Destination Garlic (New Smyrna Beach, FL

Puttanesca with Shrimp

This past weekend I was at the beach with some amazing women celebrating our dear friend's wedding (right around the corner). The weekend could be summed up by these words: laughter, sun, beach, friendship, wine, and Garlic.  That's right--garlic with a capital G. The Garlic is an institution in New Smyrna Beach.  It is an Italian cult classic; locals and Central Florida vacationers alike go to the Garlic to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, weddings right around the corner, and anything worth a fabulous meal (Tuesday works for me).

The Garlic patio

I am the only one in our group that had not experienced his wonderland before.  When we walk in, we wind through a hall of distinctive pottery for sale, inside patios, outside decks, dining rooms, a bar...  I make a note not to go to the restroom by myself or I may never find our table again! The vibe feels like Key West + beach cantina + my [non-existent] Italian great-grandmother's cucina.  The whole place says "Salute!" so we fittingly order a great bottle of prosecco (Zardetto) and toast the bride to be.

Crusty Bread with Roasted Garlic

While we are deciding on our entrees, we are brought a crusty baguette with an entire head of slow-roasted garlic with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan. It is music to my mouth, and pairs beautifully with the prosecco. We order entrees and more wine (Sauvignon Blanc to go with our seafood pasta). I should mention how wonderful our server was. We kept going around the table and telling stories of our bride (laughing, crying, snorting, we got messy), and she waited for the right moment to take our order, sensitive to our wine-heightened emotional state.

I order their house specialty, the Linguini Puttanesca, and pay homage to the beach by adding shrimp.  Also ordered: Prosciutto and Pea Tortellini and Shrimp and Scallop Scampi. 

The pottery room at the Garlic

Salads come with every entree, and I upgrade to a Caesar. I am so happy about this salad: the classic dressing is nutty and briny with anchovy, the croutons that are more cheese than bread... perfection.

The entrees arrive and everything was fabulous.  The Puttanesca was sublimely spicy and salty with capers, imported olives, and chunky San Marzano tomatoes. I was a little concerned that the shrimp would be overwhelmed by such a powerful sauce, but the combination was amazing.  The tortellini was in an unctuous pecorino romano garlic cream sauce. The uber-fresh seafood made the Shrimp and Scallop Scampi, but the rest of the dish was a little bland.

We are so incredibly full at this point, but we cannot resist dessert.  We just don't want this night to end! We order a mile-high dark chocolate cake, and a cream brulee cheesecake. Absolutely delicious. The only thing I can say is thank goodness we are finished with the bikini part of the weekend!

Caesar

The garlic gets a strong 4/5.  The ambiance is one-of-a-kind. [An aside: I may have neglected to mention a man bursting out in opera every few minutes, adding to the festivity (and hilarity) of the night.]  The food was divine, the service was outstanding, and I can't imagine a better way to celebrate approaching nuptials, or anything else for that matter.  Salute!