15 Years of Excellence
Mystic Fish Seafood
170 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE
CUAISRITNE
Grill & Bar
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Noraa
For 15 years, Mystic Fish Seafood Grill and Bar in Palm Harbor
has been one of Tampa Bay’s favorite restaurants.
| JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
For fifteen years,
Mystic Fish has been
the place to go for
gourmet seafood
in North Pinellas. The
restaurant has a rich heritage
as one of the owners is Eugen
Fuhrmann, who opened the
Lobster Pot restaurant in
Reddington Shores in 1978.
Then in 1985, Eugen and
his Chef Erwin Scheuringer
opened another restaurant
in Belleair Bluffs, which
reopened with a southwestern
look 10 years later in 1995,
as E&E Stakeout Grill. Next,
Eugen and Erwin opened Guppy’s on the
Beach with the sous-chef at their restaurant,
Scott Bebell, who is now chef there. Eugen
then opened the Mystic Fish Seafood Grill
and Bar on Tampa Road in Palm Harbor
with Doug Bebell, who had been the chef
of the Lobster Pot, and who is now chef
at Mystic Fish. This lineage is important
as it is this synergy that makes each one
of these restaurants special.
The attractive décor and smooth service
at Mystic Fish are a perfect match to the
fine food the restaurant serves. The menu
is filled with small plates that include
soups and salads as well as items such as
Grilled Octopus, Steak Tartare, Shrimp
Cake, Escargot “Mystic Style,” Seared
Sea Scallops and Crab Stuffed Artichoke
from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
that include many of the
regular menu items, along
with salad or soup, a fresh
vegetable and a starch. These
go well with their happy hour
drink specials.
Chef Doug is very creative
and there are nightly specials
such as Stone Crab Claws,
Panko Crusted Hogfish,
Pecan Crusted Grouper and
Grilled Swordfish.
You will always have room
for dessert here, as their
dinners are economy priced
and sized so that you can
enjoy a sweet finish to your meal. You
can have Flourless Chocolate Cake, Key
Lime Panna Cotta, Espresso Pots de Crème,
White Chocolate Bread Pudding, Crème
Brûlée, Gelato or gourmet ice cream.
The bar here is well known for its great
wine finds and unusual concoctions such
as a Half Baked Martini with vanilla
vodka, white crème de cacao, Frangelico
and Kahlua with a chocolate cookie rim.
Here’s to 15 more outstanding years. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mystic Fish Seafood
Grill and Bar is located at 3253 Tampa Road
(between U.S. 19 and McMullen Booth Road)
in Palm Harbor, (727) 771-1800.
Bottoms. In addition, there are 14 signature
dishes that are served with a salad and
your choice of side items. The signature
dishes include Short Ribs, Kona Seared
Atlantic Salmon, Chicken Franḉaise and
Shrimp and Scallop Ravioli. The chefs at
Mystic Fish are seafood specialists, so of
course, their Bouillabaisse is incredible, as
is the Bronzed Chilean Sea Bass, Maine
Lobster Tail and Shrimp and Scallop
Ravioli. For those who are more inclined
to select meat, there is everything from
a Pork Loin Chop to a Maple Leaf Duck
Breast. For steak, you can choose a Rib
Eye, Tenderloin or a New York Strip. We
consistently order the New Zealand Rack
of Lamb with a Dijon-Guinness demi-glace.
There are early dinners at bargain prices