With summer comes the chance to alter the tempo of daily life in favor of something slower. It's the time of year when all you want to do is clutch a cold beer and rip through the latest potboiler.
It's a perfect time to shed the cares of daily living, swap jokes, contemplate your navel — or throw down a few drinks and dine slowly, whenever you get around to it.
For those who might be vacationing along the 35 miles of glistening beaches that frame the bay area, I've got a couple of restaurant suggestions, casual places that require little effort on your part. Wear flip-flops and a T-shirt over beachwear. Yak for a half-hour before ordering if you want to and nobody's going to get their nose out of joint. These are restaurants with simple, hearty fare and beachy attributes.
Woody's Waterfront Restaurant
The classic beach bar, except that the food is unusually well prepared and there ain't no beach. Set right on the Gulf, it overlooks the water but sits atop a seawall that falls straight to the waterline, so you can't actually frolic in the sand. Still, it's a winner, a longtime fixture at St. Pete Beach with a laid-back atmosphere and a cheery mix of patio and picnic tables. Owned by Marlene and Dave George, it attracts a reliable crowd of locals, plus a few savvy tourists who appreciate its simple pleasures.
The trim, tanned waitress greets you with a big smile and a drawling "hello." Sit at the picnic tables, under an umbrella to protect yourself from the sun. Before you start, make sure you have real money with you because the restaurant does not accept credit cards. Once you've checked your wallet, order a cool, fruity, boozy frozen drink. I drank my frozen strawberry colada rita ($5.75), made with Cuervo, strawberries and coconut, right down to the dregs.
Woody's also has a nice selection of beer, Mike's hard lemonade, a few wines and, if you're part of a group, a whole pitcher of margaritas ($18). Nosh on appetizers like smoked amberjack spread ($7.15), served with crackers, lettuce, tomato and onions; or a half-pound of you-peel-um steamed shrimp, served plain or spicy ($6.75).
If you're really hungry, order grouper deluxe ($9.50), a filet of grouper cooked whichever way you like — grilled, fried or blackened, with a side of onion rings or french fries and a side salad or a hearty helping of terrific, crunchy and colorful Dixie slaw. If you've been out on the Jet Ski all day and are really famished, try the Ultimate Woody Burger ($6.50), a fat, meaty burger garnished with mushrooms, fried onions, bacon and cheese.
The menu also lists fried shrimp, grouper nuggets, chicken strips, clams and wings — plain, mild, spicy or nuclear — along with a quarter-pound dog ($3.95), chicken club wrap ($7.95) and a pretty darned good Surfin' Steak Sandwich ($6.95). It's similar to a Philadelphia cheesesteak, not quite as delectably messy, but still overflowing with grilled, shaved sirloin, mushrooms, onions, cheese, lettuce and the biggest, reddest, juiciest tomato slices you've ever seen, all jammed onto a big, soft bun.
You hardly even have to think about dessert because there's only one, Florida favorite Key lime pie ($2.75). It's homemade with the pale yellow (not green) filling. On its surface, you could still see where the cook had used the spatula to smooth the tangy custard into its graham-cracker shell. It tasted pretty dang good, too!
Gondolier Italian Restaurant and Pizza
Another beachy eatery, but different from Woody's. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it inhabits a busy shopping center near the Sand Key Bridge at Clearwater Beach. Its menu spans seven pages, crammed with everything from subs, eggs Benedict and oatmeal to baklava, chicken parmigiana, souvlaki, white pizza and tacos.
Forget about the big welcome; nobody even says "hello," and there's a sign on the door warning that the restaurant will refuse service to those without shirt or shoes. Tough it out guys, the grim staff could benefit from somebody having fun. Settle into one of the comfy booths and wait for the primo pizza that will come your way if you persevere with the dourly efficient and nearly mute waiter.
A personal-size pizza ($3.75, plus $.75 for each extra topping), cut into four dainty pieces, was loaded with pepperoni, black olives, green peppers and onions, resting in a thick layer of cheese and benefiting from a clearly handmade crust. It was hot, gooey and delicious. Another of the restaurant's charms: It serves a dozen different kinds of breakfast omelets from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., ideal for beach bums who like to sleep late.
If you're in a lunchy frame of mind, try the grouper sandwich ($6.25), a healthy piece of fish set on a big bun and surrounded with a generous portion of salad, topped with onion and sliced green pepper. Wash it down with giant glasses of tea or cola, which the waiter is careful to keep refilled. Finish with the Greek dessert baklava. Yum.
Food Editor Sara Kennedy dines anonymously, and Weekly Planet pays for her meals. She can be reached at sara.kennedy@weeklyplanet.com or 813-248-8888 ext. 116.
This article appears in Jul 17-23, 2003.