CUAIRSITNE
BAYOU BISTRO & TIKI BAR
A Tarpon Springs
Waterfront Treat
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Gram
The Grouper Cheeks Scampi Style, topped with tomato, spinach and feta,
is among Chef Brian’s creations at the Bayou Bistro in Tarpon Springs.
MARCH/APRIL 2020 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 169
Well-known culinary
couple Chef Brian
and Heather Healey
have opened a
delightful Bayou Bistro & Tiki
Bar at the end of Dodecanese
Boulevard in Tarpon Springs
overlooking the Anclote River,
so it is accessible by boat. Their
casual laid-back place is open
from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday
through Friday; and from
9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday
and Sunday. The earlier
weekend hours are for their
creative brunch, where the chef tweaks
classic presentations to make them new
and exciting. For lunch and dinner,
there is a constantly changing menu
of salads, sandwiches, and a number
of special entrées.
This review may be a little premature,
since the restaurant sign is not up yet
and the upstairs tiki bar will not open for
months; but on the other hand, the kitchen
is fully operational, the staff is ready, and
the small dining room and outside deck
and dock seating are open for business.
So the Bayou Bistro is ready to have you
dine there.
An interesting mixture of New England
and Louisiana-inspired seafood and
clams with Cajun sausage and
a lump crab cake. For entrées,
there are gourmet offerings
such as an 8-ounce sirloin
au poivre with brandy cream
sauce, a crab topped hogfish,
chicken leg confit, mahi-mahi
and grouper cheeks scampistyle
with lemon butter and
garlic. All are served with
Yukon mashed potatoes and
asparagus. Since everything is
cooked fresh, Chef Brian will
happily alter any ingredients
or seasoning and fill other
special requests.
Desserts include a maple, pecan bread
pudding with rum sauce and a chocolate
layer cake. The deck area around the bar
is nicely suited for enjoying a beer or
wine. Once the bistro receives its license
to serve liquor and the upper deck tiki
bar area is completed, you will have even
more reason to enjoy the sunset there.
For now, come visit this new gathering
spot in Tarpon Springs. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Bayou Bistro is located
at 607 Island Drive, (there may not be a sign
yet), Tarpon Springs, (727) 612-0073. Boat
slips are available.
unique chef-driven creations means diners
may choose a lobster roll like you could
get in Maine, or a New Orleans po’ boy
sandwich that seems as if it came directly
from Bourbon Street. The fresh fish that is
served is caught daily from boats that are
docked at the restaurant’s docks.
The bam bam shrimp with Thai chilimayo
is a must anytime of day, along
with the roasted beet salad and any of the
13 available sandwiches. We recommend
the lox and bagel, the bayou burger,
the shrimp burger, the Cuban and the
Vietnamese banh mi of roasted pork on a
toasted hoagie.
In the evening, the menu expands to
add starter items including little neck