Carol S.
Yelp
My son was here from Brooklyn. He wanted some of the amazing fresh Chesapeake Bay catch he grew up enjoying. I let him peruse our choices since he wanted a new spot.
What he found was Tautog's at the Oceanfront on 23rd Street between Atlantic & Pacific. Their menu looked fabulous. So we made reservations.
Driving up I was surprised to see that they were located adjacent to Doc Taylor's with parking for both behind. This was much welcomed because I'm suffering from a sprained ankle & walking with a cane. The parking czar showed us right to a spot & invited me to enter through the back kitchen door.
A pleasant hostess told us that our table was waiting. We were presented with menus listing all kinds of goodies that were hard to choose between.
My only disappointment was their being out of mint. So I had to settle for a Vodka Martini instead of my preferred Bourbon Smash. But that certainly wasn't a game changer.
We began with a dozen Raw Oysters. Tautog offer 2 varieties of Virginia Oysters. We chose 6 of each. Because it's an R month they were deliciously fresh.
Our entree choices were perfect. It has been so long since I've seen catfish, a staple where I grew up in Mississippi, on a menu. It looked as if the preparation was perfect, maybe even better than I had in my youth. The Catfish Filet was covered in a light cornmeal & sage coating and was baked, not fried. Hurray!! Their dish was served with a salsa & white sauce, which I asked to not be included. I explained to my server that I was a Catfish purist, having grown up with them.
Their Catfish entree is served with either Rice Pilaf or New Potatoes, the latter being my choice. I added Steamed Broccoli as an optional side.
My son ordered the Shrimp & Grits. I told the server that I never ordered that dish for the same reason. I'm also a long gone Mississippi Grits purist. I've never seen them prepared correctly in the Mid Atlantic.
When our Server returned she had told the Chef about my history with both catfish & grits. She relayed that he was under great pressure & couldn't wait to hear my verdict, :)
My verdict was absolutely perfection.
Sage added a wonderful dimension to the slight cornmeal coating. The New Potatoes were the best I've ever had. Slightly broken in pieces to better absorb the butter & parsley flakes took them from bland to ultra delicious,
My son's Shrimp & Grits were served with a barbecue sauce drizzle. Because they looked the perfect texture, I decided to taste the grits. Now this is a restaurant where I would order this entree! The grits were delicious, serving as a well formed base for the shrimp layered atop.
He also chose the She Crab Soup, which was wonderful. Surely one spoonful wouldn't add too many calories to my diet regiment.
I sent the Chef a message that both the catfish & grits were perfection. He came out to the table for personal praise.
Tautog's has a casual, beachy ambiance that is perfect for a restaurant a half block from the Atlantic Ocean. It's in an old beach cottage but has the modern touches. A television behind the bar featuring football made me wish our table had a clear line of sight.
This is a restaurant I love, love, love. 5 Stars is the correct rating for location, parking, service, food, ambiance and anything else I forgot to list.