Bocas Grill & Bar, Sand Lake Rd Area

I had lunch at this Venezuelan leaning Latin spot on Wednesday. It is in a well turned over spot in the shopping area at Dr Phillips and Sand Lake Rd. It was a French place before this. And many before that. They run two other branches out of the Miami area. I think they fancy themselves as higher end. They price that way. They need to fix a few things before they can justify those sorts of ambitions. Let's start with the plastic menus. It would be bad enough if they were just plastic, but, they look they are teethed on by baby dogs and children every night. And they have only been open a few months! A terrible first impression. One I'm not sure I got over. The menus are also hard to follow. They serve too much and jam a whole host of items in a "Main Dishes" section. Then they hit you with an additional "Lunch Special" menu that isn't even up to date. The menu composition is also needlessly large. I can divide it into four main areas - Stuff fried in a wok (rice and noodles), Tostones, Arepas and Assorted meat-centric dishes. The first area is Chinese inspired fare at double the Chinese price. $15 is a representative charge. The portions are huge, but, I can't assume they mean their dishes to be shared. Give me a acceptable portion at half the price. The tostones (fried plantains) and arepas (corn cakes) are self explanatory. They run $10-$16. I didn't catch the portion size, but, that is a hefty mark up compared to most other providers. The meat area ranges from fish to steak to shredded beef to chicken to pork to burgers and back again.  These run $10 to $17. You mainly get fries with these. They also offer a few apps, salads, soups and breakfast fare. They serve some beer and wine and are working on a liquor license. I had the "lunch special" chicken fried rice for $9 (regularly) $13. Like most South American preparations, they seemed to make it with more oil and soy sauce that the rice can hold. You feel yourself getting fatter with each bite. They also added red pepper. I hate peppers. The first two pieces of chicken were so plastic tasting (old and freezer burnt) that I almost stopped there. The remaining pieces were ok and I didn't get sick from the first two. I ate a few more bites of rice and left it. Have you ever heard me to say that I left anything? I will say that I probably should have gone in another direction, but, I had been in Arizona eating all kinds of fried Mexican junk and meat. Fried corn cakes and plantains or grilled red meat just wasn't going to do. The place was semi busy. Mostly Latinos. They retained the patio (too cold that day). They have a "history of arepas' mural on one wall. The kitchen and bar remain in back. I think they added some wood paneling on the right wall. Management seemed concerned about your experience. Personally, I would prefer a relaxed and cheaper South American experience. The fine dining aspirations just don't connect. It's in a no man's land. Not fine and yet a little too fine. This isn't some one horse town in South America. You aren't the one restaurant in town. You don't need to cater to every resident's needs. Pick an economic group that you want to service and serve the portion of the menu that they can afford. I'll take my tostones and arepas from a food truck or little specialty shop. I don't want to think about them if I'm out for a nice meal. I'm no longer at the stage where South American cuisine gets a pass because it is new and exciting. It needs to have an identity too. This place is everything and nothing.