Society Table, The Don CeSar’s Newly Revamped Seaside Eatery Brings the Flavors

The Unique Dwelling is Finally Initiating a Year after the Hurricanes

After Typhoon Helene dumped nearly six toes of water into the Don CeSar on St. Pete Seaside on September 26, 2024, they finally reopened the resort on March 28, 2025. Beautiful around the time the typhoon hit used to be when the Don’s newly revamped restaurant, Society Desk used to be opening. We had been truly tentatively scheduled to trail after they figuratively obtained their toes moist in the kitchen. Unfortunately, they nearly actually obtained their toes moist. Society table used to be actually beneath water. It would per chance well well take two weeks petrified of a year to fetch the usual blueprint running all all over again. On Thursday, 11th of September, 2025 the unique eternal blueprint with the expanded rotund menu will start.

The Don CeSar decided to temporarily end their intelligent eating restaurant Maritana and let Society Desk feature out of that blueprint unless their 5 instances better blueprint used to be willing. Lori and I dined in the transient Society Desk / Maritana blueprint final week so we would per chance well come up with a preview of what’s to come. When you’re a Maritana fan, they will reclaim their blueprint on Wednesday Sept 17^th with a singular menu and unique Chef de Cuisine – Chef David Martin-Garcia. He’s in the foundation from Spain but most lately the Edition Hotel in Tampa. The Executive Chef of the Don is Chef Alexander Reyes.

Stout disclosure: We had been invited and handled to dinner by Chef de Cuisine Susan Burdian. This does no longer impact our review. Whereas a lot of the review is properly-deserved praise, there is criticism. We notion the Peruvian rooster used to be dry, and the yogurt sauce with the wings moderately tart. You’re going to look some tasting portions that are smaller than the regular portion, and that is also famed.

Intelligent Ahi Tuna – crispy rice cake, ginger-tamari reduction, entertaining aioli, avocado. Right here is a scrumptious welcome take care of ahi tuna. The tuna is minced with ginger and citrus, then formed trusty into a quenelle shape. It is placed on prime of fried crispy sushi rice. The sushi rice cake provides the dish nice texture. Avocado crema sits in between the tuna and rice. A entertaining mayo drizzle serves as garnish for added flavor and creamy mouthfeel. The relaxation that comes with a lemon or lime wedge plan that you simply can be speculated to squeeze it over the tip. Make sure that to fetch so with the lime. Tasting portion proven. The regular portion comes with three pieces. Lori loved it. I loved it.

Minute & Orecchiette – orecchiette pasta, Key West pink small – butterflied and sautéed, tarragon cream sauce, candy peas, cauliflower. Within the occasion you bite into the small they are company and springy with the superb gentle snap. The orecchiette with their al dente chew and slight cup of sauce had been laborious to pause intelligent. I loved it. Lori loved it. Tasting portion proven.

Dynamite Minute – that is Society Desk’s acknowledge to Bang-Bang Minute. Lori said it used to be better than Bang-Bang small which she considers to be too candy. The sauce is properly balanced with a slight bit of heat. The small take care of a crispy texture even after being tossed in the sauce. There’s a drizzle of sambal sauce on the plate and the toasted cashews had been a pleasant touch, complementing with extra crunch and nuttiness. Roasted cauliflower completes the balancing act of textures and flavors.

Market Inexperienced Salad – dwelling greens (on this case toddler gem, frisée and arugula), unique herbs, cucumber, inexperienced apple, jalapeño, avocado, orange supremes, ginger French dressing. This salad used to be immaculate. It has this type of unbelievable assortment of totally different textures and flavors that it hits all the senses – it seems to be lovely, has a gargantuan crunch, and it’s fragrant with candy, sour, tart, and salty notes. I by no plan knew that jalapeño and inexperienced apple made this type of gargantuan flavor mixture. Tasting portion proven.

The 1855 Farm dark angus skirt steak used to be one of our favourite dishes. We fell in cherish with skirt steak, in classic, a truly lengthy time ago. It’s a thin nick that is gargantuan relaxed and moist when cooked accurately. It’ll also moreover be tricky. It wants excessive heat and a fleet cook to fetch a pleasant sear whereas conserving the within rare to medium-rare. This steak used to be performed completely. Seasoned merely with salt and pepper it would already be a gargantuan steak.

Alternatively, Society Desk adds some additional refinement and a full bunch additional flavor by crafting a refined 5-spice ponzu seasoning. These are two big flavor boosters working together. The steak sits on prime of “peasant-fried rice” which is no longer a suppose identified recipe, but I fetch know that peasants in overall come up with some tasty stuff and so did the chef. Right here is enjoyable since the rice seems to be undeniable and simple, unlike a fried rice with a full bunch leftovers thrown in, but it is a ways crammed with flavor. I had to ask the chef what the magic used to be, and now it makes sense – ginger, garlic, sesame oil, a slight brown sugar, Thai chilis, fish sauce, and Thai basil. That’s flavor on prime of flavor that is completely balanced.

The steak is topped with a fried egg that is appropriately performed the Asian plan with a crispy, golden-brown edge and a runny yolk.

Designate: 1855 Farm is one of the tip suppliers of purebred top fee Gloomy Angus pork, identified for its marbling, tenderness, and flavor. Cattle come from family-owned ranches in the grain-rich Good Plains, identified for raising excessive-quality Gloomy Angus. Their pork is processed beneath uniform standards at simplest four facilities in the United States, ensuring consistent quality. The number “1855” is a tribute to Gustavus Swift, who started the Swift meat packing firm in 1855 and is credited with pioneering the trendy meat substitute.

Before it hit your plate, the Gloomy Gulf Grouper used to be swimming in the same waters that are superb outdoors of the restaurant. It doesn’t fetch extra native or unique than that. It is pan seared with a delicate blackening seasoning and is buttery and flakey. This hearty fillet sits on a bed of succotash that includes marble potatoes, cherry tomatoes, charred corn, and lima beans. I’ve by no plan had unique lima beans sooner than. What a gigantic distinction than frozen. I cherish succotash, and I truly cherish this one. On the irascible, we dangle got what the menu describes as a “low country beurre blanc”. Our server, Don (lawful love the resort – that’s how he introduces himself in his baritone bellow) who used to be pleasing by the manner, instructed us that the beurre blanc includes white wine, garlic, shallots, and lemon juice. I requested Chef Susan what makes it “Low Nation”, and she said there’s lawful a splash of Frank’s RedHot sauce. What a gargantuan realizing! It’s no longer a entertaining sauce total if that’s a problem. There’s just a few herb oil drizzled onto the sauce, and the fish is topped with fried okra. I would per chance well per chance explain that qualifies for low country residing too. This used to be one more one of my favourite dishes.

We don’t discover quite a lot of Peruvian meals on this blueprint, which makes the Peruvian Chicken Skewers supreme whenever you’re attempting for something totally different with a Latin twist. The rooster breast is cubed and marinated overnight with coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, and totally different spices. It is then skewered and grilled and plated over lime-scented rice, with smoky dark beans, and candy plantains. Aji verde sauce is on the facet for dipping. Tasting portion proven. The regular portion comes with two skewers, drizzled with aji verde, and a a rotund plate of rice and beans. The total supporting actors had been pleasing. The rooster being the star of the uncover had factual flavor, but it used to be a slight dry, which most ceaselessly occurs with breast.

When you’re keen on rooster wings, then you definately want to strive the Smoked Chicken Wings. The smokiness, which comes from oak and apple woods, is lawful the nice quantity to provide a rob to the flavour without overpowering. After smoking, the wings are tossed in an approachable Buffalo-coconut glaze. The lime yogurt on the facet provides a tart palate refresh and balances out the smoke and sauce. It is moderately tart, so prepare your self. It is a enjoyable distinction though. The pickled okra brings issues rotund circle.

For a refreshing, but satisfyingly filling merchandise, the crab toast does the trick. The flavors are gentle, vivid, citrusy and unique. The crab salad is merely performed with jumbo lump crab, salt, pepper, and residential-made mayo. It sits on a thick slash of toasted brioche that is first spread with corn nage that provides it a hint of candy smokiness. (The corn is roasted in the husks, after which charred with flame. It is then sautéed with yellow onions, and blended with cream and butter. Right here is a creamy French sauce that is ceaselessly served with seafood.) Grapefruit supremes properly prime it off with a vivid tart citrus reward.

The crab toast used to be factual, but the crab truffles are  gargantuan. They exercise no bread crumb filler. To bind the lump crab, lemon, celery, and mayo – a slight egg does the trick. The mayo helps take care of it together too. Attributable to the gentle panko crust, the first bite provides a tender crispness with a cozy internal highlighting big, juicy lumps of crab that gently flake apart. The crab is candy, briny and orderly. The lemon brightens with a citrus rob and the celery adds a refined crunch and freshness. The roasted red pepper remoulade adds a smoky-candy depth with a splash of tang and spice, growing a gleaming distinction to the gentle, candy crab meat. The grapefruit supremes and frisée full the flavour balancing. The above crab truffles had been 2 ouncestasting portions. The entree will be two 4 ouncescrab truffles.

Pastry Chef Amanda Santos pleased us with her chocolate tart dessert – malted mousse, cookie butter crisp, dulce chantilly, cocoa nib gelato.

This dish balances rich and gentle aspects beautifully. The knowing tart provides plan to ethereal malted mousse with a crunchy crisp irascible, all in a buttery cocoa shell. Dulce chantilly adds caramel creaminess, whereas the cool, bittersweet cocoa nib gelato with chocolate soil cuts the richness. Each and every bite layers crisp, creamy, heat-frigid, and bitter-candy contrasts for an natty, indulgent fetch.

Society Desk and Rowe Bar Menus

Sophisticated American plates with native seafood and gargantuan steaks with some Asian, Italian, Latino, and American-Southern influences trusty thru.