We woke up, intentionally, bright and early, day three on the island. We managed to get up before the sun peaked over the horizon and ate our blueberry muffins, purchased the day before from the Anna Maria General Store (read more about the general store from Day #2, here) on the screened in porch of our rented casa, Tarpon TreeHouse. The first day on the island, we made a quick stop in to Beach Bums to see about renting some kayaks. Here, we met a local that gave us some really helpful tips, and also a phone number for a private fishing charter captain. After a couple phone calls to sort out the details, the captain picked us up from the deck on the canal of our rented oasis for a morning of fishing out on the open sea.
This particular captain was recommended because he is a local, born and raised on the island and had been a fisherman since he was young. It was just Robby and I on the boat this morning and he gave us a choice of the type of fishing we were looking to do. The captain turned out to be a pretty young lad but seemed to have a great deal of knowledge of where we were going and what we were fishing for. He said the snook were fun to catch but weren’t in season so we’d have to catch and release. Robby told him we wouldn’t mind catching something to eat at home, as our place had a grill in the back and fresh fish from the sea didn’t sound half bad to us.
He took us down to another canal, with homes lined on both sides, to try and get some action with the snook that he was so excited about. When that proved to not be a great area, he took us out a ways further, past some other islands, down to a sea wall attached to Longboat Key. Unfortunately, there was already another fishing boat there but we managed to make it work. The captain baited the hooks and cast out every line. Which was great for me, but my poor hubby wanted a true fishing experience and honestly, this captain was ruining that for him. Which is why I’m not telling you the captain’s name…. Unfortunately, he was quite wrapped up in throwing a line in, pulling it back out, changing bait, throwing a line in, pulling it back out, repeat. He didn’t seem too concerned with giving us an authentic fishing experience. I did, however, mention that we were sent with strict orders by our oldest child, Olivia, to come back with some sand dollars and that, personally, I really wanted to see some manatees. En route back to Anna Maria Island, he found a pack of five manatees swimming and got the boat right close to them (without being in harms way, of course!) and then took us to a spot where we managed to snag us a handful of sand dollars for the kiddos. As we were cruising back to the island, he asked if we had seen the dolphins all around us. “NO!” I cried. “Where are they?” He said he gets used to seeing dolphins so he hadn’t said anything before but once he pointed it out, there were dolphin fins everywhere. He brought the boat up close to a pack of them, again, and let me ooh and ahh over them swimming just underneath us. Between the dolphins, the manatees, and the sand dollars, I let the captain know he had made my trip! Maybe not Robby’s trip, but definitely mine.
Since we had a local in our presence, and had been craving some good lobster, we asked him where he recommended. Ocean Star at the marina has a hibachi grill and great lobster, he told us. We made plans to have our dinner there that evening.
He tootled back to our house through the canals in the early afternoon. A fish the captain had caught that morning was still in the live well and he didn’t have a need for it so he filleted it and left it for us. We were grateful but it would have been sweeter if it’d been a fish that we worked to catch.
We knew we wanted to do a paddle adventure of some sort back in the canals, just in our backyard. I’ve been wanting to paddleboard for years and for some reason, every time we’re in Key West (our typical vacation spot), it never works out. The water is too choppy, or we’ve got something else on the books for that day, or, or, or….. There’s always something. So, I thought this vacation would be the perfect time to break in my desire to paddleboard. The local we had talked to at Beach Bums on day #1 said the canals were a great place to paddleboard but that you can’t see the bottom of the water. Which freaks me out a little bit, if I’m gonna be honest. So, low and behold, we opted for the trusty kayak, in lieu of the paddleboards, since we’re comfortable in kayaks and were unsure of the waters. We put in a call to Beach Bums and they delivered the kayaks to our rented house that afternoon. They even took them all the way into the backyard, close to the canal. How’s that for good service?? Thank you much, Beach Bums!
After we were dropped off at the house, we meandered back down to the beach (because, duh- we were on the island) we whiled away the afternoon, soaking up the sun’s rays on the beach, drinking some cold beverages, pondering life and watching the kids frolic in the ocean waves. And if I haven’t said it enough in my previous posts about Anna Maria, the beaches are just simply beautiful. White sand, bright, blue water, clean beaches; Anna Maria’s beaches present the whole package! Thursday and Friday had a much different population than Saturday and Sunday. You can easily tell why the locals flock here to spend their weekends, and it’s obvious that a lot of them do. Saturday and Sunday brought crowds that had the beaches lined with beachgoers, as far as the eye could see.
I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of the Ocean Star restaurant at the Marina. I’d done all my searches on restaurants in Anna Maria and not once had this come up. I did manage to find it on my map app on my trusty phone so after getting spiffy-ed up for the night, we biked on over and down to the marina. Right away, we could tell that the Ocean Star didn’t need to advertise. They have plenty of locals that fill the restaurant, and I’m pretty certain that’s how they like it. Without being amass with tourists, this sweet spot had a more cozy and friendly air about it. We did meet some greet locals here. A couple of sweet ladies out to dinner, who were delighted to chat us up and make some small talk conversation.
And while Rod ‘N Reel Pier, The Waterfront, and The Sandbar all offer ocean views, none of those can compare to the Ocean Star’s views at the marina. We sat to the far edge of the restaurant, at the bar facing the water. While we had our drinks and appetizers, we watched boats gliding in and out of the bay and made up scenarios about the people on board.
The meal got started with a round of strawberry mojitos. I’ve never had a strawberry mojito but I love strawberries and I love mojitos so I figured I couldn’t go wrong. It was actually Robby’s suggestion of this tasty delight that made my mouth water with anticipation. The mojito was perfect. It was light and fruity, the perfect mixture for a summertime cocktail.
We sipped on the cocktails for a good, long while, waiting for our appetizers to arrive. Robby chose the Fire Island Sushi and since I’m not much of a sushi gal, I chose the gyoza. Once our apps finally arrived, I didn’t know if I’d be able to breathe between bites, that’s how amazing the gyoza was (no exaggeration)!! The sauce that was presented alongside for dipping added just the right amount of “POW!!!” and I savored every, last, single bite. Robby was also impressed with his choice of the Fire Island Sushi, and he let me have a sample, but I’d just rather take his word for it!
Ocean Star did have lobster on the menu, and since that was our primary purpose for hitting it up for dinner, that’s what I ordered. I was, unfortunately, disappointed. Not because of the flavor, but because when I order a lobster, I just want the steamed, fresh lobster. The lobster presented to me was cut up in chunks, and simmered in a pan-Asian sauce of some sort. Not bad. It really was not bad. Just not what I was wanting or expecting to have. It’s my own fault, really. Ocean Star is a hibachi grill. Their menu items all attest to that as well. I really should have known that I wouldn’t be getting a fresh-from-the-ocean lobster tail in this setting. Robby had the teriyaki shrimp and said they were wonderful! Overall, the food was truly good (oh my gosh, that gyoza I’ve been dreaming about ever since) and the atmosphere was absolutely unbeatable, hands down! I loved that it was tucked away, out of plain sight, and added that element of coziness and mysteriousness that makes me always feel like I’ve found a truly unique spot.
Stay tuned for the stories of Day #4! Have you been to any of these places in Anna Maria? What’s your favorite Anna Maria site?
