Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse Review

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse offers a fine dining experience in the heart of Daytona Beach, Florida. Located at 100 North Atlantic Avenue, Hyde Park resides inside the Hilton Hotel at Ocean Walk Village; a unique seaside vacation, business and entertainment district.

My husband and I had the pleasure of dining at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse when friends took us out to celebrate our birthdays and their 36th wedding anniversary. From the moment we crossed the threshold, I was enthralled with the restaurant.

We arrived 45 minutes late for our reservation. I'll admit it was my fault. It took longer than expected for me to look my best. The staff was extremely forgiving and actually apologized for having to release our table. That's a sign of a good restaurant and a hostess who knows how to make guests feel welcome.

The hostess recommended sitting at the bar and advised us of the drink specials including the $4 martini. I immediately placed an order for my all-time favorite - the chocolate martini. The bartender swirled an elegant design inside the martini glass using chocolate syrup, gently shook the liqueurs, poured, and topped the frothy cocktail with a shaving of dark chocolate.

We were seated within 20 minutes and immediately greeted by our server. Gene wore a crisp, light tan jacket with his name embroidered above the right pocket. He had a smile the size of Texas and a personality to match.

Gene provided us with menus, offered appetizer and dinner suggestions, refilled our drinks, and made us feel as if we were the only guests in the restaurant. Within moments he returned with a basket filled with piping hot rolls, breads and an assortment of crackers.

As we reviewed the menu, we realized this could take awhile. The descriptions were so enticing we wanted to order one of everything. We had planned to spend a long, relaxing evening exploring the culinary delights of Hyde Park and Gene assured us there was no need to rush. He recommended we begin our dining journey with a 3-tier seafood appetizer.

Within minutes of placing our order, Gene arrived with a gorgeous arrangement of king crab legs, shrimp, scallops, mussels and clams resting on a bed of crushed iced and served with a variety of dipping sauces and clarified butter.

The crab legs were sliced in half, making it easy to pull the meat from the shell. I have spent many years in the food industry and have never seen crab legs prepared this way. It is a trick I will use in the future because it made eating the crab enjoyable and was considerably less messy than breaking shells.

After we finished our seafood appetizer, Gene arrived with lemons sliced in half and covered in yellow mesh fabric. He squirted the lemon juice on our hands and provided warm damp towels to remove the seafood smell from our hands.

Meals are not served as complete entrées at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse. Instead, meats, side dishes, soups and salads are sold separately. During our visit, Hyde Park was offering a Dinner for Two Summer Special for the price of $69.

The special included the choice of one appetizer (soup, salad wedge or Caesar salad), entrée (filet mignon, salmon, lemon caper chicken, or New Orleans blackened jumbo shrimp and scallops), side dish (roasted garlic whipped potatoes, sautéed mushrooms or steamed asparagus) and dessert (vanilla bean crème brulée, cheesecake, or key lime pie). Each person could select their favorite item from each category.

My friend and I opted for the summer special while our husbands selected enormous steaks. My husband ordered the "Tony Stewart"; a 22-ounce bone-in Ribeye steak, named after the infamous NASCAR driver. He also indulged in a bowl of French Onion soup and a side of Gruyere gratin potatoes.

Everything was cooked to perfection and presented to please the eye. The whipped potatoes were silky smooth and the filet mignon melted like butter. Although, I barely had room for the crème brulée, I was determined to savor every bite.

Needless to say, we had leftover food. Gene didn't bring Styrofoam boxes to the table. Instead, he took our plates and boxed our leftovers for us. Better yet, he wrote the contents on the box and packaged them in carryout bags for each couple. Gene was beyond a 5-star server!

As we settled our bill, Gene smacked his hand on his forehead and said, "Excuse me for one moment, I forgot something." A few moments later, Gene walks toward our table carrying a plate filled with whipped cream and a lit birthday candle. The entire staff of Hyde Park surrounded our table to sing "Happy Birthday" to me. It was a night I will never forget.

The food and service at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse supersedes all dining experiences in my lifetime. We were encouraged to sit, relax, and enjoy the experience while overlooking the "World's Most Famous Beach". If you are looking for a fine dining experience in Daytona Beach, Florida, Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse is the place to go!