http://frenchysonline.com/locations/frenchys-original-cafe/

Our beach adventures continued with a visit to Frenchy’s Original Café. It took us a bit to find it because there are actually four different Frenchy’s restaurants in Clearwater, but of course for my first visit I wanted to try the original. And I wasn’t disappointed.

First up was the fried grouper cheeks. Nothing else says fresh more than it’s only available in limited quantities on any given day because it depends on the haul from the fishermen that morning. I’ve never had grouper cheeks before and it was the most tender and mild tasting fish I had ever eaten. It was perfectly breaded and fried. The burst of flavor from the lemon wedge added a nice citrus touch.

On the short list of quintessential foods I must try over and over, the most recent addition is the poutine. A French dish, poutine is simply French fries traditionally topped with gravy and cheese curd. At first glance I agree it’s a very odd sounding combination. I mean, cheese curds, really? But The Blind Rabbit in Jacksonville Beach set the standard so now I have to try poutine whenever I can. Frenchy’s poutine was more traditional and the brown gravy did leave me wanting something more in the flavor department. The search goes on to top the Blind Rabbit’s poutine.

The “main” courses we shared were the fried group sandwich and fish tacos. I think a found a new favorite fish with the grouper. Not only were the cheeks tender and tasty but so was the fillet. And again perfectly battered and fried with a nice balance between the fish and the coating.