Drifter's a Fine Catch for Seafood Lovers
06/25/2008 - By Trent Rowe/The Ledger Drifter's Lakeside Grill & Bar
It looks like John and Adam Aramino have settled down for awhile. They opened Drifter's Lakeside Grill and Bar on Oct. 1.
The place between Lake Alfred and U.S. 27 used to be a Thai-themed restaurant, but it had its longest incarnation as Captain Jack's.
The place is huge, with three bars and four eating areas. The best seats are by the window or on the deck, where you can watch the birds and beasts while you dine.
The menu isn't huge, but there are enough choices to make you stop while you think of what to have. The drinks menu was sticky.
We started with an order of Tropical Shrimp, really coconut shrimp, with marmalade for $7.99. Five big shrimp had been nicely cleaned and lightly coated with coconut, one shucked off the coating before it got to the table. Too often, there's more coater than coatee. Not here. About half a jar of marmalade dip was too much for five shrimp.
Lakeside Favorites is an appetizer for two or three or a meal for one ($10.99).
Three chicken fingers (one from a previous batch) and honey mustard dip would have been adequate for one person. Two out of three were good.
We switched spicy shrimp for the coconut shrimp in the platter and got four butterflied shrimp, nicely cooked, with a definite kick.
Five small jerked wings had little heat but a pleasant, herby flavor.
Soup of the day, Oyster Bisque at $2.99 a cup and $3.99 a bowl reminded me a lot of oyster stew. I expect bisque to have some body, but no matter what you call it, this had celery, onion, red peppers, fine flavor and a few great oysters in a cup serving.
Most entrees include a house or cheese-heavy Caesar salad, neither special, but both pleasant.
Our pleasant, accommodating server had a problem with the entrees. She brought a tray with the plates, put the tray on a tray stand, picked up a plate and asked us where we wanted her to put it. We wanted it where she should have picked up appetizer plates first.
Catch of the day is market price, and we were less than impressed by the size of the mahi — 4 1/2 by 3 by 1/2-inch thick. The fish tasted fine, the pale remoulade sauce nice, too, and a hot baked potato.
The price was only $10.99 ... and that included the salad. I would have felt better if we had been told the price up front. It was excellent value for the money.
Ribs and Chicken Combo ($16.89) had a plump half breast, grill-marked and tasty. Five ribs might have been hot once, but not when they got to our table. That's a shame because they had plenty of taste, not too much fat and were tender.
Mixed frozen vegetables had time to cool, too.
Spiced apples on the side needed a crust. That's a good thing.
We decided to share Fettuccine Alfredo as a second plate. At $9.29 an order it works out to $4.64 for an ample serving of great al dente pasta with a smooth, cheesy sauce. Eat it while it's hot.
Our server brought an empty plate but didn't bring spoons or offer parmesan cheese. It would have been nice for the portion to be put on two plates in the kitchen.
A puddle of garlic in the center of a 12-ounce rib eye flavored the tender meat that came from the fire medium rare, as ordered ($15.49.) Blame the cow for the considerable fat on the steak.
Desserts are bought, but Chocolate Supreme was a slice above the average chocolate cake ($4.99).
Anything found on the latest inspection, on April 4, has been rectified, an owner says.
A couple of things they could do to improve are:
Give servers some basics
Make sure food is hot.
Drifter's earns three stars.
Trent can be reached at 802-7512.
Advertisers
