SEA RANCH RESTAURANT REVISITED

As I have mentioned before, Sea Ranch Restaurant is likely to crop up in a conversation about where to eat out for a special dinner.  The teen's 18th birthday was just such an occasion - and he didn't even hesitate before answering the "where do you want to go for your birthday dinner" question with a resoundingly firm "Sea Ranch"!

We went the evening before his birthday so the family could be together (not realizing they were now open for lunch with a nice new lunch menu I would have liked to try).  So off we headed on a Monday evening.  I mentioned, upon entering, that this was a birthday dinner so we would like to have a window seat if there was one available.  We were tickled pink to be escorted to the upstairs dining room (absolutely wonderful views).  The teen had a nice big smile on his face when seated and the first thing he mentioned was "wow, what a nice view".

View from the table in upstairs dining room

The ambiance at Sea Ranch - the beautiful view, the lovely decor, the white linen table cloths, the pewter chargers, the nice glassware, the linen napkins, the attentive service...that's what makes Sea Ranch such a fast choice for a nice dinner out.  The food is good - not always outstanding - but fairly dependably good.  It's the package, though, that makes the deal.

We opted out of appetizers and cocktails and just had iced tea and sodas (both kept diligently topped off) and went ahead and ordered our meals.  The teen, surprisingly, selected one of Sea Ranch's Signature dishes, their fried Gulf Coast Shrimp.  It is indeed a good piece of fried shrimp!  Fresh tasting and crisp yet succulent.  The teen also particularly admired their cocktail sauce.  He opted for two carbs for sides - a baked potato and waffle fries - both were excellent.

My hubby ordered the "Pirate Dan's" dinner, described as "delicately broiled seafood combination of gulf flounder, gulf shrimp, and scallops".  He selected a dinner salad and baked potato for his sides.  It looked awesome - I sort of wish I'd ordered what he had!

All of the baked potato toppings were served old school - in the on-table 3-bowl condiment server that we passed around.  Whipped butter, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.  Yum.

I selected the General Hector's dish, described as "gulf flounder and gulf shrimp - fried or broiled".  I chose fried...although I wish I'd had the flounder broiled and the shrimp fried.  The flounder wasn't great...it wasn't bad, it just wasn't great.  It was the only thing I didn't finish.  I ate about half of it - just no flavor.  The shrimp was absolutely delicious, exactly as I remembered it.

The teen selected a dessert to share - he wasn't wild about the items on the dessert display but our waiter said they did have just a couple of slices of a Kahlua Fudge Cake if that was of interest.  The teen jumped on it.  We all ordered coffee and enjoyed the cake in all of its rich decadence.  The presentation wasn't anything special...it was just served without fanfare on a plate (I'm guessing because it wasn't an item prepped up for service) - but it was certainly delicious with a fresh cup of coffee.  A happy topping off of a very nice evening out.

Our bill, including tip, was right at $115.  Higher end of island prices for a meal for three people with no alcohol.  But, a really nice evening out.  We love Sea Ranch.  We ate there the very first time we came here as a family on vacation, and it continues to be a family favorite for special occasions and guests visiting who want a more elegant evening out (and yes, I wore my flip flops...with rhinestones on them).

I give Sea Ranch a mixed rating...it gets a 4 for food, and a 5 for ambiance.

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:
4 – Lip smackin’ - good quality – flip flops will definitely be parked under their table again!
5 – OMG – that was an outstanding meal!  I can’t wait to go back J