Spanish River Grill, New Smyrna Beach - Closed

This is the real reason I made two trips to NSB last weekend. I came back on Sunday afternoon because it is the only time they are open during the day (Brunch). I had heard about them when one of their cooks went on one of those cooking programs years ago and was reminded of them when they opened Txokos in Audubon Park. They serve small dishes and some full plates. The small dishes are in the mid-teens for the most part and the plates are $20-$30 if you subtract the sandwiches. The Brunch menu is different. It is less expensive. I had a Seafood Salpicon for $12. It was a small serving of rock shrimp, octopus and 2 tiny mussels (seemed canned) in a marinade. A bad choice (value wise). It came with three triangles of some flat bread that tasted like salt tack and two okra pods. Nice plating, but, it's not wise to order the special. There is probably a finite amount and they must watch that they don't ladle it all out to one customer. I wanted fresh seafood after my wiff at JB's the day before.I could have received much more substantial dishes at that price point.  I added a fried chicken liver dish because I was still hungry and it was the cheapest thing they had. I wasn't going to be hoodwinked again and it was a delicacy item worth experimenting on. It was great and thoroughly made up for the salpicon. It was a huge order and fried perfectly. I don't even really like livers, but, this was good. It came with a tartare like sauce. It was a well spent $6. The place is hip and clean and casually dignified. It seats around seventy inside and twenty outside. It's in the Publix shopping center as the road curves (almost at the ocean) to go all the way down to the National Park. There were some other cute places around it, but, a strip mall isn't the most romantic setting. In any case, this is a top notch offering. I'd venture to say the best in NSB. I hate the tapas concept, but, at least they do it credit. It's their identity not a ploy to charge more for less. If you choose wisely here, you can find some excellent food at reasonable prices or splurge. They were only charging $1 for a mimosa (I think). The place catered to a diverse crowd, but, nobody was an embarrassment to have eating there. I recommend it. Service was attentive and knowledgeable, yet affable and not self important.