[My ongoing series for 2016 continues ... with the FOURTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!]
Establishment: Calypso Restaurant & Raw Bar
Location: Pompano Beach
Meal: Dinner
Drink: TALL Guinness
Appetizer: Conch Chowder
Sweet conch with fresh vegetables and tomatoes in a spicy broth
Appetizer 2: Stuffed Mushrooms
Fresh mushrooms baked with our own seafood stuffing
Appetizer 3: Smoked Fish Dip
House smoked dolphin dip, served with fresh jalapenos and flat bread crackers
Appetizer 4: House Salad with House Jamaican Ginger dressing
A small salad with fresh greens, tomato, cucumber and shredded carrots.
Main: Stuffed Shrimp
6 Large shrimp stuffed with our seafood vegetable stuffing, topped with bacon then baked
Side(s): Baked Potato (with butter and bacon) and fresh Corn on the Cob
Dessert: (homemade) Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Server: Julio
Website: http://www.calypsorestaurant.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Caypso
Since vacationing here a few years ago before the big move to become a local, we always thought that the southern Florida culinary experience was barbecue ... somehow totally missing the fact that it's a about finding a place that buys fish just pulled out of the ocean every morning to put on your plate for lunch or dinner. And this is one of those places. This is also one of only two places since starting this series that has earned the highest score issued so far. Here's how:
AMBIANCE: 9/10 (in a strip mall [which is a thing down here in Florida], it had plenty of parking [although the parking lot seemed a bit potentially dangerous with lots of traffic, some of it speeding through] ...and the inside was cozy, with two dining sections and a tiki bar along the wall ... the island decorations were a hoot [see photo below for what joined us at our table] ... just one point lost for a sunset that blinded one side of the table in our party every time the door opened)
FOOD: 9/10 (with as much food as was on the table at once, the overall consensus was that everything was delicious ... from the just-the-right-amount-of-spicy conch chowder, to the kick of the house salad dressing, to the firm and flavorful smoky fish/dolphin dip [emphasis on the smoke], to the freshest of fresh seafood ... just one point lost for a feeling at the end of the meal that everything was fresh and tasty, but that it seemed like each dish was missing that extra something something to kick things up a notch)
SERVICE: 10/10 (the server made a point to go through all of the specials, and gave us time to completely review a packed menu ... and each round of food came right on time, served hot ... plus the gentleman I assume to be the owner made the rounds and checked in just often enough to make us all feel very welcome)
BACON: 10/10 (okay, I'll admit it ... I chose this seafood meal specifically for the bacon it featured, and I was not disappointed ... plus the server and the kitchen made it possible for me to get bacon added to my baked potato despite that not being a published option on the menu)
BONUS: 10/10 (+3 for having so much bacon that I was picking it out of my teeth on the way home, +3 for getting there at 7pm, which apparently was just a few minutes before the line out the door started, +3 for a menu that had so many items that ... this is a place to which we definitely have to return [+1])
TroyScore: 48 out of 50 -- aka 96, a high A (only the second time this high score has been issued so far)
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