Not that we need yet another high end fish and steakhouse, Ocean Prime is set to open this Friday at International Plaza at the Westshore Blvd. entrance (next to Crate and Barrel). Rumors abound that it will give its neighbors Fleming’s, Shula’s, Ruth Chris and Capital Grille a meaty run for the gold, shrinking corporate expense accounts be damned.
An advanced preview of Ocean Prime’s wine list shows delicious promise, although only if you prefer new world wines. French, Spanish and Italian only make up about 20 percent of the wines, but the place is billed as an "American supper club" so that seems in order.
53 wines by the glass (with only six chardonnays and five cabernet sauvignons!) feature interesting selections like Susana Balbo Torrontes ($10) and Drouhin Laforet from Burgundy ($10), as well as the opportunity to try cult and high end favorites (albeit at cult prices), like Miner Family Vineyards Oracle ($35) and Goldeneye Pinot Noir ($29) – yes, that’s for a glass of wine.
Bottle prices are typical high-end steakhouse (too high) but the yummy Treana Marsanne/Viognier blend costs $40 by the bottle and Snowqualmie "Joy Anderson Reserve" Syrah is yours for $47.
I heard that reservations for this week’s soft opening and for Friday night are in the triple digits already, so we’ll see if Ocean Prime can weave its way into Tampa Bay’s fabric. Check out the menus.
This article appears in Jan 14-20, 2009.