Name of restaurant: The Cortez Kitchen in the historic Cortez Fishing Village.
What’s on the menu?: Appetizers include several sushi rolls featuring tuna, grouper, shrimp or you can be adventurous and try the Cortez Roll which features mullet ($7.50-$8.99). Other offerings are coconut shrimp, Buffalo wings, chicken tenders, fried mushrooms and more. Sandwiches and baskets include the grouper or Buffalo grouper sandwich for $10.99, soft-shell crab sandwich ($8.99), Cubans, hamburgers and more. Entrees include stone crabs (market price/in season), steamer pots ($17.99), shrimp ($14.99) and the popular grouper dinner ($15.99), which features fresh domestic Gulf grouper filleted in-house. Don’t forget to check the specials board, which usually contains items such as lobster bisque (rich and creamy), catch of the day and the Cortez specialty — smoked mullet.
What did you eat?: My husband and I have been to this restaurant many times, mainly when we have a craving for fresh fish because I can’t cook it as well as the Cortez Kitchen chefs do. Our favorite is the grouper dinner which comes fried, grilled or blackened with a choice of two sides. Side dishes include fries, hush puppies, cheese grits, steamed broccoli or asparagus, rice, coleslaw, okra, onion rings or macaroni and cheese. Last Friday, we shared the fried grouper dinner with cheese grits and broccoli. The entree included two large, thick filets of fresh grouper fried crispy, but not greasy. We loved the broccoli, which was steamed a bright green and had garlic bits studded throughout. The cheese grits are a favorite of mine, super creamy with just a hint of cheese. When we are looking for lighter fare, I order the peel-and-eat shrimp ($6.99 half-pound/$10.99 pound). The large, firm and flavorful shrimp are served on a bed of ice with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce. They also serve great raw oysters in season. Carl loves the pan-seared tuna appetizer ($9.99 for about 6-8 pieces), which he orders blackened.
The tuna, served with wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger, is wonderfully fresh and delicate. The blackened crust provides a welcome kick.
Do they serve alcohol?: The restaurant offers a full bar, including a great margarita.
How was the service?: This place gets crowded on weekends, especially in season, but the wait staff is pretty punctual. On Friday, our server Nancy was very pleasant and checked on us several times throughout the meal to make sure we had everything we needed.
How was the décor/cleanliness?: The restaurant is basically a covered patio set along the Sarasota Bay (bring bug spray if dining at sunset because the no-see-ums come out). There’s a fish market next door and you can watch boats unload their catch if your timing is right. You can also watch boaters dock and dine, which is always entertaining if they’re not doing it properly.
Is the restaurant family friendly?: The kid’s menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese (the familiar box kind), each for $4.99.
What type of clientele does the restaurant attract?: The clientele is comprised of both young and old, tourists and locals. There are live bands Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.
What was our verdict?: The Cortez Kitchen is a great place for fresh seafood in a casual waterfront setting.
