Fish Tales

We visited this restaurant the week of January 23, 2006. We were staying nearby, had passed it on the way to Ridge Island Groves the previous week, and decided to give it a try as it looked inviting from the outside. First off, there were no table ... more

We visited this restaurant the week of January 23, 2006. We were staying nearby, had passed it on the way to Ridge Island Groves the previous week, and decided to give it a try as it looked inviting from the outside. First off, there were no tablecloths or coverings of any kind on any of the tables. The tables were set with plastic squeeze bottles for ketchup, mustard, and other condiments with the tops cut off the squeeze nozzles?? I have never seen this in any restaurant and it doesn't really seem to meet "sanitary standards". Not knowing whether this was a local Florida thing, I just accepted it . . . should have known better. I will give them kudos for their frozen drinks which were delicious. The waiter was slow as molasses and since there were only 2 other tables of people in the restaurant it surely was not because he was overworked. We were informed that the soup of the day was lobster bisque and that it was delicious. When the soup came, it was just on the cool side of lukewarm. The soup spoon was delivered on the edge of the serving plate as was one plastic packet of saltine crackers. The saltines were stale. The soup might have been ok if it were actually hot but just ok - no special spices or herbs had been added and there were no discernible pieces of lobster (this was possibly a pureed soup as some places make bisque this way). So, on to the rest of the dinner. My husband ordered their special combo platter which was catfish, gator bites, and turtle bites. I ordered the frog leg platter. Each dinner included a salad and 2 side dishes. The salads were put down on the table at the same time as the entrees. As far as I know, standard operating procedure is still to serve the salad course prior to the main course and to give the diner enough time to at least enjoy some of the salad before plopping down the entree. Salad was the usual iceberg lettuce fare with no special veggies or other types of greens added. We had wonderful salads with fresh varieties of greens throughout Florida so know that this is doable for the price range of $15+. When my husband's combo platter came, you could not tell one thing from another. Each was fried in a ball and all looked the same. He received the wrong vegetables as well. He could not tell by taste the difference between the gator and turtle bites either. The catfish was good. My froglegs were very good and a hearty portion too; however, both sides I had ordered were awful. The applesauce tasted old - like it had picked up a taste from something else in the refrigerator - and the baked potato had apparently been cooked and recooked for at least a couple of days. Yuck! Neither dinner was served hot. Again, it was all a tad shy of lukewarm. I heartily recommend that anyone thinking of going to Fish Tales in Haines City keep on driving. less

Southern Seafood, Steak and gifts. A new restaurant in a lovely new building opened Sept 2001 on Hwy 27 very close to Walmart. It has wonderful food made with their family recipes. The side dishes and starters include fried green tomatoes, fried d ... more

Southern Seafood, Steak and gifts. A new restaurant in a lovely new building opened Sept 2001 on Hwy 27 very close to Walmart. It has wonderful food made with their family recipes. The side dishes and starters include fried green tomatoes, fried dill pickle chips, southern taters, turnip greens, and sweet potato casserole to name a few. The soup choices include chilled strawberry soup, turtle soup and creamy seafood chowder. The fresh boneless catfish are served with sugared southern fritters and were very delicious. They have a gift shop in the front of the restaurant. Hours are Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Friday & Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. less