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

[John R]

i too had an 'ok' time there. they had been open for a while and we went over there before a rep show. we informed the server that we had a show to go to, but this seemed to put him into 'glacial' speed. (we got there in quite enough time to make the show). the waiter just had no clue regarding service standards and was weak on menu knowledge. i 'll go back, but my expectaions will be quite lower.
this relates to the minimum wage thread in that if we're paying resort prices for food and service, we shouldn't be receiving truckstop service and presentation. it's a disservice to the guest and server to just place some poor freshman on the floor without any training. serving food is a vocation for a select few, and it shows. i expect more when i go an establishment that claims to be a fine dining restaurant.

jr

 

[Smiling JOe]

John R, our big order from all sushi eaters must have beat your order to the kitchen that night. ;-) We too, were going to a Rep show immediately after, and made it out of the restaurant as scheduled, but I was beginning to wonder if we would for a while.

 

[Beach Runner]

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. :clap_1: 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[TreeFrog]

I've eaten there quite a bit as it's close to home. Just Friday night, in fact.

You know, everyone I know loved Luna. As well as being the only Mexican on 30A, it was modestly priced, the food was proportionately good for the price, and the service was generally efficient. We all had high hopes that the replacement would be much the same, only an old-fashioned seafood joint, as the name seemed to imply.

In comparison to Luna:
1-The menu at OFFH is more ambitious than the typical seafood joint.
2-The prices are fair, but higher than the typical seafood joint.
3-The service, both wait staff and kitchen, is variable. Don't believe I've had the same waiter twice, either. Turnover?

For my part, the disappointment isn't about what the restaurant IS, it's about what I'd hoped it would be - an "Old Florida" replacement for the much-missed Luna del Mar. My problem, not theirs.

This Friday night, we had an attentive waiter, the food came out in a timely manner despite a bustling crowd, and everyone was happy with their dinner.

But then the band cranked up in the bar at 8:30 and we all had to yell. Apologies to those who were dancing in the bar (I'd have been happy to do so if that's what I'd come for) but a band usually enhances drinking a whole lot more than it does dining.

Mixed review? Yup. Generally satisfied customer, coming back again? Yup.

 

[TreeFrog]

Rereading my comments above, and introducing a touch of thread drift...

Those of us who live on 30A full-time could be inclined to be more critical of eateries than folks who aren't here full time. We carry the burdens of daily stresses with us when we go out to eat. We also get to eat at the same 3 restaurants over and over, our choices being somewhat limited compared to Birmingham, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, and Memphis.

Meanwhile, weekend visitors and those with 2nd homes here are, by definition, relaxing away from home and enjoying a dining experience that they haven't had to repeat weekly.