LET'S EAT

The national chain of restaurants labeled 'Up The Creek' has recently opened their fifteenth eatery, this one in Lutz. Florida, a fraction north of Tampa.

The first surprise is that Up The Creek is cunningly housed in an uncharacteristic, magnetically handsome free-standing building, comfortably accommodating 200 ravenous guests at one seating. The second surprise is that it provides a festive family environment and good food at a modest price. Topping things off, is a particularly well-balanced menu between seafood and steak, plus a smattering of chicken and pasta.

The interior offers rustically warm and eminently captivating walls of wood bristling with fishing gear, nets, photos and other kindred, vibrant and lively paraphernalia. A large drinking and eating bar is hosted by a massive, exotically stocked fish tank that can engage your attention indefinitely. Commodious, brightly upholstered step-up booths and wood tables and chairs sweep across the large floor space.

The kitchen has sense enough to prepare seafood simply rather than to overdress them, to let their own character dominate. When seated a loaf of warm whole grain bread and butter is brought to table.

I repeat, the food couldn't be better for the money. An ideal example is the Ultimate Appetizer, a mega-platter brimful of fried shrimp, chicken tenders, popcorn shrimp, fried green tomatoes, crispy onion rings and hushpuppies. It's sided by four distinct dipping sauces and cost $10.99. The sampling is so enormous it can clearly feed four. You do the math.

Among soups, started with fresh stock, is the fragrant, full-bodied seafood gumbo chock-full of briny and spicy ingredients.

Another singular Up The Creek beginner is Shrimp and Lobster Fondue --- a super-rich, thick, creamy cheese and white wine concoction infused with shrimp, lobster, spinach and mushrooms, with hunks of grilled bread for scooping. It's as fresh and flavorsome as it ought to be, but is likely to suffer from a dearth of shrimp and lobster, albeit reputedly the best seller.

The bill-of-fare is big with generous main courses of fresh fish or beef dishes such as the Blackened Seafood Sampler, a joining of thick and jkuicy, genuine grouper, filet of catfish and sweet , tender shrimp, each item rubbed in spices ala New Orleans style, cooked in a cast-iron skillet. There is the better known, well-marbled 12oz New York strip steak cooked to order. Steaks are accompanied by ones choice of two side dishes. Our recommendation is to choose one side and the man-sized, mixed salad. You are likewise urged to try the satisfying, bone-in rib eye, an Up The Creek signature dish, along with garlic mashed potatoes and house salad. In general sandwiches here are classics. We especially enjoyed Tilapia BLT an epicurean composition of crunchy bacon, crisp lettuce, and ruby-red tomato, slathered in mayo. It is further complimented by melted Swiss and Cheddar cheese, the whole bedded down on a large fresh roll.

Wines are respectable and reasonable. Cocktails (none of standard bar stuff) like the Trophy Margarita, rendered in a scintillating cobalt-blue glass cocktail shaker. Frosty brews are yet another suitable match to the fare.

Innovative desert presentations arrive in large glass goblets. Seek out the Granola-crusted Fried Cheesecake sheltered in strawberry sauce and whipped cream or the Festival of Berries Cobbler served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Servers are good-natured --- the polar opposite of indifferent.

'Two Stars' Up The Creek, 16553 Pointe Village Drive, Lutz, Florida (Intersection of Suncoast Pky and State Road 54). Phone: 813-792-9308. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Dinner entrees $12.99 to $23.49. Accepts reservations and major credit cards.

Ocala , Florida
July 12, 2007

THE BIG YAWN

We are entering the town of Ocala, Florida, undisputed capital of chain restaurants ... largely fast-food dumping grounds, embodying everything from Ihop Pancake Houses to proverbial McDonald's.

Red Lobster here is identified by its impresive free-standing building designed with innumerable windowed dining regions. Surroundings are executed in dark wood, nautically festooned and furnished with booths and bare tables and chairs. Napkins are of the flimsy paper variety. It represents one of Ocala's important seafood restaurants, if you judge by popularity and crowds vying for tables, especially weekends.

While a couple of items rise above the norm, most other dishes fail to reach it. If Red Lobster's fare were only half as seductive as their print advertising or TV commercials, things would be abundantly improved. Regrettably, kitchen inconsistencies when the restaurant gets overcrowded (which is most of the time), forces a "No Star" rating. Those who wish to try this place probably should go at godforsaken off hours when the kitchen is less taxed and demand to be accommodated less challenging.

Red Lobster doesn't take reservations, providing instead a waiting area equipped with a series of benches for the milling overflow throngs that sometimes can back-up to its vast parking lot.

Bypass the pedestrian appetizers, particularly the limp, rubbery fried calamari and vegetables, served quite tepid (probably from sitting under a heat-lamp). They fell short of non-frozen freshness and are so heavily salted they could have been labeled 'Stroke City Fried Calamari, etc.". Instead, console yourself with their 'Blue Ribbon' fragrant, flavor-filled hot basket cheddar-cheese biscuits. But beware, they are easy over-eating magnets.

An off-the-entrance lobster tank holds a scrawny looking batch of New England one pound crustaceans, each averaging in the neighborhood of $28 a piece.

The food can be passable, but essentially suffers from a lack of creative inspiration. Any one who comes here expecting an invigorating, bracing seafood meal will discover sparse pickings.

One menu lists Red Lobster specials, the other a sweeping array of offerings that includes soups, 14 seafood and vegetable appetizers, salads, sandwiches, shrimp, lobster, crab, beef steaks, chicken and combo entrees.

Among starters be forewarned that the Shrimp & Lobster Linguini Alfredo ought to be avoided. It's little more than a grim, sodden plate of flaccid pasta teased by a wispy garnish of the aforementioned seafood ingredients. On the flip side, When choosing a side-dish, be sure to target the trusty sparkling coleslaw, an incontrovertible cool, crunchy, flavor-packed, profusely portioned treat. A 9 ounce Rock lobster tail with drawn butter and baked potato weighted heavily with butter and sour cream is a much more judicious choice than gaunt 3 ounce regular tails.

Uneven service veers from very friendly and helpful to sullen and indifferent. Beer and other beverages are a pleasant shift from the formula kitchen presumably staffed by adroit defrosting technicians.

'No Stars'. Red Lobster, 3393 SW College Road, Ocala, Florida. Phone: 352-237-1291. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Specials average $16.99 to $21.99. Regular entrees $11.25 to $28.99. Accepts major credit cards. Reservations not accepted.

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