First impression: If you haven't been to The Grateful Palate since its expansion and redesign 16 months ago, you're in for a treat. It's been transformed into a sophisticated 68-seat restaurant with a wine bar on one side and a restaurant on the other, divided by a translucent wall. They now do their yacht provisioning in a separate facility, but the kitchen sometimes relies too heavily on what I call yacht chef tricks where presentation takes precedence over flavor.
Ambience: Sleek but never sterile, since the warm color palate of gold and brown creates a comfort level that will make you want to linger. You'll have a hard time deciding if you want to sit on one of the high backed upholstered chairs, an oversized arm chair or a stool at the bar. Rectangular chandelier shades cast a warm light. A very open kitchen gives diners a sometimes too close look at food preparation.
Starters: I might call the Grateful Greek Salad ($8/$14) the most original take on this salad I've ever tasted. It has all the requisite ingredients but feta fritters replace feta cheese and the ingredients are sliced so finely that every mouthful gives you a full taste of the dish. Likewise, Caesar salad ($8/$14) is a thoughtful rendition, with just the right amount of lemon, anchovy and parmesan. Grilled Mediterranean lamb lollipops ($21) are listed under starters, but the serving is so large, it's a perfect entree. You'll want to dip each tender oversized pop into the accompanying salsa verde. Mini lump crab cakes ($14) needed a big more time on the heat to develop a crisp exterior.
Entree excellence: Lighter eaters will love the full flavored Thai Beef Salad ($18), grain fed beef, too few udon noodles and crispy julienned vegetables dressed in soy ginger. Chicken supreme ($26) is a tender airline chicken breast (with wing attached) that comes with a seared risotto cake, ratatouille dressing and balsamic drizzle. It strikes me as a little expensive. A very good Charred Wagyu burger ($18) is topped with a wonderful combination of tomato, caramelized onion marmalade, goat cheese and arugula. Bamboo steamed Scottish salmon ($28) was overcooked to the point of being grainy one night. A lamb sirloin "steak" ($32) in red wine reduction was offered as a special, but the meat was gristly. One day at lunch, a buttery pasta with lobster special ($34) made us wish it was always on the menu.
