McCoy's Oceanfront Restaurant is 'the real McCoy'!

Hello Foodie Friends,

This past Monday, I had the pleasure of dining at McCoy's Oceanfront Restaurant, located inside the Marriott Pompano Beach. I first heard about McCoy's while working at one of the Swank Table events at Swank Farm up in Loxahatchee. That's where I met Brianne who was there serving up a signature cocktail to the guests upon their arrival. A few weeks later, purely by coincidence, I received information about McCoy's upcoming Easter Brunch menu followed by an invite from McCoy's PR firm to come experience McCoy's first hand. Perfect, I thought!

I wasn't actually sure where the Marriott in Pompano Beach was, but my GPS had me coming across the 14th St. Causeway and as soon as I did, I was on familiar ground as I saw straight ahead the former Ocean Sands Resort & Spa (now a Marriott Residence Inn) where I had once worked for a brief stint. This Marriott where I was headed, was just a couple buildings south.

McCoy's draws its inspiration from the grit and character of Bill McCoy who gloried in his reputation as an honest law-breaker. McCoy never watered down his smuggled spirits nor used imposter labels. McCoy's products were the real deal, or as they were referred to in the many speakeasies from New York to Florida, the "real McCoy".  At McCoy's Oceanfront, Chef Daniel Gerety is serving up a mindfully-crafted menu to emulate the reputation of Bill McCoy's legacy.

The Repeal of 1933 (l) and the Glad Rags (r)

The cocktail list kept true to the whole bootlegging prohibition era theme with names like Bootlegger, Repeal of 1933, Bathtub Gin and 18th Ammendment to name a few.

My companion chose The Repeal of 1933, which was a pretty little number made with Azunia Tequila, Montelobos Mescal, Fresh Strawberries, Jalepenos and Lime. Of course I had to have a sip, right?! Muy delicioso! I chose the Glad Rags which was made with St. Augustine Vodka, St. Germaine Elderflower  Liqueur (one of my new faves), Fresh Grapefruit and Rosemary. It was awesome! 

Shortly after our cocktails arrived at our table, so did Executive Chef Daniel. It was both a surprise and a delight that he took the time to speak with us about the menu and while he gave us  the opportunity to select from anything on the menu, we took him up on his offer to bring us out some items that thought we might enjoy based on our conversation. How cool was that? Chef Daniel gathered we were seafood lovers so the first course out was a seafood medley (not normally served this way, but after we went crazy over it, something tells me it just might make its way on the menu that way. It was a definite hit with us).

A specially prepared trio of seafood specialties

Spicy Tuna Tartar

Diver Sea Scallops

Snapper Ceviche

The plate consisted of their spicy tuna tartar (not so spicy, really; take it from this spice-challenged foodie)- made with avocado, wakame and some type of Asian aioli and garnished with crispy wonton strips. I loved the texture and the balance of all the different flavors.

The Pan-Seared Diver Sea Scallops were cooked to perfection in McCoy's rum butter and topped with a tropical salsa garnish that really tied the dish together. Although the first two were both scrumptious, my companion and I both went gaga over the the final item on the plate: the ceviche. Made from local snapper, mango, fresno pepper, cilantro and truffled maize and placed upon a wonton chip and garnished with micro cilantro and toasted corn kernels, we could have eaten this dish all night long! 

So now we're off to an amazing start. What is Chef Daniel going to bring out for us next we wonder. Well, we didn't have to wait long before he arrived with a beautiful plate of Farro Risotto. 

Farro Risotto

This dish of diver scallops, gulf shrimp, pancetta, sweet peas, oyster mushrooms, Parmesan Reggiano and garnished with a crispy sage leaf was every bit as good as it looked! It certainly had a lot going on and the flavors were outstanding. To me, the oyster mushrooms were the hit at this party taking place in my mouth. If you've never had farro before, you don't know what you're missing and if you've had it before but not at McCoy's, you don't know what you're missing!

Next Chef Daniel brought us their short rib pappardelle made with a Cabernet reduction, wild mushrooms, shallots, pancetta, crème fraiche, Parmesan Reggiano and topped with escabeche (marinated salad of assorted pickled vegetables). At first, one might ask how on earth do pickled vegetables belong on this dish? Trust me, it does. The escabeche totally balanced out the flavors of the robust beef and the creaminess of the crème fraiche. It's quite brilliant actually.

Beef Short Rib Pappardelle

 By this time, we are already getting full but Chef Daniel had one more entree he wanted to impress us with, so we nodded politely to go ahead and bring it on. The portion you see here is a half portion of their Grilled Beef Tenderloin. Pretty, isn't it? It was served with a truffle (ah hello, did someone say truffle? My favorite!) jus and red pepper confit and set atop a sliced yukon gold potato and asparagus spears. I took a few bites and not to my surprise, it was fabulous, only I really didn't have room to eat any more (thank goodness for take out containers) if I was going to even attempt to taste any of their desserts. 

Beef Tenderloin

 And speaking of desserts...Chef Daniel decided to do a trio of some of their top sellers: the Best of Both Worlds, the NY Cheesecake, and the Black & White Shooter. All were tasty, but my favorite was the Black & White Shooter that had a little extra surprise of chocolate pearls (dark chocolate and cocoa flakes) waiting at the bottom of the glass. Yummy!

Trio of Dessert

                    

Chef Daniel

McCoy’s is located at 1200 North Ocean Blvd. in Pompano Beach

They are open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner and also offers a daily happy hour with specials from 4-7 p.m., served poolside.  Friday happy hour entertainment often continues throughout the weekend, with music ranging from an island tropical vibe to mainstream hits. 

For more info on McCoy's or the Marriott Pompano Beach, visit their website at www.marriott.com/fllpm or call 954-782-0100; toll-free:  855-954-4683

Until we eat again...

I send you delicious wishes, xo

Denise

 Denise Righetti

C.F.O. (Chief Foodie Officer)

Denise's Foodie Events & Savor Our City™

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