Grass Skirt Tiki Room

Customers probably visit Liz Lessner's Grass Skirt Tiki Room primarily for the drinks. It would be a shame if they missed what comes out of the kitchen, since the selection of Pacific Rim fare pairs so perfectly with the cocktails.

There is a limited selection of entrees that accompany the cadre of small plates on the menu. There are plenty of vegetarian options on the menu, and the staff is very accommodating to dietary restrictions.

Edamame was cooked perfectly. The soybeans were flecked with cracked black pepper and Sriracha sea salt. While it was well prepared, the hint of chili oil didn't add much to the dish.

The veggie spring rolls were stuffed with crunchy green cabbage, peppers and onions. The sweet ginger sauce brings a bright freshness to the rolls.

The teriyaki mushroom lettuce wraps were a perfectly sweet yet savory ssam. The earthy mushrooms soaked up the teriyaki sauce, and the lettuce leaves add a crunch to each bite.

The vegetarian Thai pineapple rice bowl had layers of garlic and chili that were tempered by the sweetness of the fruit. It was a large portion.

The red pepper and mushroom menehunes (a Hawaiian word for sandwich) are sliders served on the classic sweet island roll. They continue the combination of sweet and savory that appear in all the dishes.

The decor is kitschy and fun. The restaurant is dark with carefully selected lighting that highlights the contours of the room.

The cocktails are excellent. There is a classic and a haute Mai Tai. Drinks are often garnished with tropical fruit and maraschino cherries and can be served in a take-home Tiki mug. The Mystery Girl, a drink not listed on the menu, picked up a great nutmeg flavor from the horchata-rum liqueur in the drink.

The menu at Grass Skirt is made to go alongside the drinks, but the small plates format allows even those who aren't drinking to sample many dishes if they eat in a group. Service was capable, but became slightly overbearing on a slow night visit.

Global Grill

Global Grill is an upscale international tapas concept in Pensacola. The artfully prepared small plates include numerous choices for vegetarians.

The restaurant is located in the city of Pensacola rather than its more tourist-y neighbor Pensacola Beach. The restaurant has soft lighting that highlights the color of the dining room.

There is ample seating at the bar. Happy hour seemed to host a lively crowd.

As with a traditional Spanish restaurant, Global Grill offers hot and cold tapas as well as a limited selection of entrees. The menu comfortably travels from Italy to Spain to France to Japan to the Caribbean to the Gulf Shore with seamless ease.

The herbed focaccia had a Mediterranean twist. It was topped with feta cheese, toasted pine nuts and kalamata olives. The streaks of reduced tomato added a bright flavor to delicious toasted bread.

The mozzarella egg rolls were like giant cheese sticks with a flakey exterior rather than the traditional flour-and-breadcrumb coated bar fare. The tomato sauce had a fruity note from merlot.

The olive plate had a variety of green and black olives marinated in oil flavored with rosemary and basil. The portion appears large because the dish is which it is served is canoe-shaped.

Asparagus tempura was perfectly fried in a crispy batter that possessed a delightful crunch. The flavor of the fried veggies was amplified by the sweet balsamic reduction that is drizzled on the plate.

The fried artichokes were stuffed with boursin cheese. The artichokes were marred by a slightly underripe character that added an unpleasant vegetal note to the creamy cheese.

The chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream sounds a little plain Jane, but the addition of basil chiffonade added a fresh, herbal undertone to flavors that are usually safe and traditional. The portion was small, and that works well because it's easy to fill up on tapas.

The wine list at Global Grill has fairly priced wines from a variety of international appellations. It fits nicely with the global menu.

Service at Global Grill was outstanding. The server was easily able to point out vegetarian options on the menu, and did so in a personable manner.

It's evident why Global Grill is one of Pensacola's most popular fine dining destinations. Global Grill is a fantastic example of the merits of well executed fusion cuisine.

Global Grill

Stella!

Stella is an amalgamation of international flavors that join hands in New Orleans to create a completely unique fusion cuisine. It combines European, Asian and Gulf Coast American elements that unify into a deeply satisfying package, all contained in a beautiful restaurant with a fun atmosphere.

Chef Scott Boswell brings his fun personality to Stella. His adventurous spirit comes to play in everything you eat at Stella. It quickly becomes evident why Chef Boswell was nominated for a James Beard award this year.

The amuse bouche was a mango puree prepared with taro root strips and spicy kimchi. The sweet flavor of the mango puree is pronounced at first, and the tangy bits of kimchi and the crunch of taro root join into a synergistic whole.

My appetizer was a chef's garden Bibb lettuce and organic purple radish salad with sweet red onions, fiddlehead ferns and blueberry vinaigrette. The salad combined crispy lettuce and crunchy radishes with a tart dressing, and the pop of fresh ground pepper made the flavor explode.

Stella prepares a vegetarian composition daily. Its contents are determined by whatever the freshest ingredients of the day are. The latest creation is cauliflower, beets, turnips and white asparagus with sugar snap peas, wild rice and potato croquettes, cauliflower puree, tapenade butter and a micro green salad. The croquettes were soft, hot and delicious. The veggies were crisp and flavorful. The dish was presented beautifully

The most minor complaint I had about the choices available for vegetarians was that the appetizer/entree combination available for vegetarians on the night I went to Stella was a little too salad heavy. I like mountains of greens as much as the next guy, but the portions might have been more in order if there was a non-salad appetizer available, or if the entree had a smaller green salad and more of the fresh veggies and croquettes. Overall, this is a minor complaint. The fare was so amazing that it overcame this slight oversight.

The dessert grilled cheese (yes, you read that correctly), however, hit the bullseye. Small tea sandwich portions of bread were stuffed with Explorateur triple-cream cheese and luxurious chocolate ganache. It was augmented with artistically applied blueberry sauce and fresh berries. The dessert wa so rich, and it was impossible to tell where the chocolate began and the Explorateur ended. The acidity in the blueberries adds a great contrast to this fantastic dessert.

Dinner came with an additional lagniappe in the form of a plate of delicious candies and cookies. While the strawberry marshmallow wasn't vegetarian-friendly, the chocolate coconut macaroons, absinthe truffles, white chocolate coconut nougat and passion fruit candies were both vegetarian-safe and satsfying.

Service at Stella was outstanding. The staff was jovial, knowledgeable, and deeply capable of addressing vegetarian dining concerns.

The wine list runs the gamut from trophy wines from DRC, Guigal, Margaux, Ridge, Peter Michael and Antinori, to idiosyncratic labels like the Friedrich Becker Pinot Noir from Germany and Surh Luchtel Page Nord Vineyard Rhone blend from Napa. Stella also has a full bar.

Stella