A Fish Spread Review
Captiva Island, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: Bar and Grill
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 2/5
Dined: October 2019
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:
We first heard about the Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar and other restaurants in the early summer of 2019 while staying on Sanibel Island to the South. We were researching restaurants on Sanibel and the neighboring Captiva to the North where the Tween Waters Island Resort is located and we found something called the Captiva Crab Races at the Crow’s Nest Bar & Grille, one of four restaurants at the resort that include the finer dining Old Captiva House, Hideaway pub and the Oasis Pool Bar. Whether staying at the resort or just visiting as a guest you can hop out of the pool and grab a bite under the sun (or under the umbrellas) at the Oasis Pool Bar, which offers grilled sandwiches, fresh salads, ice-cold beers and fruity blends, and frozen treats for kids.
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| Oasis Pool Bar / Pool |
Dating from 1931, with a few fishing cottages the ‘Tween Waters Island Resort sits between the Gulf of Mexico and Pine Island Sound and now includes 137 units and cottages that vary from standard guest rooms, studios and three-bedroom suites to two- and three-bedroom historic cottages hosting Anne Morrow Lindbergh, J.N. “Ding” Darling, and Theodore Roosevelt.
We sat at the pool bar enjoying a few drinks and had a small bite of the fish spread, a house smoke local catch from the sound, served with capers, pickled jalapeños, and diced onions. The pool menu is small but hits the spot with a smokehouse burger, grilled chicken, grouper tacos, wraps and salads.
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| Oasis Pool Bar / Bar |
The process of smoking fish or other meats goes back thousands of years and occurs through the use of fire. It began as a means to avoid spoilage and preserve meat rather than just to create great flavors as is done today. The smoking process slowly cooks the fish and dehydrates it to deter the growth of bacteria. Wood contains three major components that are broken down in the burning process to form smoke. The major steps in the preparation of smoked fish are salting (bath or injection of liquid brine or dry salt mixture), cold smoking, cooling, packaging, and storage. Smoking, one of the oldest preservation methods, combines the effects of salting, drying, heating, and smoking. Typical smoking of fish is either cold (28–32°C) or hot (70–80°C). The first commercial use of smoking meats dates back to the seventeenth century in Poland.
The craze of fish spreads which are seen in most Florida restaurants began by Ted Peters when he took the old method of smoking fish to preserve it and created a recipe turning it into a spread. Ted's original fish smoking location opened in the late 1940s. Today spreads are made from fish types ranging from mullet to amberjack to mahi-mahi to kingfish in local dives to fine dining restaurants. A rule of thumb is that the oilier the fish, the better the quality spread you will have. Fish spread often features celery, scallions, and mayonnaise and is always accompanied by crackers, hot sauce, and toppings that include jalapeños, bell pepper, capers, or relish.
On Wine Dine and Play I breakdown the fish spreads we taste on a scale of 1 to 6 by the quality of the presentation, the use of ingredients, flavor profiles and complexity, quality, texture, sustainability of the product, local sourcing, GMO’s, and the smoke flavors either being natural or mechanical. While eating the smoked spread here at the Tween Waters Island Resort, the texture was delicate, with slightly enhanced ingredients and a nice fresh flavored taste. There was good smoke content and lower sodium hints, with the added bonus that it was a locally caught fish. I rate this spread as a 4 out 6.
(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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| Oasis Pool Bar / Fish Spread |
Dessert:
We did not have dessert during this visit.
But check out some of these wonderful selections from Wine Dine and Play:
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other noteworthy Bar and Grill cuisine articles and restaurants similar to Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar:
Bar and Grill cuisine is made up of locations that incorporate restaurants that serve typical bar foods or “pub grub” but also includes grilled menu items. Some restaurants enhance the experience further by offering detailed plate presented foods along with contemporary Bistro cuisine.
Boulevard Burgers And Tap House A beachside burger joint for the carnivore connoisseur in St Pete Beach, Florida
Lucky’s Lounge slick lounge with a cool retro vibe at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts
Reflections Bar and Grill American favorites in the Westin Hotel at the airport in Detroit, Michigan
Regatta on Avon Bar, pub grub and New Zealand cuisine in Christchurch, New Zealand
Sloppy Joe’s Bar A landmark bar/pub serving Floribbean and American classics since 1933 Key West, Florida
The Dickens Inn 1800s warehouse dockside style British pub, in London, UK
The Pegasus Arms Casual tavern serving contemporary New Zealand cuisine in Christchurch, New Zealand
The Pike Brewing Company Brewpub with a locally sourced menu in Seattle, Washington
Wipeout Bar and Grill Surf shack theme with Californian and Mexican cuisine in San Francisco, California
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Sanibel and Captiva restaurants, and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Waterfront upscale new American cuisine
Sanibel Island, Florida, USA
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Contemporary dining for all meals featuring both land and sea
Sanibel Island, Florida, USA
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New American Cuisine in a casual but elegant setting
Sanibel Island, Florida, USA
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Floribbean fair owned and named after fictional character by the author
Captiva Island, Florida, USA
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Rated the best Seafood and waterfront restaurant on the island
Captiva Island, Florida, USA
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A few Florida restaurant favorites:
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Restaurant and bar hop for a prize
St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
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Modern Italian and Southern
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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Casual local Chain for traditional meals
Pinellas Park, 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 ambience, 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 Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar a 2 out of 5 stars, meaning that they were far above the average dining experience of most pool-style restaurants-bars.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar
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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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Ambience
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6
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3
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3
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Food quality
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9
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6
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3
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Plate presentation
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6
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6
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0
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Customer service
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8
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6
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2
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Alcohol and other beverages
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10
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8
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2
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Total regular points awarded
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39
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29
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10
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.743589743589744
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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0
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.743589743589744
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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- 0 - 5
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2
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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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2 of 5 Stars:
74% Rating with a 0 point “wow” bonus
Far Above The Average Dining Experience
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Corkage fees:
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Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar 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 Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar:
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Bar and Grille
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Low Carb Choices, Pescatarian, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
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Not Required
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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Tween Waters Experiences:
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Great bar, Great outdoor dining, 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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Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar has a private lot
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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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Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar 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)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
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Price
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$
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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:
$15.00 USD
Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar:
15951 Captiva Drive
Captiva, Florida 33924
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 (239) 472-5161
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Website Contact:
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Mon - Sun
10:30 am - 7:00 pm
Happy Hour:
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
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Social Media
And
Accolades for Tween Waters Island Resort Oasis Pool Bar:
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****
The world’s 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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Vibrant Downtown & relaxed coastal cuisine
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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A Parisian style bistro Rendez-vous
Monte-Carlo, Monaco
|
Modern Gastro Whole Animal Cookery
Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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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
