macca

sunday 8-10-08
macca - florida seafood grill

as i was reading the paper this weekend i saw an ad for a new restaurant in westport village. it billed live music after 7 and seemed to fit the parameters of what sounded good that day. we made the trek down to westport road and entered the architecturally gifted cityscape. we easily found the establishment and were seated immediately. we were shown to our outdoor table, where the music would be playing. the evening had brought out a full house to the patio area.

after waiting 10 minutes for our server, i decided to go to the bar, as i was in need of a libation. waiting seemed to be the attitude of all servers i dealt with, so the 6 minutes at the not busy bar fit right in. the mango and pineapple mojitos were very strong, and that is about all i can say about them. if we had wanted shots, we would've ordered them. when i returned to the table after conversing with a patron about the pga and the ryder cup, i was informed by my dining partner that we had still not been visited. i did not sit, but went straight to the manager. after explaining my plight, she personally placed my orders. the seafood fondue($9.95) was a flavorful concoction, it was just not the right consistency. it was so runny, it was nearly impossible to make the dip stay on one of the multi-colored chips from the bowl to my mouth. the shredded pork sliders were an easier eating option, and were just as flavorful. the 4 mini buns were fresh and showed that there were some good ideas going into the restaurant. a little dry, but this was the best dish, so we won't pick it apart. the manager stated she would take care of our appetizers.

for our entrees, my partner had the salmon. it had a sweet glaze on it, and was an ample cut. my everglades bucket contained fried clams, fried gator tail, and 2 crab cakes. the crab meat appeared to be imitation, although i am not sure of this. regardless they did have decent flavor, thanks to a yellow honey based sauce. the clams were best when drowned in cocktail sauce, perhaps a lighter breading would suffice. and the gator tail was very good. the bite sized morsels were perfectly battered and flash fried. the tartar sauce did them no justice, so i grazed them by the cocktail sauce and enjoyed them.

a table adjacent to us ordered the everglades pie, which is praline ice cream with whipped cream , nuts, and a graham cracker crust. it looked delicious. unfortunately, we were too full to imbibe upon such an endeavor, so we asked for our bill. when it came, both appetizers were on there. i took my daughter to the bathroom, and when i returned i saw that only one had been removed. i was very polite during the whole meal, which must have been mistaken for weakness. the manager personally deducted only one appetizer, even though she had said she was going to delete them both. what a pity. i will not return to this restaurant.