The Sea Hut

Reviews 5

SO

Sophia Marie Herrick Scott

After reading the myriad of reviews I set out with great trepidation. I was determined not to whine, just eat and ignore the dubious palatability of the food. This place was chosen by our friends for convenience and we were there primarily for the camaraderie; although fine dining is one of the greater passions in my life. I will eat almost anything – as I’ve proven in my travels around the world – but that doesn’t mean I suffer or feign to appreciate poorly prepared food. Since the reviews on the various sites were mixed, I decided not to experiment but go with what was consistently good to excellent. The 3-crab soup had the best reviews, so that was on my list and their special was stone crabs. It’s hard to destroy them. My husband and I had both. The 3-crab soup would have been genuinely exquisite if I hadn’t detected a slightly scorched taste. My husband never noticed it. The spinach salad was a perfect accompaniment: simple, fresh and with a delectable warm & complex dressing about which everyone raved. The bread was a dark standard issue small loaf. The stone crabs were excellent. We had them warm, for fear that the cold ones would taste like they’d been stored for a day or two. I prefer them a bit larger, but they were well prepared and adequately pre-cracked. Our waitress Angie was quick, intuitive and possessed a genuine smile that made us feel welcomed and glad to be a part of her day – she made us feel at home. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the travesty of the meal – the key lime pie, which we didn’t even finish. The topping tasted like sweet Dream Whip – Angie assured me that it was real whipped cream - and the filling was reminiscent of a box pie from a 7-11. We were soooo sorry that we ended, an otherwise delightful lunch, with such an unpalatable item. Others enjoyed the clam chowder and crab cake, but some of the fried food was basically diner quality, but not greasy. I really liked the atmosphere – yes dated as some have pointed out - but really au natural and pleasant on the banks of the waterway. It’s a nice reprieve from the brass spittoon places and faux antique interiors. This is genuine Ole Florida, very few left. It’s the kind of place that invokes a “yes ma’am”, “you’re mighty kind”, and “bless her heart”. I would have given them 5-stars except for the mildly scorched 3-crab soup, seriously weak sweet tea, and totally abominable key lime pie. I’m tempted to send them a couple excellent key lime pie recipes that make you hunger for this lower Florida delectable. I’m actually looking forward to going back - for the soup and salad.

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Kristen Jarvi

Went here on the recommendation of a local relative. Trying to find something positive about it. The hostess was very nice and accommodating. Parking was easy at 4 PM. We didnt have to wait to be seated. Our server was very friendly. The meal started off well, though the server had a hard time getting the orders straight. I ordered fried clams for the dinner menu, not thinking that I should have said whole belly. I didnt see anything else on the menu, nor did the server ask me if I wanted strips or whole belly. The spinach salad was quite good, as were the pickled beets. When my meal came and it was strips, I asked why I didnt get whole belly. The server told me that I didnt ask for them, I just asked for fried clams. I sent them back and got the whole bellies which were less than desirable. Not the type of fresh whole belly clams that Im used to in a fish restaurant. The only thing special about the shrimp scampi was the price. They were just shrimp cooked in butter with no seasoning. The black beans came right out of the can, with no added seasonings. As the server was clearing the table, she dropped my fork on my lap, saying "oops". No apology or anything. Then we got the bill. The couple we were with got charged for our beer and we got charged $3 for a "hot food item". We sent the checks back and they came back wrong again. I asked what the $3 charge was for and was told that it was for the upgrade for the clams. I said I didnt realize there was another item on the menu. I was told that the manager told the server to charge me. She then brought me the menu to show me what I really should have ordered with a bit of an attitude at this point. I asked to see the manager twice, waited about 15 minutes and no manager. Needless to say, it was less than an optimal experience.

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A Private User

Let me start with the one good thing.... the black beans and rice. They were awesome! Otherwise, the place is a no go. Crab Trap is very expensive. Just too pricey for what you get in return. Food: clam chowder was all chowder, no clam. Crackers stale. Blackened Mahi was very salty, wouldve been good otherwise. Slaw and bread were decent. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy; for the prices youd think they would do some upgrades. When you want patrons to pay those prices...the staff, the atmosphere and the food should represent higher quality and standards. The staff wasnt professional looking; we didnt see anyone that looked like they were working in an expensive seafood restaurant. Our waitress was awful looking; her hair was a mess, her clothes were too. She wasnt friendly. She coughed and just about hacked up a lung right at our table when taking our order...disgusting. She really should have excused herself for that one. Im not trying to be unreasonable, I realize that they are working and cant look like supermodels or something, but the place as a whole was just unacceptable.

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Tim Smith

This is our first time back in 8 years. Last time in not so good. We were hoping that this maybe our go to location as we live right behind the location. Arrived around 6:30 pm and had a cocktail at the bar prior to seating. When we were seated the butter tray had open and empty butter packets in it? Doesnt anyone bus the tables? Ordered the crab dip and it was fabulous. Roll were hot and tasty. I ordered the crab imperial and the wife ordered the sauteed soft shell crab both with the spinach salad. The salad was good. my crab was great but the wifes soft shell was not. very greasy, must have been from low oil temp. She said never again would she order this.:-( The wait staff was nice and friendly but our server should take some time to get to know their customer better. They need to make you feel like family not just another table to turn. Overall I think we may return again.....

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justin williams

Crab trap? What they mean is a bad food trap. So this review may not make the review of the day, but it will hopefully help customers choose a better seafood option in the area. The 2 stars are for the outdoor ambience. The lack of stars are for the food. The chips and pico: the chips tasted like they were from a bag found on a shelf after a couple years. The guac tasted like it came out of a bag. And the sour cream - oh nice, in a single serve cup. So you shop at Costco. Great. The breading on the calamari was less than tasty. The coconut shrimp tasted like it was from a microwave dinner. Remember, the 2 stars so far was from the river view. Very nice. Hopefully this sad review will be buried by the time you guys discover youre in the restaurant business - not the Costco resale business. Come on crab trap. Be a crab shack!

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