CUAISR ITNE
A WINNING CONCEPT
Seaweed Steaks Seafood & Sushi
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
The snapper wings are a favorite hot snack item at the new
When Frank Chivas closed Marlin
Darlin, we were dismayed
because it was one of our
favorite places to dine. When
it reopened as Seaweed Steaks Seafood &
Sushi, a contemporary steak, seafood and
sushi experience, we rushed over to see what
Frank had created. Now we return regularly
and never tire of its numerous choices.
Seaweed General Manager Robin Vela
and Executive Chef Mark Hrycko, who
have been friends of ours for nearly twenty
years, are both top professionals who
run a tight ship. Frank worked his magic,
carefully streamlining the restaurant, while
creating a menu to reflect new trends he
discovered during his worldwide studies
and travels.
Seaweed is definitely a place for
enjoyable dining. The food comes from
the open kitchen, a sushi bar and a raw
bar, each specializing in its own section of
the menu. To further expand your choices,
the dishes can either be shared or enjoyed
individually, depending on what “floats
your boat.” Yes, we are using nautical terms
because one of the attractions at Seaweed
is that Frank also operates a fleet of fishing
boats that supply fresh seafood daily.
Seaweed Steaks Seafood & Sushi in Belleair Bluffs.
170 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
snapper. But don’t make your choice yet,
as there is also a whole snapper that can
be oven roasted, steamed or fried, or a
tomahawk chop bone-in that is great for
sharing. Lastly, there are steaks, such as
New York strip, filet mignon, porterhouse,
rib-eye and a bone-in pork chop that
can be enhanced by special sauces such
as chimichurri, Béarnaise or brandy
peppercorn.
There are two sharing sides that we
order every time we dine at Seaweed, the
crispy cauliflower with roasted cashews,
and the Brussels sprouts with maple,
sherry and sesame. At the meal’s end, the
desserts are fabulous, but here again, we
have a favorite, the raspberry tiramisu, and
we repeatedly order it. It is a light delight
that is the perfect ending to a meal. To top
all of this, Frank has added a substantial
wine and beverage selection.
The servers are seasoned professionals
who sincerely want you to become a regular
and treat you like royalty. Everything is
“shipshape” at Seaweed. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Seaweed is located at
2819 West Bay Drive (just northwest of Indian
Rock Road) in Belleair Bluffs, (727) 584-1700.
From the raw bar, you can order five
different types of freshly shucked oysters,
or a chilled tower of cocktail shrimp,
oysters, smoked local fish dip and smoked
salmon spread. The sushi menu is separate
and includes traditional sushi in addition
to contemporary signature rolls, all made
with sashimi grade ingredients.
Cold and hot snacks range from
citrus-based ponzu or truffle hamachi to
shishito peppers in ponzu to nueske’s
candied bacon. There are steamed bao
buns (Chinese bread rolls) with selections
such as pork belly or rock shrimp. The
greens include a house salad, plus a kale
and Brussels sprouts salad and an arugula
with whipped ricotta to which you can add
a skewer of beef, salmon, chicken, pork
belly, rock shrimp or fresh fish, or order
the skewers alone. The tempuras include
rock shrimp, Caribbean lobster, vegetables
and local snapper. We love these dishes
and seem to rotate through them each time
we dine at Seaweed.
Their signature plates include a
spectacular preparation and presentation
of black pearl chicken, king crab, coconut
curry shrimp, ramen noodles, seared
scallops, black grouper and American red