The history of Clearwater Beach presents two stories, depending on where you are. Personally, I have been to Clearwater since the 2nd grade, so we are looking at over 14 years of west coach beach visits. The resort we to the first time is the same resort we went to this previous weekend. Back in the 90s; this hotel was a 4-star quality hotel with beautiful 2-room suites, a restaurant, a hot tub, a port, an outdoor bar, and an Italian ice joint. Now, it only has the pool, and lost half its property (unfortunately the half with the beautiful suites). Most of the resorts in one side of Clearwater Beach have aged rather horrifically like the one I was describing, and some of them even disappeared. One of them surprisingly was a resort built right next to the beach….....how did that fail?
On the other hand, the Clearwater Beach itself transformed from a typical beach with nothing special to a well-maintained beach with a massive tourist-friendly plaza, a long pier full of shops and places to fish, a long beach path to walk, and even a park with an outdoor theater. They were playing Pirates of the Caribbean when I visited. I think the downgrading of Daytona Beach and other Atlantic coast beaches have paved the way for an influx of tourists in the Tampa Bay area. But one of the few features of Clearwater Beach that has maintained unchanged despite the surroundings changing drastically is Crabby Bills.
Crabby Bills survived the olden days of Clearwater Beach, and is surviving well on modern times. While across the street totally changed, the roads next to it have totally changed, and the entire outlook of Clearwater Beach from a distance drastically improved, Crabby Bills have remained the same. Surviving over 27 years of changes and oil spills (**** you BP, seriously, **** you), Crabby Bills has become a major favorite amongst the locals and the tourists, much to the disdain of the competition. Every single time I passed by the place is packed with a mix of good-looking food, eye candy (tee-hee), happy families, and older couples. I finally decided to give this place a shot after years of curiosity.
The location is quite big; two floors, an outdoor patio, multiple bars. I went to the second floor and was met with quite a diverse crowd of customers. On one side, we had a very young crowd eating, and then a few families scattered throughout. Lastly there were a couple old couples (pun intended) sitting towards the windows. Not a single frown can be found, amongst the staff or amongst the people eating. I asked for what their most popular item was, and the manager recommended one of the crab dishes, while my waitress recommended the Key West Grilled Combination. The selling point was that the Key West dish has mahi-mahi, which is always a victory.
(**** you BP)The Key West dish has island rice, mahi-mahi, shrimp, and fritters. The fish and shrimp were glazed with key lime honey mustard. I ordered the plate without the rice, and chose mashed potatoes and hush puppies as my sides. The meal in total was somewhere in the $17 range. The appetizers sounded great, especially their coconut shrimp, but I was restraining on calories because of my meal the following day (The Salty Dog, which I will review eventually). The dish came in and the size was mildly overwhelming. The shrimp and the fish were of a bigger size, no cutting back here.
The mahi-mahi was spectacular in every possible way. Most mahi-mahi I’ve had despite tasty, were rather small and light. This one however packed a heavy punch, as it was thick, and juicy in flavor. Some of the best fish I’ve ever had, much better than what I am used to. The sauce wasn’t much of a supporter, but it was still tasty. But the mahi-mahi itself was definitely the highlight of the meal. I don’t know what it is about Tampa Bay and their shrimp, but they have some excellent shrimp in the west coast. First Whiskey Joes and now Crabby Bills. The shrimp here isn’t as big as Whiskey, but it’s just as flavorful and enjoyable. The fritters were the best I’ve ever had, since I am not a fritter fan. The last one I had was in a Crab House on International Drive, which was rather crappy. The hush puppies were huge, tough on the outside, and soft on the inside. They were good, and mixed well with the side of honey mustard that came with the meal. Lastly, the mashed potatoes were decent, a bit crunchier than I wanted but nothing disappointing.
I was nearly full and ready to pay the bill, until the waitress mentions a sunkissed cheesecake, which was a New York style cheesecake with an orange creamsicle kick. My weakness for cheesecake gave in, as in my life I’ve had only one bad cheesecake (pizza place in Orlando). This one came out incredible. It was a very unique cheesecake, easily amongst the most interesting cheesecake I’ve ever had (Italian cheesecake in a Royal Caribbean cruise takes the cake----another pun intended). It tasted like a very soft orange cream saver, with the usual cake kick. The entire meal was very good, and while $22 is a bit high for dinner, I got a lot of food, and a lot of good food. Not to mention, with the oil spill forcing the restaurant to find some of their seafood in other parts of the state, their high prices are definitely justified. **** you BP. **** you.
Bottom Line: Please everybody; support your local seafood joints in Florida. While most of the seafood chains receive their seafood mostly from the upper east coast regardless (according to one source), the local joints get their food mostly from around Florida and the Gulf Coast. Nonetheless, Crabby Joes is a great place with a lot of history, a lot of great food, and a wonderful atmosphere. While I originally entered this place to support my local seafood restaurants in Florida, I came out very happy and very satisfied. From the amazing mahi-mahi to the delicious dessert, Crabby Joes will have you leaving this place in a mood far from crabby.
P.S. Melanie was a great server. She was very helpful.
Crabby Bills
37 Causeway Boulevard
Clearwater, FL 33767-2003
(727) 210-1313
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