SANT AMBROEUS: OLD WORLD ITALY HAS MADE ITS WAY TO PALM BEACH
The Cost - $40
The Atmosphere – Located in The Royal Poinciana Plaza on the very wealthy island of Palm Beach, Sant Ambroeus provides you with a sophisticated and rich early 20th-century Italian-style setting in which to dine. If old-world Italy vibes aren’t your thing, you can also sit outside and enjoy the warm weather and the pretty inner courtyard of the plaza. Either way, you’ll be dining at a white tablecloth topped table.
Sant Ambroeus has a long history that you wouldn’t know much about when you walk into its Palm Beach, Florida location. The original Sant Ambroeus opened as a café in Milan in 1936 and, according to the restaurant, it quickly became a place for the “local intelligentsia” to gather. Nearly fifty years later, in 1982, the restaurant opened its first U.S. location on New York’s Upper East Side, and it now has five locations throughout the city. The Palm Beach location that I visited for lunch on a beautiful sunny day in December opened in 2016 to bring “a touch of old-world Milan” to the Sunshine State.
The Order – Crostone Burrata e Fave and a Sant Ambroeus.
The Great – When I see a dish on the menu of a restaurant that bears the name of the restaurant, I generally order it as I expect it to be a very well-liked, signature dish. The Sant Ambroeus is listed under the “Panini” section of the menu but while the chicken Milanese sandwich does come on a toasted sesame-seed topped bun (which may satisfy the Oxford English dictionary’s definition of the word), it is not going to be the panini that you may be accustomed to. That is ok though, as this generously portioned dish is a delight that certainly is worthy of the Sant Ambroeus name. On top of the thin, breaded chicken cutlet lies arugula, tomatoes, and a Dijon mustard which adds a nice flavor to the sandwich, which is accompanied by skinny, crispy delicious french fries. The Sant Ambroeus might be the least expensive entrée on the menu at $19 but I highly doubt it ranks at the lower end of the restaurant’s dishes.
The Good – You could tell that each and every ingredient in the Crostone Burrata e Fave was of very high quality. The fava beans and fresh peas with the pesto were tasty and the fresh mint and dill that topped the burrata were very aromatic and gave the dish an extra bit of freshness. However, the combination of those fresh and earthy flavors and the very distinct and strong flavor of the toasted sunflower bread that it all came on, did not allow me to enjoy the burrata itself. Separately, the ingredients in this dish are wonderful but together I thought it was a bit too much.
The Verdict – When you go to Sant Ambroeus, you need to be prepared to spend a decent sum of money on a meal with protein-free salads starting at $27 and pastas averaging above $30. However, the restaurant does truly select high quality ingredients and offers a pretty setting, and a rich history, for its diners to enjoy. If you order right, Sant Ambroeus is a great spot for a business lunch, a date, a special occasion, or a treat yourself meal.