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Hotel Effie restaurant features fresh ingredients inspired by the coast

Sept. 26, 2023
Special to 30A Food & Wine

MIRAMAR BEACH – Ovide, the signature restaurant at Hotel Effie at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, has launched new breakfast, brunch and dinner menus highlighting the flavors of the Gulf Coast and the freshest, in-season ingredients. All menus include ample vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. 

“We are excited to launch our all-new breakfast, brunch and dinner menus showcasing the in-season ingredients and seafood from the Gulf Coast,” said Hotel Effie’s general manager Jim Marino.

“We work closely with regional farmers and vendors to ensure we incorporate the freshest, most sustainable ingredients into our plates.”

Breakfast menu

For breakfast (available Monday through Friday from 7 to 11 a.m.), starters include the Summer Fruit Plate ($15), featuring berries, melons and dragon fruit; fan-favorite house-made Effie’s Biscuits ($12), served with sweet butter and strawberry pepper jam; and Steel-Cut Oats ($12), with brown sugar, granola and blueberries. “From the Griddle” options include Brioche French Toast ($18), topped with bananas Foster and candied pecans, and Buttermilk Pancakes ($15), topped with vanilla whipped ricotta, blueberries and maple syrup.

“From the Farm” breakfast plates include Two Farm-Fresh Eggs ($19), served with breakfast potatoes, a choice of meat (bacon, turkey bacon or sausage) and toast (wheat, white, English muffin or Effie’s biscuit); Summer Quiche ($19), made with zucchini, yellow squash, marinated tomatoes and feta and served with breakfast potatoes; Eggs Benedict ($20), with poached eggs, spinach, hollandaise, pork belly and breakfast potatoes (add lump crab meat for $12); and 3-Egg Omelet ($20) with choice of three ingredients – mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers, onions, cheddar cheese, bacon or sausage (each additional item is $2) – and toast.

Breakfast “Specialties” include Biscuits and Gravy ($16), Effie’s house-made biscuits topped with sausage gravy and sunny-side eggs; Avocado Toast ($15), sourdough topped with feta cheese, heirloom tomatoes, pickled red onions, avocado mash and pepitas (add poached eggs for $6, fresh crab for $12 or chilled Gulf shrimp for $15); Toasted Bagel with Lox ($18), a Black Bear sesame bagel topped with whipped cream cheese, pickled shallots, capers and cucumber; Ovide BLT ($20), toasted sourdough topped with applewood-smoked bacon, avocado and buttermilk dressing (add egg for $3); Shrimp and Grits ($29), with Gulf shrimp, stone-ground grits, seafood tomato sauce and andouille sausage; and Corned Beef Hash ($24), with potatoes, pepper, onions, pickled red onions, avocado and sunny-side egg. Diners can also choose the Full Gulf Breakfast ($35), which includes a fruit plate, any entrée (excluding Lump Crab Benedict and Shrimp and Grits), bloody mary or mimosa, and coffee or tea. A limited kids menu is also available.

Brunch menu

The brunch menu (available Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) features many plates from the breakfast menu, plus special brunch items, including starters like the Coconut Chia Seed Parfait ($12), with lime, summer berries, toasted coconut and granola; Shrimp Cocktail ($18), with Gulf shrimp and cocktail sauce; Emerald Coast Smoked Fish Dip ($21), with pickled red onion and sourdough; and Deviled Eggs ($14), with cornichons and Parma ham.

A brunch-only “Specialty” is the Steak & Eggs ($36), a New York strip steak served with grilled tomatoes, chimichurri, eggs over-easy, toasted sourdough and breakfast potatoes. A brunch-only “From the Farm” dish is the Crab Cake Benedict ($32), served with poached eggs, hollandaise, spinach and grilled tomato.

The brunch menu also features several salad and sandwich options, including the Watermelon & Feta Salad ($17), with pine nuts, basil, Aleppo pepper and olive oil (add Gulf shrimp for $15 or fresh crab for $18); Caesar Salad ($16), with romaine lettuce, garlic croutons, Parmesan cheese, creamy Caesar dressing and crispy lardon (add grilled chicken for $9, shrimp for $15 or fresh catch for $24); Lobster Roll ($32), with tarragon aioli and celery; Blackened Grouper Sandwich ($26), toasted ciabatta topped with house slaw and lemon-garlic aioli; and Effie Burger ($22), a brioche bun topped with pimento cheese, Effie’s sauce, butter lettuce, vine-ripe tomato and pickles (add bacon, egg and/or avocado for $3 each). The Grand Sandestin Brunch ($35) includes a fruit plate, any entrée (exclusions apply), bloody mary or mimosa, and coffee or tea.

Dinner menu

Ovide’s new dinner menu (available Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.) includes a selection of “snacks,” including Pimento Cheese ($12) served with artisan crackers; Spinach & Artichoke Dip ($17), served with pita; Crispy Pork Ribs ($19), with benne seed BBQ sauce, honey and cilantro; and Beef Tartare ($24), with bone marrow aioli, quail egg and Black Bear sourdough. Soup and salad options include She-Crab Soup ($20), featuring lump crab, charred corn and tomatoes, and Burrata ($19), served with heirloom tomatoes, baguette, pickled red onion, basil, corn and English peas.

The dinner menu also features several raw bar options, including Half-Shell Oysters (half dozen, $20; dozen, $36), served with black pepper mignonette and sourdough crackers; Classic Oysters Rockefeller ($24), with bacon, Parmesan bechamel and spinach; and a Seafood Platter (market price), with half-shell oysters, shrimp cocktail, smoked fish dip, snapper ceviche and crab claws. For the main course, options include Pappardelle ($29), with basil pesto, English peas, asparagus, zucchini and Parmesan cheese; Grouper ($43), served with warm quinoa salad and herb vinaigrette; Crispy Skin Snapper ($50), served with coconut broth and charred summer vegetables; Low Country Boil ($36), with Gulf shrimp, potato, tomato, andouille sausage, corn and garlic bread; and Crispy Half Chicken ($36), with Southern collard greens, black-eyed peas and grilled lemon. Grilled options include the Berkshire Pork Chop ($43), served with stone-ground grits, peach chutney and herbs; Prime 8-Ounce Tenderloin ($66); and Prime 16-Ounce Boneless Rib-Eye ($68).

Dinner sides ($12 each) include Goat Cheese Corn Casserole with goat cheese feta, peppadew and cilantro lime aioli; Charred Broccolini with jalapeño maple and lemon; Southern Collard Greens; Smoked Turkey; Whipped Potatoes with boursin cheese; and Potato Croquettes served with Effie’s sauce.

Ovide is located at Hotel Effie, 1 Grand Sandestin Blvd. in Miramar Beach. Reservations can be made at www.hoteleffie.com/dining/ovide.

Photos courtesy of Hotel Effie