Fish Spread On Christmas
St Pete Beach, Florida
Cuisine Style: Seafood
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 3/5
Dined in: December 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:
Sea Critters Zomato rating:
Sea Critters Café offers a unique and casual dining experience located on the waterfront inlet side of Pass-A-Grille, St Pete Beach, Florida. Set right on the water, you can come by land or dock your boat from the sea and sit down at a patio table or indoor dining room spot. The restaurant is very casual and offers a large menu of classical favorites, focused on the seafood but also accommodating people who go for pasta, sandwiches, steaks, and chicken as well. You can enjoy crab cakes, lobster rolls, shrimp, salmon, grouper, and more. The menu also features more casual meals such as pulled pork sandwiches and chicken quesadillas.
Sea Critters Café Menu:
- Appetizers
- Salads
- Soups
- Cold Sandwiches
- Hot Sandwiches
- House Specialties
- Seafood Platters
- Sides
- Desserts
My wife and I were out and about on Christmas Day and the Sea Critters Café was not only open for business but had a wait for tables. We had a few drinks, enjoyed the conversation with our server and shared the in-house smoked fish spread appetizer with minced vegetable, and served with crackers.
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| Sea Critters Café / Smoked Fish Spread |
The fish had a fresh smell and taste, very delicate and excellent smoke, and what appeared to be a higher quality locally sourced fish with lite spices, a crunchy texture feel on the mouth with the minced vegetables and light garlic. The presentation did not win too many awards considering the great quality of the spread, and if it did, then magazines and websites from around town would be talking about it. From my fish spread rating chart below which goes from 1 to 6 with six being the absolute best, I give it a five or a ‘damn good’ rating.
Fish Spread Rating Chart:
(6) 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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(5) DAMN GOOD - Fantastic smoke, exceptional quality, eclectic flavor, nice display, dedicated local sourcing, beautiful quality fish, possibly sustainable, non-GMO
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(4) GOOD - delicate, Enhanced ingredients, nice flavor, fresh taste, great smoke, common arrangements, in state local, superior quality fish
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(3) 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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(2) 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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(1) BAD - Taste old, horrible seasoning, cheap smoke, manufactured, heavy GMO product, not local, bad smell
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On previous visits my wife and I sat at the outdoor bar enjoyed cocktails and local beers, plus other appetizers and salads. We will be going more often as it is a great little dive close to the beach where we take our dogs, and close to home if we are without our four-legged friends as well.
Dessert:
We did not have dessert during this visit, but some items of interest on the menu include the funnel cake fries and the brownie à la mode.
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 or cafe food articles and restaurants similar to Sea Critters Café:
A café, cafe, or coffeehouse is a small restaurant serving coffee, beverages, and light meals such as sandwiches. In continental Europe, cafés often serve alcoholic beverages, but elsewhere the term "café" may also refer to a tea room, "greasy spoon" a “caff.”
Al Fanar Restaurant and Café Authentic Emirati cuisine, Festival City, Dubai, UAE
Café Arabesque Contemporary Middle Eastern and Levant buffet in the Hyatt Park, Dubai, UAE
Café du Monde Iconic café and coffeehouse serving beignets since 1862 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Harvest Moon Café Farm-to-Fork daily changing new American fare menu in Sonoma, California
Ohana Hawaiian Cafe Casual Hawaiian Island fare from Poke to Poi in Milwaukie, Oregon
Ripponlea Food and Wine Rustic café for modern Australian food in Ripponlea, Australia
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Pass-a-Grille, St Pete Beach restaurants, and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Beachside Victorian-Style seafood restaurant
Pass-a-Grille / St Pete Beach
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Eclectic American fine dining in a beach style resort
St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
|
Waterfront Beach and Seafood Bar
St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
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A few Florida restaurant favorites:
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Sleek chain with Hawaiian menu + sushi
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
Relaxed eatery for pizza and pasta
Treasure Island
|
Brew Pub Chain
Pinellas Park, Florida USA
|
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 Sea Critters Café a 3 out of 5 stars, meaning that they not only exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Sea Critters Cafe
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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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11
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10
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1
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Food quality
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10
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8
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2
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Plate presentation
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9
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7
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2
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Customer service
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11
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10
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1
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Alcohol and other beverages
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9
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6
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3
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Total regular points awarded
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50
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41
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9
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.82
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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1
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0.02
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.84
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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3
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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.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
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3 of 5 Stars:
84% Rating with a 1 point “wow” bonus
Exceeded my Expectations in a Dining Experience
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Wine List:
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Sea Critters Café Wine rating:
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5 of 10
Old World selections:
France, Italy, Spain
New World selections:
Argentina, Australia, California, New Zealand, Oregon, Washington State
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Corkage fees:
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Sea Critters Café 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 at RESTAURANT NAME:
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American, Café, Seafood
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-free choices, Local, Low Carb Choices, Pescatarian, Sustainable, and Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
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Not Required, but Recommended
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wear’s 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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Sea Critters Café Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Contemporary, Hotspot, Great outdoor dining, Rustic, Scenic views, Hole-in-the-wall, I 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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Sea Critters Café has a private lot + a boat dock
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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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Sea Critters Café is a non-smoking restaurant with a non-smoking 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)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
|
Price
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$
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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:
$12.00 USD
Sea Critters Cafe:
2007 Pass a Grille Way
St Pete Beach, Florida
33706, USA
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 (727) 360-3706
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Online reservations
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Sun - Thur
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Fri - Sat
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Happy Hour: Mon - Fri
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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Social Media
And
Accolades for
Sea Critters Café:
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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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French-American Fine Dining
Yountville, California, USA
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Elegant Modern Australian with Molecular Gastronomic
Melbourne, Australia
|
Acclaimed high-concept inspired Farm to Table tavern
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
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| Sea Critters Café / Patio on the inlet |
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| Sea Critters Café / Boat Dock |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
