ENTERTAINMENT

‘Watts for Dinner’: Cocomo’s offers the variety a small community needs

Will Watts
Correspondent

Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go, Jamaica

Off the Florida Keys, there's a place called Kokomo
That's where you want to go to get away from it all

-  The Beach Boys

While I’m not sure where Kokomo is located; most Marco Islanders can and do find Cocomo's Grill. It’s the “home of the hogfish,” and they’ll also cook pretty much anything you catch.

The house salad at Cocomo's Grill, Marco Island.

We didn’t have a fresh catch, but the variety on the menu had us considering our order for quite some time. We started off with the soup of the day, vegetable beef. I know, it’s not soup weather; it rarely is in Florida; which is what made this menu item extra special for me. I’m a soup person. And I don’t get to order it often when dining out; especially for dinner.

This soup was thick and hearty and bordering on being a stew; with big pieces of delicious steak.

For my entrée, I choose the Steak Break, thinly sliced, marinated sirloin sautéed with onions, mushrooms and prosciutto then topped with bleu cheese crumbles and served open face on garlic bread ($13). It’s served with cole slaw and a choice side. I picked the onion straws.

The STeak Break at Cocomo's Grill, Marco Island.
The vegetable beef soup at Cocomo's Grill, Marco Island.

Once again, the sirloin was amazing and worked well with the other ingredients. Cocomo’s garlic bread is delectable; and you can have it with any sandwich for a small upcharge. The slaw was average, but a nice compliment to the sandwich.

Onion straws are a personal favorite, and I was happy they were an option. One word of warning; they have a short shelf life so eat them first.

My partner in dine choose the Vietnamese rice noodles with beef (pho) ($16): rice vermicelli surrounded by a light aromatic beef broth infused with star anise and basil. This soupy pasta is topped with very thinly sliced sirloin, bean sprouts, onion and cilantro. It’s served with hoisin, sriracha (hot sauce) and basil.

The pho at Cocomo's Grill, Marco Island.

Pho! Can you believe it?! I was surprised.

With the quality beef at Cocomo’s, it’s hard to go wrong. And pasta is always a tempting treat.

Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go …

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If you go

  • Cocomo’s Grill
  • 945 N Collier Blvd, Marco Island
  • 239-394-3600
  • cocomosgrill.com