Hogfish Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Stock Island

We’re looong time coastal Floridians, so we have our favorite places. Hadn’t been to this place before in our previous trips to the Keys, but a friend from here suggested it. The Good: Service was good except for one issue below, but she tried, she was attentive and quick. Atmosphere is the typical coastal vibe that we’re are used to at our beach so no surprise. Typical laid back, chill, beach shack kinda place. The Not So Good: Food: Conch Fritters- these are my fave and I get them A LOT everywhere I go. What we got was undercooked. Doughy and soggy inside and almost burnt outside. Disappointing, but not the end of the world. Yellowtail snapper, just bland. Meh. The Drinks- ok here’s where I got a little irked. We are by no means a big drinkers, but we have our faves and get them when we go out and make plenty of them at home gatherings, as well as my having bartended in college. A little experience there but not an expert. We ordered 2 frozen cocktails, both had very little flavor, almost no alcohol if any and were watery when we got them. They either water down the drinks or they were just very poorly made When we asked the waitress about it her response was that in frozen drinks you don’t taste the alcohol as much Really? That was rather insulting. Any casual observer would note that both of us have likely been drinking them longer than.she has been alive. It is very apparent that we’re not 21 year old, first time to the Keys tourists from some cold climate state that has never had a frozen tropical cocktail. Admittedly, she tried to make it right, offered to remake them and brought us 1 different drink on the house, but after that comment It soured us both. Paid too much for what we got and really wanted to love it. Sadly, we will...

So on a recommendation we went in search of Hogfish Bar & Grill. It took a Google Maps search to find it, but we did. It was worth the search. We began with their Lobster Bisque. It was the best we have had... maybe ever. Full of lobster pieces and chunks, a mild favor of dry sherry, and not over powered by tomato paste. It was absolutely delightful. We, my lovely wife and I highly recommend it. And the bowl is enough for a couple to share as an appetizer or to feed a hungry sailor. Next, my wife chose the shrimp and chips basket. It came with only 6 shrimp, but they were not just large, but really big. A light crispy fried coating. The shrimp were plump and juicy. Perfectly cooked with a basket of fries, a cup of slaw and cocktail sauce. The shrimp were fresh and delicious. And the six were enough for a meal. The fries were crispy and the slaw were good. But the shrimp was amazingly delicious. I chose the special; the whole Florida Lobster stuffed with Lump Crab Meat. It was served with rice, a cream sauce for the rice, and the chef's steamed vegetables. This was beyond delicious. It was probably a 1 or 2 lb spiny lobster, cooked perfectly and stuffed with lump crab meat with out peppers, onions, unnecessary breadcrumbs, but hust lots of crab with some butter and a little Panco and nothing else. It was unforgettable. Served with melted butter which it really didn't need. The lobster was sweet and naturally buttery. Cooked perfectly. The rice with cream sauce was a perfect compliment with the steam veggies. We chose to eat by the water on the deck, which only added to the ambiance. This place, this food is worth the search. We have eaten in many of the Keys eateries, but Hogfish...

“I bought a one-way ticket and never left” -Rachel the waitress.. This set the tone, let me tell you something. First off, did you know hogfish have to be speared and they have a taste reminiscent of scallops? That’s just the tip of the iceberg of what we learned about this mythical fish, some might also say, a unicorn. Walking from Boyd’s Campground, signs were clearly pointed to the Mecca of stock island. Bringing our dog, we were not sure if we could sit down and eat, the hostess placed us next to a table that was chain smoking so we knew our dog would be the least of people’s worries. We ordered cocktails first, as one should always do, and oh yeah they were fantastic, can’t even remember what they were called! Next up, the chowder starter, what can I say: would it be the New England or Manhattan? Saw that red broth, “I couldn’t believe” (Tim McGraw - Something Like That), it was def Manhattan. I mean, so much happened at Hogfish Cafe, we even met two friendly guys, I’m blanking on their names at the moment, I think it was Joe and Bob. They even invited us for coffee at the dock the next day. Can’t find that kind of folk in the big city, trust me. And to get that true local feeling, make sure you do the walk to and fro from Boyd’s, it solidifies the entire experience. Oh, one last thing. We did an up charge for onion rings, they didn’t come out at first, instead the usual fries, Rachel caught it right away and before we knew it, boom, onion rings arrived. Made fresh she said every day, get you some onion rings. All we talk about now is hogfish and hogfish cafe. Gotta get that one-way ticket just...