The
Waterfront Restaurant is located on the north end of Anna Maria Island, Florida. Boasting itself as "Anna Maria Island’s premiere waterfront dining experience", the menu highlights classic seafood preparations as well as compliments local fish that are underutilized.
For our last dinner on the island this trip, we headed north to check out the Waterfront Restaurant. We made reservations in advance, which was smart as there was a long line of people waiting to be seated. We were seated in the min dining room, which had an eclectic plantation-feel with large fans above, a fish tank in the middle, and an old fireplace. We were in the mood for cocktails. Keith ordered the
Hendrick's Garden made with Hendrick’s Gin, fresh cucumber and cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, served up. I had the
caiparinha - a classic Brazilian cocktail made with muddled lime and sugar.
We decided to share the appetizer of
Tuna Sashimi. Wasabi crusted Ahi tuna was seared rare, thinly sliced and drizzled with sweet soy. It was a tame version served with sliced ginger and wasabi.
We also shared the
Crab Caesar salad. A classic Caesar salad was tossed with backfin lump blue crabmeat, capers, tomatoes and kalamata olives. It was a nice twist on a classic, and was a very large portion that would be fine as a meal in itself. I liked the grilled lemon wedge to give that extra splash of citrus.
For my main course, I stuck with the Brazilian theme and tried the
Moqueca. This traditional Brazilian stew had a subtle essence of coconut and lime. Adorned with gulf white shrimp, Tampa Bay clams and fresh fish, then served over cilantro marinated basmati rice, this stew was hearty and great for a chilly night on the beach. I often enjoy various global interpretations of a 'fisherman's stew', and this did not disappoint.
Keith ordered the
Bahi Rib Eye - a 16-ounce ribeye steak marinated for three days in a housemade Polynesian seasoning and glaze, then chargrilled to your order and served with snap peas and mashed potatoes. The meat had an Asian flare with the marinade, but was very flavorful and cooked well. Keith enjoyed it very much.
All in all we had a decent dinner at the Waterfront. Our server was friendly and handled multiple tables with ease. The portions were generous, and next time I might keep it light and stick to one of the daily fish specials.
Total Rating:
3.78
Food: 3.5, Price: 4, Service: 4, Ambience: 4.5, Accessibility: 4
