2328 Sunset Point Rd
Clearwater, FL 33765-1427
(727) 723-2346

Well, how to describe the Sunset Grill?  Home of the Crypt Keeper with a full bar?  An old-folks-home Cafeteria?  All I know is that the decor puts you in mind of being at someone’s alcoholic-Grandmother’s home.  Before you enter you’re assaulted by a faux-StripClub lighting scheme:

Upon entering the realm of the elderly you get a view of the full bar.  When I first entered I was a bit taken aback by the full bar.  The Sunset Grill vibe lends itself to more of a “family friendly” kind of theme like a Perkins or Bill Knapps (if those are even around anymore). Close seconds for relating to this vibe are Ram’s Horn restaurants and half of the Coney Islands in the Detroit area.  The most astounding part of the full bar was that someone was actually sitting at the bar and imbibing.

The next two shots really let you soak in the wrinkles.  There’s nothing wrong with old-folks, but an older crowd generally signifies milk-toast flavors.  If I ever hit 80 years old, I don’t know that I’ll want to chow down on something that really explodes in my mouth as it’s liable to make a forcible exit later.  So, the patronage and fake pussy-willow stalks filled me with a sense of foreboding.  Mediocrity may pervade.

In the vein of fulfilling your alcoholic-Grandparent’s desires, there is a ledge that rings the entire dining room of the restaurant.  This ledge is littered with random beer steins.  Now, in another setting this might play to the establishment’s favor but these beer steins are collecting dust.  Instead of doing something interesting like letting patrons pick a stein from the wall to drink from they are merely ceremonial vestments to remind you that Grandma and Grandpa used to throw a couple back in their day.  This reminds me of my own Grandmother’s house where she has random trinkets and figurines lining the kitchen walls that are collecting just as much dust.  Who decided that this would be a good idea?  This is willfully presenting your junk to the world like it’s something to be proud of.  If it’s never going to be touched put it in a box and throw it in the basement or attic.  Enough of my kvetching, onto the Menu:

This actually isn’t the full-menu.  This is the placemat/specials menu. Unfortunately my phone couldn’t take a legible photo, but most of the items are classic American cuisine (Beef Tips with Noodles kind of shit).  The bonus to this joint is that everything is under $15.   I decided to order the ‘All You Can Eat Fried Fish’ for $9.95. Typically I steer clear of all-you-can-eat specials/items as I rarely get my money’s worth of food or the food is so god-awful that it becomes more of a “All-You-Can-Stomach” challenge.  That challenge is essentially a vain attempt to recoup my wasted dollars, unfortunately it’s a battle I always lose.  I ended up with the Fish-Challenge because it didn’t look like their were any other takers in this Land of Sagging Flesh and Liver Spots so I was hoping I wouldn’t get fried fish that had over-baked in the kitchen’s heat lamps.  One nice thing about The Sunset Grill is that with most meals you get soup/salad and bread.  I opened with Cream of Broccoli (it could’ve used far more broccoli).

As you can see, it’s all suitable diner fare.  The cream of broccoli was actually quite decent and served hot.  If you’ve visited a diner, you may have had an occasion where you received tepid soup, and I find that quite unpleasant.  Unless I’m being served Gazpacho or something similar, I want my soup so hot that it could blister my mouth and will burn my hands if I get a little too grabby with it.  This gives you more time to dip bread into the soup while waiting for it to cool.

The nice thing about the fried fish is that it wasn’t fish parts reconstituted into a triangle or square or some other non-fish shape… I actually received a fillet.  The fish tasted like it was hand battered and then deep fried, my only beef (or lack thereof, har har har) was that one of the pieces wasn’t scaled well enough and ended up getting chewy at one end.   I ended up ordered another batch of fish, as I did get the ‘All You Can Eat Fish.”  Doing so was a mistake as I could only muscle down half of a fillet of the 3 brought.  The Sunset Grill also gets a little stingy and won’t let you take home the remains of the ‘All You Can Eat Fish,’ which in retrospect is fine as the fish wasn’t anything to call home about.

Above are the still remains of a fish uneaten.  Sorry fish for not fulfilling your purpose in this world and consuming you.

In the end, the atmosphere warrants a Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.  Aside from feeling like I was eating at a retirement home, the ambiance wasn’t awful.

The food pulled a solid Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.  I suspect that they make a killer-something here but I certainly didn’t order it today.  If you have a large appetite for fish, you could do worse than order the ‘All You Can Eat Fried Fish’ special at The Sunset Grill, but if you want to be wowed I would steer clear.

-Matt in Clearwater

This resort had recently been remade, and the restaurant was the hardest hit. They brought in an executive chef, new staff, and new lineups aiming for fine dining. I ate here several times during my stay which was a little over a week.

Now, I can’t honestly recommend this for casual dining as I still got a receipt for my meal, so I’m well aware of what this should have cost me. If you’re on Mt. Hood and looking for a fiercely good meal and don’t mind the coin, absolutely go for it.

My personal favorite was the New York strip. This sucker alone costs about $40, and it had a weird citrus tapioca sauce like thing on it which I felt was inappropriate until I tried it. I had this dinner more than twice during my stay. If you like steak this is for you. Like delicious meaty butter. During my stay I ate each entree at least once, but this is the one that sticks out in my mind, and the one I continued to order once I had completed the rotation.

Primarily being a carnivore, I was hesitant to try any of the salads, but I did, as time was on my side and money wasn’t an issue. Their spinach salad got me in touch with god. No idea what was going on there, but it was awesome.

Didn’t eat enough? Fine you beast. Their desserts are awesome too. At the time they were doing a “Brulee of the Day” and as expected, all of those were amazing too.

Here is the downside. One meal consisting of the spinach salad, the NY strip, a brulee of the day, and a bowl of seafood chowder thrown in for good measure will run you around $75. Put a few Mint Juleps on there and you’re well over the $100 mark.

PS: I would steal a car for one of their Mint Juleps

-Rockstar