Bar food is classy at The Isle. Presentation not so.
Props to the developers of The Isle at Pompano Park. The place has a great feel to it. Nicely designed. Good vibe. Decent slots.
I think it’s a class operation.
So imagine my surprise Saturday when the dinner I ordered at the upstairs bar -- paid for with slot winnings, I'm happy to say -- was delivered to me in to-go containers.
I got my Caesar salad and a gourmet pizza as if I had ordered them in my skivvies at home. The flatware was like something you’d get from a fast-food place -- plastic utensils, salt and pepper and a napkin wrapped in a cellophane sleeve.
“There must be some confusion,“ I said. “I’m going to eat this here.”
But that’s the way they serve food at the bar at The Isle.
I was a little apprehensive when I asked to see a menu and got a tri-folded sheet of paper that looked like it came off a copier. The menu was small, but it was from Bragozzo - chef Luke Palladino’s Italian eatery and wine bar.
I thought about sending it back, but I was hungry. And inside the cheesy packaging, the food was great. The salad greens were fresh and crisp, the dressing thick. The pizza was excellent, especially the light and thin crust.
But to sit at a nicely appointed bar in what purports to be a high-class establishment, eating out of cardboard boxes, brought The Isle down a notch. And it did not go unnoticed. I got several looks and comments from patrons.
“Where’d that come from?”
“You order that here?”
I’ll still go to The Isle. But I won’t order from the bar. Perhaps I’ll take a table at Bragozzo. Or try one of the many other restaurants there.
Have you eaten at The Isle? How was your experience?
-- Joe Schwerdt







