The Grove (Lakewood Ranch) – Not Memorable Cuisine

My wife and I decided to try the Grove in Lakewood Ranch. Overall, the setting was great, the service was friendly and courteous, but my meal could have been much better.

We started with the Tomato Jam Flatbread ( $8). This was a basic flatbread with the tomato jam (replacing marinara) and topped with mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and basil. It is a good sharing dish, but nothing memorable. The jam overwhelmed to the other ingredients. I would rate this a 3.

My wife ordered the filet and she said it was very good. The side salad she requested was quite large.

I decided on the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes ($25) which was described as blue crab, tomato horseradish coulis, and slaw. When it was delivered to the table I was a little surprised as the normal domed-shape crab cake was more a potato pancake / Smashburger. It was flattened to a pancake shape. It was barely cooked, borderline room temperature and the flavor was not to my liking; it was bitter and overly salted, not allowing any of the carb flavor to shine. The scant amount of coulis was OK and the slaw was nothing special. This was not a well-executed or tasty option. The fries that accompanied the dish were also less than well-executed. Most were stuck together and those that were separate, benefitted greatly from the ketchup. I would rate this dish a 1.

With the patio fully occupied, I will chalk my experience to a bad few minutes in the kitchen and will give it another shot, but I will move to different choices.

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