The Conch Republic Grill

I went with my wife and two cousins to celebrate my wife’s birthday. We went on a Saturday evening, and just beat the rush; we were seated immediately; by the time we were done, the line was well outside the restaurant.

Physical plant: The parking lot is much too small to handle an evening/weekend crowd, so if you’re going at a peak hour, allow time to cruise for a space. There’s a pedestrian crossing immediately in front of the restaurant that’s well marked, has a light, and, to my great surprise, the drivers in all lanes actually stopped for the pedestrians. I had to check to make sure I was still in Florida.

Atmosphere:
The Good: Cheerful, bustling, well-lit, clean, all wood with plenty of parrotheadish decoration. The tables are close enough together to make navigating a chore, but not so close as to have your neighbors elbowing you during your meal.
The Not So Good: it’s a bar and grill, and smoking is permitted at the outdoor bar. As the outdoor patrons sit at the same bar as the indoor, the smoke wafts into the dining area when the wind turns. If you are sensitive to smoke, or simply don’t think the stench adds to the flavor of seafood, try to be seated well away from the bar.

The Service: Our waiter was there in a flash. He was the perfect degree of friendly: pleasant, attentive, but not intrusive – he was there to wait on us, not join the party. It was a very busy night and he had to come back to clarify a couple of items, but he got them all correct and got them to us quickly. My cousin slipped to him that it was my wife’s birthday, and she told him that she did not want singing or anything like that; at the end of the meal, he simply brought her a very tasteful birthday dessert with the restaurant’s best wishes.

The Food: I had a glass of cabernet, a caesar salad, stuffed salmon, and baked potato. All three of the others had the grouper sandwich, but in its three incarnations: one fried, one grilled, and one cajun. My cousins both asked for raw onion to be added to the sandwich, and that’s how they arrived. We were offered bread as we waited, and it was warm, fresh, and good.
Everyone agreed that the grouper sandwiches were wonderful. As for my meal: the wine was good; the caesar salad was mildly disappointing, not because there was anything wrong with it, but because I rarely find that restaurants serve a decent caesar (it may be because keeping a true caesar on hand would be hard to do without it going bad quickly, or it may be because I have a warped idea of what a caesar should be like, but at any rate, I find that restaurant versions are usually bland and this was no exception). The stuffed salmon was simply the best meal I’ve had in weeks, and may be the best salmon dish I’ve ever had. It was cooked perfectly to my taste: most of the interior meat was cooked just enough to be called cooked – it just fell apart in the mouth. I’m no gourmet – I couldn’t tell you what was in the sauce, but it was perfect for the dish. The baked potato was excellent, but by that time I had tasted the salmon and couldn’t really think about potatoes anymore.

The Prices: I can’t be precise, because the dinner was my cousins’ treat. My entree was roughly $18, and most of the meals I considered were between $16 and $20. The portions were large and the food quality outstanding, so I’d have to say the prices were reasonable.

Overall: The place is clearly popular, and by the time we left, was spilling into the parking lot. The food quality and service really stood out. I live over an hour’s drive from the restaurant, so I can’t visit often – but I will be back.