Adrienne’s Food Diaries Returns to Burlock Coast With a Bold New Chapter
Burlock Coast Seafare & Spirits doesn’t whisper its creativity—it plates it. And starting this August, the waterfront gem inside The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, is bringing back one of its most beloved traditions: the dinner series once known as Paula’s Food Diaries returns under a fresh name, new leadership, and four major culinary forces behind the scenes. Say hello to Adrienne’s Food Diaries—a curated, chef-driven journey that runs monthly through November and feels anything but ordinary.
Executive Chef Adrienne Grenier is now at the helm, and for those who’ve followed Fort Lauderdale’s fine dining landscape, this is no minor shuffle—it’s a new signature.
“It’s an incredible honor to carry on the Food Diaries series and share dishes from wildly talented chefs I’m grateful to know. My hope is that the series excites our guests with new flavors and captures the spirit, passion, and talent that makes South Florida’s culinary scene so special.”
Executive Chef Adrienne Grenier
If Grenier’s name rings familiar, it should. A champion of seasonal sourcing and coastal soulfulness, she leads Burlock Coast with a blend of precision and personality, letting quality ingredients—and inspired collaborations—take the spotlight.
A Course for Every Month—and Every Mood
The format is beautifully simple: each month, a dish from a renowned guest chef appears on the dinner menu, paired with a cocktail and a personal story behind its creation. Think of it as a one-course memoir—a snapshot of a chef’s voice, crafted through texture, taste, and terroir.
Kicking things off in August is Dean Max, the South Florida farm-to-table pioneer and president of DJM Restaurants. His Glazed Black Grouper ($52) is a sensory knockout: buttery fish glazed with miso, served alongside Thai sweet rice, baby eggplant, bok choy, and a coconut curry sauce. It’s tropical, warming, and intensely personal—evoking the global paths that have shaped Max’s culinary lens.
September takes a sharper turn—visually and aromatically—with Pushkar Marathe’s Pachadi Salad ($19), a dish that reads like a painter’s palette. A medley of shaved carrots, cauliflower, yellow wax beans, cherry tomatoes, watermelon radish, and kale is brought to life with roasted peanuts and a turmeric vinaigrette. Marathe’s globally informed Indian cooking, honed through time in the Middle East and Caribbean, comes through in every element. It’s a salad that stares back.
October is built on decadence, courtesy of José Mendín. The five-time James Beard semifinalist and Miami icon delivers Butterscotch Miso Pork Belly ($25)—a savory, slow-cooked marvel finished with salted corn nuts and paired with a butternut squash purée. Mendín’s dish feels at once playful and serious, a signature of the chef who changed the Miami food scene with Pubbelly Sushi, La Placita, and beyond.
Then, November closes the series on a note of rich, smoky earthiness with Giorgio Rapicavoli’s Muhammara Dip ($17). Served with grilled flatbread, this roasted red pepper and hazelnut spread, punched up with sundried tomatoes, balsamic glaze, and za’atar, is the kind of dish you think about for days after. Rapicavoli, a Chopped winner and mastermind behind Luca Osteria and Eating House, brings the irreverent finesse he’s known for—and reminds us why his style remains so influential.
A Restaurant Rooted in Story and Sea
For those unfamiliar, Burlock Coast isn’t just a hotel restaurant—it’s a destination in its own right. Inspired by Prohibition-era coastal life, the venue blends a laid-back maritime feel with serious culinary ambition. The menu leans on local seafood, South Florida produce, and a rum-forward cocktail list that’s both cheeky and refined. Think salt air, citrus peel, and just enough swagger.
The indoor-outdoor space offers sweeping views of Fort Lauderdale Beach, with a market café attached that serves local bread, pastries, and espresso until early afternoon. But dinner is where the storytelling deepens—and Adrienne’s Food Diaries adds something rare: a reason to return monthly, to taste the evolution of collaboration.
An Invitation to Eat With Intention
Burlock Coast has never been about trends. It’s about moments—those that unfold slowly, over the course of a perfectly cooked grouper or a spoonful of turmeric vinaigrette. Adrienne’s Food Diaries honors that pace. Each dish carries the fingerprints of a chef working at the height of their craft, and Grenier curates the series like a handwritten letter to the local dining community.
Yes, there are flavors. But there are also memories. And in a city constantly reinventing itself, that’s the kind of luxury that lingers.