Point Royal

Point Royal, which opened in February 2017, sits on the ground floor of the newly renovated Diplomat Beach Resort. The restaurant is billed as coastal American, the type of place you can stop by for a burger and beer or for some oysters and a glass of wine. Once the site of the hotel's breakfast buffet room, Point Royal is a place you might expect panoramic ocean views. But instead, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook a crowded patio. If you dine at night, it's dark, so the lack of view doesn't matter much. The decor evokes Old Florida, Cuba, and the galley of a yacht. Paneled walls look like a boat's hull, tiny tables are etched with compass designs, and massive potted trees and plants arch over tables and doorways. When it comes to the food, certain aspects are recognizable from other Zakarian establishments: generous and complimentary bread service, a plethora of crudo options, handmade pastas, and soups. Where Point Royal really hits its stride is the more entrée-like dishes. The shrimp-and-grits main course isn't reinvented, just executed beautifully. Head-on shrimp are cooked to tender perfection, mixed with a homemade shrimp and swordfish sausage, and set atop a creamy bed of Anson Mills grits. The dish is a reminder that you don't need to do new things if you do old things right.