St. Petersburg, Florida
Dockside Drinks and Lunch
Dined in September 2015
My girlfriend and I were spending the morning driving around the city of St. Petersburg, just checking out the sights as we were both new to the area. One discovery besides the typical museums and the failing pier as it has become known, is that there are a lot of parks to walk around and see the sights, the usually amount of shopping, and of course restaurants. The large pier going out into the Tampa bay that the city government used a large sum of tax payers money to build and maintain was failing because no one really went their and the business’s were failing. Now the city is working on a renovation project using even more money, but so far no business’s are willing to buy the new slots, most likely because they feel it will be a failure like the current pier. As we traveled around, walking the parks we stopped for lunch at a location that my girlfriend had been to before many years ago, and we had our dog with us which was fine for the restaurant as well. Most restaurants and stores in this area are very dog friendly as a heads up for when you travel here. The restaurant we stopped at was called Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro, where the patio was attached to a large dock with hundreds of boats ranging from small craft to large yachts.
Follow Wine, dine, and Play:
Main review:
My girlfriend and I had just finished walking our dog at one of the downtown parks called South Straub Park before heading to Fresco’s for lunch. Like every restaurant they had a very typical indoor dining setup, but a little darker than most dining rooms. We sat on their large patio looking out at the dock filled with boats and the pier in the background. As we reviewed the menu, the server brought out a bowl of water for our dog, to which she was very happy. It was a hot summers day for Central Florida, so besides water to drink, we ordered a bottle of Chardonnay from the St. Supéry Estate Vineyard in Napa, a nice crisp wine, that was wonderful in the heat of the day as well as to pair with our lite lunch. (Scroll down below the main review to see wine tasting notes)
The starter menu consisted of Yucatan Spring Rolls with grilled chicken and bacon, Smoked Fish Spread made with Mahi Mahi, Amberjack, and Marlin, Thai chili sauced Calamari, Bruschetta, and Shrimp Scampi to name a few. We decided to share two appetizers beginning with the Ceviche dish of citrus marinated Corvina (Drumfish or Croaker Fish), with Gulf Shrimp (pink shrimp, white shrimp, brown shrimp, and royal red shrimp), topped with avocado, cucumber, red onion, tomatoes and cilantro, served with tri-colored tortilla chips.
For our second starter we enjoyed their Black N Blue Ahi Yellowfin Tuna seared rare & sliced thin, served with a seaweed salad garnish, and Thai chili sauce. Thought the appetizer was good, one notice from most restaurants in several states and even a few countries, is that the quality of yellowfin tuna has sadly decreased in flavor and quality over the years. Wether this phenomenon has to do with Fukushima radiological contamination of the sea, or just over fishing of the product in general.
The starters ended up filling us up, so for entrees we took it easy and shared a few items. From their lunch menu, they had an assortment of salads, flatbreads, quesadilla selections, pastas, “Between the bread” aka sandwiches, and of course main entree selections such as sirloin, Atlantic Salmon, Mahi, and chicken marsala.
My girlfriend and I decided to share a cup of the Lobster Bisque from the starter menu and a steak portabella wrap with sliced sirloin, portabella (portobello) mushrooms, sautéed onions, roasted red peppers, provolone cheese, and horseradish sauce. The dish came with a side of coleslaw. By the end of the meal we were cooling down from the wine, and were full to a point that it would have been impossible to have dessert.
Wine Tasting Notes:
Wine & Grape:
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Nose (Bouquet):
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Palette Experience:
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This Chardonnay presents with brilliant shades of pale yellows and green. Aromas of nectarine, white peach, lime, and kiwi combine with expressive orange marmalade.
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This is a bright, exciting wine that finishes clean and crisp with lots of exotic flavors.
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Wine Regulatory:
Food Prices
(excluding taxes & gratuity)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s**
My food bill:
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Currency:
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Price chart:
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$51.00
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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£34.00
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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€48.00
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European Union (EUR)
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€
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$68.00
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$
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$71.00
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Australian Dollar (AUS)
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$$
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¥326.00
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥
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Cost of wines and other alcoholic beverages in $$ USD:
$39.00
Review basics:
Wine selections by region:
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0 of 10
I requested a copy of the wine list for this review, however there was no response from he restaurant, so I have given their list a zero rating, and can only determine what wines they have in stock by what we drank.
However if the restaurant does send me their list, I will update this portion.
New World:
California: Napa
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Corkage fee’s:
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American Restaurant standard is $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Reservations:
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Not Required
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Walk-ins:
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Accepted
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Dress code:
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Casual
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
Hire a Babysitter.
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Cuisine style:
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Bistro, Modern, Seafood, American, Southern, Mediterranean, & Vegetarian
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Music styles:
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Background instrumental
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Hot spot, Great outdoor dining, Good for special occasions, Scenic views, Trendsetting, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
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Gratuities:
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Industry standard is 18-20% added to parties of 6 or more
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Payments:
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Street Parking
2 hour validated parking with charge
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Transport options:
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Bus, taxi, limousine, personal vehicle, and walking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio:
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Yes
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Restaurant address:
300 2nd Ave NE,
St. Petersburg, Florida
33701-3502
Neighborhood:
Downtown St. Pete
Cross streets:
Bayshore Drive and The Tampa Bay
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 27.773209
Longetude: -82.631457
Contact Information:
Maître d, Reservations:
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727-894-4429
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Restaurant Website:
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Email:
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Reserve Online:
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Social Media & Accolades:
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Hours:
Standard Time (GMT - 5:00)
Daily:
Monday
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11:30 am –10:00 pm
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Tuesday
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11:30 am –10:00 pm
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Wednesday
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11:30 am –10:00 pm
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Thursday
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11:30 am –10:00 pm
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Friday
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11:30 am –10:00 pm
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Saturday
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11:30 am –10:00 pm
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Sunday
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11:30 am –10:00 pm
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Reviewed by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE)
TTFN
