Café Tango: An Intimate Treasure for Any Number
14 Vicki (just off 30A), Santa Rosa Beach, 267-0054
By Bruce Collier December 4, 2003 Issue
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Café Tango sits in a converted house on 14 Vicki (street or lane, I didn’t notice) but directionally it’s just off of South Walton’s restaurant row, County Highway 30A. A number of the area’s gastronomic heavy hitters have their establishments nearby, and I was interested to see just how well Café Tango is holding its own. A small but well-coordinated staff serves a likewise small but energetic kitchen. Things got going in earnest about 6:30, and stayed that way the rest of the time we were there. The restaurant’s interior is dimly, romantically lit, warm and inviting, rather like a party at a friend’s place. The eight tables are spaced fairly close together, but the staff rearranges them as needed to accommodate large and small parties.

The menu is likewise small, but offers a well-chosen balance between meat, fish and seafood. A few items such as lamb shanks and duck breast add variety, though as is the case with many restaurants, what was available when we went might not be so when you visit.

There are four appetizers. We chose two—Brie baked with a mixed fruit compote, and spicy shrimp scampi. Also offered were grilled scallops and a grilled Portobello mushroom. A warm disk of mild-tasting Brie was smothered in sweet and tangy compote of mango and pineapple. Nuts added crunch, and disks of toasted French bread provided a handy vehicle to get the juicy stuff to the mouth. The bread was likewise useful with the shrimp, which came in a mid-sized group of five, peeled and submerged in a buttery dipping sauce spiked with a touch of jalapeno. I think my friend would have preferred a little more fire, but she’s a chili-head, and they are a breed unto themselves.

She would have enjoyed the dressing on my salad, which was a fiery habanero honey mustard. Mine was one of a group of five house made dressings, which included a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette, toasted pecan blue cheese, parmesan ranch, and ginger soy vinaigrette. Both my companions got the blue cheese, which was light and creamy and didn’t overwhelm the taste of the greens, as is the case with many blue cheese dressings.

The main courses numbered about nine items, though this is subject to change. The kitchen will prepare vegetarian meals, and can accommodate children as well.

A basket of bread, refilled several times, and an olive oil/cheese/pepper dipping sauce kept us busy while the kitchen prepared our entrées. Two of us enjoyed a glass each of Beaulieu’s Zinfandel, a dense and fruity red that paired well with our main courses. Cafe Tango has a good wine list, which includes a number of Spanish wines among the French, California and Australian offerings. Many of the wines are available both by the bottle or the glass.

We ordered pistachio-crusted grouper, filet mignon Gorgonzola, and sautéed crab cakes. Each was served with mashed potatoes, and sautéed snow peas and mushrooms. The greens were sautéed in a dab of honey, which would make pretty much anybody eat his vegetables. My filet was cooked as ordered, and was fork tender, with a rich sauce of Gorgonzola, scallions, and what tasted like crabmeat, though it was listed on the menu as crawfish tails. Either way, it’s good.

The grouper was lighter than one might have expected with a pistachio/beurre blanc sauce, and the numerous shrimp that covered it didn’t hurt one bit. My shrimp-loving friend unashamedly cleaned her plate. Well, we all did. A threesome of crisp-browned crab cakes, with a pronounced herb flavor that I found intriguing, made up the third entrée.

Other main courses that night included filet Portobello, Tango snapper, baked fish of the day, lobster ravioli, and chicken or shrimp fettucine Alfredo. There were several daily specials. The menu lists duck breast, but they were out of it that night. Have it for me, someone.

No doggie bags were used in the eating of this meal. We even pretended we had room for dessert. Desserts are not listed on the menu. Instead, the server recites what’s on for that night. There were six, minus two that had already been spoken for by the time we ordered. Available were a coconut pecan pie, crËme brulée, brownie sundae, and key lime pie. Not available that night were a bread pudding and Rocky Road chocolate torte. We got the two pies and the sundae. All are made in house.

The coconut pecan pie did justice to both ingredients, and was served warm with real whipped cream and a small mountain of vanilla ice cream. The key lime was the dense, tart variety with a graham crust and more of the real whipped cream. My sundae would have fed all three of us. The brownie was about six-by-six, baked slightly rare, and was so covered with bittersweet chocolate sauce, ice cream and whipped cream that those dimensions are only an educated guess. I ate about two-thirds, and figured my next meal would be on Thanksgiving Day.

I’ve always been told it takes two to tango, but this time it took three, and I was glad I’d made reservations early. Granted, Café Tango is small—two dining rooms, plus a little sliver of a bar just inside the door. We got there at six, and by the time we left it was completely full. This was on a weeknight the week of Thanksgiving. I doubt that anyone was disappointed, except possibly the ones that showed up without reservations and had to reschedule. Café Tango may be easy to drive by—the menu bears a map on the backside—but I suggest you make the effort to go, even if you have to call from your car for directions.

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