MKH said:
if you go past eastern lake in either direction, it will be behind you.
Old Florida Fish House and Bar....Is Great!
- Thread starter Diane4145
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if you go past eastern lake in either direction, it will be behind you.
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. :clap_1: 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.
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.
kimbug said: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. :clap_1: 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.
Great information! Do you think reservations are needed during the week? We are going to be there the last 2 weeks of May, through Memorial Day Weekend. I realize we will need reservations over Memorial Day, but hopefully it won't be too crowded before that.
MKH said:
I don't know if they take reservations. If they do ask for a table overlooking the lake or up in the front by the wall of water.
E
Excalibur
SoWal Guest
I have to give this place its "props". My wife, daughter and I had dinner there a short time ago.
Being in the business, I am kind of "picky". The service was good - not great - but good. The apps were great, especially the barbecue grilled shrimp. The wines were nice, and the nightly seafood specials, which is what we had, were very good. The desserts we fair, but not spectacular.
For the $$$ compared to what you can get on 30-A, I would recommend Old Florida Fish House.
Being in the business, I am kind of "picky". The service was good - not great - but good. The apps were great, especially the barbecue grilled shrimp. The wines were nice, and the nightly seafood specials, which is what we had, were very good. The desserts we fair, but not spectacular.
For the $$$ compared to what you can get on 30-A, I would recommend Old Florida Fish House.
so plan to dine no later than 6:30 PM or be prepared for a LONG wait 
Welcome to life at the beach. Build some affordable apartments, and perhaps we can get more people to work here.kimbug said:
Borago is closing for Tuesday nights starting tomorrow for an unknown period of time due to staffing shortages.
Does service/staffing get better with the summer season? Or do the restaurants just get more crowded with longer waiting times? 
I'm thinking when I'm visiting in July we'll be doing a lot more cooking in. I'm not opposed to that idea but just hate the cleanup. I know I'll return to OFFH, maybe try Borago (just the adults) especially since they take reservations and who knows what else. We'll be there for 10 days. :clap_1:
I'm thinking when I'm visiting in July we'll be doing a lot more cooking in. I'm not opposed to that idea but just hate the cleanup. I know I'll return to OFFH, maybe try Borago (just the adults) especially since they take reservations and who knows what else. We'll be there for 10 days. :clap_1:
kimbug said:Does service/staffing get better with the summer season? Or do the restaurants just get more crowded with longer waiting times?
I don't see how panhandle staffing problems will get fixed in the next 4 weeks (when full-blown tourist season starts). With gas prices on the rise(!) and absolutely no affordable housing for staff anywhere in the area, if you want to eat, be prepared to cook or be prepared to wait...and wait...and wait--and hope for the best.
Smiling JOe said:Borago is closing for Tuesday nights starting tomorrow for an unknown period of time due to staffing shortages.
Sound business judgement--at least they know their limitations. Some really good places will try to "work around" the situtation and suffer as a result.
The staffing problems we've discussed for the past couple of months are about to materialize...hopefully businesses and politicos are taking notes.