It’s easy to miss The Caribbean Court Boutique Resort, tucked behind lush vegetation just south of South Beach, but you won’t want to. The quaint inn is home to four different dining venues.
Business partners Dan Wise and Colleen Carr purchased the restaurants, which could keep a person well satisfied from morning to night, just over a year ago. Creperie, managed by Wise’s wife, Maureen, serves breakfast and lunch daily. Wise describes the food, which includes crepes, omelets, and eggs Benedict for breakfast, as well as salads and sandwiches for lunch, as “French-ish.”
Dinner is served in the elegant dining room of Maison Martinique, where the menu includes dishes such as the Shrimp and Scallop Martinique featured here. “Clean, quality food” is the order of the day across the board.
Some restaurateurs would be satisfied with serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but not Wise and Carr. They hope you’ll also join them for happy hour in the Shell Lounge and a nightcap upstairs in the Havana Nights piano bar.
Wise is motivated by a drive to restore the venue to its former stature. “There’s a lot of good history to this place,” he says. He speaks fondly of Yannick Martin, long known to locals as the chef at Chez Yannick and the owner of Café du Soir on Royal Palm Boulevard. Martin, who passed away in 2013, was the last independent owner of Maison Martinique, where Carr was general manager when Chef Wise arrived on the scene. “We quickly gained a rapport with each other,” Carr says.
Wise is proud to have stepped into Martin’s big shoes and determined to live up to the reputation he established. “I found his plates upstairs,” Wise says, “and we use them for breakfast and lunch.”
Wise has been working in restaurants since he was 10 years old. His journey has taken him around the country, including stints at several Vero Beach clubs and The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. Carr has 33 years in the restaurant business. “For me, it is about the guests,” she says. “I love meeting new people and taking care of the new friends I have made here in Vero.”
“I like to be in the back,” says Wise. “If I look out from behind that curtain and see people enjoying the food, then I’m good. That’s what it’s about.”
Grilled Cilantro Shrimp and Gazpacho
Serves 1
This dish is served at the Shell Lounge.
Ingredients
4 pieces of 13/15 gulf shrimp
1/2 oz. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. paprika
1 oz. olive oil blend
Salt and pepper to taste
Slice of lime
2 bunches of greens
Gazpacho
1 large tomato, cut into chunks
1/2 cucumber, seeded and cut into chunks
1 oz. red onion
1 garlic clove
1 pinch fresh mint
1 pinch salt
2 oz. tomato juice
In a food processor, blend all above ingredients and pour into small glass.
Preheat grill to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, marinate shrimp with oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and cilantro. Place shrimp on grill, but don’t flare up; cook each side, but keep moist. Place gazpacho glass on center of plate and garnish with lime. Place 2 shrimp on top of greens on each side of the glass.
Shrimp and Scallop Martinique
Serves 1
This dish is served at Maison Martinique.
Ingredients
3 pieces of 13/15 gulf shrimp
3 pieces of U-10 scallop
1 oz. chiffonade basil
2 oz. diced tomato
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. white wine
3 tbsp. softened unsalted butter
1 oz. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 thin slice of French baguette
Preheat sauté pan to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Start with hot pan and add oil; place baguette slice and brown both sides to create crostini. Place scallops on towel to dry and add salt and pepper. Place scallops flat-side down in hot pan and sear golden brown on both sides, then add shrimp. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add white wine and lemon juice to deglaze pan. Reduce heat and add butter to cream up; don’t break butter. Add basil and tomatoes for sauce to be creamy. Place crostini on center of plate, place shrimp on crostini, place scallops around crostini, and pour creamy butter mixture over all items.
Smoked Salmon Crepes & Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Salsa and Fresh Mesclun Greens
Both dishes are served at Creperie.
Tapas Plate
Serves 2
This dish is served at Havana Nights Piano Bar.
Ingredients
4 slices grilled French baguette crostini
2 oz. Greek olive blend
1 oz. roasted red peppers
2 oz. chickpea hummus
Small bunch red grapes
1 oz. sliced dry salami
1 oz. sliced black pepper salami
1 oz. dry coppa
1 oz. buttermilk blue cheese
1 oz. 4-year-old yellow cheddar
1 oz. Grand Cru Reserve cheese
1 oz. aged Gouda and fontina
Hummus
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 oz. chickpeas
1 clove garlic
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cumin
Drain fluid from chickpeas. In a food processor, blend all hummus ingredients for a smooth consistency.
Place all products throughout a plate or board for your visual acceptance. Preheat grill to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grill baguette crostini to mark and place on plate.
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