First look: Best reasons to visit the new NiMo Mediterranean restaurant near Jupiter
Just days after making its debut in a quiet north county retail plaza, NiMo Coastal Mediterranean restaurant hummed with the lively sounds of a neighborhood hotspot on a recent afternoon.
A happy-hour crowd filled the indoor/outdoor bar. At dusk, the chatter of customers spread across the charming main dining room, flowing into the al fresco patio tables.
Locals are clearly excited about this new restaurant by Miami star chef Niven Patel. The space, most recently occupied by Josco Garden, had been dark for months in a village that loves its indie cafés, mom-and-pop restaurants and craft beer brewery (Tequesta Brewing Co.).
Patel and business partner Mohamed Alkassar say they feel the Tequesta love from fellow business owners and customers alike.
Once you’re settled into your seats at NiMo, it’s easy to understand the love. The restaurant has a worldly yet neighborhood-gem feel.
Need a reason to check out the new spot? Here are four.
At NiMo Coastal Mediterranean restaurant the small plates are shareable and sublime.
Some of the tastiest bites I had were the za’atar chicken wings, served with tzatziki dipping sauce ($10 at happy hour, $17 at dinner). These wings were meaty and flavorful with herbaceous, tangy spices.
I also found a new obsession in the jalapeño labneh appetizer dip that’s topped with cucumbers and green beans ($15) and served with wood-fired pita. Tear into the oven-fresh, pillowy bread and sweep it through the dip, and you may understand why I’ll soon return for this simple starter.
Inspired by the hefty eggplants from Indiantown’s Kai-Kai Farm, Patel offers a crispy Parm-style eggplant dish that’s topped with burrata and served with fresh pomodoro sauce and basil ($18). The result is eggplant that’s crispy outside, creamy and smoky inside.
After listening to the story behind NiMo’s thin, Spanish-style lamb chops ($42) during an interview with Patel and Alkassar in January, I knew I had to try them. The dish is one Alkassar fell in love with while growing up in Spain and raved about to Patel. After some trial-and-error runs, the chef nailed it.
“Imagine a pile of eight or nine of these, simply salted and grilled and served with grilled shishito peppers,” Patel told me. “You just pick them up and eat them like ribs.”
Indeed, the grilled, simply salted, skinny chops made for tasty finger food, ideal for sharing.
There’s a South Florida star chef in the kitchen.
A four-time semifinalist for a James Beard Award, Patel also gained national raves for his Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning Ghee Indian Kitchen.
What reinforces Patel’s talent for combining flavors and connecting cuisines is his reverence for farming and locally harvested ingredients. In fact, he owns a two-acre produce farm in Homestead, where he grows everything from lychees to tomatoes to mangos to fennel. The farm serves as a special events venue as well as Patel’s family residence.
Before he opened NiMo, he connected with area farmers and seafood purveyors. The fruits of those connections are now featured on Patel’s menu.
The al fresco patio is delightful, functional.
NiMo inherited a terrific, leafy patio that’s ideal for al fresco dining, even when it rains. The outdoor terrace boasts a retractable roof.
If the indoor, main dining room gives the restaurant an intimate, neighborhood feel, the patio lends NiMo a fresh, South Florida ambiance.
NiMo has a terrific happy hour.
Offered daily from 4 to 6 p.m., NiMo’s happy hour is not restricted to the bar. It’s celebrated throughout the restaurant.
Wines are offered at half-price, by the glass. Select cocktails are priced at $8.
The happy-hour food menu is small but it features some of NiMo’s greatest hits for $10 each.
These bites include the stellar za’atar chicken wings, a yellowtail crudo with olives, radishes and Mediterranean ponzu, Patel’s house-made cavatelli Bolognese, prime steak kebabs served over feta tzatziki and the tasty NiMo Caesar that’s tossed in lemon tahini and dotted with falafel croutons.
NiMo Coastal Mediterranean restaurant
Location: 157 N. U.S. Hwy 1, Tequesta, 561-730-5112, NiMoEats.com
Hours: Open Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m.
Liz Balmaseda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network. She covers the local food and dining beat. Follow her on Instagram and Post on Food Facebook. She can be reached by email at lbalmaseda@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Best food, outdoor dining at new Mediterranean restaurant near Jupiter
