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Trimming prices would strengthen new Mangroves

By Laura Reiley, Times Food Critic
In print: Wednesday, May 21, 2008

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ADVERTISEMENT [KATHLEEN FLYNN | Times] At Mangroves, Caribbean-style ceviche with fish, scallops, shrimp and vegetables is marinated in citrus juices and served over mofongo (mashed sweet plantains) with mango and plantain chips. Loading Video...

By Laura Reiley

TAMPA

Restaurateurs are increasingly between a rock and a hard place these days because of dramatically higher food prices and the January bump in the minimum wage. How much of these additional costs can be passed on to consumers before folks balk and eat at home instead?

The new Mangroves Northdale may be an interesting case study. Owned by Sam Chah and Debbie and Larry Hudson, who also own the restaurant of the same name in South Tampa, Mangroves Northdale opened in April in a location that has been vacant for a couple of years. The decor is hipster-modern, not unlike nearby Carrollwood's Grille One Sixteen. It's a big space, with multiple rooms done up in funky kiwi green, colorful mosaic glass, brushed stainless steel and plush upholstered booths.

The ownership team put a lot of money into the decor, then hired Johnson & Wales graduate Esteban Sainz to head the kitchen. The menu globe-trots through contemporary touchstones (tuna tataki, seared diver scallops, Hudson Valley foie gras, beef carpaccio), but it's expensive. The median appetizer price is $11, the median entree $28, with a number of entrees climbing close to $40. Many wines by the glass are offered for $12 or $14; cocktails hover around $12.

In a couple of visits, my concern was that not enough people feel comfortable in this economy dropping so much money on dinner. A $12 dessert is a special-occasion splurge. Clearly diners are free to navigate the menu to a comfy price point, but the service staff pushes the expensive dishes whenever advice is sought. Also, prices for specials and the verbal-only dessert list aren't given without prompting.

The next obvious question is whether dishes merit the steep prices. Some yes, some no. The tuna tataki ($11.50) brings squares of nicely seared ahi with what they call hand-pulled Asian noodles (tasted like angel hair to me) with a punchy wasabi cream and a refreshing cucumber/daikon salad. A crusted ahi entree ($29), however, verged on boring with limp snow peas and mashed potatoes with too subtle sake and shiitake flavorings. Even the fish itself didn't seem to be the same quality as the appetizer.

Another fish entree, Pacific Rim-spiced seabass ($30), was more pleasing, a tangle of peppery wilted arugula and heart of palm accessorizing the meaty fish under velvety beurre blanc.

A head of baby bok choy, oversteamed and without any seasoning, was clearly an afterthought on a pan-seared New York strip ($30). The steak tasted like quality Angus beef, but a cloying cognac sauce added little.

Nearly every dish comes heavily sauced, with most leaning to the sweet side (pomegranate demi, pineapple beurre blanc, truffle honey chili glaze, caramel-mint). This may be the chef's signature, but I'd like to see a little variation on that.

The kitchen has obvious skill, but with 19 entrees and 18 appetizers, it's easier for details to slip.

It remains to be seen whether diners are in the mood to splurge, but Mangroves might do itself and its customers a service by paring the menu back with an eye to value.

Laura Reiley can be reached at lreiley@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2293. Her blog, the Mouth of Tampa Bay, can be found at www.blogs.tampabay.com/dining. Reiley dines anonymously and unannounced. The St. Petersburg Times pays all expenses. Advertising has nothing to do with selection for review or the assessment.