It’s racing time again at Gulfstream Park, which is bound to bring a cheer from merchants at The Village, the nearly year-old dining, entertainment and retail complex by the track.

Odds are, many of the businesses are counting on the equestrian crowd for a big boost now that the holiday season is over.

Just steps from the Gulfstream clubhouse, the 185-seat Primebar is in a prime location to attract bettors celebrating their wins — or trying to forget their losses. The restaurant has a sprawling patio with a sleek bar and fun people-watching view. The interior, with another bar, looks like an upscale urban ale house with dim lights, wood paneling and plasma TVs. You’ll find a long list of martinis, killer mojitos and a good selection of micro brews, including a few Florida choices; my favorite, though, was Maine’s Sea Dog Blue Paw wheat ale with a hint of wild blueberries.

Primebar is one of two Florida links in a national chain that also operates Bluepoint at Seminole Paradise at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Hollywood. With its drink list, happy hour and late-night weekend entertainment, Primebar is a likely nightlife destination, but visitors might not realize the place also has an extensive menu, sometimes too extensive. The eclectic selection features dishes that are as varied as a $13.99 bento box and a $38.99 bone-in rib-eye, plus there’s a long list of small dishes, sliders, sides and sandwiches. We found lots of hits but also a few misses.

Among our starters, the winners included a flavorful shrimp bruschetta with fresh chopped tomatoes, red onions and basil, house-made mozzarella and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil; light, crisp calamari; and a nicely done Caesar salad with an excellent dressing blending egg, garlic, anchovies, Parmesan and red wine vinegar, with a garnish of fried white anchovies. The lobster bisque special was just so-so – it had a hint of sherry but otherwise didn’t have that lush lobster taste.

Primebar does a good job, however, with its seafood, including the horseradish-crusted salmon, buttery and tender and served with wonderful French-style rissole potatoes – balls of potatoes (think of scooped melon balls) that are roasted with oil, garlic, salt and pepper till they’re browned and crisp, roasted asparagus; and cherry tomatoes – a good value at $17.99. And we liked the pan-seared scallops in a perky cilantro-lime pesto sauce.

Chef Jason Prisco knows his way around steaks, including the 18-ounce, bone-in prime rib-eye – well-marbled, judiciously seasoned, skillfully seared. Also impressive were sides of rich mac and cheese baked with a bread crumb topping and a garnish of tomato confit; creamy polenta made with peppadew (a sweet-spicy South African pepper) and Parmesan; and a rich Brussels sprouts gratin.

The shaved prime rib was a hit on a French baguette but didn’t work on the slider. The prime rib and pork belly sliders were our biggest disappointment. They were dry and overcooked, with only a dab of sauce and minimal garnish – arugula on the prime rib and pickles on the pork belly. To the restaurant’s credit, when a friend complained but didn’t want a substitute (we had lots of other dishes to fill us up), they took them off our tab.

Desserts put us back in the win column. We passed up more lavish treats like the sweet blondietini and chocolate cake bites in favor of a simple but scrumptious vanilla crème brulee and a delightful dish of fresh blackberries, blueberries and raspberries in a crème anglaise.

While Primebar could use a few tweaks, it’s a prime spot to enjoy a casual meal and drink after a day at the races.