You can't judge Allen Susser's groundbreaking Floribbean restaurant its Plain Jane cover.

by Contributor on 07/14/2006

In Short
From the outside, chef/owner Allen Susser's restaurant looks less like a celebrated temple of local gastronomy and more like a mid-priced, touristy steakhouse. But the generic shopping mall look vanishes in the dining room, where the ambience is posh, cozy and quietly elegant--the better to appreciate the master at work in his glass-enclosed kitchen. When he's on, Susser's mix of Florida ingredients and Caribbean/Latin cultures tastes fresh and exciting. When he's not, it's mundane and expensive.