Restaurant Review: Tail Gators Brews & Grill serving up great burgers, mac and cheese
PORT ST. LUCIE — Sometimes you don’t want to change your clothes to go out to dinner. Sometimes you don’t want to refinance the house to dine in a restaurant. Sometimes you just want a sports bar.
So, when my husband suggested we go to Tail Gators for dinner one Friday night, I looked down at my jeans, noticed only one or two of our Dalmatians’ paw prints, brushed them off, and responded, “Let’s go.”
Tail Gators is a Florida-style family-friendly sports bar encircled with 25 wall-to-wall flat-screen televisions, sports team flags, banners and colorful fish art. The large bar serves specialty cocktails and craft beers. The seating is green leather padded wooden chairs and shiny lacquered tables. The wait staff were dressed casually in black shorts and green tops. The front of the restaurant boasts a collection of electronic arcade games to keep you occupied during halftime.
As we were seated, we noticed a happy, boisterous group of people in the back of the restaurant moving from table to table. Our waitress told us they were playing poker for fun and gift certificates. If poker is not your thing, Tail Gators’ event calendar includes bingo, karaoke, kids-eat-free, trivia, ribs night, taco Tuesdays, etc.
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The expansive menu features a considerable variety of tacos, quesadillas, sandwiches, and wraps. Burgers such as the fried mac and cheese burger and a novelty named “After Party” burger served with bacon, fried egg and cheese are highlighted. Entrees range from, baby back ribs, steaks, fried or grilled seafood to meatloaf with included and optional sides — French fries, cheddar mashed potatoes with gravy, street corn and onion straws.
“Award Winning” wings are offered bone-in or boneless with your choice of spiciness and sauces such as extra hot, swamp or smokin’ sweet heat. Our choice was six boneless wings ($8.99) in “gator bite” sauce with celery sticks and blue cheese dip. The wings were tender and delicious, soaked in a yummy teriyaki and garlic sauce. We also ordered buffalo chicken dip ($9.49) which was a spicy concoction of ground chicken, lots of cheese and hot sauce served with crispy tortilla chips. The tangy flavor of the dip was not to my liking, but my husband enjoyed it.
The menu flaunts its ground beef patty as the “Best Burger in St. Lucie County.” So, naturally, for his dinner, hubby ordered the three cheese burger ($10.99). Melted sharp cheddar, mild provolone and creamy American cheeses topped off the hefty medium-rare, juicy, flavorful burger. For his side, he ordered coleslaw. I prefer creamier slaw, but Tail Gators serves a crunchy, sweet, vinegar version which my husband liked alongside his burger.
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My dinner was the grilled seafood platter ($17.99) with mahimahi and shrimp, and I added coleslaw and creamy house-made cheddar macaroni and cheese. As I mentioned, the coleslaw was not my favorite, but the mac and cheese was gooey and comforting. The mahimahi was simply seasoned and grilled perfectly. Both tartar and cocktail sauces were served on the side, but a wedge of lemon was conspicuously absent from the plate. However, our waitress quickly remedied the situation, and a lavish squeeze of lemon juice nicely enhanced the wonderful flavors of the fish.
Tail Gators has a fun casual atmosphere with a large menu of good old-fashioned comfort food. There is something to eat (and to do) for everyone. The prices are reasonable, the service attentive and, best of all, you can come dressed as you are.
Tail Gators Brews & Grill
Cuisine: American sports bar fare
Address: Suite 103, 464 SW Port St. Lucie Blvd.,Port St. Lucie, phone: 772-879-2700, and 1500 NW Courtyard Circle, Port St. Lucie
Phone: 772-446-9333.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays-Wednesdays; 11 a.m. to midnight Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays.
Alcohol: Full bar
Online: Tail-Gators.com; facebook.com/TailGatorsBrews.
Lucie Regensdorf dines anonymously at the expense of TCPalm for #WhatToDoIn772. Contact her at Lucie@theloveofcooking.com
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Tail Gators Brews & Grill is Florida-style family-friendly sports bar
