By Irene Merenda 

Lynda’s at the Ocean Club
3175 S. Ponte Vedra Blvd
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
904-748-4100

Lynda’s, (previously Serenada at the Ocean Club), opened about 3 weeks before our visit on a recent Friday night. We had no difficulty getting a 6pm reservation for 4 people. There was a choice of valet or self-parking, and we chose the latter which required only a short walk.

An elevator took us to the main restaurant on the second level. The rooms are large and there is a lovely view of the ocean from the main dining room. The restaurant only had a few diners at the 6:00 hour, and so surprisingly, the hostess seated us directly next to a table set for 14 people. When we asked for a table away from a crowd, she gave us our choice of tables by the window. There is also a large patio with space heaters, but it was too cool and breezy for dining al fresco that evening. Before any decisions were made, we decided that if we returned, we would definitely wait for a warm night and eat outdoors. Even before the party of 14 arrived, the acoustics in the room were terrible. Because the room is so large with no soft surfaces to absorb sound and prevent reverberation, (did you know I’m a retired audiologist?) conversation was difficult. Adding to the difficulty was piped in music throughout the restaurant which was louder than “ambiance” would require.

Our waiter greeted us quickly and brought soft, warm rolls, packets of too-cold butter and ice water. We ordered beer ($7.50), glasses of house wine ($9) and a glass of Oberon Merlot ($17) from a reasonably large wine and cocktail menu.

Frank and I shared grilled romaine and bacon salad as our appetizer. It was crunchy, slightly burnt as we like it, and the Caesar dressing and parmesan crisp were very tasty. ($14).

After inquiring about the wait twice, we were told that our food would be “right out.” “Right out” turned out to be nearly an hour. I would like to tell you that the meals were worth the wait, but I would be fibbing.

One friend ordered the “Espresso Caramel Short Ribs ($36). The entrée came with garlic and truffle potato puree, charred cumin carrots with an espresso caramel glaze. She said that the ribs had good flavor but were dry. When she requested additional sauce to put over them, the waitress brought a ramekin with (I am not joking) about a teaspoon and ½ of the sauce. The carrots were fresh, tender and excellent. The garlic potatoes were also very good.

Frank ordered “Kristen’s NY Strip and Frites.” ($45). Although cooked medium rare as requested and well-seasoned, the steak was served cold, as if it had been sitting out while the other meals were prepared. The fries were crispy and excellent.

Although we don’t usually do this, one friend and I ordered the same entrée, as neither of us was willing to relent on our choice. The “Cioppino Seafood Pasta” ($38) descriptor included clams, mussels, cod, shrimp and crab meat in a zesty tomato sauce over linguini. The pasta was cooked perfectly, but the sauce was rather bland for my taste. Adding red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese made the sauce a bit “zestier” as in the description. My entrée had 3 small shrimp, 1 clam, 5 mussels and a few tiny pieces of cod. I was unable to find any crab meat. I probably would not have thought much of that, because it was enough food for me, except that my friend’s entrée had easily 2-3 times the amount of seafood. If you don’t believe me, look at the pictures I took of our plates of shells. It was actually comical.

Unfortunately, the dessert that we shared, “Peach Crumble Ala Mode” ($13) wasn’t much better than the entrees. It was more like a mini peach pie than a crumble. The crust was dry and the peaches were flavorless, but the vanilla ice cream was good.

This restaurant has some work to do in order to live up to its prices and its Ponte Vedra Ocean Club address. After we mentioned our dissatisfaction to the waitress, the manager came to our table and was very surprised and dismayed at the shell comparison. He took one of the entrees and the dessert off the bill. Truly, he handled the problems with courtesy and many apologies, so I would like to award an extra spoonbill for that alone. However, I won’t.

3 Spoonbills for this underwhelming dining experience.