Sea Critters Cafe is located at 28.8 degrees 38'91" N and 82 degrees 45'43" W, which says an awful lot about the seafaring nature of its usual clientele. The restaurant monitors ship-to-shore radio on Channel 16 with the call letters KTR-852, so if you're on the water and desperately need to hear about the daily specials (or, more realistically, about the docking space and seating times), you're good to go. For the landlubbers amongst us, the café is about half a mile south of the Don Cesar on Pass-a-Grille Way, but there are only a few more parking spaces than docking berths. Inside, the restaurant is painted a Caribbean blue, with fish sculptures and other undersea accoutrements affixed to the wall at a variety of angles. In one place, a fish's torso breaks the surface, while on another wall, all we see is the flip of a tail above the blue. It's a bit like walking through one of those undersea murals that grace the sides of office buildings all around town. The whimsical interior area provides about half of the café's seating, and the other half is supplied by the large deck and dockside tables on the water. Make no mistake: Sea Critters is a joint for people who like all things ocean.
It is also a restaurant that likes to party, judging by the much-beloved "fresh-squeezed margaritas" and 48-ounce rum punches served in old-fashioned fishbowls. Music by island types — Jimmy Buffett or Toots and the Maytals — plays over the sound system, and strings of colored lights give the place a festive air. At night, giant catfish circle close to the deck, trawling for a stray french fry or bite of blackened snapper, though giant signs and complimentary booklets all over the deck warn that you feed the whiskered monsters at your own risk. (And, oddly enough, next to such warnings, the management invites diners to bring the kiddies for a nightly catfish "feeding frenzy.")
After being properly lubricated with spicy, Caribbean-style ginger beer ($1.75) and a delicious Pass-a-Grille punch made with vanilla rum, Drambuie and pineapple juice ($6.50), we turned our attention to the food menu. A jumble of island-bar favorites makes up the bulk of the menu, with a few vegetarian and token "turf" selections to appease those who aren't into seafood (I recommend the chicken chipotle over penne for $14.95, or the giant, kitchen-sink chopped salad for $9.75). We also tried spicy black beans ($1.65), which were not half as spicy as the Stewart's ginger beer we'd had earlier, though tasty enough and a good choice over the herbed "critter rice" (also $1.65) for a cheap dish or a way to avoid the pitfalls brought on by a fishbowl of rum punch. However, if you don't like seafood, this might not be the restaurant for you, since the mouthwatering smell of fresh blackened fish and sizzling shrimp wafts by every few moments on serving trays.
To start, we sampled conch fritters ($6.95) and a crab cake ($7.95 as an appetizer, and also available in entrée size for $17.95). The crab cake was middling, reported my Maryland-native date, though the garlic-key-lime aioli served alongside the dish rocked. The "key lime" elements of the sauce were indistinguishable from normal lemon juice, but the local touch was not unappreciated. The meatier conch fritters stood up to our inspection much better, though their accompaniment of "raspberry pepper" sauce tasted like little more than jam. It didn't do the fritters justice, and we ended up applying the key lime aioli to the fried balls instead. We also ordered a cup of delicious tomato-basil bisque ($3.95), which included the unusual but most enjoyable touch of blue crabmeat. On the menu, it's described as tomato-basil crab bisque, but it was obvious that the crab meat had been added to our cup directly before serving. Nevertheless, I thought it was a splendid touch, and wished I'd ordered a full-sized bowl.
Our entrées ran the gamut from phenomenal to puzzling. The lobster roll ($11.95) delivered a hoagie overstuffed with cold lobster meat in herbed buttermilk dressing and a pile of piping-hot steak fries. The natural, buttery taste of lobster meat shone on its own, with just a touch of cream, celery and seasonings to set it off. On a menu crowded with quite a few fried options, this cool dish is a natural choice for an overheated boater looking for a more refreshing lunch. Though the dish was more Maine than Margaritaville, the lobster roll was an excellent option that succeeded in being very filling and very light.
I asked about the catch of the day and was more than a little surprised to learn that it was grouper, having been informed only a few hours earlier by my local fishmonger that both shallow and deep-water commercial grouper fishing had been banned. However, my server didn't have an answer to that one, and curious, I went for the grouper sandwich in Sea Critters' signature crunchy almond crust ($9.95). [Ed. Note: See All You Can Eat, pg. 48 for an explanation of the grouper ban.]
The filet served between the sandwich's buns was large enough to make another half sandwich if necessary, and the crunchy almond crust was lighter and possessed less of that oily "fried" quality seen in similar sandwiches. However, it was otherwise unremarkable, and I was left mystified by the "catch of the day" moniker. Sea Critters' clientele are seafood savvy enough to be aware of such a well-publicized ban, and for a restaurant that skirts the water's edge, the "catch of the day" should be just that.
For a waterside bar with pub-style seafood, Critters is on the pricey side, but such is the Pass-a-Grille way. Signature dishes like the fresh lobster roll, conch fritters and tomato-basil crab bisque make up for a few missteps, and the catfish prowl beneath the deck, waiting for any tidbits you can't eat. The colorful, friendly atmosphere, fabulous drinks and incredibly accessible dockside service make this one café that's certainly seaworthy.
ACCESS FOR BOATERS:
Depart the Intercoastal Waterway at marker 11 and favor the left bank north to the Vina Del Mar Bridge. Marine radio VHF Channel 16, call letters KTR-852.
Freelance writer Diana Peterfreund dines anonymously and the Planet pays for her meals. She may be contacted at diana.peterfreund@weeklyplanet.com. Restaurants are chosen for review at the discretion of the writer, and are not related to advertising.
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2004.