Sun House always a good bet for great food

@BR Body bold Lede colon:Why are we reviewing this restaurant?: New Rally Hour menu offers tapas and wine deals from 3 to 5 p.m. daily.

What’s on the menu?: The Sun House offers a variety of Caribbean-inspired dishes. Entrée offerings range from the more pricey, yet delicious Grassy Key Grouper ($27) and Bahamian Lobster & Raviloi ($24) to Coconut Pecan Chicken ($14), Sun House Sushi-style Plate with fresh tuna tempura roll, blackened tuna and seaweed salad ($12) or the Sun Down Angus Burger ($10). Salads (classic Caesar, spinach, Florida fruit salad and chopped) are $7. You can add chicken, shrimp or salmon for $6.

What did we eat?: My husband and I love to eat at fancy restaurants, but can’t afford to do so as much as we’d like. The Sun House’s Rally menu fit our budget perfectly. The special menu offers any two appetizers for $10 and house wines for $3 a glass. You can add a cup of the featured soup, homemade Bermuda chips or a side salad for $1.75.

Appetizers offered included tempura artichoke hearts, West Indies wings, Shotgun riblets, crispy calamari, tempura shrimp, coconut shrimp, Bistro beef straws, Island Pebbles (sauteed baby scallops), Caribbean pork and chicken potstickers, Floribbean potato crisps, Ruby red shrimp martini ceviche, salmon sushi roll or Caribbean vegetables and pita.

On the night we dined, there were several vacationing families having fun piling up on appetizers. We chose the Caribbean potstickers and the tempura artichoke hearts as our two appetizers.

We also ordered soup off the regular menu. The Baked Three Cheese Onion Soup ($7) and the lobster bisque ($9) are two of our favorites.

The artichoke hearts were large, hand-selected from California and tempura fried. They came served on a bed of greens with a roasted sweet pepper aioli. They were crisp, not greasy, and big enough to cut with a knife. They were so good dipped in the tangy, spicy aoli that I wanted to order another plate, but thankfully restrained myself.

The potstickers were large (four to a serving) and obviously freshly made. The filling of ground pork, chicken and jalapeño was delightful and the sweet and spicy Thai chili marmalade dipping sauce was a good complement.

After a short wait our soups arrived. The lobster bisque is poured at the table in a bowl with bits of shrimp and green onion, the broth is flavored with a hint of sherry, and it isn’t too rich as some bisques can be.

Carl raved over the onion soup, which is a combination of shallots and vidalia and green onions topped with provolone, Swiss and Parmesan cheeses. The broth was fragrant and rich without being too salty and the cheese was gooey, yet crunchy on the sides.

@BR Body bold Lede colon:Do they serve alcohol?: Yes. They have a large wine list and a fun drink menu full of island-style drinks and martinis.

How was the service?: The service was good and our waitress was friendly and prompt.

How was the décor/cleanliness?: The Sun House is named appropriately with its bright, sunny interior. Island-themed paintings and knickknacks adorn the walls without being tacky. The restaurant sits on the third floor in a building on the corner of Bridge Street and Gulf Drive, so anywhere you sit you have a good view. There is outdoor dining available on the deck and the restaurant is all non-smoking, even outdoors.

What was our verdict?: The Rally Menu is a great way to sample a lot of dishes for not a lot of money. We will definitely be back for more tempura artichoke hearts.