New Polo Bar & Grill Pays Nostalgic Nod To Vintage Wellington

New Polo Bar & Grill Pays Nostalgic Nod To Vintage Wellington

For Gary Fellers and Jeanette Sassoon, Polo Bar & Grill is more than Wellington’s newest restaurant, it is a labor of love. Long-time residents, equestrians and owners of the iconic apparel store PoloGear USA, the husband-and-wife duo has seen the community evolve across the span of decades, from the very first polo game, in which Fellers played, to the village’s ever-changing skyline, shops and restaurants.

It is their love of the community that spurred the creation of Polo Bar & Grill, designed to pay a nostalgic nod to vintage Wellington and its equestrian roots.

The newly renovated restaurant, located at Polo West Golf & Equestrian off of South Shore Blvd. in the epicenter of Wellington, fuses modern décor, sweeping views and small-town comforts with the excitement of world-class horse sport events, such as arena polo, show jumping and dressage.

Polo Bar & Grill is ideal for the eclectic diner or the local foodie, featuring stellar farm-fresh cuisine, locally sourced produce and hand-crafted cocktails, with a sizable menu that is a compilation of farm-to-table lunch, dinner and brunch plates with a California West Coast twist.

The kitchen at Polo Bar & Grill is run by Executive Chef Victor Irizarry, a graduate of the prestigious Disney Culinary Institute and a master sommelier. He has worked at the world-renowned California Grill and Yachtsman’s Steakhouse, and served as executive chef at Seasons 52 and the Hard Rock Cafe. His mantra is simple, but reflects in each dish served at Polo Bar & Grill — “cook from the heart.” And so he does.

Ingredients are sourced locally, and vendors are chosen based on their quality and proximity to the restaurant. The difference is in the taste, and the dishes do not disappoint.

“Everything you see is a la carte, it’s prepared daily and it’s fresh,” Irizarry said. “We don’t even have a microwave in the kitchen. There are no preservatives, no antibiotics and everything we cook is the way it’s supposed to be eaten.”

Each menu item is perfectly crafted with a blend of flavors that represent Irizarry’s vast international background. The menu features several standout dishes, from the one-of-a-kind flatbreads, to appetizers such as the Ahi Tuna Tartare, a dish of beautiful presentation with hues of green, fresh ahi tuna set amidst an avocado mix, wasabi and cilantro microgreens and served with toast points. The Beef Empanadas boast strong flavors, stuffed with picadillo, and are accompanied by a chipotle ranch sauce — the perfect pairing.

The top entrees include a fan-favorite of Steak & Fries capped with garlic butter, a Wild Caught Red Snapper with seasonal vegetables, New York Strip Steak and the highlight of the menu, a 12-ounce Grilled Pork Chop basted with a guava barbecue sauce and accompanied by a unique and delicious horseradish sweet potato mash.

No matter what you order, each dish leaves the palate craving more.

The restaurant is also host to an array of special events, from an outstanding weekday happy hour to a fabulous weekend brunch featuring reasonable set-priced unlimited mimosas and bloody Marys. The Polo Patio can seat more than 200 guests, offers far-reaching views of the expansive polo field and driving range, an outside bar, and is the perfect location to enjoy live performances from local, talented musicians, such as country musician Tom Blake.

It is also dog-friendly, and Polo Bar & Grill is the only restaurant in Wellington to offer a dog menu for four-legged diners.

“We want Polo Bar & Grill to be a welcoming space for the community by offering an exciting, approachable menu, hosting weekly events open to the public, and giving back to the community through our partnerships with local charities,” General Manager Leslie Hill explained.

Polo Bar & Grill stands out with its weekly events, as well as close ties to the equestrian community and local fundraisers. Positioned on the only remaining public golf course in Wellington, the restaurant offers seasonal golf events, show jumping on Wednesdays and Fridays during the winter season, Big Dogs Night Out benefiting Big Dog Ranch Rescue, arena polo every Sunday evening, and Western in Wellington on Saturday nights, with the J.C. Cowgirls taking the limelight and capping off the night with the sounds of country music during Southern Rock Saturdays.

“We want the new Polo Bar & Grill to be a taste of the past; a throwback to the original Wellington, which was fun and filled with good camaraderie,” Sassoon said. “We want our restaurant to be a place for jumpers, polo players and dressage people, as well as non-equestrians, to decompress and enjoy a relaxing night out. It’s a place where they can come and have a great meal, a couple of cocktails, have fun, and just mingle with people in and out of the equestrian and polo world, just like the old vintage Wellington, the way it used to be.”

Polo Bar & Grill is located at 2470 Greenview Cove Drive in Wellington. It is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. For more information, visit www.polobarandgrill.com or call (561) 429-2049.

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