Billy's Stone Crab - Tierra Verde Waterfront Dining

Billy's Stone Crab Tierra Verde Waterfront Dining 1 Collany Rd Tierra Verde (727) 866-2115 Web Site - Menu Add Your Comments

My wife and I stopped by Billy's Stone Crab restaurant in Tierra Verde Saturday night for a bite to eat. Billy's is situated to the East of Shell Key when heading out Pass A Grille Pass. There's a break at the East end of the island that will allow you to idle through and then back to the docks.

By land, just take the Bayway to the turnoff for Fort Desoto/Tierra Verde and Billy's is on the right, look for the big sign, just after you get by the last set of condo's and before the shopping center.

There was a nice crowd, both in the lounge and main dining area when we arrived so we took a table available near the lounge but not in the main dining area.

Apparently our timing was bad as the previous couple to leave, also took with them the waiter and the bartender was left to service our table. He did a very credible job but it would have been possible to give the tables in our section the same attention as a waiter while mixing drinks at the same time.

We started with a dozen oysters and although they were large they were served at almost room temperature. A big turn off for us as we've grown accustomed to having them served cold and brought to the table on ice. I'm not sure if this is their custom as I've not ordered raw oysters here before and unfortunately I'll not be doing so again.

When the waiter/bartender returned for our order my wife selected the lobster salad and I got the blackened grouper with a baked potato and a house salad. The house salad was among the best I've had anywhere. The green olives rather reminded me of Pepins, the dressing was flavorful and it was served with a cup of crushed blue cheese. A nice touch and it went down well.

There was quite a wait after finishing the salad for our dinner to arrive. I didn't time it directly but i would say it was at least 20 minutes. It did give us time to do some people watching and to listen to the band playing mostly 70's era pop and disco. Definitely not among my favorite genre's but the crowd in the lounge was enjoying it and the saxophone was a nice break from the usual bar bands.

My wife's lobster salad was exactly to her liking. The greens were fresh and cold and the lobster portions were adequate and she had no complaints. The blackened grouper was a little light on the blackening seasoning and the portion appeared to be around 4 oz. but perfectly cooked. My baked potato was very dry, it tasted as if it had been sitting in the oven since mid-day.

When the waiter/bartender finally returned to clear our table and ask if we'd like another drink or desert and when we declined we thought that the check would be forthcoming. Wrong again, another 15 minute or so wait for him to return to ask if we'd like our check.. I still can't figure that one out.

All in all, the bill was under $80 for four Heineken drafts, a dozen oysters on the half shell,  the lobster salad and blackened grouper. We'll definitely be stopping in again as I'm sure the service issues were a matter of bad timing and our seating choice. I'll probably try something else from the menu or, if I recall correctly I could have added shrimp & scallops or a 4oz steak to the plate for around $5.