A stroll down Wilmington Avenue will show you a lot of restaurants. One
will stand out before you think twice about where you should eat. Brightly
colored and inviting Planet X Café is situated at 35 Wilmington Ave. and
by appearance alone dares you not to enjoy it. Choice dining areas are on
the big wrap around porch, which is festooned with hanging strings of
lights and lanterns with an international flair. And that’s just the
beginning.
Step inside and you might think you’ve wandered into your maiden aunt’s
parlor—that is if your maiden aunt was a hippie! Eclectic doesn’t
begin to describe what has to be one of the most fun restaurants at the
beach. There are pillows, hangings, and decorations galore. The bar is a
friendly place to wait should you have to. There is a largish dining area
that is separated by pillars covered with leopard print cloth, and tables
draped with cloths of the same material. Two more private dining areas are
on the same floor: one will seat a party of six or so; the other is
perfect for a romantic tête-à-tête with a special someone—drop the
black net screen and propose, well, propose who knows what! In such
surroundings who could refuse?
All the baubles, bangles and beads are just a prelude to a great
evening. John, an attentive and friendly server, seated us. It turns out
that John is a flight attendant for US Air. My dining partner, Lynne
Barstow, is a flight attendant for Delta so I got to hear them exchange
mile-high stories while we decided what to order. Gratefully, the menu is
much more exciting than airplane food.
Still trying to decide, we were treated to a house specialty drink, a
Nirvana Martini. It’s described as a house infused martini with natural
mango, raspberry and vodka served up and icy. Lynne described it as a
drunken smoothie. Power it packs. It made me so Zen that I started
contemplating the navel on the orange slice. The only thing better than
one of these would be two of these, but then...
Homemade vegetable soup was my choice of appetizer, while Lynne
selected a salad of toasted walnuts, red grape vinaigrette, Gorgonzola,
and organic greens. The soup was, ahem, souper—chock full of fresh
vegetables, beans and basmati rice. Lynne’s salad was so terrific that
it could have converted me to a salad eater. Great starts to what proved
to be an even greater meal.
The menu is loaded with wonderful sounding dishes, many of which are
non-meat. That suited vegetarian Lynne who ordered the Red Thai Curry with
lobster and shrimp, crisp vegetables, red Thai-coconut curry, jasmine rice
and topped with crispy Wanton sticks. This is an incredible dish, redolent
of coconut and the kitchen doesn’t skimp on the perfectly cooked lobster
or shrimp. One bite and you’re hooked. My entrée of crisp, cumin duck
breasts arrived with truffled organic red garnet potatoes, and a medley of
yellow and green squash, carrots, onions and red and yellow peppers. An
infusion of orange-brandy reduction elevated it to perfection. The duck
was fork tender and cooked just as I had requested—medium rare. Not only
did these dishes taste spectacular, when they were presented they looked
like plated works
of art.
There were three desserts to choose from: chocolate torte, Key lime
pie, or an unusual banana cheesecake. Ms. Barstow had to have her
chocolate fix, and I couldn’t resist trying the cheesecake. The glorious
torte was served warm, topped with heavy, silky whipped cream, and the
dense chocolate taste is one that will be long remembered. How to describe
the banana cheesecake? For openers, it looked like a Japanese painting of
bamboo. Two pillars that had been made by wrapping a tortilla around the
creamiest of banana cheesecake, then deep-fried. That’s when I reached
my taste bud Nirvana. The word delicious doesn’t begin to do justice to
either of these desserts.
There are many more intriguing sounding dishes on the menu, and you
certainly couldn’t go wrong with any of them. This restaurant is tops, a
place where culinary gold is spun on a daily basis. Don’t hesitate to go
to Planet X Café. It’s truly out of this world!
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