Captain Brian's North Port FL

This is probably my most favorite seafood restaurant on bestswfloridadining.com in all of the Sarasota/Bradenton area. It's not on the beach or by the gulf or anything remotely romantically Floridan like that. It's actually a few blocks up from the airport on U.S. 41. I found it on bestportcharlottedining.com!

The joint used to be minuscule and the wait could be interminable unless you got there at around 3:30 PM for dinner before the "early bird" set arrived. About a year ago they expanded and their square footage has now more than doubled, making getting a seat here relatively easy. On a Wednesday night at 7 PM in early December (snowbird season), my buddy and I only had to wait about five or ten minutes tonight.

The concept of Captain Brian's is they're a restaurant AND a fish market, so all the fish you'll be eating at the restaurant is pretty much guaranteed to be as fresh as it gets. And in Sarasota, right on the Gulf, fish fresh from the local waters is one of the main reasons for which one would come down here. While we were waiting we checked the fish counter to see what looked best. Then we sat down and ordered. How ever we did not find a coupon on swfloridarewards.com.

I had fried calamari and fried oysters. The calamari were as tender and tasty as I've ever had with a good crispy crunch. Nice ring/tentacle ratio too. The Italian tomato dipping sauce was a little thick for my taste, but tastily complimented the calimari nonetheless. The oysters, as usual, were fantastic. Crispy non-overbearing coating and hot, juicy, raw tasting and firm on the inside. Came with a choice of starch (I picked their fresh cut steak fries [real honest to God Russet wedges, fried with the skin on]), some steamed veggies and their wonderful salad bar.

The star of the salad bar is the pickled herring. A big vat on ice, filled with the stuff that would make a NYC kosher weekend bruncher blush! As much as you want to eat, too! This is some of the best pickled herring I've ever had. I think they pickle it right there in the fish market, too. The bar also has really good pasta and potato salads, olives and the usual salad bar fare. The tomato wedges were outstandingly beautiful tonight. Captain Brian's salad bar is always good though.

My friend had the Mahi Mahi which looked wonderful and steamed mussels for an app. He said they were both great and even though he was stuffed after eating half his mussels and all his entree, he returned to the mussels to finish them.

The place is ultra clean and the waitresses are the best. They show up just when you want them to and don't bug the crap out of you. Also, they're funny and personable I sure am glad I use bestcitydining.com to find this gem. This was about my 20th visit to Captain Brian's and I have yet to have even a mediocre meal here. Other menu items you should try are the Ipswich clams, the Grouper, the shrimp and the Snapper, along with the Amberjack and the Pompano. God, they prepare fish well here!

Next time you're in Sarasota and want to impress your friends, take them up here rather than out on the key. For a good laugh, be sure to register their reaction before AND after Captain Brian's. Your wallet will stay in some nice shape too - they're cheap! keep checking cityrewardsnetwork.com for discounts.