Fish House Pensacola, Serving Up the Best from Land and Sea
Story by: Francesca maxime
Photos by: Sol tucker
Pensacola, FL--
No visit to Pensacola is complete without a visit to the Fish House restaurant. True to its name, the Fish House serves up fresh catches from land and sea, with a extremely attentive and personable waitstaff and a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Under the watchful eye of Chefs John Huggins and Jim Shirley, the Fish House serves up upscale waterfront dining overlooking lovely Pensacola Bay and Seville Harbor, just steps away from the bustling downtown area known as Seville Square. While boats bob in the background at their slips, the Fish House provides lunch, dinner, and late-night entertainment to hundreds on its 3,500 square foot deck, every night.
The restaurant, with dark cedar chairs and tables and a separate Sushi room (the Captain’s Room), and the Bait Shop room (available for private parties), is as comfortable as it is classy. Whether popping in for lunch after a tennis match or having a 20th anniversary romantic dinner, the Fish House has something for everyone.
Since we’re talking fish, let’s start with the Fish House Sushi: hand rolled and made fresh to order, we tried the Florida rolls: a light, fresh roll of steamed shrimp, green onion, and roasted red pepper. Simple and light, the Florida roll is all of what Florida should be and all of what Pensacola is: refreshing, satisfying, and tasty. We tried the Bulgarian roll, as well: smoked beef tenderloin, shrimp, and Gorgonzola cheese rolled in a soy sheet, topped with raw tuna, rim, and eel sauce finished with wasabi mango . This isn’t a roll for beginners! Hearty, with tasty smoked beef rolled in the center, this roll is a meal in and of itself. The rim and eel sauce gives a bit of a spicy finish to this larger than life sushi.
There for brunch, we next tried the Creole French Toast. Talk about a way to start your Sunday! Lemon-mascarpone-stuffed French toast, cinnamon egg battered, seared and topped with bourbon-maple glazed peaches and candied pecans (another Southern specialty), it’s served with fried green apples and Nassau cheese grits. Yum yum! Just looking at this French Toast is enough to make your mouth water: the bourbon glaze and pecans were so sweet and sticky, it was hard not to want to lick your fingers after each bite. The bread, thick and crusty French, was perfectly toasted and finished with the grits? You won’t go hungry with this one.
If seafood is really what you came for, then the Crab Cake Meuniere won’t disappoint. The huge crab cake is a jumbo lump crab cake with bourbon Creole mustard, pecan meuniere sauce, and potato hay. If you like a little bite to your crab cake, this is for you: the vinegar in the mustard gives the crab a spicy kick, and the large lumps of crab meat are simply mouthwatering.
For a little Italian flair down South, the Fish House added the Pasta Genoa to the menu: jumbo Gulf shrimp, pesto seared, and served over fettuccini tossed with sweet bell peppers, artichokes, spinach, roasted garlic, and finished with Percorino cheese. Viva Italia! This dish was the perfect combination of seafood and pasta: it would make any Genoan proud to call this dish a part of home. The basil was fresh, the artichokes plentiful, and there were more shrimp than one could eat in one setting for sure. It’s a meal for two, or, at least, for two days. Don’t forget your take-out box!
The signature dish of the Fish House is, of course, the World-Famous Grits a Ya-Ya. So, of course, we had to try it. Spiced Gulf jumbo shrimp top a sauté of spinach, Portobello mushrooms, applewood-smoked bacon, garlic, shallots, and cream over a heaping bed of smoked Gouda cheese grits. Talk about delicious. The grits are cooked just right…the Gouda cheese perfectly blended into the cornmeal, providing that nice, creamy, consistency all great grits have. What makes these so special, though, is the shrimp-blackened and spiced, and the spinach/mushroom/bacon compote. The bacon gives a bit of a bite and saltiness, the mushrooms an added layer of creaminess. These grits will make you want to write home about them, and if Britney Spears had her way, no doubt the Southern Pop Star would get them delivered to her on a daily basis before shows!
With an extensive wine list (300 bottles) and sommelier, the Fish House offers upscale dockside dining to families, professionals, and friends out for a birthday dinner alike. Next door, Atlas Oyster House, serves up freshly shucked oysters on the half shell, delectable, and always fresh. The Fish House Deck has a limited menu of appetizers such as calamari and crab cakes, but offers live entertainment nearly every night of the week. Open seven days a week, and for lunch, too, the Fish House is a popular spot for night owls as well as the business set. Wednesdays are two dollar drink Ladies’ Night, for any drink in the house. Not bad, especially if you prefer a glass of $15- Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay over a bottle of Budweiser!
No one can leave the Fish House without trying some of their signature Key Lime Pie. If you are looking for a Florida favorite done right, then this is a must if you are looking for a way to finish off an excellant meal.
Decorated with several awards, including the “Readers Best” for 2008’s “Independent News,” the Fish House has, and will continue to please locals and visitors alike for years to come.
They don’t take reservations, so come early and expect to have a drink while you wait. The people watching is great entertainment. Enjoy that before enjoying your meal, and your night is complete.
The Fish House Restaurant
600 South Barracks Street
Pensacola, Florida 32502
(850) 470-0003 www.goodgrits.com
