Ok, I admit it, I don’t get out to the Jacksonville Beach area that often. After this review, I should though. Being that I live downtown, it can be a trek to go out to that side of town. Luckily, the General Manager of Sliders reached out to me and asked me to come. So, with that said, let me say “yes, my meal was free” but that in no way, promises a positive review. Check out the Food Porn Restaurant Review below and then the meat and potatoes of the review below that.
218 1st St
Neptune Beach, FL 32266
(904) 246-0881
Location: It’s on 1st Street between Orange and Lemon. Right down the block from Pete’s Bar. This of course means parking disaster, but we just parked at the Bank of America parking lot with about 60 other cars. We didn’t get towed.
Latest Health Inspection: 02/04/2013
Critical Violations: 5
Intermediate Violations: 2
Kid Friendly: Yes, very.
Food: I’m one of those guys that likes seafood but I’m always nervous about spending the money on it. I’m not talking about seafood from Captain D’s, not that kind of fast food seafood. I’m talking about fresh, quality and tasty seafood. In my head when I think of that, I think of small portions but high prices. Well, Sliders Oyster Bar showed me that I don’t have to worry about that.
This dinner turned out being a date night for me and the wife, so of course we started the night off with a couple of drinks. I went with the Beach Cruiser $6 (Menu Description: Cruzon Rum, DeKuyper Triple Sec, OJ, Pineapple Juice, Ginger Ale, Splash of Grenadine). The drink was nice and light and reminded me of everything that is associated with the beach. Very tasty.
For starters, we ordered a couple of appetizers to sample. First up was the Artichoke Seafood Dip $7.25 (Menu Description: This hot dip is simple and wonderful lump crab meat and Mayport Shrimp folded into a creamy artichoke mixture, server with crostini). This was pretty good, without the crostini’s, it needed salt, but with the crostini’s, it was perfect. It’s not overly spicy, so don’t worry about that. It was a perfect level of hotness. I would get this again.
We also went with the Tiki Scallops $7.95 (Menu Description: Sea Scallops wrapped with smoked bacon and served over a sweet teriyaki sauce) At first, I was a little worried about the sweetness of the teriyaki sauce, but my worries were based in stupidity. The bacon balanced it out and the sauce wasn’t overpowering at all. This was really good, I liked the balance of salty and sweet and of course, scallops are one of my favorite things from the sea. This is a must try.
Ok, this next thing is something I didn’t order but they insisted I try it. They brought out a Shrimp Cocktail. Mind you, I’m normally not a shrimp cocktail kind of guy. But let me say this. THIS WAS MY FAVORITE THING THAT I TRIED. It was so good, that I have caught myself thinking about this 3 times since then. That doesn’t happen often. There were about 5-6 (forgot to count) shrimp inside of a big cocktail glass and then it was covered in fresh cilantro and their version of cocktail sauce and topped with fresh chucks of guacamole. It was more like a salsa, not your typical sauce. Then they give you crackers to put the shrimp on. I almost stabbed my wife when she asked for another try. I didn’t want to share. This was really, really good.
For the main course, I tried one of the specials of the day: Trigger $16.95 (Menu Description: Parmesan encrusted Trigger finished with a lobster bisque). This came with a side of yellow rice, fresh fruit salad (pineapple and watermelon) and then some fresh steamed beans. This was really good. The fish was hearty and not over cooked. The parmesan crust was nice and thick to give it a good texture. The bisque was a good compliment to pull it all together. I would recommend this to friends.
The wife ordered the Lionfish $16.95 (Menu Description: Blackened Lionfish topped with a unique Island Creole, served over a bed of pineapple and lim zest rice). This was a great way to try Lionfish for the first time. I liked the Creole topping, and so did the wife, and that says a lot since she is from Louisiana. Cajun approved! The fish was nice and flaky and perfectly cooked. I think I liked this dish slightly better than the Trigger dish above because of the heartiness of the topping. It won’t leave you hungry a few hours later. Try this special, if it’s on the menu when you go and let me know what you think.
And to wrap up the evening, we went with their version of an Ice Cream Sandwich. As you can see, it’s huge! The cookies are white chocolate and Macadamia nut with homemade vanilla ice cream in the middle. This was very good, but my one critique would be that it was difficult to eat. It was sooooo cold that it was pretty hard to bite into.
Extras: Like I said, parking can be difficult out at the beach, I think that is the one detractor with ANY place out there. There is a small lot directly behind the restaurant though. I suggest parking at Bank of America like I did, just don’t blame me if they ever end up towing anyone. Also, there is tons of outside seating. I got the feeling that this is where the locals went to eat, there were a lot of familiest here, that’s always a good sign.
The Good:
– Everything tasted fresh
– Generous portions
– Family atmosphere
– Great Specials
The Bad:
– Along with every place at the beach, not just Sliders, is finding parking