Shades at the Loop - The best creme brulee in Florida

directionally challenged

Jul 13, '06 · 8:56 PM6,7801

The owner of Shades on the Loop was so concerned about a thread on another board that he contacted me and urged me to come back to Shades ..... so CorK did! This says a lot about a restaurant owner that he truly cares that patrons have a good experience and Joe does! Tonight Kat and I visited Shades. We were seated promptly, our waiter was right there for us and provided great service.

I had the wings (naked) - quite tasty and Kat had the Ceasar Salad which was great! We weren't real hungry but next time I can wait to try the Carmelized ? Pork. mmmm, sounds great. Kat's had an excellent Merlot and I had a good strong rum and cokes.

After dinner, we splurged for the Creme Brulee. IT WAS THE ABSOLUTELY BEST I've ever had- better than I had even in Paris. We were absolutely thrilled to meet Joe the proprietor who's a really nice guy. He's listened to us, addressed the issues of a new and busy restaurant with his staff and has made Shades on the Loop one of my new favorite places on 30A.

If you've tried Shades on the Loop before - try it again and it will only be better. Joe is a hands on owner who works on the premises a billion hours a week and truly cares. Thank you Joe for being you! :wub:

Replies

SoWal Guide

Jul 16, '06 · 4:47 PM#27

JP thanks for posting. The sauce is tasty but the last batch I had were not cooked properly. Improper oil temp and/or cooked not quite long enough (and I always order extra crispy to avoid that) = greasy (pronounced greezy). Maybe I'm not the norm but I always order with sauce on the side because I like sauce with my chicken not the other way around. If you drown a wing in sauce I guess it doesn't really matter how you cook them to most people.

you know the saying, you are what you eat? Kirky-baby IS a chicken wing... the end.

Beach Fanatic

Jul 16, '06 · 5:08 PM#28

We really miss the Jolly Roger in Inlet beach that closed in 2004

Me too.

Beach Fanatic

Jul 16, '06 · 5:14 PM#29

Thanks to everyone for your comments about the restaurant. I am very committed to my restaurant and expect every guest to leave happy, full and satisfied.

Thanks to you, Joe, for your constructive personal attention to our comments. I'll be back to Shades on the Loop again soon.

Beach Fanatic

Jul 16, '06 · 5:23 PM#30

HI Joe !

We also hope all turns out well for the new Shades. We also like that we can get the Taco Mac wings if we get homesick !. We eat almost every Friday night at Va Highlands location.
Would you share the recipe for the Sweet Pepper Vinegarette ?????? PLEASE

Beach Comber

Jul 17, '06 · 9:17 AM#31

We have been to shades 8 or 10 times....for a casual dinner, the food is fine and has at times been really good-the only thing that bothers me is that the wait staff has been sketchy at best...maybe it's because Shades is still in a relatively slow traffic area(thank goodness) and the better waiters/waitresses are farther West on 30-a.....it is so close to us we just tolerate it.....things could be worse that an empty water glass.....

beats on hood

Jul 17, '06 · 11:03 AM#32

HI Joe ! We also hope all turns out well for the new Shades. We also like that we can get the Taco Mac wings if we get homesick !. We eat almost every Friday night at Va Highlands location.
Would you share the recipe for the Sweet Pepper Vinegarette ?????? PLEASE

They won't give out that recipe. I've tried for years. The guy who used to work there and does the magic tricks (brain freeze - forgot his name) gave us a sketchy recipe:

Combine a two-to-one ratio of sugar to apple cider vinegar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Then add pepper, garlic salt, and salt to taste. Add enough vegetable oil to have a three-to-one oil to vinegar ratio.

Never could make it taste the same and gave up.

Skippertoo, coincidentally our daughter was at that Taco Mac last Thursday. I've never been - she says we ought to try it. We usually end up at Doc Chey's when we're in that part of town.