Eagle Grill in Greenacres isn’t fancy, but the food is satisfying, especially the crab cakes
Eagle Grill is in the Fountaingate Plaza strip center on Jog Road in Greenacres.
Unless you live or work near Greenacres, you’ve probably never heard of Eagle Grill. Despite its seemingly down-market appearance, the food is of high quality – and often a deal.
By ALAN J. WAX
My friend Neal urged me many times to give Eagle Grill in Greenacres a try. Nevermind that it was more than 20 minutes from our community, he said. Nevermind that it was kind of divey.
Eagle Grill’s dining room.
What’s more, Neal told me about the special deals that Eagle Grill offers Monday through Wednesday, where steaks, baby back ribs and crab cakes are attractively priced (each on its own separate day).
Recently, I followed his advice and made the trip to the small, aging Fountaingate Plaza strip center just north of Melaleuca Lane (a Miami Subs restaurant on the corner is the best landmark), where Eagle Grill occupies three storefronts. I made the trip not just once, but on three separate occasions. I’d become enamored of Eagle Grill.
Regulars flock there relatively early, especially on days when specials are offered. Six p.m., no matter the evening, is prime time at Eagle Grill with almost every table spoken for. By 7:15, however, the dining room could be empty.
Crab cake entree
Neal was right. Eagle Grill isn’t fancy, but divey may be too harsh a call. The dining room is covered with pine wainscotting, and its dark blue walls are decorated with nautical and marine objects. Lighting is supplied by suspended lights and track lights. The skeleton of an airplane wing is suspended above the busy bar filled with the many regulars that owner Peter Buggeln says that Eagle Grill attracts. The red vinyl seats at the booths are hard and a tad lumpy. Bottles of ketchup, mustard and steak sauce can be found on each table. Condiments, dressings and slaw arrive on patrons’ plates in disposable plastic cups.
Buggeln, who often can be found greeting guests in the restaurant’s vestibule, told the PBS TV show “Check Please, South Florida,” that Eagle Grill is a “neighbor joint with good food and great service.” That was in 2015. Fast forward seven years and he’s not off the mark in describing his place, which prior to 2007 was an Irish bar under a different owner.
That crowd of regulars at Buggeln’s eatery range from late 40s to Baby Boomers.
The youthful servers are cheerful, helpful and attentive.
Baby. back ribs.
What more could you ask for? Oh, yeah, the food. Indeed, the stuff coming out of Eagle Grill’s kitchen is the reason you come here. Portions are ample. You may have leftovers, as I did.
At one dinner, I started with the house conch chowder ($5). It’s a sizeable bowl of reddish brown broth teeming with veggies and bits of ground up gastropod. And it has a nice spicy bite. French onion soup ($8.50) arrives with a bubbling, golden brown crust, but the beefy broth is overly salty.
On another occasion, I started with a half dozen plump, raw Prime Gulf Oysters ($17), which I’d never had before – I was only familiar with oysters from the Northeast, such as Blue Points, and Kumamotos from the Pacific Northwest. These, I was told by Logan, our server, were not as sweet as Blue Points but being prime, they were culled from many other bi-valves. Indeed, they were briny, but a couple still had a few grits of sand. Still, they easily slid down my gullet, sans any dressing.
Conch chowder.
Smoked baby back ribs ($22 for a whole rack, $14 on Tuesdays) were dry and fall-off-the-bone tender but did not fall off the bone. The meat was smoky and juicy. The slaw that I ordered as a side was rough cut and chewy, but nonetheless tasty. Creamy and tangy was Southern potato salad, made with both mayonnaise andmustard along with finely diced celery and sweet relish.
The restaurant’s signature dish is its crabcake entree ($34 for two on Tuesday, plus two sides; $40 regularly) which was indeed special. The crabcakes, almost pure lump Gulf blue crab, were ethereal, cloud-like delights. The accompanying remoulade was all that was needed to add some zip. That rough-cut cole slaw and a sweet, sweet potato mash completed the plate, which in the end – and after six oysters – proved to be too much food for one diner.
A single crabcake is available as an appetizer for $20.
During a third visit, this time at lunch, I shunned the lunch specials to give the smoked prime brisket a try. Four thick slices of meat constituting a half-pound were served Texas style on a metal tray. Despite a nearly brown hue throughout, the meat had a nice bark with a black-peppery bite. On the side, crispy fries and, yes, the cole slaw, which was becoming a favorite.
There’s lots more on Eagle Grill’s broad menu to have me coming back regularly. I plan to do exactly that. I’ll be another one of Buggeln’s regulars.
Eagle Grill & Oyster Bar
4636 Jog Rd, Greenacres, FL 33467
(561) 964-0900
www.eagle-grill.com
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