The Verandah overlooks Amelia Island Plantation’s Racquet Park and boasts several dining areas and private rooms for special parties. Fresh seafood is flown in on a daily basis, all wild-caught, and their meat items are free-range and organic—something I was excited to learn about the restaurant. We began our meal with a selection of appetizers, including Sautéed Shrimp & Mango Chutney, Cumberland Crab Cakes, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Shrimp Cocktail with Crab Salad. The sautéed shrimp were quite succulent and tender, bursting with the flavor of fresh herbs, and the mango chutney provided a sweet and salty balance. The crab cakes were crispy and very rich, made with lump crabmeat, flavored with basil, lemon, shallots, and served with a crayfish sauce. This appetizer was superb, and I could have eaten it as a main course. The fried green tomatoes were delicious, served with a mustard sauce and boursin cheese. The cocktail shrimp were enormous and perfectly cooked, and the crab salad was a nice touch. We washed down all these tasty appetizers with a glass of Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp and fruity wine from Napa Valley.

The Verandah offers a wonderful house salad served at table: fresh garden greens topped with sunflower seeds, Won Ton noodles, and tossed with a roasted sesame seed dressing. Their bread selection is very nice as well, all freshly baked. Rumsey and I chose two entrees to share, the Red House Grouper and a special that night, New York Strip Steak. The grouper was divine, seasoned with The Verandah’s house blend of herbs, topped with a soft blue crab crust, and finished with a sauvignon blanc sauce. The fish was incredibly moist, and the sauce was rich and buttery. This very fine entrée confirmed the restaurant’s reputation for doing great things with seafood. I was also very impressed with the steak, which was thinly sliced and medium rare, very tender and juicy, and served with quinoa bleu cheese risotto, along with steamed asparagus and broccoli rabe. The sauce was exceptional, a cabernet demi-glace that took my breath away. Our wine selections included Sonoma Cutrer “Russian River” Chardonnay, paired with the grouper, and St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon for the steak entrée. Both were wonderful choices.

After all those delicious, rich offerings, I was definitely on a food high. But who could resist The Verandah’s Amelia Island Mud Pie, an ice cream extravaganza with Oreo cookies, chocolate ganache, whipped cream, berries, Tia Maria, Kalhua, and other secret ingredients? My note-to-self that evening was not to wait for a special occasion to visit The Verandah again because it’s a fabulous restaurant to be enjoyed any night of the week. Chef Chris Wright and his experienced staff offer up some wonderful specials each night, using the freshest ingredients and creativity to make your dining experience the very best ever!