Tighten up!

[30A Skunkape]

Punzy and I dined out last night at a beloved old 30-A eatery (which I will not name but it was not OFFH) and I was really disappointed with the food. We both had fish entrees;hers was served raw (on purpose) and was obviously the better part of several days old. I will usually eat anything and give her a hard time about being picky, so when I took a bite to see what she was complaining about, I was surprised to taste a really bad product. Mind you this was on the every day menu and was not cheap. I ordered off of a special seasonal menu and the fish I recieved may or may not have been fresh, but it was so woefully overcooked it was hard to tell. I ate it anyway as I remember from my service industry days that people who send stuff back are usually annoyingly difficult to please in the first place. Rapunz took a taste and declared it to taste like frozen fish from Wal-Mart...and I was shocked, she was so right, I used to buy these frozen tuna filets in New Orleans and I would say the fish tasted about as good as one of those $2.50 filets except I prepared mine better.

The saving grace was the service. Our server could tell Punzy didn't like what she had so he took it off the tab (I told him not to) and he obviously gave half a damn about pleasing us.

So what is my point? I am imploring 30-A independent operators to please make sure your standards do not get lax during the slow season. If you serve during the lean months then please make sure to give people a reason to show up and pay more than they would at a heartless chain in Destin or Panama City. Seriously, I would have felt like I had a better value at God foresaken Joe's Crab Shack or Fudpuckers last night.

That is all.

 

[Lisa Ruby]

I had similar experiences last winter in not one but two well known, established restaurants.....and I agree, shorten the menu, but don't compromise on freshness or quality. Unfortunately, was sick after both meals, both were fish.

 

[scooterbug44]

I don't mind smaller portion sizes or less expensive ingredients during the off season, (especially on special menus) but it still needs to be fresh and cooked well.

If I wanted poorly cooked food of dubious freshness, I could have just raided my own fridge and made something ala Scooterbug.

 

[rapunzel]

The thing is, we really want to support local restaurants but $25 is not still not an inexpensive meal. It's really sort of galling to get home-style food (and I don't mean simple or naked -- I mean a small portion of grilled fish, green beans and potatoes with lemon pepper) in a good restaurant -- that's not really a good deal at all. Cracker Barrel serves the same thing for about $8.

My appetizer was regular menu, $15, and contained about 1/4 cup of chopped raw tuna. It was off enough to smell, and the seaweed salad it was on had developed that slimy texture it gets when it isn't fresh. If the fish is old on a Wednesday night, just how old is that fish?

Every place I've gone and had a seasonal special, I have gotten a sub par meal. I had scallops recently that were so salty that the stray cat outside wouldn't eat one. If the seasonal special isn't about showing what a good chef can do with a few inexpensive (but fresh, not inexpensive because they'd otherwise be thrown out) ingredients and to draw a few people in regularly to keep the staff busy through the off season, then what is the point?

I'd love to hear about some good experiences with the seasonal special menus. Are any of the 30-A restaurants worth a go?

 

[scooterbug44]

FIRE's local/sunset menu knocked our socks off!

Don't know if they are keeping the bar high because they're new, but their consistently great food and service keeps me coming back again and again.

My increasingly lackluster experiences w/ their competition have severely reduced my preferred dining options.

 

[Sea Sothebys]

Amore is always great too.

 

[HYDROSTAN]

The thing is, we really want to support local restaurants but $25 is not still not an inexpensive meal. It's really sort of galling to get home-style food (and I don't mean simple or naked -- I mean a small portion of grilled fish, green beans and potatoes with lemon pepper) in a good restaurant -- that's not really a good deal at all. Cracker Barrel serves the same thing for about $8.

My appetizer was regular menu, $15, and contained about 1/4 cup of chopped raw tuna. It was off enough to smell, and the seaweed salad it was on had developed that slimy texture it gets when it isn't fresh. If the fish is old on a Wednesday night, just how old is that fish?

Every place I've gone and had a seasonal special, I have gotten a sub par meal. I had scallops recently that were so salty that the stray cat outside wouldn't eat one. If the seasonal special isn't about showing what a good chef can do with a few inexpensive (but fresh, not inexpensive because they'd otherwise be thrown out) ingredients and to draw a few people in regularly to keep the staff busy through the off season, then what is the point?

I'd love to hear about some good experiences with the seasonal special menus. Are any of the 30-A restaurants worth a go?

Ate at Stinky"s Last night. Special was Family Style Dining $16.95. It was excellent. Old Bull, Young Bull Played. Try Them.

 

[Smiling JOe]

"Specials" are often food which is on the fast-track to spoiling, and they put it on the menu as a special to move it, rather than lose it. That is not the case at all restaurants, but many. If it was a special on Wednesday, it is very likely that it was delivered on one of two days, Friday or Wednesday. I could see a place getting a "good buy" on a product from a vendor (maybe because it was going to spoil in the vendor's cooler) on Wednesday, not even checking to see how fresh it was, then putting it on the special list for the night, to try and move it because they bought a large quantity. It is just as likely, that it was delivered on Friday of the previous week, and was on the verge of being ready to throw away. I ran several restaurants, including fine dining, and I pushed the philosophy of, "when in doubt, throw it out." Never wreck your reputation by offering crap. Know your product, taste your product. Servers should also be tasting the menu every day at line up, so they stay familiar with every menu item. I really like what nowgirl said about cutting back the menu items during the slower seasons, if it will keep your inventory turnover high. Restaurants around here should know that it is the locals whom tourist will ask where to dine, and if I were the owner of a restaurant, I would want to give no reason for locals to send diners elsewhere. Do it right, or go home.

Coming from the biz, it is important for managers and owners to know what is happening in their businesses. Skunky and Punzy, so that this restaurant has a chance to correct its mistakes and we get a better restaurant, it is vital to let the manager and owner know your thoughts on this. Please email, write, or call them and give them the 411.