Review: Seafood restaurant classes up lunch with white tablecloths and linen napkins

Joey and Kimmy must believe lunch is all about crisp, white, cloth tablecloths; linen napkins; fresh, inventive seafood dishes; and even a few Italian specialties. We believe lunch at Joey & Kimmy's Seafood Market & Restaurant is simply luscious. 

Right in the center of their busy little eclectically decorated market, we relaxed near the piano at a comfortable window table and watched the world and the traffic of U.S. 1 go by.

Waiting for lunch to arrive, we gazed around at cases of Northern and local fresh seafood, some fresh produce, Pastosa-brand pasta products, breads, interesting sauces, condiments, and specialty items. There is a selection of boutique wines, beers and Indian pale ales from which to choose. So many items to contemplate for dinner prep but little time to do so, as lunch comes out in a jiffy.

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A treat for the eyes, nose, mouth and belly, our bountiful lunches were enticingly plated and smelled just heavenly.  And each item tasted oh, so good.

We started with smooth, creamy, very French lobster bisque ($13), with quite discernable pieces of lobster; and a crispy Greek salad that comes with each meal, along with your choice of wild rice or pasta marinara.

Reluctantly passing over the appetizers that included clams and oysters on the half shell, mussels marinara, fish dip, fried calamari, shrimp cocktail and more, we moved on to entrees.

Two jumbo lump crab cakes ($41) as an entrée were a big success. Seasoned so masterfully, these giant crab cakes were amazingly moist and savory in spite of a few stray pieces of shell we detected. Hey, it happens.

Nothing amiss in the shrimp scampi entrée ($28), an absolutely scrumptious serving of about six butterflied, garlicy, buttery crustaceans served on the plate with accompanying pasta coming separately in a bowl.

As with the crab cakes, I enjoyed my entrée served with flavorsome wild rice. I chose a special of the day, blackened mahi ($25.95), that easily could have satisfied two diners. But I was happy to have it all to myself.

Some might say Joey & Kimmy’s is a bit pricey for lunch in a market, but we really enjoyed the treat!

Joey & Kimmy's Seafood Market & Restaurant

• Cuisine: Seafood

• Address: 1800 U.S. 1., Vero Beach

• Hours: 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, with the market from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Phone: 772-918-8855; the website recommends reservations for the limited seating

• Online: joeyandkimmys.com

Maribeth Renne dines anonymously at the expense of TCPalm. Contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Review: Joey & Kimmy's Seafood Market & Restaurant in Vero Beach