The Oceanaire: Savory Seafood & More

When it comes to heading to I-Drive for dinner, like most Orlando residents I opt to leave those culinary adventures to the tourists. I-Drive is congested, busy, flashy and corny. You're more apt to find me on Park Ave or Restaurant Row. That's how I rolled...until recently.

In September, the cheap prix fixe menus offered through Orlando's Magical Dining Month lured my husband and me to Oceanaire Seafood Room at Pointe Orlando and boy, were we ever glad we made the trip. From the moment we walked into the 1930's luxury liner reminiscent scene we were treated like royalty and spoiled with succulent seafood.

Tucked into our plush and cozy booth, we snacked on our complimentary tray of tasty crudités while our server gave us a comprehensive overview of the menu, highlighting the plethora of fishies that had been flown in fresh that morning. We ordered our water, our wine, our meal and waited in hopeful anticipation.

Basic side salads don't usually offer a lot to impress but this night was the exception thanks to Oceanaire's signature Buttermilk Bacon dressing. Rich and creamy and probably packed with more calories than I cared to think about, I considered asking for some to go so I could slather it all over everything I ate next week.

Soon my Triggerfish arrived at the table. Covered with chunks of crab and drizzled with hollandaise sauce, this ample fish garnered one of those "you've got to be kidding me - nothing tastes this good" reactions on my face. Marc dove into his Amberjack fish served Black and Bleu (lightly Cajun dressed with bleu cheese butter melted on top) and stared back at me with the same wide-eyed delight. Over our entrees, we shared the best sort of dinner conversation you can hope to have..."mmmmm", "this is so good", "wow, this is delicious! Try mine." Any better and we would have had to reenact the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally.

Perfectly polished plates were sent back to the kitchen and replaced with our dessert selections: Key Lime Pie and Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies and Milk. When it comes to Key Lime Pie, I don't ask for a lot. I'm no Key Lime Pie Diva. I just want a good, half inch or so of graham cracker crust, only a small amount of fresh whipping cream, and a light, creamy pie with enough key lime to make me pucker just slightly at the tip of my tongue and smile just slightly at the back. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently not at Oceanaire...these folks obviously know a thing or two about Key Lime Pie. It was perfect.

As for the Cookies and Milk, there could have been just one more cookie (four instead of three) and I would have liked my cookies served warm. But hey, at that point, life had been pretty beautiful - I could hardly complain.

Our Oceanaire experience was as close to flawless as you can get. The service was great, the food was excellent, and we loved the 1930's vibe complemented by swing-like jigs playing in the background. We will be back.

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