. If she likes something, she will repeat herself in telling you about it for at least a week. She really like Morgans on the beach, and hasn’t shut up about it.
I picked her up for an early lunch and off we were to her favorite spot of the moment. When we arrived at 11:00 am, which was a half hour before they open, they were happy to let us sit, relax, and study the menu. I right away noticed they had carried over some of the menu items from Joe Allen, that’s the former restaurant in the space. I think it was a good idea for them to do this, as everyone liked that restaurant. What happened to it?
Our very chatty server from Michigan was more than knowledgeable about the menu, and filled us in on his favorites. I let him finish his spiel and went on with what he had suggested for us. Bread service was an interesting corn bread; baked a la minute in a cast iron skillet, with melting whipped butter… Good Start. We got things going with a fool proof Hummus Plate ($12) this was a GRANDE platter of artichoke hearts, Klamath olives, cucumbers, and of course hummus. Everything on it was lightly chilled, the hummus was drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and paprika. Easy to like. Next was a casserole of Gooey Mac & Cheese ($9) I didn’t want to order this because everyone in town is also doing Mac & cheese, but I’m glad we did. Creamy, with two or three cheeses blended into soft macaroni pasta, then charred under a salamander. Outstanding! Last of the starters was the Diavolo Pizza ($11). I couldn’t wait for this one as it was one of my favorites from Joe Allen. Problem was, we never got it, the waiter never put the order in. I’ll let him sweat it out when he reads this. I bet it would have been great though. Just Sayin.
For grandmas lunch main she had the Morgans Succulent Beef Burger ($12), she always orders a burger rare, and always complains that it’s not rare even when it is. The Burger was good and it came with colorful homemade coleslaw. “Any burger is better than the nose-diving B&B next door”, she exclaimed. I went with a healthy Greek Quinoa Salad ($12) and then went pricey by adding charred shrimp ($7) Nineteen bucks is a little steep, don’t ya think? I mean after tax and tip you’re at $25. This dish had all the right ingredients for success though, with feta cheese, cucumber, olives, the quinoa, and it looked very nice as well. But, it just didn’t execute well, a little over dressed with the oregano vinaigrette. Another notable main salad is La Scala Salad ($13) I have had this one in the past, not this time, but always solid.
We went outside the box for dessert with Carrot Cake ($8). Delicious layers of carrot bread with vanilla icing. The giant slice of cake was sitting in a shallow dish of vanilla and caramel. This didn’t last long, we ate all of it.
Let me end by saying that the night before, I had one of the worst meals of my life; at a restaurant I was reviewing. I won’t even mention the establishment’s name, as that’s not what I do. Morgans saved this week’s review by being so accommodating for us, and I thank you guys for that. Over all service was friendly and the food was a solid “A”, minus the Diavolo Pizza that I’m still waiting for. Joe Allen was a bit of a power lunch spot. I think Morgans has the means to pick up where they left off, with an even better menu. If the food stays consistent we should see this place sticking around for a long time. On a side note Morgans other location is on 29th Street in Miami. If you don’t want to travel to Miami Beach, then this would be the next best thing.
Morgans on the Beach
1787 Purdy Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 573-9678
