Finding The Perfect Steakhouse In Florida

It seems that sometimes — for whatever reason — the best thing on restaurant menu isn't even on the actual menu. Such was certainly the case with the Kobe skewers at Hollywood Prime restaurant at The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Florida.

Hollywood Prime is the kind of steakhouse that even Texans can't help but rave about. The steak offerings at Hollywood Prime include 21-day, dry-aged beef, as well as 12-ounce natural American Kobe Delmonico steak from the family-owned Jackman Ranch in Clewiston, Florida.

If you somehow find yourself at a steakhouse but prefer to skip the beef, they also serve Long Island duck, domestic rack of lamb, a three-and-a-half-pound Maine lobster poached in butter (are you hungry yet?), swordfish loin, and salmon fillet. To the delight of Oenophiles everywhere, more than 600 types of wine are available to help you toast to any meal, no matter what you may order. 

When I saw the menu, what to order was a no-brainer for me — If there's a rib-eye, I'm eating it. The 18-ounce prime rib-eye was impeccably cooked and seasoned. As you might expect, it was juicy and tender and enormous. The best part? It made for killer leftovers.
 
With such an extensive menu, it is hard to believe that there were any off-menu items that could blow everything else out of the water. Yet, after a little cajoling, the waiter confided in us that the restaurant's best kept secret is its Kobe beef skewers, an item that you need to be in the know to order.

My only regret in ordering them is that I agreed to share them as an appetizer instead of ordering them all for myself. It was the most tender, flavorful meat I have had in years. I'd even go so far as to say they were the best meat I've ever had. The skewers were served rare to medium rare and melted like butter in my mouth.

But wait — there's more.

Also on the menu are King Crab legs the size of a baby's arm, and there was no way I was going to miss those. Then things got really interesting. I have been eating crab since I was a little girl. I grew up minutes from the Chesapeake Bay, after all. Nothing beats freshly caught cooked and picked Blue Crab. But the gorgeous King Crab at Hollywood Prime most certainly gave it a run for its money. It was a colossal, succulent crab, and  I simply could not stop eating it.
We had a dessert tasting with warm chocolate cake topped with ice cream, crème brûlée, key lime pie, and a warm chocolate chip cookie in a cast iron skillet with ice cream melting on top. [pullquote:right]

I also discovered a favorite new wine that night, thanks to the restaurant manager and sommelier, Laura Romano. Romano recommended the St. Supery 2012 Moscato after I shared with her my love for sweet wine. The St. Supery 2012 Moscato was precisely my kind of wine, and though it was meant for mostly for dessert, but perfect for steak and seafood for me. I love how a sweet wine tastes with rich foods. 

The cocktail menu caught my attention as well, which included specialties like the Toulouse Lavender with lavender infused vodka, Cointreau, simple syrup, and pink grapefruit juice and the de Provence with basil and rosemary infused Grey Goose vodka, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup, and the Mango Old Fashioned with muddled candied mango and Great King Street blended whiskey.

The de Provence was my favorite. I'm a sucker for anything with basil, and this felt like a fresh, sophisticated twist on the ever-popular lemon drop.

With so many steakhouses popping up and so many of them getting it right, it can be hard to stand out in the crowd. But there was something to be said  about the stellar service, perfectly cooked, perfectly aged cuts of meat, creative cocktails, and fresher than possible seafood that makes Hollywood Prime a cut above the rest.

Jenny Block is a special contributor to The Daily Meal.