CUAISR ITNE
DINING EXCELLENCE
Salt Rock Grill
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Noraa
Salt Rock Grill is known for its creative cuisine that blends traditional
dishes with exciting new presentations and preparations such
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 171
Salt Rock Grill, a beach
landmark in Indian
Shores, has delectable
food, enticing drinks
and great views. It is
known for its fresh-offtheir
own-boats seafood,
hand-cut USDA prime and choice grade
beef, raw bar and amazing wine cellar,
and a 1,200-degree, indoor pit grill. The
superior service, genuine hospitality and
its location on the Intracoastal Waterway
make this restaurant a delightful
destination.
Steaks are aged for four to six weeks
and then grilled over the natural oak
and citrus wood pit fire. Since 1999, Wine
Spectator magazine has given the Salt
Rock Grill an Award of Excellence for its
selection of wines that you might not find
elsewhere, such as a Napa 2012 Darioush
Cabernet or a Rombauer 2016 Zinfandel.
This restaurant is popular because
of its ability to do so many things well,
actually better than well. Every item on
the menu is excellent. They start with the
best products and lavish them with care
and creativity. The raw bar enables you
to select from a variety of oysters from
Prince Edward Island to the York River
in Virginia and more. The appetizer menu
ranges from escargot to Firecracker Tuna,
plus lots of other choices in between, such
as a giant cheese stuffed meatball. Salads
range from a Kale Caesar to a roasted beet
and arugula.
C h o o s i n g a n e n t ré e c a n b e
overwhelming. You can choose from
Alaska king crab legs, lobster tails,
coconut shrimp, crab cakes or one of
the freshly caught daily specials such as
Yellowedge grouper, mangrove snapper
or swordfish as well as dishes such as
Atlantic Salmon, Yellowtail Snapper
Acapulco, Teriyaki Tuna and Grouper
Ponchartrain with soft shell crabs. Other
options are served from the gigantic grill
that greets you as you enter the restaurant.
Salt Rock offers New York strip, T-bone,
porterhouse, bone-in rib-eye, prime top
sirloin, filet mignon and Tomahawk Chop
steaks that you can enhance by adding
a lobster tail or Oscar-style crabmeat
with asparagus and Béarnaise sauce. If
you still haven’t found what you want,
there are four pastas and a
host of other gourmet fare
– Chicken Rock’n Bleu,
Mile-High Meatloaf,
Bone-in Pork Chop, and
Island-style Curry that can
be ordered with chicken,
vegetables, salmon or shrimp.
Chef Robert is constantly creating new
dishes and he follows through with a
dessert menu that includes Key lime pie,
crème brûlée, double chocolate truffle
torte, hot apple crisp pie, banana rum
bread pudding, fresh strawberries and a
special cheesecake created daily.
This is the epitome of a dining
experience as the beautiful setting, great
service and wonderful food are totally in
sync. Excellence is the rule here; nothing
less is acceptable. Even the sourdough
bread served with herbed olive oil is the
stuff of which dreams are made. It does
not get any better than dinner at the Salt
Rock Grill. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Salt Rock Grill is located
at 19325 Gulf Blvd. in Indian Shores,
(727) 593-7625.
as this seafood offering.