Coolinary Café
4650 Donald Ross Rd. Suite 110
561-249-6760
561-249-6760
Open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Closed Sundays
By Jane Feehan
Authentic American dining with an innovative twist or two is
in store for diners at the fast-paced Coolinary Café. Look for a spartan room
tucked away in the Donald Ross Villages Plaza with people waiting to get a
seat. It’s worth the wait.
For those who’ve dined at Charlie’s Reef Grill (Juno) and
Little Moir’s Food Shack (Jupiter), Coolinary will seem familiar: an austere
elongated dining space with tables, some counter seating and an open kitchen with a
few very organized pros preparing food at the grill. Owners of the three places once worked together.
The menu at Coolinary Café changes often to accommodate
season, availability and local sources. I supped on very fresh, delicately sautéed
Pompano with lemon butter and sautéed brussel sprouts – a plate that could have
met the standards of a sophisticated, more formal dining establishment. The
same can’t be said about the Bouillabaisse, their version of a fish stew.
This stew was an American take on the Marseilles, France
dish, which includes fish not available here but Coolinary’s version was
lacking in imagination. The soup was mildly spicy—and flavorsome— but the
seafood used was mainly shrimp with a few pieces of swordfish.
A very American dish was the boneless Southern fried chicken
atop a jalapeno cheddar waffle with grilled lemon and coleslaw. The café put chicken
and waffle together as if it had been that way from the beginning. New Orleans
served as inspiration for one of their starters, crab and corn beignets. Innovative
in flavor and texture, this gem is enough for a meal for one or an appetizer
for three. It’s one of their most popular plates.
Coolinary does wonderful things with waffles. I ordered a “carrot
cake-inspired” waffle with whipped cream and another maple-based topping. The
waffle was tender and moist. There was no mistaking this was an American original,
a great way to top off a meal at this fun and creative eatery.
Wine and beer served. Casual atmosphere but not ideal for
small children at night; it’s a small room.
