Coastal American Cuisine
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Cuisine Style: Seafood
Average Price: $$$
Overall Rating: 4/5
Dined in: April 2018
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Executive Chef:
Ana Granucci
400 Beach is across from North Straub Park on Beach Drive in downtown St. Petersburg in the area that I like to call restaurant row. From tourist magnets to places for locals it is one of many places in this vibrant and upbeat city to go and enjoy local, southern, or seafood cuisine that is farmed, caught, sustainable, and when possible not filled with hormones, antibiotics, and GMO’s. Along Beach Drive starting with 400 Beach, there are a variety of eateries from Indian, New American, Gelato, Gastro Pubs, Italian, French, Irish, and Tapas, all within a two to three block walking distance.
My wife and I have been to 400 Beach a few times from 2016-2018. The restaurant is part of the Go To Steves association of restaurants which also owns The Hangar Restaurant, Aqua Prime, Cafe Gala, and Parkshore Grill. The Restaurant is attached to the larger Morean Art Center, a community-based center that allows all ages to come in and practice art, and also has a museum with revolving exhibits.
Menu:
- Appetizers
- Oyster Bar
- Salads
- Seafood, Steaks, and more
- Sides
- Desserts
- Sunday Brunch Menu
On this visit, we enjoyed a few cocktails at the bar along with a small bite appetizer, while we were out and about walking downtown. My wife enjoyed The ‘Natural’ Rita cocktail with Don Julio Blanco, muddled limes, agave, and a salted rim, while I had the Doc Holiday, ‘I’m your Huckleberry’. Being a fan of the story of Wyatt Earp and the Doc, when I lived in the small town of Griffin, Georgia where Doc Holliday (with two “L’s”) was born, it peaked my interest beyond the movies that were made about them. The cocktail has a mixture of 44 North Huckleberry, which is a gluten-free vodka produced in Idaho, a house sour, fresh lemon, and a sugar rim.
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| Doc Holiday with 44 North Vodka |
For our lite bite appetizer, they had a new selection called Chef Dan’s fish spread. One of the many things my wife and I enjoy about the St. Petersburg dining scene is the variety of selections and the modern vibe for food trends in an upscale style priced for those that can afford it. Being Florida one of the items you will see on many restaurant menus is a classic Floribbean Cuisine fish spread. Each restaurant makes their spread differently. So as we tasted, discovering good ones, not so good, and horrible, I came up with the fish spread chart below to show how I grade the quality of this dish. For this 400 Beach selection, I rate the spread as ‘Better’ or possibly ‘Good’ on the chart listing.
Fish Spread Rating Chart:
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THE BEST - Top notch quality, excellent flavor profiles, memorable presentation, rare ingredients, organic, non-GMO, sustainable, local, immense-colossal quality of fish, and extravagant smoke flavors
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DAMN GOOD - Fantastic smoke, exceptional quality, eclectic flavor, nice display, dedicated local sourcing, beautiful quality fish, possibly sustainable, non-GMO
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GOOD - delicate, Enhanced ingredients, nice flavor, fresh taste, great smoke, common arrangements, in state local, superior quality fish
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BETTER - Nice ingredients, higher-desirable quality, okay flavor and taste, good smoke content, maybe from in-state sources, but possibly a GMO
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OKAY - Nothing amazing, a regular spread, fair quality, highly probable GMO product, might be from the state, most likely not, fabricated or mainstream smoke products
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BAD - Taste old, horrible seasoning, cheap smoke, manufactured, heavy GMO product, not local, bad smell
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| Fish Spread |
Dessert:
The cocktails were our starters and desserts for this trip.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other Noteworthy Seafood Articles & Restaurants:
Alioto’s Restaurant Historic restaurant serving Sicilian-infused seafood in San Francisco, California
Bonefish Grill Contemporary 200+ chain with a seafood-centric menu; reviewed in St. Petersburg, Florida
Capt’n Jacks Waterfront Grille Waterside bar, w/laid-back tropical atmosphere, Tarpon Springs, Florida
Copperfish Casual seafood eatery in Tampa, Florida
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood A Jazzy upscale seafood eatery chain in 9 States, review from Tampa, Florida
Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro Laid-back dockside spot for global eats in St. Petersburg, Florida
Hank’s Seafood A classy southern seafood eatery house in Charleston, South Carolina
Hurricane Seafood Restaurant A beachside Victorian-style seafood restaurant in Pass-A-Grill, Florida
Hyman’s Seafood Enduring southern seafood eatery in Charleston, South Carolina
Jack Dusty’s Nautical themed eatery with crafted cocktails and raw bar at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota Florida
Moshulu New American dining on a restored ship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar Laid-back Cape Cod-style seafood restaurant in Austin, Texas
Red Snapper Kiwi “fush n’ chups” takeaway restaurant in Sumner, New Zealand
Sandbar Restaurant A Chef driven seafood restaurant in the City of Anna Maria Island, Florida
Sea-Guini Chic restaurant with seafood & Italian-inspired cuisine in Clearwater Beach, Florida
Sea Sea Riders Restaurant Homey seafood eatery in a 1903 cottage in Dunedin, Florida
Spinners Rooftop Revolving Bistro Buzzy seafood spot & 360-degree views in St. Pete Beach, Florida
Squid Lips Eclectic and casual style seafood dishes in Melbourne, Florida
The Island Grille & Raw Bar A relaxed waterfront seafood spot with a raw bar in Tierra Verde, Florida
Waterfront Restaurant and Craft Bar, Global seafood with a comfortable feel, City of Anna Maria, Florida
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other St. Petersburg restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Innovative Finer Seafood & Raw Bar
At the Sundial
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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Rustic New American Fare
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
A top 20 on Wine Dine and Play
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A rustic restaurant also known for its burgers
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
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Lively Bar and Grill
At the Hollander Hotel
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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Modest South-Central Asian cuisine
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Organic Farmers Market in Pioneer Park
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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A Few Florida Favorites:
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Locally Sourced Café for Southern Grub
St. Augustine
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The “Last Local Beach Club”
Panama City Beach, Florida, USA
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Old School Rustic Tuscan
Gulfport
|
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Multi-day festival and tasting
Key West, Florida, USA
|
Stylish chophouse chain with surf ’n’ turf
Brandon, Florida USA
|
A Star Trek Music Experience with dinner
Clearwater / Beach, Florida USA
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See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience, and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give 400 Beach a 4 out of 5 stars, meaning that they not only exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants, but they were just outstanding. I feel that if the fish dish was not as salty and a little more attention to detail was given, they will be at five stars in no time at all. The first review score was also a 4 of 5 stars, so they have remained as awesome as they were from my last visit.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
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Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings
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Max Points Possible:
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Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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9.5
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8.5
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1
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Food quality
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9.5
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6.5
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3
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Plate presentation
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8.5
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8.5
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0
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Customer service
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9
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6
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3
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Alcohol and other beverages
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10
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9
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1
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Total regular points awarded
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46.5
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38.5
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8
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Total percentage Before Bonus
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0.827956989247312
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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3
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0.0645161290322581
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Total percentage with a bonus for the final star rating
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0.89247311827957
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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4
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
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Overall Star Rating:
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4 of 5 Stars:
89% Rating with a 3 point “wow” bonus
An Outstanding Dining Experience
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Wine List:
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Wine rating:
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7.5 of 10
Old World selections:
France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Greece,
New World selections:
Argentina, New Zealand, California, Oregon, Washington State, South Africa
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Corkage fees:
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This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge
$25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine Style:
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American, Raw Bar, Seafood
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Local, Pescatarian, Vegan Options, Vegetarian
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Reservations:
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Not Required, But Recommended
Walk-Ins:
Accepted
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida everybody wears flip-flops
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Contemporary, Modern, Hotspot, Great bar, Great outdoor dining, Good for special occasions, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Valet or Street meeter parking
Complimentary validated parking with your meal
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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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Medium
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
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Currency:
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Price
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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££
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€€
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Alcohol prices:
$ USD
400 Beach Seafood and Taphouse:
400 Beach Drive NE
St. Petersburg, Florida
33701
Contact Information:
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Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 727 896 2400
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Online reservations
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Webpage Contact:
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT - 5:00)
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Brunch: Sun
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Daily: Mon-Sat
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Happy Hour: Mon-Fri
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
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Social Media
&
Accolades:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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Rooftop Artisan Fusion Bistro
St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
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A walk into the Piemonte with a contemporary twist
DIFC, Dubai, UAE
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Contemporary Cape Malay Cuisine
Cape Town, South Africa
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“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
