October 2015 heralded in not just a new look for Fort Lauderdale’s iconic 3030 Ocean – it had undergone an entire facelift that summer – but also its Chopped champion executive chef Adrienne Grenier. In the year since, it has remained one of the region’s finest restaurants and Grenier, a veteran of the 3030 Ocean team’s one of this town’s rising stars. On the heels of the relaunch’s one year anniversary, the kitchen and bar teams are unveiling a bevy of new offerings. “The menus are always in flux,” says Grenier, whose rustic farm-to-fork ethos dovetails with the restaurant’s ocean-to-table spirit. “But the new dishes and drinks were an intentional, seasonally-inspired collaborative effort. The one year mark is significant for us and I think it helped fuel us creatively.”
First: The Food. Created by Grenier and executive sous chef Brooke Mallory, the dishes span the entire menu and beautifully evoke the flavors of the season. Palette kick-starters include grilled oysters with tasso butter; littleneck clams with a spicy chorizo broth and roasted pumpkin soup with maple cream. House-made pasta, a Grenier fave, has always had a place on the menu. Its newest incarnations: creamy crab with piquillos pepper linguini, preserved lemon, charred fresnos and breadcrumbs and pumpkin cavatelli with roasted mushrooms, ricotta and pea tendrils. New salads include Uriah’s Urban Farm arugula with house-made duck ham, goat cheese, fresh figs, pine nuts and honey-black pepper vinaigrette as well as Swank watercress & frisee with shaved fennel, persimmon, pomegranate, and lemon vinaigrette. The standout rookie among the entrée veterans is a rich braised chicken leg ragout with potato gnocchi, roasted rutabaga, black truffle, arugula and Mahón cheese.
Created by pastry chef Huma Nagi in collaboration with Grenier and Mallory, new desserts are all must-trys. They run the gamut from New Orleans style beignets with sarsaparilla pot de creme and fresh raspberries; a magical duo – pumpkin whoppie pies paired with beer-battered apple slices, which are fried, dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with caramel and pumpkin iced cream. “Desserts have to hit all the right notes,” says Grenier. “They need that balance between art and nostalgia. They evoke flavors from our pasts in a way savory often doesn’t. I think the new desserts are among the best we’ve ever served and they definitely represent what our collective cooking style is.”
The lines between chef and mixologist blur as many of the new drinks were created by Mallory, a cocktail enthusiast and self-described “drink nerd” who has jumped behind the bar from time-to-time. In fact, some of her creations have received a deal of media notoriety. “Many of the skills that make a good chef make a good mixologist,” says Mallory, who crafts bitters in the kitchen for the bar staff to use. “Understanding how flavors, textures and temperatures interplay is a key component in both worlds. I love working behind the bar and am excited to share what we’ve mixed up.” Created by Mallory, 3030 Ocean mixologist Bradly Duffie and general manager Marc Burnikel, new drinks include:
· Cranberry Whiskey Sour – Wild Turkey 101, cranberry, lemon juice and simple syrup
· Happy Sac – Ketel One oranje; orange oleo-saccharum; lime juice, fresh blackberries
· The Gosling – Gosling’s rum, pineapple-cinnamon syrup, orange juice, lime juice, agave
· Shake Your Pom Bom – Bombay gin, pama liqueur, lime juice, rosemary, pomegranate juice
· Kentucky Mule – Buffalo Trace, lime juice, old fashioned bitters, ginger beer
3030 Ocean offers a combined seating for 216 including oceanfront dining room, expansive bar and lounge. Private dining rooms are available for special occasions. Located at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, 3030 Holiday Drive, the restaurant serves dinner nightly beginning at 6PM. Reservations are suggested. Telephone: (954) 765-3030. Valet and complimentary self-parking is available.
Website: www.3030ocean.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/3030Ocean.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/3030oceanftl
About Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa
Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa is Fort Lauderdale’s premier resort, sitting on 16 oceanfront acres, including a quarter mile of private beach. The palm tree-lined grounds, luxurious spa, award-winning restaurants, 3030 Ocean and Sea Level Restaurant & Ocean Bar and soothing suites provide the perfect, rejuvenating escape. Located just 10 minutes from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Marriott Harbor Beach offers guests tropical seclusion with all the exciting dining, shopping, entertainment and cultural options of the city at its doorstep. See yourself at Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa – www.harborbeachmarriott.com. To stay up to date on the latest news and happenings follow us on Twitter at @HBMarriottFL and Facebook at www.facebook.com/HarborBeachMarriott. For resort information and reservations, please call 1-800-hotels1 or (954) 525-4000 or visit www.harborbeachmarriott.com
