Month: January 2022

Hula Bay Club – Tampa, FL

I love eating at restaurants that are on the water. It instantaneously makes me feel like I am on vacation, even though I might not be. Hula Bay Club is one of those places. They are located next to a marina, right off of Old Tampa Bay.

The views are spectacular from the back patio. There are tons of tables so that you can eat outside.

The day I was there I even got to see a Manatee swim by. That was the coolest thing.

To enjoy the view, I ordered the Conch Fritters. It came with a spicy Caribbean mango sauce. These fritters were loaded with fresh, tender, chopped up conch. The breading portion had great seasoning that gave it an herb flavor.

The fritter itself was moist so no dipping sauce was needed for that purpose. The sauce that was included added a nice spice to the fritter.

Another sharable that I ordered was the Kick’n Shrimp. This was fresh shrimp sautéed in a BBQ style butter sauce with garlic and Kona Beer. This sauce was amazing. It was creamy and rich. It was awesome with the shrimp but just as awesome on its own. They served this dish with a cheese bread. The bread was perfect for dipping in the buttery sauce. The bread was crispy because they melted cheese on top in the oven. I liked the extra saltiness it added to the taste.

For my lunch I ordered the Hula Bay Tuna Poke Bowl. It was a beautiful presentation. The tropical flower was a nice touch. They used Hawaiian Big Eye tuna that was tossed in a sesame dressing. This dressing was slightly spicy. Along with the tuna there was mango, edamame, crispy lettuce, carrots, and a cucumber salad. They also garnished it with seaweed and a house dressing.

I ate a few pieces of tuna before I mixed up all the ingredients together. Everything about this poke bowl was fresh. The saltiness from the seaweed complemented the sweetness of the mango. The lettuce and carrots added a crunch. The cucumber salad had an amazing sweet taste that accented the sesame dressing.  With all of these elements mixed together this dish was very filling.

Hula Bay Club is a fantastic place. They are always crowded. If you are not able to get a table check out Duke’s Beach Bar downstairs. They serve the same menu and the seating is all open.

Check them out at www.hulabayclub.com

Enjoy!

T

High Tide Harry’s – Orlando, FL

When in Florida, having fresh seafood is a must have. There is a restaurant in Orlando that has been serving up seafood since 1995 called High Tide Harry’s.

When you walk into the restaurant you are automatically transported to the beach. The ceilings and walls were painted with ocean scenes. There were huge fish hanging all over.

After sitting down, the waitress brought over some homemade Hush Puppies. They reminded me more of a fritter. The dough was a little sweet and soft on the inside. There was a nice crunch from the deep fryer on the outside.

They served a cinnamon butter on the side. When I spread some on the cut open hush puppy it melted instantaneously. It was sweet and creamy and now made the hush puppy more like a dessert. I loved how the cinnamon flavor paired perfectly with the sweet dough. I could have just eaten these and been full. They were a nice surprise, and I would come back just for these.

As an appetizer I got the Hot Blue Crab Dip. This cheesy dip was loaded with lump crabmeat. It was sweet and creamy. Tortilla chips accompanied the dip. It was a great way to scoop up the dip.

I was excited to try their Chargrilled Oysters. I only got a half dozen because I wanted to save room to try a few other things. The oysters came out pipping hot. They use a great amount of garlic and butter. There was only a little sprinkling of parmesan cheese, but they used a generous amount of Italian seasoning to help create a savory flavor.

The oysters were cooked perfectly that they briny taste was gone. They were tender and went down easy. They served some garlic toast on the side which was great to soak up the extra garlic and butter.

The Ahi Tuna was also a delicious dish. They seared Yellowfin Tuna and served it with seaweed, wasabi, and soy sauce. The tuna was so fresh that it melted in my mouth. There was a nice seasoning on the outside that added a salty taste. I added a little wasabi to the spy sauce to help give the tuna a little heat.

The last thing I tried was the Blue Stew. This was a tomato-based soup that was loaded with Blue Crabmeat, potatoes, and vegetables. It was a nice savory soup because of the seasoning they used. It had a little hint of Old Bay. I liked the chopped-up potatoes they used. It added a slight creamy texture to each bite.

I enjoyed everything I tried at High Tide Harry’s. The menu is huge so I barely scratched the surface. They had a nice crowd of both tourists and locals. They are not far from the International Airport so I would pop over again in the future. Visit their website at www.hightideharrys.com

Enjoy!

T