TASTE OF THE TREASURE COAST
89
told that if he was ever in Florida, “Go to Peter’s
Steakhouse in Jensen Beach.”
Pat Schmoyer, a retired Martin County high
school principal, could be the restaurant’s most
frequent diner, enjoying hundreds of dinners at her
favorite table with friends and family, including her
96-year-old mother.
“I love Peter’s Steakhouse and all my friends
know how much,” Schmoyer says. “I’m a steak connoisseur.
He has the best steak in town. When my
daughter comes to visit, she insists we come here.
If I didn’t have a family, I would probably be here
every night.”
Decorated in the style of a quaint Austrian inn
restaurant with photos from Buchner’s career in
Austria and New York lining the walls of a narrow
hall, Peter’s offers a simple menu served familystyle
with huge portions. On a Thursday night in
December almost every one of the 40 diners left
with a to-go box.
When the 24-ounce rib-eye steak arrives, it is
perfectly sliced to be eaten slowly in the European
tradition with side dishes. A few feet away at the
slightly elevated “upstairs,” eight people are having
an animated conversation before two giant plates of
steak arrive. The group quiets as the servers complete
their service.
Austrian dishes include, Weiner schnitzel made
with veal or pork. Other entrees include lobster,
filet of fish, jumbo lump crab-cake dinner and
half-broiled chicken. Side dishes are separate, but >>
Chef Dale Ditto and sous chef Jacob Pelch prepare the entrees, which are served
family-style, with attention to detail and diners’ wishes.
Prost! Fredrica “Freddie” Schlmeyer serves this table in a quiet corner of Peter’s Steakhouse, nestled in downtown Jensen Beach.