Always on the lookout for new restaurants to try, I kept checking the SeaGlass Tavern website for menu information and an opening date. While the full menu wasn’t posted on their website, the food photos looked promising. The restaurant’s website boasts, “Food crafted by the land and sea.” I waited patiently for the grand opening, though it was delayed a week due to Hurricane Ian. However, the timing worked out perfectly to take my husband out for his birthday.
I made reservations online for a Wednesday evening the week after SeaGlass Tavern opened its doors. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted and promptly seated in a large booth. Looking around, my first impression was that the restaurant seemed very dark inside. Perhaps this was done on purpose to showcase the custom made, glowing bar that is the focal point of the restaurant. While the bar area was full of people enjoying drinks, most of the restaurant was empty. Considering it was a weeknight not long after the restaurant opened, I didn’t think it was a bad sign.
Our friendly server discussed the menu with us while we ordered some wine to start. As we looked over our options, I found the menu on the small side. Because I had already viewed the menu on their website, I had seen that several menu items wouldn’t be available for another week. I’m not sure why the restaurant opted to open without offering all of their menu items, but perhaps they were trying to start out slowly. Regardless, all of the food descriptions sounded amazing, so we finally decided what to order.
For an appetizer, we chose the Crab Cake ($15), and for entrees I chose the Seafood Pasta ($32), and my husband ordered the Bourbon Short Ribs ($33) with a side of Roasted Seasonal Vegetables ($8.50). Our food arrived very quickly and was nicely presented. The Crab Cake was made with jumbo lump crab served over greens with a side of homemade tartar sauce. As someone who has eaten a lot of crab cakes at my aunt’s house on the Chesapeake River, this crab cake was outstanding. While a lot of restaurant’s crab cakes are mostly filler, this one was bursting with crab. The tang of the homemade tartar sauce was a nice balance to the crab. The Seafood Pasta consisted of shrimp, scallops, calamari, mussels and clams tossed in homemade spinach de fettuccine and creamy poblano pepper sauce. This dish had an amazing flavor, all of the seafood was very fresh and perfectly cooked and I would definitely order this again. The Bourbon Short Ribs were served over a yukon gold mash potato and herb beef cabernet au jus. The meat was very tender, and the entire dish was delicious. The vegetables were well-roasted, giving them a unique flavor that paired nicely with the short ribs. Throughout our meal, both the manager and owner came over to welcome us which we really appreciated.
Since it was my husband’s birthday, he chose the White Chocolate Key Lime Cream Cheese Mousse ($13) for dessert. I’m not a fan of white chocolate, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it complemented the key lime flavor. Set on a cinnamon crumb base, the combination of the cream cheese and mousse made this dessert very light, airy and decadent. This is a must order when dining at SeaGlass Tavern.
Between the friendly service and amazing food, we highly enjoyed our dinner at SeaGlass Tavern and definitely plan to go back. Now that the restaurant has been open for a while, I look forward to trying their full menu which includes lunch and brunch. Lunch menu items include cheese and meat boards, individual pizzas, sandwiches and fish and chips. For brunch, there are a variety of skillets, omelets, shrimp and grits, French toast and crispy chicken and waffles. Once you see the photos of these dishes on social media, you’ll definitely want to eat at SeaGlass Tavern.
SeaGlass Tavern : 4 Stars
Location: 11935 Sheldon Rd., Tampa, FL 33626
Hours: Mon.-Thur. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
