The highlight of our stay at The Diplomat Beach Resort was dinner in the new Point Royal Restaurant. We had heard a lot about their celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian who had been lured back to South Florida for this restaurant, so we walked in full of excitement. Newly renovated, the Point Royal certainly did not disappoint. The decor, experience, and especially the food were all top-notch.
Described as a “coastal American restaurant”, the Point Royal features a raw bar and a menu featuring Zakarian’s American cuisine and seafood dishes.
The decor is very modern: fun and vibrant. It’s right on the water with a bustling atmosphere.
Walking in, the first observation was the striking decor with large light fixtures illuminating from above. Plants line the counters to carry your eyes around the liveliness of the restaurant. To say “high ceilings” does not do justice to the incredible large and magnificent space.
They offer both indoor and outside seating. If it is a cool Florida evening, just ask for a table near the fire place outside to keep you warm. You are very welcome to get cozy in this Diplomat restaurant… Dip and Dine! The atmosphere throughout the restaurant is very welcoming.
Even though it was a beautiful evening to sit outside, we opted to stay indoors. We were seated in a round corner table which faced the central bar that was lined with bottles of all types of liquor. We couldn’t decide whether to order a glass of wine from their extensive wine list or an iconic cocktail. Both great choices!
One of the highlights of the restaurant is the raw bar. Offering up everything from affordable plates of clams and oysters to decadent, multi-tiered presentations complete with jumbo crab claws and lobster tails.
For starters, we went with The Diplomat Tower , a small sampling of a few items from the raw bar. Point Royal offers several seafood tower selections, offering everything from east & west coast oysters, and poached prawn to cold-poached lobster, Alaskan king crab legs, and stone crab claws.
For my main, I chose the butter-poached Lobster Roll which came with large leaves of lettuces. The lobster was very fresh, and I could taste the butter with every bite. Very delicious!
John, my husband, went for the Cornmeal Crusted Florida Snapper which was stuffed with tomato, basil, eggplant, and saffron aioli. The snapper was a large portion, but he ate ever bite of it.
Some of the other main plates included shrimp ‘n’ grits featuring house-made shrimp andouille sausage, artisan Anson Mills grits, and pickled mushrooms; roasted diver scallops “chowder” and a pomegranate-glazed short ribs.
For our side dishes, we chose the Parmigiano crusted potatoes topped with sea salt and rosemary, and a selection of different Kales.
For desserts, we tried to share just one but had too hard of a time deciding on only one! Who else has had that problem? We decided to order one each and I chose the Banana Foster Creme Brûlée with Tahitian vanilla, bananas in rum, and caramelized pecan.
John chose the Chocolate Budino Dark Chocolate which came with hazelnut praline, coco nibs, and topped with cinnamon ice cream. He ate every crumb of this too!
These delicacies were a wonderful finale to our incredibly enjoyable dining experience at Point Royal Restaurant.
For hotel guests, this array of restaurants provides a good reason to never leave! And for locals, an opportunity to visit the newly renovated Diplomat and enjoy these great new options like Diplomat Prime, Portico Beer & Wine Garden and Bristol’s Burgers. I can’t wait to tell you all about our stay at The Diplomat Beach Resort!
Point Royal is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Geoffrey Zakarian also opened Counter Point as an extension of Point Royal at the resort with casual, gourmet grab-and go options. These two restaurants are the first ones completed as part of the Diplomat’s transformation which includes more than 10 restaurants and bars. The hotel lobby and restaurants are absolutely stunning.
Disclosure: We were guest of The Diplomat Beach Resort and Point Royal Restaurant, and all opinions here are my own.
The post The Diplomat’s Point Royal Restaurant – A Seafood Lovers Delight appeared first on Carmen's Luxury Travel.
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