Old Florida Fish House and Bar....Is Great!

**Diane4145** · 02-11-2006, 01:51 PM

Someone sent me this posting and I'm really shocked about it!

Yes, my son is a server there, but I've also enjoyed many great meals there, myself.

In fact, I've not heard of anyone having a negative experience! Beach Runner, why are you dissing, such a wonderful restaurant?

"Hi Diane, there's a post on the restaurant sticky thread (the first post on the general info page). It's by Beach Runner and she called the restaurant where Russ works "eh." (her words not mine). I think you should set the record straight! Everyone knows it's a fantastic restaurant. Beach Runner doesn't even have the courtesy to explain WHY she's dissing it.

**Wastin Away** · 02-11-2006, 01:58 PM

I have had nothing but a great experience at the Fish House. Matter of fact, I refer all of my guests to it, considering it is walking distance from my home. You ask my 11, 9, and 7 year old children where they want to go eat and that is where we go. The food has been great. The atmosphere is awsome. You can make it as romatic as you like or as family oriented as you like. They have changed the pricing from when they first opened and, IMO just as practical a place to eat as any.

We're glad they are here.

**Kimmifunn** · 02-11-2006, 02:00 PM

Diane...I've heard nothing but good reviews on it. I went when I was down last and it was great. The Funn's approve!

**Tatertot** · 02-11-2006, 02:04 PM

Where is this restaurant located? thanks, we'd love to try it!

**Paula** · 02-11-2006, 02:07 PM

I liked it very much. I've been there 3 times. Very nice atmosphere, food was very good. It's in Seagrove where the Mexican restaurant used to be on the lake.

**Tatertot** · 02-11-2006, 02:14 PM

Was there where Luna Del Mar was? Or am i thinking of somewhere else?

**Kimmifunn** · 02-11-2006, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Tatertot

Was there where Luna Del Mar was? Or am i thinking of somewhere else?

Yep!

**Amp22** · 02-11-2006, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Beach Runner

All of our friends rave about Old Florida Fish House. We went last night, and it was just "eh." Obviously we ordered the wrong thing because I've never heard a negative review (although I haven't had time to read every post on this thread). Any suggestions?

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BR is entitled to her opinion. Even if it is often wrong.

**MKH** · 04-24-2006, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by Paula

I liked it very much. I've been there 3 times. Very nice atmosphere, food was very good. It's in Seagrove where the Mexican restaurant used to be on the lake.

Paula,

I'm not sure I know where Luna del Mar used to be? Is Old Florida Fish House right on 30A? Just outside Seagrove? What other establishments are around it?

**John R** · 04-24-2006, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by MKH

Paula,

I'm not sure I know where Luna del Mar used to be? Is Old Florida Fish House right on 30A? Just outside Seagrove? What other establishments are around it?

if you go past eastern lake in either direction, it will be behind you.

**kimbug** · 04-24-2006, 04:44 PM

I just got back from a great week on BMB and one of the restaurants we tried was OFFH. Before leaving I printed out BR's list of restaurant recommendations and used it often for suggestions. Thanks for putting all the comments together, BR.

I had my parents on vacation with me and they are definite food snobs. Maybe because my mom is such a fabulous cook finding restaurants that live up to their prices was difficult for us. I don't mind spending money for good food but when the value/service doesn't live up to standard I am expecting I am more than a little annoyed.

Anyway, that didn't seem to be the case for us at OFFH. I loved the atmosphere even though it was a little loud. My mom had an evening special of redfish, my dad & I had stuffed grouper. All of those were REALLY tasty. I didn't like having to order a la carte (steamed asparagus) but appreciated the excellent salads included with entree. We loved our dressings especially the Maytag Bleu Cheese. My teenagers each had steak...1 Ribeye & 1 Filet. No complaints with the Ribeye but the seasoning on the filet was not so good.

My only complaint was that they seemed very short staffed. It took my mom way too long to get her drink order from the bar, they ran out of rolls AND our server dropped our tray on her way out of the kitchen. She, of course, was very apologetic. The too very cute busboys more than made up for her error by refilling our drinks and paying lot's of attention to us; maybe they thought my daughter was cute!

Bottom line...I will try it again when I return to SoWal this summer as it definitely deserves a second chance.

**Beach Runner** · 02-11-2006, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by Diane4145

Someone sent me this posting and I'm really shocked about it!

Yes, my son is a server there, but I've also enjoyed many great meals there, myself.

In fact, I've not heard of anyone having a negative experience! Beach Runner, why are you dissing, such a wonderful restaurant?

"Hi Diane, there's a post on the restaurant sticky thread (the first post on the general info page). It's by Beach Runner and she called the restaurant where Russ works "eh." (her words not mine). I think you should set the record straight! Everyone knows it's a fantastic restaurant. Beach Runner doesn't even have the courtesy to explain WHY she's dissing it.

These comments are quite rude. It's not fair to excerpt that sentence out of context. And BTW I haven't seen Kurt post a rule on this board that we have to support every opinion in a point-by-point manner.

Here was my post:
"All of our friends rave about Old Florida Fish House. We went last night, and it was just "eh." Obviously we ordered the wrong thing because I've never heard a negative review (although I haven't had time to read every post on this thread). Any suggestions?"

I was sincerely asking for suggestions about what to order. When I think of an old Florida fish house, I think of old-fashioned seafood platters. That's what my husband ordered, and it was just "eh," costing more and not tasting as good as the seafood platter at Seagrove Market Cafe. I wasn't very hungry, so ordered the shrimp appetizer with pineapple sauce (just okay) and turnip greens. The waiter asked if I wanted that served as my main course - well, duh, if that's all I ordered, obviously. We each ordered a second beer during dinner. By the time the waiter brought them out, we had finished our meal, and they weren't busy.

It just wasn't a "wow" experience as promised to us by our friends. Again, what should we order to have a "wow" experience there?

**Camp Creek Kid** · 02-11-2006, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by Beach Runner

These comments are quite rude. It's not fair to excerpt that sentence out of context. And BTW I haven't seen Kurt post a rule on this board that we have to support every opinion in a point-by-point manner.

Here was my post:
"All of our friends rave about Old Florida Fish House. We went last night, and it was just "eh." Obviously we ordered the wrong thing because I've never heard a negative review (although I haven't had time to read every post on this thread). Any suggestions?"

I was sincerely asking for suggestions about what to order. When I think of an old Florida fish house, I think of old-fashioned seafood platters. That's what my husband ordered, and it was just "eh," costing more and not tasting as good as the seafood platter at Seagrove Market Cafe. I wasn't very hungry, so ordered the shrimp appetizer with pineapple sauce (just okay) and turnip greens. The waiter asked if I wanted that served as my main course - well, duh, if that's all I ordered, obviously. We each ordered a second beer during dinner. By the time the waiter brought them out, we had finished our meal, and they weren't busy.

It just wasn't a "wow" experience as promised to us by our friends. Again, what should we order to have a "wow" experience there?

I agree Beach Runner. I've only been there once and wasn't too impressed. The food was just o.k. and rather expensive for what you got. I also dislike having to order a la carte. I can think of many restaurants where I can get a better meal for the same price. It isn't a bad restaurant, but I don't think it is worthy of the rave reviews everyone is giving it.

I've been hearing many "locals" complain that while the Old Florida Fish House started off great, its quality of food and service have declined considerably since it opened last summer. However, my only time of eating there was about 2 weeks after it opened and as I said, I wasn't impressed then.

**Mermaid** · 02-11-2006, 10:14 PM

Beach Runner, maybe the problem is that you posted on a thread entitled "Favorite Restaurants," not "Eh Dining Experiences." And for someone who has mentioned that she runs a on-line restaurant review page, I can only surmise that any reader's expectations of your reviews might be higher than most. So what a rude disappointment to find out the best you could come up with about Old Florida Fish House is that it's "eh." Not to mention that you said it about a restaurant that most people rave about--most people tend to feel a little protective about their favorite dining places!

I've never eaten there, so I'm afraid I can't offer you any suggestions. Sorry.

**Beach Runner** · 02-11-2006, 11:16 PM

Originally Posted by Mermaid

Beach Runner, maybe the problem is that you posted on a thread entitled "Favorite Restaurants," not "Eh Dining Experiences."

It's a favorite of many people, therefore it seemed most appropriate to post comments/questions on that thread, rather than starting a new thread and further fragmenting the posts on this message board.

Lighten up, everyone!

**PEARL** · 02-11-2006, 11:46 PM

I agree that the OFFH is just ok; I won't go back. While the food we had was good, there wasn't much for the money. My husband ordered a grouper dish, chose the caesar salad, recieved a tossed salad, and a piece of very, very thin fish (I thought grouper was thicker?), with nothing else on the plate. A bit lonely looking. The other dishes, and the sushi were good.

**SHELLY** · 02-12-2006, 12:17 AM

Originally Posted by Beach Runner

Lighten up, everyone!

Ditto! Although the original post might have lacked specific information that could have been helpful to someone looking for a place to eat, it didn't contain any comments that should get anyone's panties in a twist! Quite the contrary, it mentioned that lots of people raved about the place and maybe she ordered the "wrong" thing--no biggie!

I've notice over the past year or so many of my dining experiences are becoming more "eh"--mostly because of service. A couple months ago I went to a mid-price place in Destin ($18 -$26). We ordered a $45 bottle of wine and the poor young waiter didn't even know how to use the corkscrew to uncork it! -- She was so flustered and we took pity on her and explained to her how to use the corkscrew, how to present the cork and serve the wine for the first tasting and then the order in which to pour once the wine was approved. We kind of rolled with the flow and tipped well since it was clear that the owner was at fault--but it illustrates a point on the declining level of service and training. (By the way, the food was very good.)

If the owner of the Old Florida Fish House is upset, maybe he should extend an invitation to Beach Runner to come back as a personal guest so he can make it "right," and then she can post again and tell us about the food and the experience.

**potatovixen** · 06-03-2006, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by Beach Runner

It just wasn't a "wow" experience as promised to us by our friends. Again, what should we order to have a "wow" experience there?

I'm quite partial to their fried green tomatoes.

**Tatertot** · 03-12-2006, 07:41 AM

I went to OFFH last night with three other couples and we all LOVED it! The food was great, the atmosphere was wonderful and Russ was our server and he took great care of us! I would reccomend it highly to anyone in the area. We missed the live music, but we'll catch that next time we're there! Thanks everyone for the great reccomendation!

**Green Knight** · 07-24-2009, 08:41 AM

Should have read some previous threads about the OFFH and you would have saved yourself alot of trouble...Place is a flat out embarassment to 30A and only stays open cause of tourists who don't know better...I have never talked to anyone locally who has anything nice to say about it...Sorry for your trouble and just know most places in the area are not like that

**Lynnie** · 07-24-2009, 09:29 AM

I've been several times. Food is good, service is good (generally). Had a couple of funky experiences and both times, they were easily resolved.

One: having dinner with GF, who just could not stand the little girl (maybe 3 or 4 yrs. old) running through the restaurant/bar screaming her head off. My friend was getting more and more tense, got up, spoke withthe mgr, who asked the parents to control their child. Was pleasant after that. A) Why did the parents allow this?; and, B) Why didn't the wait staff or mgr. say something sooner?

Two: was overcharged - they issued a credit.

I'll go back.