Crab & Fin Restaurant — Restaurant in Sarasota

I sedom write a bad review. Today is the exception. Last night I had the misfortune of dining at Crab and Fin, and let me tell you, it was an absolute disaster from start to finish.

Upon arrival, the host seemed more interested in the tennis match blaring on the television than in acknowledging our presence. After finally tearing his eyes away from the screen, he grunted something about heading upstairs. He pointed in the general direction, completely neglecting to escort us to our table like any decent fine dinning establishment would.

Once we were seated, it became painfully apparent that this so-called "fine dining" restaurant lacked any semblance of consideration for dietary restrictions. Shockingly, there wasn't a single entree for vegans or vegetarians on the menu. In this day and age, such oversight is simply inexcusable.

As if that wasn't bad enough, our server was an absolute nightmare. Not only was she rude and dismissive, but she couldn't even comprehend a basic order. I explicitly requested that my salad and appetizer be served simultaneously with everyone else's meal, but instead, she brought them out separately and then vanished into thin air when I asked her to rectify the mistake.

Speaking of the food, it was a joke. The Caesar salad was drenched in disappointment, with barely a hint of dressing. And don't even get me started on the aubergine appetizer, which arrived at our table ice cold, as if it had been forgotten in the freezer.

But wait, there's more! My poor husband dared to order a beer not once, but twice, and guess what? It never materialized. It's as if they were trying to set a new record for incompetence and frankly, our server was downright mean.

To add insult to injury, we were celebrating a friend's birthday, and instead of bringing out dessert menus for the whole table, the server inexplicably delivered his dessert first, leaving the rest of us to awkwardly watch him eat while we twiddled our thumbs.

Overall, our experience at Crab and Fin was an absolute train wreck. From the apathetic host to the incompetent server and lackluster food, it was a masterclass in how not to run a fine dining establishment. Save yourself the headache and...

We decided to visit Crab & Fin for dinner on a Wednesday evening during Spring Break around 6:30 pm. The restaurant was packed with a line of people waiting outside the front entrance. We noticed a gentleman who was hosting patrons for the outside patio dining area, and I approached him and asked how long it would be until he could seat a party of two. Although the outside dining area also looked to capacity, he was able to find us a table within minutes.

Our waiter, Anthony, was attentive and friendly and was able to suggest some options from the menu that we might enjoy. We started out with the Oyster Tasting, which consisted of 3 different pairs of oysters that were delicious and savory. The sauce it came with added an extra touch of sweetness to the flavor. We also ordered the Pot Harvested Portuguese Octopus, which was the star of the night. The dish was cooked to perfection, with no chewiness, and had a great flavor of smokiness from the grill.

For our main dishes, we went with the Mediterranean Bronzini and the Hairman's Reserve Filet Mignon. The Bronzini was tender and was seasoned very nicely. The potatoes and green beans were also delicious. The only low point of the night was surprisingly, the filet mignon. Although Anthony had relayed to us that the kitchen is spot on when it comes to the temperature of the meats, the filet mignon was medium well/well done, when I had asked for medium rare. The seasoning on the meat was also not there and was actually kind of bland.

I still gave the restaurant 5 stars because I shouldn't have ordered a steak at a seafood restaurant, and all the other dishes were fantastic. The service was excellent, and the ambiance was nice. I would just stay away from the steaks and stick with...

It saddens me to say our most recent visit to C&F will likely be our last. We very much looked forward to splurging on ourselves (almost never happens) and dinner started wonderfully with a delicious octopus starter. The oyster sampler started well - the Rhode Island and Prince Edward Island oysters were perfect - when my wife smelled the next row (Deer Points from Washington state) and said they don't smell right. Ever the optimist, I tried one ... it was ok ... but the second was rancid and I spit it out. We were given four more - offered the PEI Irish Points for some reason, but opted for the RI wild goose. Then we ordered the bouillabaisse to share and my wife asked if we could substitute clams for mussels. A simple request, you would think - if the dish was made to order. Our server said we could substitute them for 'one clam.' Were we being punked? No. I reiterated the simplicity of the substitution and that we came to C&F for elevated food quality and service and our server once again headed to the kitchen (felt a bit like buying a car ... with the sales agent saying, "Let me talk to the manager."). She ultimately returned and said she could fully accommodate us. That should have been her first answer, especially at a place like this. The dish ended up tasting very good but the process tarnished the experience and our dinner. Again, this makes me sad because a) this dinner was a special occasion for us, and b) I'm sure hurricanes badly impacted C&F (and so many other restaurants in St. Armand's) and we were happy to give them our business. C'est la vie, I suppose, and a first-world problem when so many could never even afford a...