Middle Grounds Grill (Treasure Island, FL)

For every Easter holiday weekend for the last 20 or so years, Kristen's family has gone to Florida for vacation. This year, I was able to make it down with them. The vacation just happened to coincide with our wedding anniversary, which was held in St. Petersburg. For our anniversary dinner, we went to the Middle Grounds Grill.

The Middle Grounds Grill is located in Treasure Island, FL. While they specialize in seafood, they also serve well regarded steaks as well. We decided, being in Florida, to have a seafood-heavy meal. Four different types of warm breads were served with a house olive oil and spice mixture. There were parmesan , multigrain, white, and wheat rolls.

For starters, we ordered the Ginger Calamari and the Coconut Almond Shrimp. Our waitress suggested getting the Calamari with the ginger sauce on the side for maximum crispiness, but unfortunately the calamari managed to be slightly soggy even without being sauced. The flavor was pleasantly briny, while still having a slightly snappy chew to it. I enjoyed the ginger sauce quite a bit, with its heavy vinegar notes cutting the heft of two fried appetizers. Kristen thought it was less successful, but still enjoyed the calamari. The coconut almond shrimp was a hit. Perfectly fried shrimp had been coated in coconut and slivered almonds, and were served with with a mango habanero sauce. The shrimp were fresh and juicy. The sauce was not spicy, and I would have enjoyed a more prominent habanero flavor, but the shrimp were terrific.

Next up were salads. I got the seasonal salad, featuring mixed greens, pears, pumpkin seeds, and a balsamic vinaigrette. The waitress brought the salad, and said they accidentally put on apple instead of pear. It turned out to be a welcome substitution, as the salad benefitted from the crisp texture of the apple. Kristen got a house salad, which was nothing special.

I ordered the Mango Nut Grouper, topped with a mango buerre blanc. As with the shrimp, the fish was perfectly cooked. The trio of macadamia, pistachios, walnuts created a deliciously crisp crust. The coconut basmati rice was nice, with just a hint of coconut, but the vegetables were over cooked and a bit limp. I can see why this is Middle Grounds's signature dish.

Kristen ordered the scallops, which came with an Asian sauce. The scallops were nicely cooked, with a nice sear on both sides while still being rare on the inside. A tropical salsa came on the side, but it wasn't used much with scallops.

Middle Grounds Grill does a great job preparing fresh seafood and letting it shine. With the exception of the calamari, the seafood couldn't have been cooked more perfectly. I've heard their steaks are terrific, but I'm more than happy with the seafood.

Middle Grounds Grill

10925 Gulf Blvd

Treasure Island, FL 33706