3030 Ocean: One of Florida’s Finest Dining Experiences
Some of life’s finest dining experiences happen in the most unexpected places. Like 3030 Ocean. Located just off the lobby of a busy high-end Marriott resort on south AIA in Ft. Lauderdale, Chef Max Dean’s 3030 Ocean is such a distinctive find you would never expect to discover it halfway between lobby and meeting rooms in a hotel that caters to conventions and high-level corporate meetings.
Given a will of its own, 3030 Ocean would sit atop a knoll on the beach, salt air wafting over a deck of outdoor seating, ocean views of un-manicured sand dunes and sea oats visible through tall windows for indoor dining, maybe even a cozy fireplace somewhere off the kitchen.
But, alas, here it is in the midst of conference headquarters just north of Dania in a sleek hotel, capturing -- in addition to those temporarily distracted by dinner from talks of mergers and acquisitions -- a loyal local following and with good reason.
3030 Ocean is a restaurant where food is never slathered in sauces to disguise, but served fresh with integrity – a tuna tartare so succulent and flavorful it tastes like it just emerged from the sea, a Roasted Australian Sea Bass served with Thai eggplant, white beans, mushrooms, arugula, piquillos aioli, or Nova Scotia Arctic Char with wild mushrooms, Napa cabbage, Yukon, a touch of red wine sauce, bountiful dishes you want to store in your memory of favorite menus and fine moments.
At 3030 Ocean, premier seafood is flown in and selected daily, handled delicately and prepared with respect. The total culinary effect is a product that transcends placement, making it one of the newer breed of hotel dining experiences that is changing the way hotel dining is viewed. From the moment you step in and see the décor, a quiet statement of style and good taste, it hits: this is no ordinary resort restaurant. The bar area with seating for 60 is a combination of marble, mirrors and rich woods. Contrasting dark cherry and light oak woods are carried through the length of the main dining area that seats another 100. Overhead, circular rings of soft light cast a glow of gentle sophistication. Intimate tables in window corners (overlooking the beach if a tent for group meetings isn’t in place) are dressed with crisp white linens, larger round tables show off naked brightly polished mahogany. All are finished with fresh orchids, tall candles, heavy flatware and an array of fine glassware from aperitif to after-the-meal that hint at what is to come. And what’s to come is what it’s all about. It starts with wire baskets with strong dark and sweet light breads along with warm, freshly-crisped toast reminiscent of Indian pompadums, a selection of unusual alternatives that suggests, as you breathe a sigh of relief, that what follows will not be the stuff of chain restaurants.
But the real treasure is the sea fare and to understand that, you have to understand its founder.
3030 is the creation of Chef James Max Dean, a man so passionate about food he treats its existence with reverence, discarding the imperfect, perfecting the best. He grew up surrounded by the same reverence, a grandfather who was a chef and later made fine cooking the heart of his bed and breakfast. His father was a food purveyor who took Dean with him on his rounds and taught him at a young age to smell the difference between ears of corn grown in two separate places, a distinction created by the soil it was grown in. From his childhood days on the farm near the Chesapeake Bay to his adult training in fine restaurants from Europe to Brentwood, California, Dean carried the passion and used it to develop his own style at 3030 Ocean. He calls the style modern American seafood. He sees beauty in what comes from the sea and often goes to the source of his specialties, selecting bass or dolphin as if he were looking through a jeweler’s glass searching for flawless diamonds. “The sea,” he says, “has always been a refuge for me, a place to calm my nerves. The tranquility can wash away all the stress in my world.” These days, he frequently has his young family with him and on a day off, if he’s not conducting a seminar or teaching a class for a company like American Express or working on his food newsletter that goes to a database of 10,000 eager readers, he takes his wife and sons fishing or surfing, always a recreation that takes them back to the origins of the sea.
The title modern American seafood sounds deceptively simple. It’s anything but. On the menu this night is Wahoo Tartar, Pan Roasted Florida Snapper, Hawaiian Opah (moonfish). You can choose from a fixed price three course menu for $37 or $50 with wine, the latter being the far wiser choice as friendly, down-to-earth waiters recommend wines to go with each course and fill you in on the background. Like the food that seems almost deceptively simple, one wine that was recommended came with a screw top and turned out to be the surprise vintage of the night. Everything about 3030 feels like a discovery and the screw top New Zealand sauvignon blanc was no exception. You can also choose a five course chef tasting menu (available for entire tables, $60 or $90 with wine) or go a la carte with entries from appetizers like Maine Day Boat Scallops, Spicy Bouchot Mussels, Roasted Coach Farm Goat Cheese with baby beets or a Romaine salad with Caesar dressing. A large selection from the Sea Bar includes entries like stone crab claws, white water clams or chilled Maine lobster, grilled octopus with arugula, shaved fennel, capers, vinaigrette and olives. For meat lovers, there are other entries including lamb and a cowboy steak that rivals any you have had in the best steakhouses. Desserts are not for the timid – passion fruit tart topped with homemade coconut ice cream and a warm chocolate cake that you manage to find room for even though you say you can’t possibly.
What you will remember most about 3030 Ocean is that it is an extraordinary dining experience created by Chef Max Dean, a man who does not get in the way of his food. He inspires his staff to do the same, almost as if they stood back and treated it with the respect it deserves like a fine designer would do, allowing the little black dress to stand on its own with a minimum of accessories to accentuate but never overwhelm the main ingredient. (3030 Ocean, Marriott's Harbor Beach, Resort & Spa, 3030 Holiday Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316, 954-765-3030, www.3030ocean.com
