2008 Woodie Awards
Bar has amusement park atmosphere
Coco Joe's is an exciting dining experience
By: Dave White
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Coco Joe's can be described as martini bar meets '80s adventure flick "The Goonies."
With an upscale Caribbean-style menu and laughter-filled atmosphere, Mount Pleasant's newest restaurant and bar offers an exciting dining experience.
Coco Joe's Beach House, 4588 E. Bluegrass Road, which opened to the public this weekend, is a one of a kind establishment.
It had the feel of an amusement ride, with booths beneath a ship's mast, tattered sails for curtains and a set of tables inside a rocky cove.
Drinks arrived in a coconut, and the appropriately named Coconut Joe made this feel like an island getaway.
Live entertainment included dueling pianos playing anything from Johnny Cash to Queen.
Appetizers Cannonball Shrimp and Drunken Mussels were served.
The shrimp had a tangy yet spicy taste. Prepared in Coco Joe's original Cannonball sauce and served on a bed of cabbage, this hefty appetizer would have sufficed as the main course.
After a recommendation from a couple seated beside me, I moved on to the mussels, whose flavor teased my tongue.
No sooner had I finished the appetizer than the meal arrived.
I was presented with a wide array of featured items, including Planked Ribs, Plank Salmon, "Walk the Flank" steak and Mahi Mahi.
The salmon was prepared and served on a cedar plank, and had the taste and texture that one might expect from a white linen table cloth environment. The mahi mahi also did the job as it was complimented by a sweet mango salsa.
The "Walk the Flank" steak was bright red in color, drizzled in au jus, which made the delicate dish more tender.
The planked ribs were a disappointment. The taste of the signature root beer sauce was a bit bland and the aftertaste was reminiscent of beef jerky.
But what brought the night full circle was the desert: a mango cheesecake with a banana puree.
And it was impossible not to note the extensive drink menu.
Along with the typical draft and bottled beer selections, there also is a wide variety of state, regional, national and imported craft beers.
There also are eight different specialty rum drinks priced at $4.95 each and eight specialty martinis at $5.95 each.
Rum drinks included names like Shipwreck, Treasure Hunt,and Blue Lagoon, while the martinis ranged in taste from caramel apple to Caribbean to one called the Blue Mermaid, which featured tequila and blue curacao.
With dueling pianos, seven TVs, an impressive wine list and reasonably priced menu, Coco Joe's is a great place for families, couples or groups of friends to unwind and let out their inner pirate.
Four out of five stars.
news@cm-life.com
With an upscale Caribbean-style menu and laughter-filled atmosphere, Mount Pleasant's newest restaurant and bar offers an exciting dining experience.
Coco Joe's Beach House, 4588 E. Bluegrass Road, which opened to the public this weekend, is a one of a kind establishment.
It had the feel of an amusement ride, with booths beneath a ship's mast, tattered sails for curtains and a set of tables inside a rocky cove.
Drinks arrived in a coconut, and the appropriately named Coconut Joe made this feel like an island getaway.
Live entertainment included dueling pianos playing anything from Johnny Cash to Queen.
Appetizers Cannonball Shrimp and Drunken Mussels were served.
The shrimp had a tangy yet spicy taste. Prepared in Coco Joe's original Cannonball sauce and served on a bed of cabbage, this hefty appetizer would have sufficed as the main course.
After a recommendation from a couple seated beside me, I moved on to the mussels, whose flavor teased my tongue.
No sooner had I finished the appetizer than the meal arrived.
I was presented with a wide array of featured items, including Planked Ribs, Plank Salmon, "Walk the Flank" steak and Mahi Mahi.
The salmon was prepared and served on a cedar plank, and had the taste and texture that one might expect from a white linen table cloth environment. The mahi mahi also did the job as it was complimented by a sweet mango salsa.
The "Walk the Flank" steak was bright red in color, drizzled in au jus, which made the delicate dish more tender.
The planked ribs were a disappointment. The taste of the signature root beer sauce was a bit bland and the aftertaste was reminiscent of beef jerky.
But what brought the night full circle was the desert: a mango cheesecake with a banana puree.
And it was impossible not to note the extensive drink menu.
Along with the typical draft and bottled beer selections, there also is a wide variety of state, regional, national and imported craft beers.
There also are eight different specialty rum drinks priced at $4.95 each and eight specialty martinis at $5.95 each.
Rum drinks included names like Shipwreck, Treasure Hunt,and Blue Lagoon, while the martinis ranged in taste from caramel apple to Caribbean to one called the Blue Mermaid, which featured tequila and blue curacao.
With dueling pianos, seven TVs, an impressive wine list and reasonably priced menu, Coco Joe's is a great place for families, couples or groups of friends to unwind and let out their inner pirate.
Four out of five stars.
news@cm-life.com
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