Truluck's

Truluck's Restaurant Review:

Art Deco design, touches of elegance and attentive formal service set the tone at Truluck's, a seafood haven that champions sustainability. As a mecca for crab, it's a crime not to commence any meal with the seasonal catch, though the chilled seafood platters also offer a nice medley --- think shrimp, oysters, cherrystone clams, crab claws and blue crab cocktail. The company, which has locations in Florida, Texas and California, owns a crabbing fleet off Naples, so fresh crab arrives to the table 24 hours after being caught. Beyond that, there's rich and creamy lobster bisque, wedge salads and salt-and-pepper calamari. Blackened swordfish, sea scallops and lobster tails are satisfying entrées. Juicy steaks are available, and can be jazzed up with béarnaise royale (jumbo lump crab and shrimp) or with Pontchartrain (crawfish, shrimp and blue crab in a piquant Creole cream sauce). Crab-centric sides include crab mac ‘n’ cheese and crab fried rice, though the usual suspects are offered, like Brussels sprouts, creamed spinach and Parmesan mashed potatoes. Desserts like carrot cake and chocolate malt cake are massive and made in-house daily. A list of new-world and old-world wines has more than 50 by the glass. Take advantage of the sommelier's knowledge for pairings.