By Taylor Colby
Coastal Farmer, an exquisite oceanfront restaurant inside the newly renovated Dune House Hotel & Spa, opened its doors in early July. The sophisticated, coastal-inspired space is a signature dining destination featuring farm-fresh produce, protein and tide-to-table seafood. Coastal Farmer is open all day, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers indoor and outdoor seating with a gorgeous view of the ocean.
Coastal Farmer’s dining space is polished and calming, decorated with warm woods, rattan textures, soft linens and greenery. The team, led by Kiwi Dabold, director of food & beverage and general manager, is deeply committed to detail and attentive to the needs of guests. Guests are treated with seasoned hospitality, and each dining experience is a delight.
Executive Chef Daniel Tederous and Chef de Cuisine Nicolas Kes proudly create dishes with the best local and seasonal ingredients sourced from regional farms and nearby waters. They partner with Congaree & Penn, Black Hog Farm, Down to Earth Farm, County Line Produce and Berry Good Farms for the best produce and proteins. Their fresh seafood is sourced from Safe Harbor Seafood and Mayport C&C Fisheries. Their bar has a selection of thoughtfully curated wines and handcrafted cocktails along with a variety of local spirits and brews.
The menu is fresh, exciting and utterly delicious. Each ingredient is chosen with care and expertly crafted into a flavorful dish. Their small plates have plenty of delectable options from roasted oysters to wild mushroom gnocchi. The Mayport Shrimp Bisque is an exceptional savory treat with smoked pork, corn, red pepper, gold potato and crème fraiche.
The drink menu includes a list of spectacular, seasonal cocktails. The Paper Pirate offers a diverse blend of flavors. It’s sweet and savory with peanut shell rye, coffee-infused aperol, pasubio amaro, lemon and sea salt. Ocean Punch is a great choice for a sweet, tropical drink made with gray whale gin, luau lads falernum, nori, pineapple, basil and lime.
The Land and Sea entree menu is full of unique and flavorful dishes. The Berkshire Pork Chop is juicy, tender and comes with smokey-sweet bacon jam along with excellently seasoned roasted tomatoes and pole beans. From the sea, the Blackened Snapper is paired with leche de tigre, plantain fritters, shallots, radishes and frisee. Each ingredient complements the dish and creates a masterpiece.
Saving room for dessert is highly recommended. The chocolate pot de crème is velvety and decadent. Although, it is not easy to choose between all of their sweet options, which include key lime panna cotta and strawberry tart.
At Coastal Farmer, each gathering is seamless and special. The dining space is elegant with coastal charm and is a wonderful place to celebrate a special occasion or simply enjoy an evening out with friends. The dining space offers two beautiful semi-private dining rooms with intimate space accommodations for up to six guests and a larger dining area that seats up to 12. Each room includes customizable menus with dedicated service and full AV support.
Coastal Farmer serves breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Happy hour is from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday. The bar is open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Reservations are available through OpenTable. Street and valet parking are available.
Coastal Farmer is located at 1 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach. To learn more, go to coastalfarmerab.com.