Sunday, March 22, 2009

TAVERNIER -- Balancing familiarity with uniqueness. That's what chef George Patti and managing partner Tom Smith say they're going after at their new Tasters Grille Market, which recently opened in the former Anthony's restaurant space in Tavernier Towne.

"We are taking familiar items, we are making it fresh and we are giving it a little twist. We are jazzing them up a bit," Smith said last week as workers busily readied Tasters for a trial run.

If that's the goal, Patti and Smith seem to be just the guys to get it done. Smith, 41, is a sommelier who also has served as a consultant for a number of Upper Keys eateries, including Green Turtle Inn, Braza Lena, Old Tavernier Inn and Snappers.

Patti, 38, is a 24-year veteran of the kitchen who has cooked everywhere from New York to Charleston, S.C., and from D.C. to, most recently, Holiday Isle. Along the way he's manned the kitchen in Italian and Thai restaurants. He's learned the secrets of South Carolina's Low Country cuisine, and for a few years he ran his own Caribbean restaurant in Fort Lauderdale.

Now Patti intends to put many of those skills to work at Tasters, which will emphasize fresh South Florida ingredients, presented in an eclectic mix of cuisines from around the world.

Fans of island food, for example, might enjoy the Jamaican beef patties, with the dough made fresh daily. A crab rangoon combines local seafood with cuisine from the Far East.

For the salad lover, there's a Thai beef offering topped with a sesame ginger dressing. And if you're looking for something closer to home, there's the Sunday night whole grilled hogfish or the tuna salad, which Patti said will be made of rare cooked yellowfin. And whatever part of the world a dish is from, it's likely to be infused with contrasting flavors.

"The yin and the yang," Patti said. "I like putting something crispy on the plate with something creamy, something sweet with something spicy."

All this talk about worldwide cuisine may make Tasters sound pricey, but Smith said that won't be the case.

Located off the water, the focus will be on locals. On the dinner menu, small courses cost about $8 to $10. Main dishes are in the $20 range. A variety of ceviches, a regular menu feature, cost $8 to $10.

"A cold beer and an order of ceviche is a wonderful thing," Patti said enthusiastically.

Tasters also will offer lunch with the emphasis on wraps, salads and paninis.

To accommodate the busy schedules of workers in the Tavernier area, as well as people running errands around the Tavernier Towne mall, lunch will be handled through counter service.

A market located within the new eatery will sell salads, slaws, dips, speciality cheeses, chocolates and wine accessories.

The restaurant will be open Wednesdays through Mondays for dinner and Mondays through Saturdays for lunch. For more information, call 305-853-1177 or visit http://www.tastersgrille.com.

rsilk@keysnews.com