Monday, October 10, 2011

Beachhouse Restaurant, Bradenton Beach, FL

Vacation destinations and crappy food often go hand-in-hand, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I've yet to be inspired by anyplace we've sampled so far on our Anna Maria Island beach getaway. I wanted a Gulf view so we strolled into Beachhouse for lunch. I should've known better because I've recognized a clear-cut correlation recently between waterfront dining and subpar cuisine...but hope springs eternal, I suppose.

I was glad we planned to sit outside because the interior of the restaurant did not look particularly clean and smelled old and moldy. The turquoise water, cool breeze, cold beer and frolicking dolphins did deliver, but things quickly began circling the drain once the food started coming out.

The high point:

We ordered a coconut shrimp starter, but our sandwiches came out first. My Crispy Fried Flounder Sandwich was just...for lack of a more fitting adjective...gross. I couldn't gag down more than two bites of this fishy-tasting grease bomb. And, HELLO...you should really change out your frying oil more than once a decade (I can't even describe what a disgusting aftertaste it delivered). Ugh. Fries were of the frozen variety but came out hot and relatively crisp. This $12 sandwich would not have been acceptable at even half the price.

Most of Underdog's "medium rare" burger (which was delivered medium well without a hit of pinkness) was also left on the plate uneaten.

Honestly...is that that difficult to prepare an edible hamburger or fish sandwich? Even McDonald's does both better.

Our wayward coconut shrimp finally found their way to us, and they were the most palatable of anything on the table (although clearly straight from a Sysco freezer pack).

My expectations were relatively low when I went in, but things were far worse than I ever imagined they could be. It's a good thing you don't require the luxury of returning clientele in a tourist mecca, because Beachhouse probably wouldn't be around for six months if they did. Yuck.

I am going to find something on this island to rave about before the week is up...yes, I WILL. Stay tuned!

www.beachhouse.groupersandwich.com

Beach House Restaurant on Urbanspoon

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