Old Florida Fish House

[sneakin sally]

over the past two years i have frequented OFFH quite a bit up until the past couple of months. primarily i went because of its proximity to my house, and because one of my best friend's worked there for a long time. it really has a beautiful atmosphere, and my first couple of experiences there were great... we had the best sushi i had ever tasted, and we even tried a few things from the regular menu that were very good as well. i don't remember much about the service on those first few visits other than that it must not have been remarkable or terrible or it would have stuck out in my mind. since then i've been back probably over 50 times (not an exaggeration -- whether for food or simply drinks & entertainment), and ever since then it has NEVER lived up to those first few experiences. in my book it continues to get worse & worse and more & more inconsistent. i've had some of the worst service experiences of my life at this restaurant... which is odd considering i'm acquaintances &/or neighbors &/or friends with several people who do or have worked there during the past two years. once the service was so bad that we spoke with the manager, who clearly didn't give a sh#t. instead another server had to step up (basically doing the manager's job) and tend to our table and correct the damage the previous server had done. this second server was amazing, and that is about the only compliment i have for this place. i believe his name was DJ or JD or something.
not only is the service horrible there, which is enough to prevent me from going to even a terrific restaurant, but even the sushi has gone downhill in my opinion -- some nights it is still amazing, but some nights i have literally spit my food out on my plate (sorry but it's true). i guess it all depends on who is working in the sushi bar. same goes for the regular menu... i guess the menu is probably not really geared towards "foodies," so i never have high expectations, but all i ask for is consistency. and the only thing that i consistently get is poor service!
i haven't been back since my friend stopped working there, and i don't plan to return even for a cocktail. i've heard dread clampitt no longer plays there anyway, so what reason do i have? old florida fish house? no thanks!

 

[scooterbug44]

The food quality and service level has been steadily going downhill for a long time. They have some great staff members and some good dishes, but they are so inconsistent that you never know what you're going to get. It's gone from good to hit or miss to consistently subpar. A year or two ago we were regulars, now we might stop by every couple of months.

I'd love it if they refocused and got things back to the way they were as it is a great location & space.

 

[NotnKansas]

I love the food - not a big fan of the service. Even in the slow season, the service is not the best. But they have the best sushi on 30-A for sure and I love seeing some good music on Tuesday's nights. CHEERS!

 

[oli]

I love the food - not a big fan of the service. Even in the slow season, the service is not the best. But they have the best sushi on 30-A for sure and I love seeing some good music on Tuesday's nights. CHEERS!

have you been to cafe rendez vous when Nick is working?

 

[butterbean]

nicks sushi at rendezvous is rocking! jordan also

 

[Dave Rauschkolb]

Hi WhiskeyRiver, Look for some of the old stand bys coming back this fall. Carpetbagger Steak, Seaside Shrimp, crab cakes and a few more. Let me know if you have any past favorites and I'll pass the suggestion on to our Chef, Ed Reese. Please email me at dave@budandalleys.com Thanks very much for your comments. Dave Rauschkolb owner/operator

Glad to see this info re OFFH. My family and I come to SGB several times a year and my mom is always wanting to go to OFFH and my husb and I have refused. We love 331, 30-A and Yanni's. I was shocked to see that someone had been "consistently disappointed" with 30-A! We think it is one of the best restaurants in the whole area. Have been eating there for several years and do not have one complaint! Have not found a better gin and tonic anywhere -- always consistent! Just shows how different we all are. Very disappointed in the change of menu at Bud & Alley's! I mean I know things can't stay the same but they could have at least left a few "old stand-by's" on the menu! We ate at 331 twice in October and it was excellent!

 

[Smiling JOe]

I just read Whiskeyriver's comments about not wanting the menus to change. As someone who has lived here for several years, and someone who has worked in the restaurant business for many years, my number one complaint about the restaurants here is the lack of menu changes. Sure, if you are known for your crab cakes, by all means, keep the crab cakes, but it is simple enough to change sauces, cuts, cooking methods, etc all while using the same base food item. I used to oversee the operation of multiple restaurants, each with its own style and different level of service. Some menus, we changed weekly, some quarterly, and a couple no more than annually.

I have eaten every menu item at least once at my favorite local restaurant. They are all delicious, but I would love to see them shake it up a bit after eating the same items for over five years.

Restaurant owners, don't be afraid of moderate change of menu items. There will always be people who don't like the change of selection, but there are likely more people who will like the new options.

 

[seaside2]

I agree with SJ, Variety is what keeps me going to my favorites. A change in menu with the seasons, what's fresh, etc is what makes repeat visits grayt. I like the places that have really good daily specials tat reflect creativity from the chef.

 

[Dave Rauschkolb]

True, but this is our 21st year and I thought it would be great to bring back some of the old favorites for awhile or at least from time to time. Over the years we have had many favorite menu items long time customers have asked to bring back and 21 years is a nice round number to bring em back. Thankfully my ex-partner and dear Friend Scott Witcoski is still around and willing to lend his helping hand.

I just read Whiskeyriver's comments about not wanting the menus to change. As someone who has lived here for several years, and someone who has worked in the restaurant business for many years, my number one complaint about the restaurants here is the lack of menu changes. Sure, if you are known for your crab cakes, by all means, keep the crab cakes, but it is simple enough to change sauces, cuts, cooking methods, etc all while using the same base food item. I used to oversee the operation of multiple restaurants, each with its own style and different level of service. Some menus, we changed weekly, some quarterly, and a couple no more than annually.

I have eaten every menu item at least once at my favorite local restaurant. They are all delicious, but I would love to see them shake it up a bit after eating the same items for over five years.

Restaurant owners, don't be afraid of moderate change of menu items. There will always be people who don't like the change of selection, but there are likely more people who will like the new options.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Dave, I don't think that I was clear in my statement. I have no problem with bringing back old favorites from time to time. My thoughts were more along the lines of regularly changing the menu being a good thing. That is not to say that you shouldn't add a once popular item back to the menu on occasion.