The Garlic is the perfect place for a festive celebration

Our friends at the north end of the county rave about The Garlic in New Smyrna Beach, so when we received an invitation to make the trip for a birthday dinner, we jumped at the chance.

The Garlic, obviously, is a destination restaurant for folks from North Brevard to Central Volusia counties. Our Titusville companions recognized people sitting at several of the tables, and the arbor-covered walkway leading to the hostess stand was crowded with people waiting to get inside.

Entering The Garlic feels like stepping into a loud, festive celebration. The dining areas are big, dark and jam-packed. A long table runs down the center of the room, with various parties separated by a wrought-iron contraption designed to hold big bottles of olive oil and vinegar. Big booths line either side of the center table.

There’s entertainment nightly, and on the Saturday night of our visit, a guy was playing the guitar and singing classic rock standards.

In addition to menus, we were given a lasagna noodle with specials of the day handwritten on it.

We had a large party, and though it took a while for our server to get started, once everyone was in place he handled the multiple orders and separate check requests with polite efficiency.

from floridatoday.com