Crave's Coastal Kitchen & Cocktails — Restaurant in Flagler Beach

I was originally shocked to find out my date for the evening was driving me over 30 miles to Flagler Beach for dinner on Tuesday evening as there are so many great eateries in my neighborhood. As we pulled into the parking lot, I was pleasantly surprised by such an inviting looking place with quite the ocean view. As we entered the restaurant, I could feel the warm inviting ambience of a tropical, beachy vibe, right down to the serene shade of the light blue wall paint and the elegant pictures and decor of beach scenes. We were seated almost immediately as a Tuesday night is not a real "date night". Although for not being a date night, the restaurant was not suffering with too many empty seats. While we were there it seemed to be a wholesome crowd of patrons. On to the dining experience... Our waiter? Charlie. Charlie was adorable. Accept that for what it is coming from a grandmother. Charlie was pleasant and smiling. He introduced himself to us and we introduced ourselves to Charlie. Charlie offered up the special(s) for the evening, but I already knew what I wanted as I went to Crave's for the Prime Rib. Charlie first took our drink orders and then came back with some warm fresh rolls to munch on while our dinner was prepared. I ordered the Queen's cut (14 oz), very rare prime rib. My date ordered the Crave's Cut (20 oz). I also ordered a side of broccoli in garlic butter, of which I was not impressed. It was flat, no taste even of the garlic and it was delivered to me cold. So, i returned it for another that was hot. Charlie was very apologetic and was happy to return it to the kitchen. I got an entirely new order of the same, but hot this time. I devoured every last bit of beef I could get from my prime rib, sans the fat and it was cooked exactly to my specification; "as rare as prime rib can be, without being cold". My date ordered his medium with a side of sweet potato fries. He had no complaints. In fact, the 20 oz was so big that my date had lunch for the next day in his to-go box. After we finished dining, sitting finishing our drinks, and waiting for the check to arrive the owner approached us and asked about everything. He was very pleasant to talk with and his wardrobe even sported that beachy vibe that I love so much. I guess at this point I would just like to say thank you to Charlie and the owner, Mike Crave for an extremely delightful dining experience. Next time I might just try a different cut of beef, like the T-bone or the Filet; or quite possibly change it up for something from the...

We dined at Craves for the first time on Sunday. There were 3 of us at the time. I asked the waiter about the prime rib and if it had a lot of fat, I would send it back. He went in the kitchen to ask about it and returned with a photo of the meat. It looked acceptable with very little fat. We ordered it and when it came to the table it seemed ok until we cut into it and it was full of fat in the middle. Very little meat to eat and burnt on the ends. Absolutely unacceptable for 35.00. I then got my order of stuffed flounder which was also disappointing. The fish was scarce and loaded with breadcrumbs. I couldn’t even find the fish. Again, UNACCEPTABLE! I did complain to the waiter and he removed it from my check. We ordered an appetizer of stuffed portabelo mushrooms . Well, need I say more? The stuffing of breadcrumbs overpowered the mushrooms that were hardly visible and burnt. The baked potatoes were hard and burnt on the outside and dry on the inside. I asked the waiter for butter and he never brought it to the table so the potatoes were left uneaten. My broccoli was floating in water and tasteless. OMG! Of course being hesitant to order anything else to eat, I left without a meal and hungry. Paid the check of $85.00 and left. Prices in this place are ridiculous for inferior food. We dine out often and I have eaten better food at cheaper restaurants. NEVER AGAIN!! “Craves”is...

Craves

I went to Craves over the weekend, my first time since the change over from Martins. It was quite disappointing to put it nicely. My server Charlie provided excellent service and the restaurant renovations were a huge improvement from the old sunken ship feel of Martins.

However, the Mahi Mahi dinner special I ordered looked pathetic when it was placed on the table. The food looked like it was slopped on the plate at a soup kitchen without any care at all. The blackening seasoning was wet and had absolutely no flavor. I had to add a ton of salt. The fish tasted fresh but the portion was very small. If I didn’t eat a salad and nearly an entire basket of bread, I would have left hungry. The other meal, breaded chicken, was just mediocre as well. The salad was probably the best part of the whole dinner, which is not saying much.

Another thing that irked me were the several up charges on the bill. I have no problem paying for a good meal, but to add a $1.00 up charge on a $23.99 dinner special is a complete joke. I know the restaurant business is tough, but this was unacceptable. Either include it in the dinner or charge more for the meal. I also did not like that the restaurant does not serve draft beer.

Overall, I was not impressed. Craves has a lot of room for...