The Pharmacy at The Dellagio Town Center

If you want simply strong drinks that strips away all of the unnecessary added garnishes, then The Pharmacy is definitely the place you need to be at. Did I mention that there is also top notch food available? But first you would have to find it. There are no signs that lead you to the facility. There is simply an elevator door. Once you find the place, the atmosphere kind of transports you back to prohibition era yet still gives off a very hip vibe.

We were recently invited to visit for a media preview of their new menu – An assortment of appetizers were laid out in front of us. The two that stood out to me were the Tanged fried chicken with lime, scallions and sesame and the Butter, garlic rock shrimps. The chicken was bursting with flavors. It was sweet, savory and that crunch just made the dish more fun to eat by adding a new texture to the dish. The rock shrimps were sweet, fresh and rich. Such a simple dish but made with fresh local ingredients really brought out the desired flavors that made the dish memorable.

Tanged Fried Chicken with lime, scallions and sesame

Butter, Garlic Cape Canaveral Rock Shrimp

As an entree I ordered the double cut brined pork chop with Tallahassee double corn grits, pork belly collards and friend super sweet onions.

My wife had the braised oxtail, grilled short rib “paillard” au ju.

The pork chop was cooked perfectly which was amazing to see because the chop was about 2 and half inches thick. It was moist and very tender. The flavors blended together very well. It had a hint of five spice, a mixture of spices typically used in Chinese cooking. The grits were creamy, sweet but a little on the heavy side.

My wife’s dish was fantastic. The dish also had a very Asian fusion feel to it. It brought back memories of my childhood when my mother would stew oxtail for Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup dish. The meat on the oxtail was a little hard to get off the bones but definitely did not lack in the flavor department. The mash potatoes that came with the dish was creamy but did not have an overpowering butter flavor like many of the other versions of mash potatoes I had in the past.

Brined Pork chops

Braised Oxtails

My favorite dessert of the night was definitely the hot maple pecan sticky bun with southern butter pecan ice cream. The bun was extremely moist and rich. The pecan ice cream really offset the rich butter taste of the bun. I typically would not choose anything resembling a cinnamon bun as my choice of dessert but i would order this again without hesitation.

Hot Maple Pecan Sticky Bun

The Pharmacy has a little something for any palate. Every dish is well executed. The drinks were strong and simple. The pharmacy is definitely a place worth visiting. I had the pleasure of meeting with chef Lauren, head chef at the Pharmacy. After meeting her, I could definitely see that her menu reflected her personality: warm and friendly. The dishes was like a good home cooked meal both hearty and satisfying. The dishes were simple yet phenomenal because of the fresh local ingredients that had a fresh and clean profile. There are so many things to try and I cannot wait to return.