The Salty Tarpon — Restaurant in Punta Gorda

First and last time we will come to this establishment. My meal. The$ 35 Fathers day steak dinner. Every part of this "meal" was horrible. The "fresh" green beans. Wrinkled, shriveled, dehydrated and limp. Should have never been plated. The " loaded baked" potato. This potato may have been micro waved briefly but not sure it ever saw the oven. Also seems to have been "prepared" many hours ago. It arrived with a slit down the center and a few random bacon bits along the side of the skin. No sign of butter or any other "loaded" toppings. Had to ask for sour cream. The potato was mostly raw/undercooked. Now about the protein/steak. I have enjoyed countless ribeye steak dinners over my 66 years. The fatty marbling in the steak helps provide the flavor and tenderness to the steak. However, this "steak" was horrible. Scrawny, tough, chewy and far too much grissle. Plus an abundance of saltiness helped mask the lack of flavor. Not sure where they would have acquired what seems to be such a low grade protein. They weren't even very busy so not sure what this "kitchen" is trying to display. Whatever it is, it's not very good. Did observe a number of deep fried dishes go by us that looked okay. Perhaps that's the lane this establishment needs to stay in. As for the meal brought to me. None of it should have been plated or served. What a joke. Don't think this place will have a long shelf life with this lack of quality/oversight. Hmmm, feels like a Deja Vu moment where this same group has already failed in the restaurant/bar biz. Who could ever forget the wildly popular Belgian Monk. If you are looking for a good/quality scratch kitchen experience. Check out the Tamiami tavern. You'll notice...

Port Charlotte has seen a pleasant increase in new, refreshing and inventive restaurants, as well as just outside our borders in Wellen Park and Cape Coral. We recently enjoyed Mayon, Fusion Cantina and Salty Tarpon!

First up Salty Tarpon! We had a thoroughly enjoyable dinning experience. The Chef is very skilled in mixing components to produce delicious flavors, the chef is also skilled with cooking the ingredients to that perfect spot of just being cooked, very important with the quality seafood they serve. Scallops U-10 and jumbp shrimp cooked perfectly moist allowing the freshness to shine through. Their Lobster Bisque is decadent, silky and cream with...WITH generous chunks of Lobster. Next visit we each get a bowl, no sharing. We ordered the Scallops St. Jacques and the Seafood Risotto, both with that perfectly cooked seafood I mentioned earlier, what wonderful flavors, the menu description is understated for the flavor explosions on the palate. We sampled the Haricot Vert, again cooked to perfection with a nice blistering that enhanced their sweetness and freshness. We actually made it to desert, we enjoyed the Salted Pot de Creme, delicious blend of Mousse, cream and salted caramel, save room for desert. The menu is humble in it's descriptions as is the Chef, we met and complimented him on our wonderful dinning experience, he was appreciative but shied away from our exclamations. Salty Tarpon is exceptional for our area! We will be...

This was our second time at the Salty Tarpon. The first was so outstanding that we brought our daughter to experience it. When you walk in, the atmosphere is classy comfort. Whether you sit at the bar-close to Belgian Beer taps or the tables with padded bench and pillows, it’s the perfect seat for your dining experience. They have an assortment of nice beers, wines and exciting cocktails. They waitstaff are very knowledgeable about the food and drink and are eager to give recommendations. We have always had quick service and never waited on food, even when it was a full house. The mahi, cod, shrimp and crab are fresh and will transport you Oceanside . The Crab Louie salad should be name the crab bowl! So much delicious crab piled up with shrimp! The Black and Blue steak salad has steak worthy of a plate by itself in a fancy steakhouse (also a menu item). The calamari is crisp and tender with very light crust piled with onion straws and banana peppers. The three of us actually couldn’t finish it ! To make it even better, they have an outside patio with live music and a bar and Daily Specials during the week! There’s also a special menu “$15” or less. On Saturday night, the patio was packed, but we walked right into the dining room (but not for long!). It was a full house when we ordered. If there is a wait, go to the bar and listen to music….it is well worth waiting for. You will be transported to an Eastern seaport for a...