Hooray! It's here. A type of restaurant that was so sorely needed in the area: one with fresh seafood at a reasonable price...and Tin Fish does it really well! It should, as it is actually part of a small chain. There are about 11 others across the country and this one in Sunrise is the latest to open. Still, the atmosphere does not feel like a chain.....more like a small, friendly, neighborhood seafood joint.
We ordered several appetizers to share. The Shrimp Corn Chowder (a special) was heavenly. I am not usually a fan of cream soups but this was not too rich. It had huge chunks of shrimp, lots of corn, and a complex flavor that was not too fishy.
I am also not usually a fan of Fish Dip but my boys love it so the Smoked Fish Dip ($11.95) was ordered. This was the best fish dip I have ever had. Per Joe, the owner, Mahi and Salmon are smoked in house to make the dip. Indeed, you can taste the smokey flavor of the fish and it does not taste like the usual fish dip mush. It is served with fresh carrots & celery, and crackers.
The third appetizer was the Kaboom Shrimp ($9.95): medium sized shrimp very lightly battered & fried in Tin Fish "Kaboom Sauce", actually an excellent Thai Chili sauce. To me, the dish is very reminiscent of Bonefish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp and I love both of them!
I was really quite full after the apps, so I was kind of glad I did not order a huge meal. Tin Fish has a list of different tacos they serve daily including calamari, gator, ahi tuna, mahi, lobster, etc. ranging from $5.50-6.95. The taco plates include fries and coleslaw and range from $8.80--$9.95. Since it was a nightly special I chose the Scallop Taco Platter. The scallops were cut up but tasted fresh and delicious! I just wish there had been more of them on the taco! I tasted the cole slaw, which thankfully had a vinegar base but was a little on the sweet side. I did not even taste the crinkle cut fries. They did not look like anything special.
Husband tried the Fried Salmon Platter, mainly because he had never seen salmon prepared this way. It was interesting, but to me salmon always tastes like.......salmon. The boys both got Early Bird Specials. Pretty good deal...if you are seated between 4 and 530pm you can get the following for $8.95: Salad, soft drink, key lime pie or cheesecake, and a choice of entrees (grilled chicken, mahi, salmon, fish & chips, or chicken tenders). 11 year old had chicken tenders and 10 year old had the mahi. The mahi portion was huge and the fish was seasoned to perfection. It was served with cole slaw and tasty sautéed zucchini. On future visits I will ask if the other "plates & platters" served can have similar veggies substituted for the fries.
I did taste the Key Lime Pie that came with the Early Bird and it did not disappoint. It was smooth and creamy with just the right amount if tartness.
Next time, we will have to try the cheesecake if we get the early bird. Or we might just have to go crazy and order one of the yummy sounding a la carte desserts like the Sea Salt Caramel Cheeses Cake, Hot Apple Pie a la Mode, or Bermuda Triangle Sundae.
Our food came out lightening fast. Joe, the owner was quite very hospitable and chatty. We lingered to watch the incredible comeback by the Seattle Seahawks and he even brought out some gratis Jalapeño Corn Bread for us to try. Since I am the only one in the family that can tolerate any heat in food I was the guinea pig. Wow! Warning....only eat the jalapeño corn bread there if you really like heat! It was too spicy, even for me.
Tin Fish is certainly not perfect. I was really debating between 4 and 5 stars but the friendly atmosphere and the need it fills in Central Broward county raised it up to a 5 star rating for me. Though it's early in the game, I hope Tin Fish continues to live up to my initial first impression. We look forward to our next visit! read more