Restaurant Review

Friday, April 6, 2001

Your ship has come in for fab fish and pirate-sized portions

At a glance 3117 N. Surfside Phone: 884-1030 Entrees: $8.99 to $14.99 Credit cards: yes Spirits: Full bar Wheelchair access: yes Hours: Sunday-Thursday: 11 am to 10 pm; Friday and Saturday: 11 am to 11 pm Food: 2 ½ stars Service: 1 ½ stars Atmosphere: 2 ½ stars

   Good News
  No more endless negotiations about where to eat. If one person wants Mexican food, another craves fish and still another has a hankering for Mexican-style fish, Blackbeard's is made-to-order. From their shrimp fajita dinner to their seafood platter to seven kinds of quesadillas, the North Beach eatery is all about variety.
  
   Bad News
  The extensive menu makes for some agonizing decisions. Shrimp-stuffed jalapenos or oysters on the half-shell? Border chicken or Pescado Capitan? Also, you're probably going to have to abandon your calorie and cholesterol vigil when you enter Blackbeard's. Their grilled and blackened fish is fresh and flavorful, but you aren't living life if you don't try something fried.
  
   Food for thought
  Beware: The "appeteasers" as Blackbeard's calls them, could make a meal. We tried The Sampler Platter and found ourselves up to our eyeballs in fried food. The bite-you-back, shrimp-stuffed jalepenos, just-spicy-enough buffalo wings, and flavorful fried mushrooms and U-Peel-Em shrimp were worth every clogged aertery; we had trouble finding the shrimp in the batter-heavy popcorn shrimp, though.
  When our main dishes arrived - Tacos Mariscos and blackened drum - we looked in awe at our overflowing plates. Zesty grilled shrimp and fresh tomato pico combined with flour tortillas and the usual toppings made for a nice twist on the traditional soft taco. The guacamole could have been a bit fresher, and the refried beans were somewhat salty, but the tomato-spiked rice was excellent.
  The drum fillet, one of the day's specials, was cooked to perfection. The spices added spark but did not overwhelm the mild flavor of the fish. Served with new potatoes and steamed vegetables, it was a filling feast.
  We looked longingly at the key lime pie and turtle cheesecake before deciding to share the dessert of the day, a decadent chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Its velvety texture and chocolate cookie crust had our forks locked in battle for the final bite.
  Of note: If beer is your cup of tea, the world is your oyster at Blackbeard's. Brews from Australia to Trinidad and a host of pirate pit stops in between are on hand, as well as the requisite homegrown chioces.
  
   Service
  Our server was pleasant and attentive, but didn't hover. She kindly gave us time to mow through our appetizer platter before asking if we were ready to move on to the next course. We appreciated her recommendations and clarifications when we had a hard time choosing between the wide range of meals and desserts.
  
  

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Restaurant reviews are written by a team of freelance writers. The Caller-Times pays for the meals. From time-to-time the writers visit previously reviewed restaurants to update the information.

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