Coach's Grill offers authentic Carolina barbecue for all barbecue lovers
By Chris Fish
cfish@hometownnewsol.com
INDIALANTIC -- For elite barbeque lovers living in a beach community, it is a very rare occasion to come across a barbecue dish that is both delicious and satisfying, especially for those who have experienced the very best in barbecue.
Among the very best, some may say, is Carolina-barbeque, a world-renowned Southern delicacy that includes slowly roasted meat taken from all over the pig. The taste is one-of-a-kind, and cheap imitators will never fool a true barbeque connoisseur.
Indialantic's Coach's Grill will never be considered an imitator.
Located on the southern side of Fifth Avenue, Coach's Grill offers truly authentic and delicious Carolina barbecue, where even the biggest barbecue critic can rejoice.
For nearly one month, owner Ricky Michaelsen has offered fresh dishes to his customers in a true Carolina style, something he said no one else in Brevard can offer.
"People have other styles (of cooking barbecue), where they want to cook this and smoke that, but real Carolina Barbecue is roasted like a pig-picking," he said. "We use all of the pig because every bit of the pig is good. Our meat, which is apple cider-vinegar based, comes fresh and delivered straight to the Melbourne Airport every three days."
Mr. Michaelsen, who has owned five other restaurants in Virginia, named his restaurant after his 31 years of experience, coaching basketball. During his time at Old Dominion College in Virginia, he and his teammates won the Division II National Championship. Currently, he coaches the Florida Phoenix 16-17 Boys travel team.
In addition to the many restaurants he operated, Mr. Michaelsen also owned a catering business. It was through his catering business, he said, that Mr. Michaelsen truly realized the impact Carolina Barbecue had on his customers.
"My catering business used to cater auctions for towing companies, where they would have people come and bid on wrecked or abandoned vehicles," he said. "At the auctions, 200-300 people would come and we would sell about 300-500 sandwiches. They couldn't get enough."
At Coach's Grill, diners can choose between a variety plates served with fries and slaw, including a barbecue sandwich or barbecue wrap, Norfolk hot dogs and cheese dogs, cheeseburgers, a pork loin sandwich and a BLT sandwich.
Mr. Michaelsen said Norfolk dogs are another specialty his restaurant offers, and they are served up fresh with onion, mustard, homemade sauce and chili - all atop a steamed bun.
Along with the barbecue and hot dogs, Coach's Grill offers one of the best cheeseburgers you'll ever eat.
"They have more grease than most cheeseburgers, but not enough to get messy on your shirt," Mr. Michaelsen said. "It may not be the healthiest, but it makes a great burger."
For breakfast lovers, Coach's Grill also offers the breakfast essentials, including eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, pancakes and a variety of breakfast wraps.
Coach's Grill is located at 147 Fifth Ave., Indialantic and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, call (321) 541-7715.