Last year I went to the Boathouse and had a fabulous time. Before dinner my wife and I had drinks on the roof-top bar and watched the sunset. Then we went downstairs for a meal that was so amazing, we both had talked about for over a year.
So, last week when we visited the Boathouse our expectations were high. Unfortunately, this time the Boathouse didn't deliver.
On this soggy day we entered the boathouse, approached the hostess, and gave my name for the reservations I made earlier in the day. The hostess looked and couldn't find my reservation. She then took a substantial amount of time trying to decide where to seat us. In all honestly, the place was half empty -- it shouldn't be THAT difficult to find us a table.
Finally we were seated at a tiny corner table and we took a look over the menu. I knew what I wanted. The last time there, I had a fantastic the crab stuffed Tilapia. So that's what I ordered this time. My wife decided on one of the fish specials. And we both decided to share an order of fried calamari, and a 1/2 bottle of Chardonnay.
The calamari was pretty bad. The light breading was good, but the calamari itself was VERY rubbery. Stop rolling your eyes -- I know that calamari is usually rubbery. This was different. It was so rubbery I could barely chew it! UGH!
Well, after that horrible appetizer I was almost scared to try my entree. Fortunately, it was as good as I remembered. The Tilapia was cooked perfectly -- tender, flaky, and still moist. The crab stuffing was a actual crab cake. Part of me likes this, part doesn't. The crab cake was so large, it was more like the Tilapia was placed on top of the crab, rather than stuffed with it. Id rather they actually stuff the Tilapia, or at least just say that the dish consists of Tilapia and a crab cake.
But aside from that the crab cake was delicious! In addition, the side of smoked gouda macaroni and cheese was delicious! Almost as good as the macaroni and cheese at Maddi's Southern Bistro!
We liked our entrees so much we opted to stay for dessert. Along with two coffees, we decided to share an order of cheesecake. The coffee was good. The cheesecake was another matter. Aside from obviously being pre-made and then delivered to the restaurant, it just wasn't good. It was chalky and tasted stale. In addition, the apricot puree it was served over left our mouths with a taste of chalky socks.
To his credit, our waiter quickly witnessed our displeasure, took our dessert, and offered to get us the chocolate mousse cake. Which we readily agreed to.
He brought the cake, and again, it was obviously pre-made, and was probably frozen. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. The Boathouse features some very good entrees. Therefore, I anticipated that they'd have homemade, or at least fresh, desserts. I was wrong.
The previous time we left the Boathouse we couldn't wait to return. This time we left, and decided that we wouldn't return any time soon.
Score:
Atmosphere: 4/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11/15
Price: $$$$$$ (Just over $50 per person)
Kid Friendly: Yes. Children and families abound at this restaurant.
Conclusion: Decent entrees, but the appetizer and dessert were disappointing. The price tag was far too high for the pre-made (and probably frozen) food.
Restaurant Info:
The Boathouse at Breach Inlet
101 Palm Blvd.
Isle of Palms, SC 29451
p) 843-886-8000
http://www.boathouserestaurants.com/bi_home.html
Showing posts with label Tilapia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tilapia. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
High Thyme (Sullivan's Island, SC)
Last week my wife and I headed to the South Carolina coast for some much needed R & R. While cruising around we hit the "Business District" of Sullivan's Island. This area is only about a block long, but it has many locally owned restaurants, most of which looked great.
One of this blog's readers suggested that I visit Poe's Tavern. Unfortunately, it was packed. So my wife and I went across the street to check out High Thyme... with a name like that, I HAD to give it a try.
The patio of High Thyme was mostly empty, so we grabbed a table under an umbrella (which I promptly ran into with my forehead), and took a look at the menu. To be honest everything sounded good. The menu focused on fish dishes (which you'd expect from a restaurant on a small island), but it also had entrees that featured pork, beef, or chicken.
Since this was our first dinner out, we decided to celebrate with a half bottle of champagne. We also decided to share the warm Spinach Dip appetizer. But for the entree, we were split and couldn't compromise -- I chose the Baked Tilapia Stuffed with Crab, and she uncompromisingly chose the Mahi Mahi Special. Who's entree would win this clash of wills? Read more to find out. :)
The champagne arrived first, and our waitress popped the cork. Unfortunately, the cork went flying as did the champagne. The bubbly goodness poured out of the top, and onto the floor. Our waitress apologized profusely, but we weren't worried -- after all we were on vacation!
While we sipped our champagne, our Spinach Dip arrived. It was accompanied by a large amount of home-made flour tortilla chips. These chips were amazing by themselves. Freshly cooked, they were still warm, and mouth watering. They added a nice crispiness to the creamy and warm spinach dip. The dip was topped with a generous helping of cheese, and the two together were divine. Combine that with the warm evening and champagne, and we were in heaven.
Shortly after we finishedinhaling delicately eating the appetizer, our entrees arrived. My stuffed tilapia was served over smoked gouda grits, and was accompanied with green beans. The grits were creamy and delicious. I'd never had smoked gouda grits before, but I want to have them again -- soon! In addition, the beans tasted like they were cooked in a tub of butter. YUM!
However, the tilapia was slightly overcooked. It was dry, and not as flaky as I would have liked. In addition, because of this overcooking, the crab lacked flavor and I was slightly disappointed in the entree. Don't get me wrong, it was good. After all, it's freakin' talapia stuffed with crab -- it's always good! But it should have been sooo much better.
My wife's mahi mahi was amazing. It was perfectly cooked, and topped with a drizzle of lemon glaze. I liked her dish so much that I kept sneaking a bite when she wasn't looking -- until I got caught. Seriously, her meal was one of the best fish entrees that I've ever had!
As we finished our small bottle of champagne, our waitress brought us each a glass of a REALLY good champagne, to compensate us for the previously spilled champagne. With service like this, our first night of vacation was one to be remembered.
Score:
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Total: 13.5/5
Price: $$$$$ (With tax, tip, drink, etc. this cost about $45 per person)
Kid Friendly: Yes. Great food, but laid-back atmosphere made this a family-friendly restaurant.
Conclusion: This is a great local restaurant, with a great service, food, and atmosphere. I can't wait to go back. Highly recommended.
Restaurant Info:
High Thyme
2213-C Middle Street
Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
p) 843-883-3536
http://highthymecuisine.com
One of this blog's readers suggested that I visit Poe's Tavern. Unfortunately, it was packed. So my wife and I went across the street to check out High Thyme... with a name like that, I HAD to give it a try.
The patio of High Thyme was mostly empty, so we grabbed a table under an umbrella (which I promptly ran into with my forehead), and took a look at the menu. To be honest everything sounded good. The menu focused on fish dishes (which you'd expect from a restaurant on a small island), but it also had entrees that featured pork, beef, or chicken.
Since this was our first dinner out, we decided to celebrate with a half bottle of champagne. We also decided to share the warm Spinach Dip appetizer. But for the entree, we were split and couldn't compromise -- I chose the Baked Tilapia Stuffed with Crab, and she uncompromisingly chose the Mahi Mahi Special. Who's entree would win this clash of wills? Read more to find out. :)
The champagne arrived first, and our waitress popped the cork. Unfortunately, the cork went flying as did the champagne. The bubbly goodness poured out of the top, and onto the floor. Our waitress apologized profusely, but we weren't worried -- after all we were on vacation!
While we sipped our champagne, our Spinach Dip arrived. It was accompanied by a large amount of home-made flour tortilla chips. These chips were amazing by themselves. Freshly cooked, they were still warm, and mouth watering. They added a nice crispiness to the creamy and warm spinach dip. The dip was topped with a generous helping of cheese, and the two together were divine. Combine that with the warm evening and champagne, and we were in heaven.
Shortly after we finished
However, the tilapia was slightly overcooked. It was dry, and not as flaky as I would have liked. In addition, because of this overcooking, the crab lacked flavor and I was slightly disappointed in the entree. Don't get me wrong, it was good. After all, it's freakin' talapia stuffed with crab -- it's always good! But it should have been sooo much better.
My wife's mahi mahi was amazing. It was perfectly cooked, and topped with a drizzle of lemon glaze. I liked her dish so much that I kept sneaking a bite when she wasn't looking -- until I got caught. Seriously, her meal was one of the best fish entrees that I've ever had!
As we finished our small bottle of champagne, our waitress brought us each a glass of a REALLY good champagne, to compensate us for the previously spilled champagne. With service like this, our first night of vacation was one to be remembered.
Score:
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Total: 13.5/5
Price: $$$$$ (With tax, tip, drink, etc. this cost about $45 per person)
Kid Friendly: Yes. Great food, but laid-back atmosphere made this a family-friendly restaurant.
Conclusion: This is a great local restaurant, with a great service, food, and atmosphere. I can't wait to go back. Highly recommended.
Restaurant Info:
High Thyme
2213-C Middle Street
Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
p) 843-883-3536
http://highthymecuisine.com
Friday, July 31, 2009
Recipe Friday: Grilled Tilapia with Sofrito
This past weekend my wife and I did some cooking. We've been trying to be healthier with our meals. So this week we made a concerted effort to have lean meats and lots of vegetables. (Not including my Tenders visit yesterday -- chicken tender sandwich, fries, and chocolate milkshake. YUM!)
This led us to look through our assorted recipe books. And after my wife decided we needed more fish in our diet, she found a Tilapia with Sofrito recipe.
If you're like me, you're first through was, "Sofrito?? What's that??"
Turns out I've had Sofrito before, but I didn't know that was the name. Think of it as a non-spicy, but VERY flavorful salsa. It has tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic. And as it turns out, it is the PERFECT compliment to Tilapia.
In addition, if you have left over Sofrito you can re-use it for other things. Add a couple of dashes of Tabasco, and you've got yourself some GREAT salsa. Or, add an additional tomato, juice from a couple of limes, and a jalapeno, and you've got a quick and easy ceveche. Add some cooked and peeled shrimp, and you've got one yummy meal! I made the ceveche last week. It was almost as good as the Tilapia.
Below you'll find the Tilapia with Sofrito recipe we used. It's from Hannaford Supermarkets (in the Northeast). Also, here's the link.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Sofrito
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 8 pieces
1 medium tomato, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled 2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves
Tilapia
4 (8-oz.) tilapia fillets
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
Directions:
1 Preheat grill to medium-high.
2) Put onion, bell pepper, tomato, and garlic in bowl of a food processor or blender; pulse until diced.
3) Add olive oil, and pulse for 5 to 10 seconds, until ingredients become a chunky purée. Add salt and cilantro and pulse until blended. Transfer sofrito to a medium serving bowl and set aside.
4) Brush Tilapia fillets with olive oil and grill for 3 minutes on each side over direct heat, or until slightly charred and just opaque in the center.
5) Place fillets on serving platter and sprinkle with black pepper. Top with 3 Tbsp. sofrito and serve immediately, with avocado on the side if desired.
This led us to look through our assorted recipe books. And after my wife decided we needed more fish in our diet, she found a Tilapia with Sofrito recipe.
If you're like me, you're first through was, "Sofrito?? What's that??"
Turns out I've had Sofrito before, but I didn't know that was the name. Think of it as a non-spicy, but VERY flavorful salsa. It has tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic. And as it turns out, it is the PERFECT compliment to Tilapia.
In addition, if you have left over Sofrito you can re-use it for other things. Add a couple of dashes of Tabasco, and you've got yourself some GREAT salsa. Or, add an additional tomato, juice from a couple of limes, and a jalapeno, and you've got a quick and easy ceveche. Add some cooked and peeled shrimp, and you've got one yummy meal! I made the ceveche last week. It was almost as good as the Tilapia.
Below you'll find the Tilapia with Sofrito recipe we used. It's from Hannaford Supermarkets (in the Northeast). Also, here's the link.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Sofrito
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 8 pieces
1 medium tomato, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled 2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves
Tilapia
4 (8-oz.) tilapia fillets
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
Directions:
1 Preheat grill to medium-high.
2) Put onion, bell pepper, tomato, and garlic in bowl of a food processor or blender; pulse until diced.
3) Add olive oil, and pulse for 5 to 10 seconds, until ingredients become a chunky purée. Add salt and cilantro and pulse until blended. Transfer sofrito to a medium serving bowl and set aside.
4) Brush Tilapia fillets with olive oil and grill for 3 minutes on each side over direct heat, or until slightly charred and just opaque in the center.
5) Place fillets on serving platter and sprinkle with black pepper. Top with 3 Tbsp. sofrito and serve immediately, with avocado on the side if desired.
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