Sarasota: Best Seafood - Shrimp and Fish
Okay, Chowhounds! Who has the best seafood in the Sarasota area? Particularly locally sourced fresh fish and/or shrimp from the gulf fish?
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re: normanwest
Veggo
Apr 21, 2012 08:43 PM
May we assume your reference is to Cortez Kitchen and Star Fish?
I'll volunteer the Cortez Cafe for breakfast, especially the corned beef hash and their toasted biscuits. It has a cult following`but does not compete with the seafood sisters in the Village.
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Walt's Fish Market Restaurant (4144 S Tamiam Trail) has local fish and shrimp and prepares it perfectly. They've been in business since 1918 (as fishermen) and restaurant since soon after WWII. They've had time to get it right.
Not all the seafood is local, because not all seafood is local. Maine lobsters do no grow in Florida, after all. But you can get Florida lobster almost always. Stick to things like snapper and grouper (usually three or four different kinds available at all times), pompano, cobia, tripletail, and the like and it cannot be fresher. They do offer other kinds of fish like swordfish and cod, but if you know what's local, you can buy and eat local. Walt's also buys from local fishermen as well as a wholesaler in Tampa.
Because they sell fresh seafood at the retail level, you can just look in the cases to see what's available. You can request that any fish they have be prepared for you, whether or not it's on the menu.
Walt's advertises itself as a 'Cracker' restaurant. What with frog legs and 'gator on the menu, that's not far off. Whatever it is, it is not Capt Brian's or Bonefish Grille-- and that's a very good thing! The food is simpler and honors the fish by not disguising it. Most fish can be prepared fried, broiled, or blackened. If that's not going to be good for a particular fish, the great staff will tell you. If you insist, they'll make it your way.
This is not a restaurant oriented toward prom dates. It's a place that knows its products and how best to prepare them.
Following a recent death in the family, Walt's has taken on a new part-owner. This had led to a freshening of the interior and slight changes in the menu, as well as somewhat higher prices. The value for money equation is still sky-high on the value end.
If there's anything to ding about Walt's it's the quality of the side dishes (two come with most meals). They're typical for the type of restaurant -- cole slaw, french fries, corn on the cob, etc. -- but are mediocre, in my book. As I don't go there for the side dishes (I'm there practically once a week, though it's a ten-mile drive), I don't mind that much. They are all passable, just not as good as the seafood.
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re: ospreycove
Jim: Red Lobster closed all their joints in Maine.. They could not compete with the local restaurants because we understand that all their fish comes in frozen. They are also double or triple the cost of Capt. Brians. I also have visited Swordfish Grill next to Cortez Kitchen in Cortez once weekly for the last 4-weeks, and I must report that it is better then Star Fish. First of all, you don't have to eat out of a box. Secondly, you don't have to sit at a ugly picnic table, or worry about getting your auto dinged in the parking lot...
I am impressed with Swordfish Grill's menu, prices, and freshness of fish, not to mention a beautiful deck in the rear, on the water, with tables & chairs, or hi-tops right on the water, and guess what--they have waiter service......and a full bar......
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re: princess00
Capt Brians, has a fish market in the restaurant....hence fish smell, same goes for Walt's. Brent the owner is a commercial fisherman and he brings fish directly from his boat to the shop, He also has a fish market in the restaurant.
Star Fish in Cortez, owned by one of the last family owned wholesale operations left in Florida, Star Fish is owned by A.P.Bell, smell the fish it is all fresh,l just off the boats that unload right next to the outdoor restaurant. Owens Fish Camp is new and the predominate smell is fried, not bad fried just fried.-
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re: wheaton24
Do not expect the "briny smell of the sea" in a wholesale fresh seafood mkt. like Hunt's Pointe distribution complex in NYC. That smell of the sea is more times than not the "fragrance" used in some retail operations. Somewhat akin to the "Bright Eyes" solution applied to some residents of the fish case that have "hung out" a little too long. This product gives the appearance of fresh fish with clear eyes to a fish that is actually beyond being fresh.
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re: ospreycove
Veggo
Mar 31, 2012 03:50 PM
osprey, I went to Capt. Brian earlier this month when you were still in Italy. I enjoyed the grouper reuben, and I had reserved 3 lbs. of colossal stone crab claws, when nobody in Cortez even had large. Pricey, but they were the single source for the best.
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Captain Brian's near the airport has excellent local seafood and is very family friendly. It's especially good value at lunch. The shrimp salad is delicious, with flavorful very fresh local shrimp. The fried clams rival those in New England. The servers are very friendly and many have been there for years. It is no frills, but worth a detour.
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re: princess00
scubadoo97
Jan 5, 2012 07:34 PM
Three chowworthy recs! Doesn't get much better than that.
Check back with some feedback and have a great time on the Florida west coast-
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re: princess00
Although I agree that Captain Brian 's fish is absolutely fresh and top-notch, I find the place a bit depressing with its aging decor and insipid salad bar. It would be so much better if it were updated a little. That being said, service is professional and fairly speedy. Instead of the mediocre potato side choices, try the sauteed spinach which is absolutely delicious
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Veggo
Dec 31, 2011 05:30 AM
Check out www.halfshelloysterhouse.com , scheduled to open in Sarasota at 1991 Main St. on Jan. 10, 2012. I ate at their Gulfport location not long ago and thoroughly enjoyed their charcoal grilled oysters and gulf shrimp. It has a great vibe, too. Should be a welcome addition to our scene.
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re: Mother of four
Ate there Saturday evening....
Good food, good menu, nice atmosphere, great location, great pricing, but service was terrible. They staff needs lots more training. The house was packed and the wait staff was going crazy. Once this straightens out, it will be a great restaurant.
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We have a few local shops that sell fresh fish, but not all from FL. In the restaurants...who knows where it's from. You would think local, but not necessarily so.
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re: Mother of four
scubadoo97
Dec 19, 2011 12:17 PM
Local is going to cost more and push the price up. Those farmed shrimp from Asia are pretty cheap and that Basa fish can pass for snapper. Unfortunately people want good food and also want low prices which don't always coincide. I can say I've been to Duvals and Dereks and they both serve very high quality tasty seafood. Not cheap but tasty meals at both.
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re: scubadoo97
Well, thanks for the feedback! I will lower my expectations on finding good seafood in Sarasota, then. I'm always seeking a tasty backet of fried shrimp or a fish sandwich anytime I'm visiting a location that is near the Gulf. Will check out the menus for Duvals and Dereks. Would you say these places are kid friendly? We'll be traveling with a 2 year old.
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re: princess00
scubadoo97
Dec 19, 2011 01:58 PM
Not sure about Duvals since they moved but Dericks is fine dining so depends on the 2 yr old. Not the place for my kids when they were that age. We limited ourself to lower end, family and take out.
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re: princess00
scubadoo97
Dec 20, 2011 01:50 PM
I don't want to say that there is no good local seafood in Sarasota but there is a lot of dreck that cater to tourists. Maybe someone that lives there can chime in with some good casual locations to try.
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re: scubadoo97
Ah, scubadoo97 - I see your point. We've never been to Sarasota, but I've seen a few comments on the boards indicating that a lot of the more frequented spots also cater to tourists. We are tourists, so we'd probably enjoy a few of those, but I often find that my favorite meal is some dive that only the locals know about. Will keep digging and hopefully we'll come across a real gem during our visit!
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re: princess00
scubadoo97
Dec 27, 2011 01:40 PM
I didn't mean anything derogatory about being a tourist. More a jab at the restaurants that offer poor excuse for food because they know the tourist will be gone in a few days and will remember the beautiful beach and not the average food they ate.
I'm okay with a dive as well. If the fish is fresh and they don't screw it up it's all good.
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re: princess00
If the weather is good, take your 2 year old to Star Fish in Cortez, just up from Longboat Key across the Cortez Bridge on right. It is on the water, outside dining only, plenty of Pelicans, Herons etc. for entertainment. All their seafood comes from the next door wholesale fish house, (A.P. Bell), where you can see the commercial fishermen unloading their boats.
http://starfishcompany.com/starfishco...-
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re: princess00
Prin00, Star Fish is outside dining ONLY, so on a nice day in season be ready to wait for your order. This time of year they close at around 8:00 PM, I believe, so it might be better to go late afternoon, (very early dinner), as it is still light out and the doinner crowds have not appeared yet. The menu is the same lunch/dinner.
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Probably Duval's which recently moved to Main St. Starfish is all local and just caught though it's not in Sarasota, but Cortez. Captain Brian's near the airport has excellent local seafood. Believe it or not you'll have a hard time finding a Sarasota restaurant that serves locally caught, fresh seafood. Phillippi Creek Restaurant gets their crab from ASIA!
Good luck.
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