Mr. Manatee’s remains local seafood favorite
- Diana Foote

With his cocky straw hat, Mr. Woodruff Manatee has become a symbol of Vero Beach, much like Santa Claus is to the North Pole.

At least it feels that way at Woodruff’s home base, Mr. Manatee’s. Restaurants open and close here as fast as Broadway shows; Mr. Manatee’s has been serving fish, barbecue and seriously fresh raw bar for 17 or 18 years. Nobody there knows for sure.

That’s because they are wildly busy seven days a week, with families and first dates and soccer teams and birthday girls all out to celebrate life.

I was one of the revelers before I became a restaurant critic. Would I see things differently with my critical eye perched over the booth?

I liked my food even more as a critic than a patron, probably because I paid more attention to it.

The fried calamari ($6.99) is still the best around, with a crunchy, greaseless cornmeal coating and a good number of delicious tentacles among the tender rings. Island grouper chowder ($2.99) sinks a lot of fresh fish into a creamy cheddar base and knows not to much it up with spices. We slurped down raw oysters ($9.49 a dozen), and thought of the sea, right there out the window where boaters can dock for a meal.

During high season, be prepared to site and wait on the porch benches and char with fellow patrons. Many folks come for the daily specials, and brag about not eating all day to pack it in.

Consequently, I tried my first all-you-can-eat platter, fried shrimp ($11.99), but, even skipping the limp fries, I hardly made a dent in my second helping.

The fried Bahamian cracked conch ($14.99) is pounded to true tenderness and served with a secret sauce. It’s the kind of funlovin’ place that would have a secret sauce.

The menu is vast. My advice: stick to the seafood and the specials, and don’t miss the tart key lime pie ($3.99) for dessert. Four of us ate and drank for $30 each.

Diana Foote dines anonymously at the expense of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. Contact her at foodgal@comcast.net 
 

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