Hurricane Seafood Restaurant

Hurricane Seafood Restaurant

809 Gulf Way   

Pass a Grille, St Petersburg Florida

 I had the good fortune to visit this Iconic establishment while visiting relatives in Florida.  My sister in law told me of how, when she was a teenager, this was a favorite destination for the young crowd; it has changed much over the years but has never lost its appeal.

From a single story building serving the beach crowd; then a second story to allow for the beach crowd and casual evening dining. Later a unique third story was added which allowed for upscale fine dining adventure and a view of the Gulf.  The main floor serving breakfast, lunch and light dinner fare, is laid back with uncarpeted floors, square tables with captain’s type chairs and the area is open and airy.  You can choose to dine al fresco while watching the beach crowd across the street. 

And speaking of streets; parking will be a chore especially during the peak season, parking slots are metered, but to make life simpler for their patrons, The Hurricane does offer parking directly behind the building at $20.00 per vehicle; don’t faint, you pay $20.00 to the attendant and he in turn hands you a parking slip which you give to your server.  At the end of your meal you are handed back a $20.00 bill or you can elect to have that amount removed from your final bill.  A unique way to keep room for their actual customers.

The Hurricane features a full breakfast menu from 7am-10:50am; including 8 types of bread, 12 sides including such items as diced green peppers, sliced mushrooms, grits (remember you are in the south) and the usual sides some of which are  fries, bacon or sausage etc.  They offer omeletts (their spelling), a two egg sandwich, a quesadilla with sautéed onions, green peppers and your choice of meat, eggs Benedict or maple brown sugar oatmeal just to name a few.

Lunch offers you the full range of items, including appetizers such as “gator bites” tender pieces of lightly sautéed 100% Bayou Alligator; Conch fritters, Grouper nuggets and even fresh Ahi Sashimi.  Salads and soups including the classic Shrimp Caesar or Blackened Salmon to several soup and sandwich combos you can pair with Clam or Conch chowder. Sandwiches include such items as a Crab melt, Grouper sandwich, a grilled portabella mushroom melt or the Hurricane Burger an 8 oz patty grilled on an open flame and served on a corn dusted Kaiser bun.

Sandwiches include your choice of French Fries or coleslaw; I chose the new menu item of Grouper Taco’s( two tacos for $8.99), my sister in law chose the triple decker BLT  for $8.25 and my brother decided on the lunch special, a deep fried Tilapia fillet with fries. Lightly breaded and fried in Rice Bran Oil it was golden brown, moist and very tasty. For a lunch special the portion was large enough for a hearty appetite.  My Grouper tacos were delicious; the fish was fried to perfection and not crusted with heavy batter which allowed you to taste the fish. The Taco’s are served up on soft shells with lettuce, cilantro, tomato and a blend of cheese and a wedge of lime.  I got the coleslaw which was nicely dressed not sweet and not vinegary, to borrow cliché “Just Right”.

My sister in law’s BLT was huge not just because it was a triple decker but because of the amount of thickly sliced bacon on the sandwich.  Crisp lettuce and succulent tomato’s, thinly sliced red onions and per her choice served on Cuban bread, other choices included wheat, rye or Texas toast. She got French Fries which are made from whole potatoes with skin, medium cut and they arrived hot and crispy and lightly seasoned.

The Hurricane offers a wide range of Entrees and Surf and Turf selections along with scrumptious desserts such as Key Lime Pie, Sea Salt Carmel Cheesecake just to name a few.  Of course if you are not into fish they do offer the Land Lovers section which includes steak and chicken.  They have the Twin Roof Top Bar and happy hour is Monday-Friday noon to 6pm.  They boast the Zing Zang Ultimate Bloody Mary which is served with Greek Pepperoncini, pickled crispy beans, marinated green asparagus, olives, lemon and lime slices and a celery stalk.  The glass in rimmed with the Hurricane Steak spice and they boast it is the ultimate salad in a glass.

Souvenir glasses, t-shirts, hats and key chains are just some of the take home keep sakes offered for sale, they serve one to a crowd and also host special events.  Special occasions from Weddings to kids Birthday parties are welcome.  Check out their website at www.thehurricane.com or call them at 727-360-9558, prices range from $3.00 to $30.00 depending on current market value and gift cards are available on line.

JandD's Family Restaurant - Brigham City, Utah

J&D’s Restaurant
720 So. Main St
Brigham City, Utah
(435) 723-3811

Located on Main Street in Brigham city, J&D’s is truly a family style establishment. Booths are the mainstay with a couple of tables for larger parties and a friendly wait staff and affordable prices. If you prefer the home cooked style of food this is a must try, since the food does resemble what you would prepare at home.

They have a large breakfast menu, some three pages worth, and offer them all day long. The dinner menu offered a nice selection of favorites and they have a daily/weekly special at a nice reduced cost. We all ordered from the lunch/sandwich part of the menu. It states, “All hamburgers are one third pound served lettuce, onions, pickles and tomatoes on request. Add extra patty, $1.89. All burgers and sandwiches are served with your choice of soup, salad, tater tots, sweet potato fries or French fries.”

The fish double dish sandwich ($6.49) was served open faced with cheese on a regular hamburger bun accompanied with tater tots. The BLT ($4.79) was served on toasted white sandwich bread and with a nice mixed salad. The cheeseburger ($4.79) was served as well on a regular hamburger bun with a nice helping of French fries.

I say family style because that is just what it is, no pretentious food presentation, no swirls of some colored sauce, nothing piled on top of a mystery ingredient but most importantly a nice helping was given and not a tiny tid bit nestled in the middle of your plate. The food could have been cooked up in your grandma’s kitchen and would not have tasted better.

While we dined the staff and patrons interacted as old friends, this must be the favorite get together diner for the town. That marks a good place to eat when passing through a strange town, if the parking lot is full it must be the place of choice.