C U I S I N E
A Culinary Find
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
The Pan Seared Sea Scallops are served with a coconut curry sauce at Aqua Prime.
STEVE AND NANCY WESTPHAL
of gotoSTEVES.com are well
known for their five awardwinning
restaurants, Parkshore Grill,
400 Beach, The Hanger, plus Cafe Gala at
the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, and
The Pub in Indian Shores. However, most
diners don’t realize that they took over
Aqua Prime on Gulf Boulevard in Indian
Rocks Beach almost six months ago.
Together with their talented staff, they
have spent that time retooling, rethinking
and adding their special touches to this
ideally located, boat accessible beach
restaurant. First, they enlarged the outside
patio, also adding live music and providing
more shade and rain protection to it. That
was the easy part. Their real work was
done developing a unique, well-priced
menu and program of service that will
please new, as well as the restaurant’s
already loyal, diners. The wine list, beers
and signature cocktails cover all the bases,
but it’s the food that stands out here.
To begin, there are standards like
Calamari, Spiced Seared Tuna, and Blue
Crab Cakes, as well as some unique
items, such as their own special Smoked
Fish Spread and White Bean and Fish
desserts will tickle your sweet tooth. The
Key Lime Brûlée and Chocolate Peanut
Butter Pie are incredible; but so are the
Coconut Cake with its cream cheese
frosting, one of the several flavored
cheesecakes, the Warm Apple Tart, and
the Warm Dark Chocolate Brownie with
ice cream.
They also offer a lighter menu for the
back patio and full-service bar, which
includes a Prime Burger, your choice of
a Grouper, Buffalo Chicken, BBQ Pork,
Cuban, or a Prime Rib Sandwich, a Lobster
Roll and Fish Tacos. Since they open at
noon, they have an early dinner special that
includes a salad, entrée and mini dessert
for only $14.
The laid-back ambience and attentive
service at Aqua Prime make you feel
comfortably relaxed.
9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Aqua Prime is located at
213 Gulf Boulevard on Indian Rocks Beach,
(727) 330-7724.
Aqua Prime
Photography by Gram
Chowder. Likewise, salads range from a
classic Caesar to an incredible Watermelon
Goat Cheese Salad. There are five pasta
dishes, including Gnocchi with Roasted
Pork and Lobster in a light cream sauce
over fettuccine.
For seafood fans, there are Aqua Entrées.
These include fresh catches of the day;
Shrimp, prepared grilled, blackened or
fried; Norwegian Cold Water Salmon;
Lump Blue Crab Cakes, Curried Sea
Scallops; Ahi Tuna; Rock Lobster, Alaskan
King Crab Legs and Coconut Crusted
Shrimp or Salmon with a Pina Colada
Sauce. The Prime Entrées include Filet
Mignon, Top Sirloin, Prime Rib, New York
Strip and a 22-ounce T-Bone. All of these
are Certified Hand-cut Angus Beef that has
been aged for at least 21 days. They also
serve Meatloaf, Short Ribs on the bone,
Chicken Marsala, and Mediterranean
Chicken, as well as a Surf and Turf of Filet
and Lobster Tail and a skewer of tenderloin
and shrimp. All of these entrées are served
with your choice of salad, plus one of their
side offerings such as their signature White
Bean Hummus with Warm Pitas, Asian
Slaw, or Gnocchi with Mushrooms.
If you are up to it, any one of their eight
177 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015