Blue Plate**

Blue Plate, restaurant inside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. Tomato Caper Salmon one of the signature dishes. Photo: Joe Rimkus.

 

Rochelle Koff9/8/2009

By Rochelle Koff

Meatloaf. Mac and cheese. Matzoh-ball soup. When times get tough, we turn to food that makes us feel better. Even glitzy Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has put its money on the comfort-food craze, revamping the menu in the past few months. When busted bettors need to soothe their psyches, they can head to the appropriately named Blue Plate, open 24/7 inside the casino. The Hard Rock's version of the quintessential diner features such homey eats as chicken pot pie, turkey and gravy, corned-beef hash ... washed down with a root-beer float. You'll also find sweet-and-sour shrimp, lasagna, empanadas and other ethnic standards. You don't have to be a high roller to afford a meal here; most dishes are less than $20.

Ambiance: The open, airy restaurant, across from the Contour Spa, is a short walk from the slots and blackjack tables but far enough so you can escape the sensory overload and the smoke (though the 240-seat restaurant does have a smoking section). The decor is a contemporary take on a 1950s diner, with sleek ceiling fans sporting one blade, huge blonde-wood booths and tabletops and columns made from stainless steel. The background music doesn't match the diner theme; it's an eclectic mix ranging from the Doors to Elton John.

What Worked

• Ultra tender grilled Asian ribs glistening with a sweet chili glaze and paired with cold citrus noodles
• Well-seasoned golden brown Cajun crab cake with a crisp shell and a perky Creole-style remoulade
• Tender, tomatoey, big, beefy slabs of meat loaf garnished with strips of battered fried onions
• Corn on the cob with firm, juicy kernels
• Crowd pleasing chicken pot pie with puff pastry floating above a medley of white chicken, corn, carrots and peas in a surprisingly light cream sauce
• A huge platter of two pan-seared chicken breasts laden with thick brown gravy, sandwiching a mound of sautéed spinach, all atop a rustic polenta cake
• Rich milkshakes & frothy root beer floats

• Generous, but slightly overcooked fillet of pan-seared salmon in a flavorful tomato

Blue Plate at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino: 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood; 954-327-7625; Hours: Open 24/7. Prices: Soup-salads $3-$13; starters $8-$11; entrees $14-$28; dessert $3-$9.

FYI: alcohol served; free parking lot, AX, DN, DS, MC, VS.

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