BRADENTON – A good neighborhood option for seafood in the Lakewood Ranch area is Cedar Reef. It’s right off Route 70, in a nondescript Publix-anchored shopping center.
There are two locations, both owned by chef Dean Donnelly, another in Venice. The Lakewood Ranch version has a bar, booths and tables, each table covered by paper sheets. Nothing fancy at all, and that is just right for such a place. We came thanks to a wonderful gift certificate from friends from the East Coast of Florida, who found it online. Good scouting and thank you Martha and Richard!
We tried the raw oysters (yes, they were fresh and not large) as well as a grouper entree and redfish. The prices are moderate; you can get the fish entree for less than $18, and sandwiches are available at dinner. For beer, they have about a half dozen good regional beers on draft. Service on a Sunday night was very fast, though Saturday nights are obviously busier. The prices are VERY refreshing for the Sarasota/Bradenton area, where entrees seem to be creeping up to the minimum $20 range.
The crowd is neighborly and friendly; there seemed to be a number of folks who even come in by themselves to eat, a sure sigh it has a local following of regulars.
The place has plenty of TVs like a sports bar, but concentrates on fresh seafood, each night offering up about five different fresh fish and a smattering of sauces to go with them.
If you happen to be traveling on I-75, it would make a good stop instead of one of the chains, as the staff is friendly and talkative, but not too much so.
Cedar Reef
7240 55th Ave. E,
Bradenton, FL 34203
www.cedarreef.com
