Mermaid den

Palm House Dining Room (Palm Beach)

GETAWAYS • Palm Beach

I arrived to dinner at Palm Beach’s newest hotel, Palm House, in the mood to indulge. The restaurant there, known simply as the Dining Room, is helmed by chef Jerry Ayala, once an apprentice to legendary chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

The spacious room is as understated as its name: plush turquoise banquettes and light oak finishes don’t immediately signal a den for high-end Japanese-Peruvian cuisine. It’s certainly more subdued than the opulent, pink, seashell-encrusted lobby outside, a temple for mermaids of sorts where bartenders in white tuxedo jackets shake martinis beneath a vaulted cathedral ceiling.

Dining solo, I chose a banquette in the center of the room overlooking it all. It was the middle of the week in May and while the mermaid bar was buzzy, the 88-seat restaurant was calm, maybe a quarter full, which made for a relaxing and pleasant solo outing. A gracious waiter took pains to explain the concept and his favorite dishes, but after a quick glimpse at the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted and orchestrated my own personal tasting menu. Before long, I realized that the diners at the opposite table were former Barney’s creative director Simon Doonan and his interior designer husband Jonathan Adler, the presence of such tastemakers a satisfying co-sign on the hotel’s somewhat over-the-top design.

To start, tuna and wagyu taquitos and black cod butter lettuce, bite-sized little gems packed with flavor, and an ice-cold vodka martini. A dense cylinder of toro tartare generously topped with caviar in a pool of wasabi-inflected soy arrived on a little dish over a bed of ice with a special tiny spoon; pure decadence. Then, I paired a yellowtail jalapeno hand roll with the prime rib tenderloin toban-yaki. Delicious, although once you’ve had a bite of wagyu, it’s hard to go back (Miyazaki prefecture A5 is available at $52 per ounce). I wanted just a couple more bites, and after consulting the waiter, I once again followed my heart back to the taquitos — this time, lobster — to finish the meal. –Shayne Benowitz

→ Palm House Dining Room (Palm Beach) • 160 Royal Palm Way • Daily 5-10p • Reserve.