TOP SEAFOOD IN FLA

1. Joe's Stone Crabs - Miami Beach (expensive)

2. Calypso - Pompano Beach (moderate)

3. La Camaronera - Miami (budget)

Please tell me your top 3 in the 3 tiers. This is a big state surrounded by the sea so this should be good!

[swoll50]

I love Fin & Claw in LHP. Snapper Pontchartrain is fantastic.

[netmover]

Braised Grouper Buena Vista Bistro - Miami

-----
Buena Vista Bistro
4582 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137

[mamat]

Any places that have good crab legs in the Orlando area?

[netmover]

Fultons Crab House is the only thing that comes to mind.

[netmover]

Has anyone tried The Spot (fish fry joint) on Alton Road/16th yet?

[paultron]

I lived in Florida for many years, and always was disappointed in the seafood...until I went to Apalachicola. They have Avenue Sea and Tamara's Cafe. Both are excellent. Best scallops and oysters I've ever had.

[gryphonskeeper]

I cannot believe that no one else has mentioned Catfish Deweys in Oakland Park! N. Andrews Ave (Ft. Lauderdale) It is very reasonable and delicious.

[netmover]

Is Catfish Seafood?

[gryphonskeeper]

They have snow crabs, stone crabs, oysters, clams, etc etc. But to answer your question Catfish are primarily found in freshwater however they are also found in coastal waters as well.

[Lovthebluz]

Dewey's is the best. It's a bit of a joint...a bit run down...but the fried shrimp, scallops or oysters are the best I ever had. All you can eat stone crabs too! From med to jumbo!!!!

[netmover]

http://www.miamiherald.com/tropical_l...

good news for Sunfish Grill in the FTL! Funny, I was just wonderoing how the transition was going...the link above is for all their loyal fans and those like me who have yet to savour the fish of sun!

[eatnbmerry]

Anybody mention Bahama Fish on calle ocho off 826 in SW Miami? Pretty good seafood at decent prices.

[netmover]

what road is that, bird?

[mialebven]

I think I've seen it on Bird Road, across from the Tropical Supermarket (?) near the Bird Bowl. Looks tacky - but perhaps that's a sign of a good fish shack! :-) Will have to try it out.

[eatnbmerry]

I think the one on bird is not related, the one I'm talking about is on 8th street(calle ocho) and about 70 something, It's in a strip mall and has been serving some of freshest fish for over 30 years now. Formica tables, paper mats, and juicy fish yum!

[eatnbmerry]

Sorry guys,

826 is the palmetto expway if thats what you meant.

[OysterHo]

The Whale in Parkland. Cheap oysters and clams on sundays. All you can eat stone crabs, alaskan crabs, and dungeness crabs on Tuesdays. Fabulous lobster bisque. It's all very reasonably priced.

I hope I don't regret sharing my secret. Although, I did go there on a tuesday night and the place was packed - apparently people know already! These people love their crabs!

[netmover]

Heads or Tails deserves honorable mention down here in the MIA...it's actually not far from the M.I.A. NW 54th St and 37th Ave. Kind of a dive, but the prices at this fresh seafood emporium can't be beat. How's about a 2.99 cent "cream of Lobster soup! a full pint, granted it was served in styrofoam, but who cares at that price point?

[netmover]

I hit Heads or Tails up again for lunch today due to the mobile mexy cart being on holiday. Get-a-load of this. A Snapper sandwich and a Lobster Cream soup for 3.99! I just learned they have a couple tables out back which keeps you and your clothes odor free...I love it inside, but it's worse than an old smokey bar! Ten minutes in that place and they'll smell you from down the hall!

On another note....

I bought Casablanca Stone Crabs to go the other day and they were hardly odor free. From now on, I'll pay the Garcias the extra buck a pound...it's well worth it!

[eatnbmerry]

Thanks for the heads up on Casa! Garcia's seems to control thats why price can be higher I guess. Also, Captains Tavern in S Miami has great fish market with nice claws.

[netmover]

Jimbo's smoked fish on Virgina Key is the quintessential app that should be on everybody's holiday party table here in the MIA.

I heard where the place on State Road 84 recently closed???

Go to Jimbo's for a beer, some bocci ball and a pound (or 2)of smoked Marlin. Talk about a throwback to earlier FLA times just ten minutes from downtown MIA! Lord have Mercy!!! A true FLA institution...oh boy, now I gotta post it over there too!

[eatnbmerry]

Hey net, where is Jimbo's exactly? Right on Virginia Key where the City Sewer Dept is? Or behind the Pelican? Thanks

[netmover]

You must go thru the check point, tell them you're going to Jimbo's get in free, go all the way to the end and head toward the sanitation dept, just when the road forks stay right...you will stumble upon the most bizaar micro-cosim Miami-Dade has. Banjo optional!

[eatnbmerry]

Wow, sounds like a real adventure. I'll bring the gas mask in case the winds are blowing the wrong way LOL. TY so much, cause I love hole in the walls and smoked fish! By the way besides marlin do they do any other? Like dolphin, kingfish, etc.?

[netmover]

lol with the GM comment

inquire within...any and all of the above could be available.

[eatnbmerry]

Net,

I'm a newbie but already have seen that you are the type of foodie/poster that has made this site so enjoyable to me so far. Keep on eating mi amigo!

[eatnbmerry]

Dear Net,

As I write this, Bubba, (thats Jimbos son, who by the way does all the smokin nowadays) is preparing his smoker cause he ran out of Marlin and figures that a mainlander city boy like me will do in a pinch.....only kidding I think LOL.

Wow, what a place. Didn't completely connect the "Banjo optional" in your post originally, but dang if deliverance doesn't live on in of all places Virginia Key. Forget about the huts and in bred cats, the characters hanging out are straight out of central casting. Next time I go, I'll make sure to fill up the tank and leave a timed call to my cell just in case!

Now to the fish, Bubba uses oak to smoke all their fish (I suspect he cuts down the surrounding Florida Live Oak whenever he needs some, this maybe illegal but whose gonna tell Bubba and his kin? Not me fo shore). While this may be convenient I dont think using the same wood on all the fish brings out their individual flavor, then again, I don't think Bubba really cares LOL.

I bought a bit of almost everything they had as follows (all where $10/lb and "pieces" averaged between a 1/4 and 1lb): halibut (not bad but a bit mushy also oak taste almost overpowering), King (better than halibut very strong oak), marlin (firm nice oak flavor), Wahoo (much like king). Of all, the marlin was the best perhaps becuase it matched well with the oak and seemed to hold up the best. The others were all, to my taste, either overpowered by the oak and/or not firm enough. The one I didn't buy was the salmon, figuring Bubba & co didn't have fresh access to the supply (fresh being the operative word).

To be honest, none of the fish were outstanding, but the ambience and experience more than made up for it. It truly reminds of how a short time ago,
much of MY-AMAH was truly the boonies.

TY Net for the trip down memory lane, or better yet, to the museum of natural history.

[netmover]

LMAO!

[hidetherum]

try the tuna at ragtime in jacksonville, or the shrimp in st augustine at osteens

[Steve]

Years ago, I stopped at Mile Marker 19 in the Keys at Monty's. The stuffed fish, smoked amberjack, and grilled tuna made one of the finest meals I've ever eaten. I heard they have since moved, maybe to Key West?

Does anyone have any update, and is it still good? Although the original location was in a rather remore area, they had a huge wait to be seated.

[netmover]

I know there's a Monty's in Coconut Grove and on South Beach. I have no idea if they were related?

[Steve]

I've been to the Monty's in Coconut Grove, and the menu did not appear similar. The one in the Keys was famous for its stuffed fish, a layer of grouper, topped with crabmeat, another layer of grouper, cut into squares and then battered and fried.

[netmover]

sounds devine.

thank GOD Joe's just reopened!

Happy Stone Crab season to one and all...

[netmover]

Let the Joe's Stone Crabs count down begin...after +/- 5 months without these delcacies from our South FLA Seas...I am starting to salivate! Truth be told, I usually get my crustaceans down on the river and stop by Joe's for the side dishes! If the price savings doesn't grab you, the fact that there won't be any frozen ones thrown in for good measure (as they seem to always do at Joes) should. Garcia's or Casablanca's in addition to my one Ace in the hole...sorry Chowhounds...are sure to be piling them high come mid month!

Let the season of good weather and seafood begin!

[netmover]

NO JOE"S until the 15 of OCT or there abouts! Sorry, takeway is closed too! If you want some good fresh seafood, try Garcia's on the River, or The River Oyster House for upscale seafood.

[cincodemayo1]

Joe's Stone Crab first...

Is Big Fish still around (that's the one on the Miami River I think?) That was always pretty good.

Oh, and as for budget seafood, go to Monty's Raw Bar during happy hour. Not the nicer upstairs Monty's (which is fine) but the downstairs outside area. Last time I was there, shrimp were 25¢, stone crabs were $1 (might be $2 now), and clams and oysters were pretty cheap too...You could have a good meal for less that $10 and a feast for $20. And you can also order off their bar food menu. During college I'd usually do a she-crab soup and a raw bar feast.

I moved to LA 3 years ago and I totally miss Miami seafood. There is absolutely no conch out here! But in about 9 hours I'll be on my way to Miami for the weekend, so Joe's takeout here I come!

[Bob Mervine]

They are closed until stone crab season starts up in October, I believe. I think the take out window is still open -- but no stone crab ,, ,YOu picked the wrong time of year to visit.

Bob

[lax2mia]

They're moving locations. Check the website.

http://www.sunfishgrill.com/index.htm

[Seth]

I am sorry to say that, on a visit to Pompano Beach this week, I discovered that the Sunfish Grill, one of the Ft. Lauderdale area's best fish restaurants, has closed. The space has a "for rent" sign on it.

[netmover]

It's on Oakland now and quite a bit bigger 200 seats in fact.

[Frannie]

If you get to West Coast.....Truluck's in Naples. Lived in Boston 30 years and the 2 pound plus steamed lobster ranked right up there on my top 10 list for enjoyment......fresh, great assortment of crab, etc. Great service, food (of course the prices are up there too), wine and they even called the day after to follow up! (I thought maybe I had misbehaved when their number popped up on caller ID!!)....Oh entertainment and a large happening bar. Well, at least for this town!

[scscr]

Is this the same Truluck's as the chain in Dallas? I used to go there for stone crabs and lobster when I lived in Dallas. They had all you could eat lobster on Mondays and stone crab on Thursdays during the season. I got to know the crew so they would mix and match for me. I never tried anything but the lobster and stone crabs and they were both fresh and tasty.

[joan]

Throw it back?????????? Horrors! It's delicious - there is a bit of dark meat which you must cut away, and there are strict rules re size/species/season. But it's perfect for smoking or grilling! Now I'm the one who's hungry :D

[joan]

Yes I saw the article too. Since we own a seafood market/restaurant, in St. Pete, we were hoping we made the testing list. (But we didn't). I would love to know how they chose the eleven restaurants that were on the chart. They conveniently left off some that are "known" for their grouper (who also happen to be advertisers)...while putting in a few wing chains and even a Cuban restaurant. And the most expensive dish was a substitution, yet the paper followed with an editorial that urged the consumer to pay more in order to get the real thing. Huh?

I am not surprised at the substitutions at all. I love to eat seafood out, but I never order grouper, because you never know if it will be Gulf grouper. There are some South American species that are technically grouper, but of course are "a different animal". And they are waaay cheaper than the ridiculously high priced local grouper. Add to that the fact that a huge Asian supplier was just indicted for falsifying catfish as grouper, and you're better off sticking to farm raised or truly local fish, like amberjack, mangrove snapper, wahoo, etc. And netmover, it's harder than you think to identify a species after it's been breaded, cooked, sauced, and tucked into a bun!

It is a difficult thing, to provide variety, because everyone expects the seafood to be both local and fresh. Our invoices read like a roadmap of the world! Twenty years ago, we would go down to the dock and make a deal for the fish and shrimp, oysters would be trucked in from Apalachicola twice a week. That was it. Well, now you have to use a wholesaler, who in turn needs to have connections all over the world. And he needs to be honest! And still you need to check.

PS In all the years in dis biz, the shark for scallops is the one scam I have never encountered. Yet so many customers ask about it - I wonder where it came from?

[netmover]

Yes you are absolutely right about that. Since I usually don't get my fish breaded, fried and tucked into a bun slathered with tartar sauce (oh that's making me hungry though - I may have to hit one of my cuban fish fry joints today) I could easily understand one not knowing what the hell one's eating in said scenario.

One species I was very surprised to hear you mention as a matter-of-factly was Amberjack. I had heard they sell it throughout the country, but I have never-ever seen it on any menus here in South FLA. Nor do I ever remember seeing it at the market! We must ship it all north down here. Is it any good? I have caught it and promptly been told to throw it back as not being worthy of ingesting!

[Bob Mervine]

A little off topic, but did anyone see the St. Pete Times story about the fux grouper being sold in restauants there?

Here's the URL for the story:

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/06/Tam...

Wonder how much other substitution is going on? I remember when purveyers were using a cookie cutter on shark meat and selling it as scallops. But you really have to have to sense to eat tilapia and think it was grouper . . .
I remember when they substituted grouper for red snapper.
How low has the quality of fresh seafood in Florida gone?

And who has the best-sourced fresh seafood?

Bob

[netmover]

That is downright dasterdly! Who knew? I am shocked people can't tell the difference between Grouper and Tilapia or Asian Catfish! Seafood must not be as prevelent as I thought...it's hard to find good places down here in FLA, imagine the rest of the country? I could understand people in the midwest not knowing what Grouper is supposed to taste like, but Tampa Bay??? It baffles my mind.

[beachmouse]

http://tinyurl.com/fg299

Follow up article on the Panhandle fake fish bust. Pretty huge fines and jail time being talked about on the federal tax evasion charges, and I hope he's facing state charges as well.

Mr. Mouse teaches at the local community college, and a lot of his students work in the hospitality industry. They've claimed that it's common for the big name tourist trap restaurants to sub the catfish for grouper or mahi.

So these days when we go out for fish in the Destin/South Walton area, we tend to stick with Dewey Destin's and Harbor Docks restaurant group directly, or other restaurants they supple fish to. Locally caught fish, and they've got too much riding on their reputation to play games.

[boogie]

if you're in Ft. Lauderdale and into crab - The Rustic Inn (http://www.rusticinn.com/).

they're famous for their garlic crabs. most people go with the blue crab. i go with the maryland golds. usually go with 1 steamed and 1 garlic with a linguine with 1/2 red mussel and 1/2 white mussel sauce. perfect meal for 2.

[LilMsFoodie]

Fort Myers:
1. Sunshine Cafe: Tripletail last week was awesome. SC is just a little place in a strip mall but excellent service, good wine list, great starters (perfect shrimp grilled and served with sweet potato hash). Single guitarist adds to the ambiance. Wine bar. Prices out at a Roy's level. $120-150 for two depending on your taste in wines.

2. Doc Ford's rum bar on Sanibel: Fish tacos....place is owned by the Florida novelist Randy Wayne White. Lightly sauteed grouper with some good spice in a soft tortilla. Very good at a moderate level.

3. Skip One seafood. Cheap seafood dive on US 41 in south Fort Myers. Haunt of locals for years.

LMF

[Brian W]

When it comes to seafood restaurants, Florida being surrounded by ocean counts for nothing. Florida's ocean is too warm for really good tasting fish in large numbers. The best eating fish are from cold waters and that's why the Grand Banks are called grand and why New England and Nova Scotia are so well known for their seafood.

[scscr]

I thought that too, growing up in Seattle with our great selection of fresh cold water fish. If you hunt a little in Florida, there are some great spots that offer local specialties that are pretty good and vary throughout the season. The yellowtail snapper, black grouper, hog fish, local swordfish, tuna and dolphin can be really good if you get away from the homogonous tourist traps...some preperations are unique and tasty. And don't forget the stone crab and lobster season!!!!

[netmover]

I agree the species you named are great eating fish and compare very well to anything coming out of colder waters. Snapper, Grouper, Sword and Mahi are some of the finest seafood there is...period! Also try Wahoo if you get a chance...it's hard to find, but when available it's delectable! Calypso in Pompano usually has it...and their jerked version is a homerun!!!

My problem with FLA being surrouned by water is not the fish per se, it's the lack of decent fish/seafood joints! Where are the good old american style fish frys here on the Goldcoast?

Here's a few good Cubano places I know down here in Dade.

1. Garcias (more of a seafood restaurant/cafe/mkt than a fish fry. Miami River.

2. La Camaronera - now this is a bonafide "cuban style" fish fry. Stand up only! Flagler and 18th Ave.

3. La Perla - Counter only cuban fish fry. It's been several years since I have been, but since I just drove by it and can confirm it's still there and operational...I beleive it's worthy of mention. NW 7th St(northside)and +/- 48th Ave, just west of Le Juene in a Strip mall.

[Leemart]

Sorry, but I have to disagree with your statement. While northern waters may produce excellent crab products such as King and Snow varieties, warm water rock lobsters are generally preferable to the northern variety for those of us who grew up with them. As for fish, I have yet to see a northern variety that can compare to Scamp, Red Snapper, Pompano, Snook, Tripletail or Tilefish. Appalachicola oysters from Florida are among the best in the world and to me, the only comparable ones are from Chincoteague, VA. By the way, my forefathers came from Nova Scotia and fished the Grand Banks from sailing ships.

[scscr]

I like River Oyster Bar near downtown Miami. I had a great grilled yellowtail snapper and my girlfriend had the escolar which was also tasty. The oysters were the freshest I've had (ice cold and plump) and they had a great selection. The apps, sides and deserts were also tasy and creative. We had a port and a cheese plate with the chocolate cake and didn't want to leave. I'm going back tomorrow night to try the spice menu, supplemented with a free dozen oysters coupon that was given to me by the manager the last time we dined. If they still have the snapper, I might have to drop the spice menu since I'm saving on the free dozen!!!

[netmover]

We tried to do the Spice deal there the other night, but they had a 40 minute wait! I am not an Oyster fan, but those Fire Roasted Oysters in a sofrito butter topped with manchego cheese sound so good! What is Escolar? I saw that on the Spice menu too. I gather it's a fish, but I have never seen it on any other menus.

[scscr]

We got an 8:30 reservation for Sat. night no problem, but they could not accomodate parties of two. Escolar is a deep water fish that looks pre-historic. It tastes like a rich tuna.

http://newyorkmetro.com/restaurants/f...

[mickplace]

Bentley's, Islamora (MM 82.8) Dolphin in the Weeds!

[netmover]

should ceviche be considered seafood...I vote for Jaguar in COconut Grove....be sure to ge the "nuevo" style!

where are they FLA? My buddy got a flyer from a place called snappers in Pompano Beach...not the best area, has anyone been?

Does anyone know of a decent fish fry here in South Florida? We have one in the town where I grew up and it is stupendous! I'm talking about a small and simple place to go get a fish fry or fish sandwich, perhpas some fried scallops here in Dade or Broward. Can someone please help me out? It's amazing to me that these places don't dot the coast!

I'll bet if you ask the guys who sell fresh fish at Mr. Fish (in Pompano Beach) or Two Nicks (in FLL) they can point you in the right direction.

Oops, make that Two Bills in FLL

Francesco!!! (mid priced) see my review in a separate thread.

Francescos, why make us search? there is no search capabilities with CH...so how's about copying and pasting it here?

My friend, from peru, swears by this place! He's the one who told me about salmon salmon too, but concedes Francescos is better!

I posted the review after writing this. You don't need to search.

BTW there are search capabilities within ch but you need to go back to where you select a region and scroll up. They are not great. And as I said, would not have helped in this case because I realized that I should add the place here right before writing the review.

so where's the review? I'd like to hear what you ate and what made it so great? I hope it does not contain guts! :-)

I have no idea why people are having trouble with finding it so here it is...

http://www.chowhound.com/south/boards...

Oops. I did not see your second post.... was out very late again and didn't have a drink, I swear, I was just tired :).

sorry, I just saw it as a solo post...I'll read it now.

I want to add Le Bon on Lincoln Road to the list. Food with a Belgian flair. They do mussels 13 different ways (steamed, simmered and au gratin)and a cold appetizer. The seafood is always fresh. I've had Kumamoto oysters there. Great beer.

The lack of good seafood in Orlando has been an embarassment for decades.
I hasten to exclude the coast, including Brevard, because there are some decent places there -- I'm just a little out of my territory.

In the Orlando area, Fulton's is probably the best in the expensive category, but be prepared for a wait -- no reservations -- and plenty of tourists.
Roy's and Moonfish on Restaurant Row are not pure seafood, but they serve some of the best in town. Also expensive.
Straub's two locations, Altamonte and East Colonial, are acceptable in the mid-price range and High Tide Harry's can be fun, but not always the highest, freshest quality.
Of course, Lee & Rick's for oysters and fried shrimp and fish, as well at the Catfish Place in Apopka and St. Cloud are clearly the best in that category.

Bob

OUr personal favorite - Corky Bells (Titusville)burned to the ground during one of the 2004 hurricanes. I have heard that they are rebuilding but have not seen any official reopening date. If anyone is ever in the Titusville area and could enlighten me I would appreciate it

[brevardbelly]

they are still rebuilding and plan to open this winter(we hope)

[LilMsFoodie]

Lee & Ricks for appalachicola oysters. I love sitting at the concrete bar and having them shucked in front of me. Sleeve of saltines and a beer is all that is necessary.

I'm surprised at your rec of Fultons. I thought it miserable, but the one visit was enough to keep me away ever since. LMF

1. Sunfish Grill
2. Calypso (agreed)
3. Don't really have a budget seafood place
4. Don't like Joe's in any category

Where does Tark's rank? I haven't tried it yet but it's on my list.

Calypso does a good job. For my money Joe's is over rated. I say blue claw crab rules. I ate at Tark's and was unimpressed.

I love what Claudio does with seafood at Alta Mar (Miami Beach) expensive.

For straight forward good product, Grill Fish (Miami Beach) moderate.

Because of all the fun and variety the 50 year old Rustic Inn Crab House (Ft. Lauderdale) budget

Alta Mar trumps grillfish in the moderate category easily.

Alta Mar is one of the best restaurants on South Beach period

I agree with your sentiment.

River Oyster Bar in Miami. Best selection of oysters in the city + changing menu of fish and seafood. I'd put it up against Altamar easily.

I will attest to the quality at River, I was very impressed. Nothing in Orlando qualifies, a crying shame.

I am going to garcias soon and will go to river. On my list :).

[mmuch]

How's Oceanaire in ORL? Have you heard anything on this?

[VWRobin]

Lee & Ricks in Orlando has amazing oysters, it's a longtime institution in Orlando and family owned & operated. They serve only farm raised oysters, you can get them by the bucket/bushel and they shuck them right there at the concrete bar. It's about as authentic as you can get, and cheap to boot. They do have a few other items on the menu, but they're mostly fried with the exception of the crab legs. Totally worth it!

Sorry, I don't consider Alta Mar expensive (Joe's stone crab is to me)...we have a mere category difference :). I did not see you already had Alta Mar down.

Has anyone heard of Dixie Crossroads in Titusville? We use to go out that way quite a bit for their food. I loved their corn fritters and the rock shrimp was great. It wasn't expensive either. A true mom and popsy type of business but it was always full.

[Covert Ops]

Dixie Crossroads is still there, and still an institution. Despite the crush of tourists, still really good.

[feelinpeckish]

Another Dixie Crossroads is located in Mt Dora and measures up just as well. Had a very tasty and pleasant meal there this past winter and will return. Homey, friendly, can get crowded but that just means there a lot of people who agree with the quality of the food.

[VWRobin]

Another Dixie Crossroads is in Orlando at Festival Bay, it's a shopping area on International Drive near the Prime Outlets. It's in the same plaza as Vans Skate Park and Outdoor World (or some such giant sporting store).

[Leemart]

Dixie Crossroads was great in the seventies and eighties but has been going downhill ever since, while their prices have been increasing. A much better choice in the area would be either Florida's Seafood Bar & Grill or Boston Beef & Seafood, both in Cocoa Beach, which serve very fresh and inexpensive meals.

[zenana]

Sunfish Grill absolutely,
and 3030 Ocean positively
both in Fort Lauderdale -- note that Sunfish Grill has a new location)

[stuartlafonda]

I'm just a New Yorker, but I thought Sunfish Grill, a place I love, is in Pompano. Where is the new place?

[netmover]

sunfish moved to Oakland Park Blvd. 200 seats now...can they still pump out the quality? Please let us know...BTW there is no such thing as "just" a New Yorker!