New Smyrna Beach has many tempting restaurants, so many that we tried two different ones each evening of our two-night stay. When we arrived in town, we began our culinary adventures at the Third Wave Café & Wine Bar where I got a Chicken Salad Sandwich. I didn’t want to overeat so that we could enjoy a meal later that day at the famed restaurant, The Garlic.

I loved the décor at The Garlic with its lush greenery, sparkling lights, and warren of rooms. We started with a Caesar Salad that I thought was too bland. The dressing had no tang to it and all I tasted was the lettuce. I’ve had better elsewhere. I liked the roasted garlic dip with olive oil and balsamic vinegar that came with warm, crusty bread. It was a unique idea, although some of the baked garlic clumped together. Next, we ordered the Shrimp and Scallop Scampi but with shrimp only. This came with a delicious sauce and chunks of garlic that pleased our palates. The portion was plenty to share.

For dessert, we headed down the street to Norwood Tree House Bar. Here I had a glass of Chardonnay and we shared their Blueberry Crumble that was a bit dense and more like blueberry cake. I’d expected a baked dessert with blueberries on the bottom and a crumbly top. Now satisfyingly full, we headed back to our hotel.

Thursday morning, we had breakfast at the Mermaid Café. I got the standard 2-egg breakfast with accompaniments. Thus fortified, we took a walk along the beach. Then we drove to Canal Street to see that shopping district, but it was very quiet. For lunch, we stopped at Outriggers Tiki Bar & Grille. I loved their menu and fish dishes but couldn’t eat so much for lunch, so I ordered the lighter Beet, Goat Cheese, and Walnut Salad. We enjoyed the view of the water from the outside deck. This place would be worthy of a return if I could take leftovers home or share a meal for dinner. The food fueled us to explore the Marine Discovery Center and the Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens.

That night, we again split up our meal between two restaurants. First we had drinks along with a spinach and artichoke dip that came with a warm baguette at the Third Wave Café. I liked the tropical rum drink I’d ordered. After our starters, we headed to The Grille at Riverview attached to our hotel for dessert. I ordered Key Lime Pie and Sara had Warm Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. I’d expected a slice of pie and got this entire round. Needless to say, I couldn’t waste it and asked the hotel clerk to put a leftover box in their fridge.

Breakfast the last day was once again at The Mermaid Café at Riverview. This time, we shared a Belgian Waffle with fresh strawberries and whipped cream and freshly baked Beignets. Before heading home, we went to the Ponce Inlet Light Station & Museum.

Then we lunched at Off the Hook at Inlet Harbor, which is a good choice if you’re in this area. We both had the fried shrimp basket.

This concludes our culinary adventures at New Smyrna Beach. Now I have to work on losing the weight I’d gained. Oh, and here’s one more place in town where we stopped to sample the wares:

Coming next are the special attractions we’d visited.

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