All glitz but no substance. I am sorry to say that is what I felt about dining at the new contemporary American restaurant, Hyde Beach Kitchen and Cocktails (CLOSED), located at 111 S. Surf Rd in Hallandale.

This area was greatly lacking a smart and tasty restaurant. Well now they have a cool looking one at least. It is not easy to find. There is no signage. Turn in by the large water tower at the beach in Hallandale. Do yourself a favour and park at the underground lot to the right as you drive in and save yourself $20 valet. The SBE group which also owns the SLS South Beach brings this three level multi-functioning dining room, wellness and nightclub to Hallandale. It includes a spa, fitness center and beach bar. The second floor is the restaurant and the third floor is a members only poolside lounge. The chef is Danny Elmaleh of Cleo which I enjoyed going to a lot last year. He has a great resume and has worked in some great kitchens all over the world. So I am not sure what happened here …

If it is a great meal you are after I would head south or north. It really is not worth the drive here if you aren’t living close by.

To be fair I have only been here once and I couldn’t sample all the dishes I would have liked to.
The ambience is relaxed and sophisticated with a nautical beach chic look. There is lots of wood , stone floors, an open kitchen and a lovely outside bar area and patio that would be glorious on a nice day. It was closed for our dinner for some reason and it was an icebox inside the restaurant, strike one. They try to seat us at the worst table next to the kitchen entrance and by the waiters station, strike two. They tell you that you should order family-style and the food will come out as it is ready. If you know me by now you know I am beginning to really dislike this concept. The menu didn’t read like a tapas menu at all. You can each order a small plate and your own main course. One guest ordered the linguini vongole which came out a good ten minutes before my chicken, and then another five minutes for my mother’s chicken to come out. It was so ridiculous, strike three. (in baseball you would be out)

Now for the food. The pumpkin rolls with sea salt and maple butter were good but they were not amazing. Zak the Baker makes a much better bread, as does Michael Mina and a dozen of other places. I was told the linguine was fine. The roast chicken was average, I can get better at home. The Moroccan chicken was not in a palatable sauce. It was sour and spicy, where a better balance would have been sweet and spicy.

For dessert we tried the cheesecake in a mason jar, a cute idea if you can execute it properly. But the cake had zero flavour and was more like a thin cream cheese with lots of whipped cream on top. So the food was strike four for us.

The service was nothing special, they brought my food with no silverware, the staffs demeanor was a little cool, strike five.

So despite this being a beautiful upscale beach restaurant, an adult playground if you will, they need to shape up or ship out.

By the way, I hear they have afternoon pool parties and a DJ a la Nikki Beach. You know volleyball and hammocks beach chair rentals, and alfresco dining. But for me this place had subpar food and did not meet my expectations.

Not recommended.

Happy dining,
Shanea

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