Thursday, June 6, 2013

Florida Trip 213 Dinners

We ate breakfast and lunch at the hotel (free breakfast and pb&js for lunch) so we coud really enjoy our dinners. 

Monday night we went to The Crab Trap. It was within walking distance of our hotel, but there was no sidewalk or boardwalk to get there so we had to load the kids up and drive there. We were all a bit exhausted, but wanted to give the restaurant a try. Each kid (even Johnny) got a little sand bucket and shovel which was fun to use on the beach the next day. I got a mango daiquiri which was fruity and smooth. The kids shared spaghetti which was decent, but not really large enough for them to share. We had the hot crab dip appetizer which tasted good, but was a lot of rich and creamy dip for two people to share. It also was in desperate need for hot sauce to be copiously dashed on top which we did once we figured out the kids only wanted the pita chips and not the dip. We ordered a fried seafood platter and were greeted with a steamed and fried platter instead. We were so hungry that we didn't realize we weren't eating the right dish until part of the way through. I was looking for my fried clams and shrimp to be greeted by steamed crab instead. The crab was good, but neither of us wanted to work for our food that night. The service was just ok, even after we told them we got the wrong meal, we were pretty much ignored. I think this would be a fine place to get a drink and an appetizer if it was all adults who wanted to enjoy the ocean view. They did adjust the price of our meal, but we felt underwhelmed since we didn't get what we wanted. 

Tuesday night we went to Fuddpuckers. Excellent choice. The restaurant is home to several dozen alligators that you can feed and a little play area as well. The service here was fantastic and super accommodating of families and kids needs. They had lots for kids to look at, fun music playing, and a variety of food on the menu. Matt and I shared a fried seafood platter and a salad and it was excellent. Their red sauce was tangy and spicy and I wished I had more seafood to eat it up with. We had a side of corn which was just ok, but the salad had good "restaurant style" ranch dressing. We tried not to eat too much since we were going out for dessert that night, but that will be a separate post. I highly recommend this restaurant. It is a little touristy, but the service, decent food, and alligators make it well worth it. 

Wednesday night we went to Dewey's which is in the harbor. The view was nice and we could see lots of boats puttering around which was good for the kids. The service here was kind of subpar. Our order was taken, drinks brought out, and that's about it. I had the steamed shrimp which was excellent though. I love a pile of shrimp and again their cocktail sauce was worth dipping into. My plate also came with corn and boiled potatoes which was delicious. It was like a crawfish boil only better! Matt got a blackened fish dish which tasted fresh and was seasoned well. The food was good, but didn't really make up for the service. 

Thursday night we went to The Back Porch that was again close to our hotel, but needed driving to. It was on the beach and at sunset they let a kid from the restaurant fire off the cannon which is pretty neat. The girls were relieved to get Mac and cheese here. We got a salad with goldfish on it which was a pretty good idea if we run out of croutons. We shared the stuffed flounder with steamed broccoli and rice pilaf. This was easily our tastiest meal. There were two flounder filets in a baking dish drenched in butter and herbs and topped with crab stuffing. The broccoli may have been overcooked in some circles, but it was actually perfect with the soft fish and rice. We would recommend this place on the food alone. The service was just ok, but the food was great. 

Friday night we ate dinner in New Orleans at a place called the Oceania Grill. We went on my Dad's recommendation and boy do we owe him one. The service here was friendly and attentive, hostess and servers were really friendly and several managers stopped by to make sure everything was to our liking. Matt and I split two dinners, the first being a plate that had jambalaya, shrimp creole, and red beans and rice on it. While I will venture to say that I like mine better, these were pretty good and seasoned well. The other plate was the fried catfish po-boy and it was the best po-boy I have ever had. The catfish was clean and fresh tasting, the crust was crisp and slightly spicy, the bread was soft and chewy, and it was topped with cold pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and the perfect touch of coleslaw. I really enjoyed this po-boy and saved half of my half until I had eaten the other dishes so that could be my last bites. 

So there are our experiences, pretty good overall with some places being well above the others. I will post about the sweets tomorrow. 

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