Bar Bites: Slim's Place

(Credit: Danielle Hier)

Slim's Place

Slim's Place offers a suprising menu, with margarita shrimp,...

If you find yourself standing across the street from Slim's Place and Feeling Swell Surf Shack, and don't know which restaurant to pick, here's a guideline.  Feeling Swell is the place to go when you want to dance to nightly crooner music, and have a beer among friends. It's a cheerfully lit room that reminds tourists "you are now officially on vacation" and locals, "you are now officially off from work." Slim's Place is where to go for billiards, sporting events, and when you want something a step above the standard bar food.  It is a hybrid of "neighborhood bar" meets "Floribbean cuisine-style restaurant."

The Seating:  Slim's seats approximately thirty-five people inside, and another twenty when they cover the pool tables and convert them into large dining tables during busy nights. The outdoor patio tables that surround the restaurant can seat an additional dozen.

Oddly, the furniture is not quite in sync with each other, in the same way that the food doesn't quite match the setting.  Intermixed with pub chairs and backless stools are ultra-modern metal high-backed chairs and matching glass covered tables that overlook a built in wine rack.  

The Food:  The most surprising thing about Slim's is the cuisine.  If you're expecting traditional gastropub food, like burgers topped with sauteed mushrooms and wings with a ranch dipping sauce, they can oblige; however, most of the menu consists of American, Italian and a few Floribbean entree's that include Mahi Grenablaise, Muffeletta Panini, and Chicken Marsala.

For starters, the Margarita Shrimp ($7.99) was served centered around a bed of mixed greens, and made up of five jumbo shrimp, marinated in a very mild lime, orange, tequila and chilles sauce.  In fact, most of the dishes at are mild, even the massive Chicken Wings ($7.99) which arrived lightly dusted in a blackened seasoning with a side of bleu cheese. The Ribeye ($15.99) is cooked to order, and accompanied by steamed asparagus over garlic mashed potatoes.  My personal favoriate was the Lobster Ravioli ($14.99), which was probably the richest item on the menu I sampled that evening.  Generous with the fresh lobster filling, thick ricotta cream sauce and shredded parmessan.

Overall:  Open for just over a year, Slim's has a lot of potential, evidenced by the sheer traffic volume that went through in the time that I was there.  With four flat screen TVs throughout, it's a great place to be during football season, or to catch a game of billiards late night.  The food is well-prepared, and the servers are pleasant.  You'll want to make sure you are not in a hurry when you visit Slim's though, as one of the growing pains of a new business is managing traffic flow.  With two entrances, a full house, "seat yourself" policy, and only four servers (two of which were also helping in the kitchen), you may be waiting for bit to get served.

Slim's is located at 9701 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria Island. Phone:  (941) 567-4056. Open 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. daily.