Truluck's Seafood, Steak & Crab House

Truluck's Seafood, Steak & Crab House Restaurant Review:

As at Joe's Stone Crab, Florida's favorite local crustacean is the specialty at this upscale-looking but comparably affordable family-owned seafood/steakhouse. And the reason is the same: The owners at both places also own their own fishing fleets; 24-hour sea-to-table timing is assured. Additionally, the claws are only served in season (mid-October to mid-April), never frozen, so the delicate taste and texture isn't lost. The seafood menu changes weekly, but regional catches like black grouper, dayboat mahi mahi, or perhaps redfish are cut in-house from whole fish, for maximum market freshness. Steaks run second to seafood here, but they're organic Niman Ranch beef. The menu seems split between a contemporary American concept (an emphasis on local and/or organic produce) and old-school American steakhouse overkill (à la carte toppings that are nearly meals in themselves, like Pontchartrain sauce: crawfish, gulf shrimp and crab in Creole cream). Wines, about 100, many available by the glass, are both classics and boutique bottles, and, for samplers, there are varied wine flights.