Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse

Went to Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse for what turned out be be a very expensive meal.  First question you are asking it, “was it worth it?”  I guess there is no easy answer to that.  What is one mans “OMG” and starts to get faint when he sees the bill to, “No biggie,” is all a matter of who you are and not really a reflection on the restaurant itself.

Here is what others are saying about it on urbanspoon. I was surprised that it only got a 71% liked it rating. That is really low.

• I took my fiancee to Hyde Park for his 21st birthday dinner. It was AMAZING!
• We enjoy trying various restaurants in the area, but we always come back to Hyde Park where a calm, sophisticated atmosphere is guaranteed
• Although it is a little pricey, we couldn’t have chosen a better place to eat! The staff were wonderful!

I guess that brings up my biggest pet peeve when it comes to restaurant reviews.  Food and how you like it served, cooked and everything else that goes with it is so subjective.  I still can’t believe anyone would ever go to Pizza Hut for a pizza.  Am I right to say that it’s the worst pizza ever?  In my opinion, yes it is, but that does not make me right.

Anyway, I’m off my soapbox now so back to Hyde Park.  The steak was good,  the sides where even better.  You could go there and just order 2 sides and you and your dinner companion would be satisfied. The place itself is beautiful and the view was very good also.  We had a seat at a window overlooking the beach.

So, was it worth the price?  Not for me but then I’m a cheap bastard.  I should rename this blog, “The cheap bastards guide to dinning in Daytona.”  You know what?  That’s not a bad idea.  I might just do that. Just goes to show you, you never know when inspiration is going to strike.

You can sort of see their menu here.  I am not sure if this place would be considered a chain restaurant or just a big corporation with about a dozen locations.  I guess the difference with a chain is that the locations are owned buy separate individuals or corporations.  So, is it really a Daytona Beach Restaurant? Maybe I’m confusing franchises like a McDonald’s with Corporate places like Ruth Chris Steakhouse’s.  Guess it’s a moot point since no one probably cares but me and I’m weird.

Caribbean Jack’s

Here is what others are saying about the place:

• The food was great, the music wasn’t really loud, and the wait staff was very friendly
• Love the outside dining and the food is good too. Being from MI it’s just nice to be in Florida in Feb but this place is a favorite
• The best food I tried my entire vacation. A must go for a nice sunset dinner.
• This place is AWFUL!!! From the horrible service to the terrible food, this was an all around disgusting meal!!!

Most seem to like it judging by the reviews.
I personally didn’t like it. I have been there about 4 times. I go for the banana fosters desert. That is to die for and I see from other reviews I’m not the only one who feels that way. The rest of the food is just OK, nothing special. We went once for the Sunday low country boil and it was not good. Have not tried the Sunday brunch yet. I’m not an entertainment person so I will not comment on the music. I don’t like valet parking so that’s a turnoff for me but I’m weird so don’t go by me.  It was also pricey for the quality of the food but I guess you are paying more for the entertainment and atmosphere then you are the food. That’s a turnoff.  For me it’s all about the food, the rest of the stuff is just, well, stuff.  This Daytona Beach Restaurant was really nicely laid out. I like the different areas where you can sit.   Indoors, outdoors, right next to the water, near the band, away from the band, well, you get the point.  The ceilings were all nice and high and it has nice open feel to it, not closed in and cramped like the Ocean Deck feels.

The Ocean Deck

Here are some highlights from reviews of the Ocean Deck Restaurant.  Menu

• Great location. Had a ceasar salad with chicken. The wife had the rasta salad. Both were good. also had the chips and salsa. Salsa was good and homemade. Just needed some salt . Could have had better drink specials.
• 20 something meat market! This place is usually loud and crowded. If your in your 20′s I guess it is the place to be seen but there are “way” better places to spend your time and hard earned money if you are not trying to find some action
• All around good food , decent prices – good daily specials keep it interesting. One of best parts of this place is the lower deck that opens out to the beach at night – bands playing, get a few drinks and enjoy the beach the right way. Most nights they’ll rope off the beach in front of the lower deck…
• The atmosphere is really nice. Air conditioned restaurant upstairs, open air bar downstairs. You can watch sand volleyball matches downstairs too. Our waitress was very friendly. The wait was an hour for a table, but a local recommended it, so we waited. After we ordered, it took 40 minutes for our food to arrive. We had the mahi-mahi, salmon, chicken…

As you can see the reviews are mixed with non being bad.  You can see more reviews here.

My personal feeling was, yes, it was a nice place atmosphere wise but the food was not bad and not good, just average and I would not go back. Since I am not a drinker or a live music buff the food would be the only draw for me.  I found the place most confusing.  Of all the Daytona Beach Restaurants I have gone to, this place ranks near the bottom.  It’s layout is odd to say the least. It took us a few minutes just to find a place to sit.  It  has an upstairs A/C’ed area that overlooks the water and a open air downstairs area that is beach level. There are also other area’s away from the water that didn’t seem to be used.  I got the impression it was an old house of something that someone converted into a restaurant.   I’m not saying it’s a bad think, just odd and a little confusing.

I guess in conclusion I have to agree with one of the reviews above.  It’s a 20 something meat market and since I’m married and not on the prowl, this place holds no interest for me.