Gonna be down there the first two weeks of August for training and am looking for some good restaurants (preferably seafood) as the best seafood restaurants up here all start with Long John Silvers :P
I have a friend in the area, I'll drop them a line.
Thanks Randy!
Bahama Breeze is in Clearwater. Good food and an even better atmosphere.
So far I have -
Bonefish Grill
PJ's in Indian Rock beach - reportedly worth the drive.
These are third hand recommendations...
We spent about 4 days up in Safety Harbor to the N of there. Neat little area w/ some good restaurants.
I'll see if I can dig up the names.. It was a mix of Greek, Italian, a 'rustic' BBQ place, etc.
I had some Bang Bang Shrimp at the Bonefish two weeks ago. That's some good stuff!
I've had Bonefish Grille in Indiana so a chain isn't really what I'm looking for (although they are excellent). I've got one restaurant that is a sure go to by the name of Frenchy's. Gonna try to eat as much seafood as I can while I'm down there. It would be a bonus if they had an "all you can eat" attitude but that may be wishing too much :-)
Yea! We love finding those local hidden treasures too! Good luck!
A little drive (St. Pete Beach), this is a great little place:
http://seacritterscafe.com/ (http://seacritterscafe.com/)
Thanks, Hal
i live in Canada, but have vacationed in Clearwater quite a bit. you are in luck because last time i was there i took photos of a lot of my meals.
here are some of my favourites.
-monty
Pickles Plus Deli
http://picklesplus.com/
Pickles Plus - A nice little deli in downtown Clearwater where I grabbed breakfast a few times.
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7390.jpg)
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7376.jpg)
Keegan's Seafood Grille in Indian Rocks Beach
http://www.keegansseafood.com/
A restaurant just off Indian Rocks Beach that was featured on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives".
Oysters Rockefeller
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7377.jpg)
Blackened Grouper
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7378.jpg)
Shrimp & Scallop Florentine - sauteed with fresh spinach in a creamy lemon butter
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7379.jpg)
Shrimp & Scallop Primavera
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7380.jpg)
JB's Island Cafe
432 Poinsettia Ave Ste 5, Clearwater Beach, FL. Tel: 727-447-0382
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7381.jpg)
Small diner style breakfast joint. Note the Jimmy Dean style sausage, eggs with Cholula hot sauce, and "home fries" (where I come from these are hash browns but at JB's it's either "home fries" or grits - no chunks of fried potato to be found anywhere!)
Guppy's On The Beach
http://www.3bestchefs.com/guppys/
Small "upscale" resto just off Indian Rocks Beach.
Lobster Escargots - Chunks of lobster in garlic & herb butter
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7383.jpg)
Angels on Horseback - Oysters topped with applewood smoked bacon broiled with burgundy herb & garlic butter
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7384.jpg)
Fish Tacos - Fresh fish beer battered, on top of warm flour tortillas with pico de gallo, adobo aioli and fresh lime
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7385.jpg)
Thai Garden
761 Bayway Boulevard
Clearwater, FL (727) 461-1699
Nice tiny Thai resto tucked away in a very unassuming strip mall. The owners both served and cooked for the small 5-6 table capacity restaurant.
'Thai Iced Tea'. It's brewed with strong black/red tea, sweetened with sugar, and topped with condensed milk. It's served layered but meant to be stirred before being consumed.
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7386.jpg)
Chicken Satay & Peanut Sauce
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7387.jpg)
Pork/Shrimp Spring Rolls
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7388.jpg)
Pad Thai w/ Jumbo Scallops
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7389.jpg)
Shephard's Waterfront Restaurant
http://www.shephards.com
Seafood Buffett (huge seafood selection including raw oysters, grouper, tilapia, stuffed flounder, etc)
(http://ottawafoodies.com/static/img/forumpost/7392.jpg)
Two more I got (Not Clearwater but close in Indian Rocks Beach)
PJ's http://www.pjsoysterbar.com/
Jimmy's
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=jimmy+iguanas+indian+rocks+beach&fb=1&gl=us&hq=jimmy+iguanas&hnear=Indian+Rocks+Beach,+FL&cid=5111930721088229324
Thanks Monty and Randy! Those pics are awesome. I've got two weeks in Clearwater and per diem......I'm gonna eat like a king!!!!!!!!
Sad part is I go in August and I imagine a fat boy in that heat ain't gonna be pretty :P
Quote from: Smoking Duck on June 30, 2010, 04:05:16 PM
Thanks Monty and Randy! Those pics are awesome. I've got two weeks in Clearwater and per diem......I'm gonna eat like a king!!!!!!!!
Sad part is I go in August and I imagine a fat boy in that heat ain't gonna be pretty :P
It is quite brutal here. There is no "unseasonably hot" at that time of year.
Gee Whiz monty!
I got hunry 3 times looking at those pics!
Those rock.
Marc,
Never been here but I have heard some good things about this place. Heard the buffalo chicken dip is money. Not sure how far this is from where you will be staying.
http://www.back9bbq.com/index.php
Bryan
Was just looking at this again, and noticed you're going to be there for TWO WEEKS...
If you have a rental car, I have a couple of other places for ya...
First, is Fat Willie's Fish Camp in Valrico (just a little ways East); Looks like a dump (and it sorta is), but the food is GREAT.
It's an OLD place with a friggin' JUNGLE growing up against one side of it. If you sit by the windows in the back room, everything is just grown up AGAINST the windows, with all kinds of reptiles gawking at ya... It has a rusty tin roof --- Now, lots of new "cool" places put on a tin roof and make it rust "for the effect"... Fat Willie's is just that way. They have a GIANT live oak in the (gravel) parking lot that shades the whole building AND the parking lot. If you can't park there, you can park in the grass by the railroad tracks.
Second, if you like Greek food, try Hellas in Tarpon Springs (just a little ways North); the gyros are FANTASTIC. Tarpon is a Greek community and they have sponge docks there. Very interesting place if you've never been --- well worth the short drive.
Sea Critters Cafe (that I mentioned before) is just a short drive SOUTH.
Casual Clam
(727) 895-2526
Northeast St Petersburg
3336 9th St N
St Petersburg, FL 33704
www.casualclam.com
Thanks all......my hope is that the incredible food will make up for a fat man being in FLA for two weeks. I hope to gain every pound back that I sweat off while I'm there :-)