"St. Marys Seafood and More;" a review.

Well, after the nearly 18 years I've been here - and I suspect for decades before - there is FINALLY a legitimate reason for the other 99% of us to venture east of Dandy Street.

It's Saturday, 6/18/11, at 8:24 PM. I just finished eating for the first time at St. Marys Seafood and More, located on Osborne in the building that formerly housed the consistently mediocre and filthy-kitchened Williams' St. Marys Seafood ands Steaks and was briefly operated as The Mill by a notoriously obnoxious Boston Yankee.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we finally have an excellent seafood restaurant run by people who are obviously experienced and competent restaurateurs! As a bonus, they are genuinely damned nice - and rather attractive - folks.

While I have no moral concerns with alcohol, for those of you who are uptight Christians worried about there being a bar, it is small and discreet and out of the way. There were two 60ish Cauco-American males sitting there having a couple of cocktails and subdued conversation. Very few customers at the tables were imbibing alcohol. It was a very family-safe and genteel atmosphere and ambiance. No rowdiness whatsoever.

There is a very extensive menu that should satisfy all appetites, including those poor souls who do not like seafood. Reasonably priced.

I had the seafood platter for one. Two deviled crabs, a nice piece of fish, oysters, shrimp, scallops (bay) and more fried clam strips than I could finish. Sides included a baked potato and cole slaw. I did not get any hush puppies but I think that was a kitchen oversight. And of course, iced tea. Total bill (exclusive of tip): $20.31.

The iced tea was just inside the lower range of my stringent strength requirements, but satisfactory. All of the seafood was well prepared and delicious. The deviled crabs were in natural crab shells with ample blue crab meat. Good tartar and cocktail sauces.

The slaw was not traditional Southern cole slaw insofar as it was not cut and dressed the way  authentic Southern cole slaw is. Yanks who don't know better will be happy with it. As that kind of cole slaw goes, it was not bad.  The owners might want to buy a pint of Aunt B's cole slaw to-go and study it.

I was very impressed with the attentiveness not only of my actual waiter but several roaming floor managers and a gentleman from the kitchen I took to perhaps be the owner. I was so impressed that for a moment I thought they had "made" me. As time passed, I observed that they were equally solicitous of all customers.

The restaurant appears to be run by a family of  very competent and friendly Arab Americans, if my guess is right. I wonder if they are from Jax where there is a long history of great restaurants run by Arab Americans? At any rate, they and their restaurant are very welcome additions to the community.

They get my unqualified and very enthusiastic thumbs up! Check 'em out!