Grace Restaurant St. Pete Beach

St. Pete Beach has been graced with a phenomenal new restaurant serving sophisticated flavors in an elegant atmosphere. We were greeted and seated right away. Our affable and informative server, Ken, took superb care of us from start to finish. I wanted a light and refreshing cocktail, so Ken recommended the Grace (360 vodka, lemonade, and lavender-blueberry syrup). Perfect! I couldn't taste the alcohol, so I had to be sure to sip it slowly (but I felt it when I got up). We shared a Lobster Cocktail (fresh Maine lobster, avocado purée, sweet soy, and white corn tortilla chips). Wow! So much lobster! We cleaned that plate embarrassingly quick. Besides the already hard-to-choose-because-everything-sounds-incredible menu, there were some awesome specials too. My gentleman adventurer couldn't ignore the Crab-Stuffed Pork Chop special with creamy polenta and spicy tomato hollandaise. He was blown away. The pork was well seasoned and the sauce was bursting with flavor. It was so tasty, he had to pick up the bone and gnaw on it. He said it was the best thing he's eaten in a long time. Trust me, THAT is quite a statement. I'm a mushroom fanatic, so I had to get the Wild & Tame Mushroom Ragout (mélange of roasted mushrooms and arugula over grilled sourdough bread topped with a sunny-side up egg). Oh my heavens! The fresh thyme and balsamic vinegar really enhanced the earthiness of the mushrooms. The grilled bread sopped up the mushroom, balsamic jus and luscious egg yolk. I cleaned the plate. I would definitely get this dish again. The only downside, which the restaurant has no control over, is the road work/detours to get in and out of Pass-a-Grille. It may take a little longer to get there right now, but it's worth it. Add Grace to your "Must Go" list. It's definitely on our "Must Go Back" list.

I've eaten here twice and both times the meal was fantastic. The staff are friendly and attentive. The young man who brought the dinners couldn't seem to match the dinner with the diner - it was like he was playing a gambling game hoping to luckily get it right. I'm in favor of not sending a server to a table saying "who's having the hog fish" but if a restaurant wants to promote a service image then the plates need to be delivered to the individuals who ordered those meals. So - Grace has room for improvement but the food was excellent.