Allan D.
Yelp
First off, we want to compliment our server John for taking good care of us and giving us some great recommendations. He deserves a lot of kudos...
Ophelia's on the Bay is a little lovely seafood restaurant that packs a punch with its exquisite flavors. The owner, who is also the chef, was performing his magical food expertise on the evening of me and my wife's 20th wedding anniversary. We did a good read through of the menu, but our waiter John gave us a great rundown of what was in store. Now what's amazing about the menu options is that the selections are ever changing; if you love a dish, you may not see it again the next time you come back. Personally, I like that because it makes the dining experience more enjoyable and surprisingly new each time you visit.
The descriptions below were taken directly from the menu.
For starters, we ordered the Maine Lobster Bisque with Brandy, Sherry, Butter Cracker Crumb and Crème Fraiche and one order of the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare "Nachos".
The lobster bisque was sinfully divine; creamy goodness with an unexpected crunch from the butter cracker crumb. I could eat that ALL day.
The tuna "nachos" were also a pleasant surprise, having a great symphony of flavors that were music to your tastebuds.
Now on to our main dishes. Disclaimer: At the time I wrote this review, the menu had changed, so I'm going off from memory from this point.
My wife ordered the Clarified Butter, Caramelized New England Sea Scallops with Potato Gnocchi. The sea scallops were cooked to perfection; it was so tender that it basically melted in your mouth like butter. The potato gnocchi was an excellent duet partner for this dish.
My dish I ordered was a Diver's Golf Black Grouper with mash potatoes, sweet potato purée and asparagus. My experiences with grouper at other restaurants were always over cooked or dry so to speak. This particular dish was THE BEST GROUPER dish in Florida. Just like the scallops dish, the grouper was cooked to perfection; flakey and tender, just like how an excellent piece of fish should be. Everything on my plate completely complemented each other. So good.
As far as desserts go, their pastry chef knows what they're doing. My wife ordered a chocolate cake that was pretty good. According to our waiter, the chocolate was imported from Belgium. Not too sweet. Just right.
I ordered the Key Lime Pie with what I assume is a key lime infused whip cream on top and a mango sauce on the bottom. Never have I ever had the taste of key lime and mango compliment each other like that. I would have loved the key lime pie be a little bit more tart, but that's just my personal preference.
Overall, our anniversary dinner was such a memorable one. The gulf view from our table was so beautiful, and the whole dining experience at Ophelia's on the Bay was second to none. We will be back in the future, and looking forward to a new adventure.