Island Way Grill Review-Clearwater Beach

Restaurant website located here.

This was one of the recommendations we had that’s probably worth trying.  It was our best meal of the trip.  I wouldn’t put it amongst the greatest restaurants I’ve dined at, but I definitely think it’s near the top in terms of local Clearwater Beach restaurants.

The menu is mostly seafood, with a smattering of steaks.  They dry age their own steaks, which made me want to order one.  We started with a bit of sushi and a seafood tower.

As you can see, after we finished off a bottle of champagne we transitioned to the 2007 Paraduxx, which is a wine I find we order frequently when we come across it on wine lists.  It’s usually a predominately Zinfandel blend with generous helpings of Cabernet Sauvignon and other grapes. The crab legs that were part of the seafood tower were probably the best tasting item we had, along with a very tasty tuna ceviche.

My wife ordered a tuna special and I ordered steak for entrees.  My steak was just okay.  They made it au poivre, even thought I didn’t ask for it.  I don’t mind pepper, but I find au poivre just overwhelms the taste of the steak.  The tuna looked wonderful.  Unfortunately, both my wife and cousin who ordered it found it very fatty.  Entrees were in the $30+ range, so I think a bit better tuna quality was expected here.

We finished up with some enjoyable desserts, including a chocolate cheesecake.  The restaurant boasts that they make their desserts onsite, which seems likely based on the quality.

Transplant this restaurant to New York or Chicago and you’ll definitely find better choices.  But, I think this stands up well to the other restaurants we dined at.