New Year's resolutions to diet might be better kept if you treat yourself to a really exceptional meal now and then. You have to eat, so when you do, make sure it's something really fresh and creative from restaurants that are sure to please like E&E Stakeout Grill, Guppy's on the Beach and Mystic Fish.
How does this chef special sound? A breast of chicken "Belleair" with artichoke, tomato, avocado, ajillo glaze & Monterey Jack cheese? Or would you prefer an entrée that's been beefed up? Does grilled, bacon wrapped breast of chicken, medallion of filet mignon with petite syrah red wine reduction and grilled pork chop with bleu cheese and grilled apples, served with smashed sweet potatoes with black strap molasses sound good? If a mixed grill such as that wouldn't appease, is it seafood that would please? Would you enjoy grilled Cape Cod sea scallops served on California baby spinach leaves, tossed in a warm apple wood, smoked bacon vinaigrette? Or perhaps you'd prefer sautéed jumbo shrimp with feta cheese, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, scallions in a lemon beurre blanc on a bed of fried green tomatoes? I think I'd like pretzel crusted mahi with a three mustard sauce.
These dishes are just a few randomly selected from the absolutely marvelous chef/owners specials offered daily by the chefs at E&E Stakeout Grill (Belleair Bluffs), Guppy's on the Beach (Indian Rocks Beach) and Mystic Fish (Palm Harbor) restaurants. You can check out each restaurant's chef's specials of the day along with their set menus by logging on to their shared website at: 3bestchefs.com.
All three establishments set menus are just as enticing as their specials and feature traditional standards that the 3 chefs have revolutionized by adding special elements along with delightfully surprising innovations each creates using the freshest seafood, meats and poultry. Wine lists are good fits with the menus, considering the eclectic nature of the entrees, also with familiar brands to select from.
These chefs can bake too. In most restaurants dessert selections are ho-hum with the obligatory key lime pie and frozen cheesecake, but at these restaurants they are made in-house. Million Dollar Cake, crème brulee, Apply Walnut Upside Down Pie, white chocolate bread pudding, flourless chocolate cake, and fruit sorbet to name a few, are standard dessert fare at their restaurants.
The three restaurants are owned by veteran restaurateur Eugen Fuhrmann, along with his chef partners. All have been serving excellence consistently to Tampa Bay's Gulf Coast diners since 1978 when they opened the Lobster Pot Restaurant in Redington Shores.
Mr. Fuhrmann and Chef Erwin Scheuringer, a longtime friend, and chef at the Lobster Pot restaurant went on with chefs and brothers Scott and Doug Bebell to open Eugen's, now named E&E's, Guppy's and Mystic Fish.
In 1985 Fuhrmann and Scheuringer opened Eugen's in Belleair Bluffs. The continental style eatery enjoyed success for ten years at which time the two partners decided to close and reopen in the same spot with a new concept. Their new collaboration, the ever popular E&E Stakeout Grill debuted in 1994 and still thrives today. Originally styled with a southwestern theme and menu, the partners four years ago changed E&E's décor and menu to a sophisticated American contemporary steakhouse.
In 1992, Fuhrmann and Scheuinger teamed with Chef Scott Bebell a former Sous Chef at Eugen's, to open Guppy's on the Beach in Indian Rocks Beach. Fuhrmann's son, Andreas, picked the new restaurant's snappy name and managed there for several years. He currently is a photo journalist in California. Since opening, Guppy's has undergone four renovations.
Says Fuhrmann, "A restaurant needs a new look every five years or so to keep up with the times."
In 1999 Fuhrmann sold his interest in the Lobster Pot to devote his time and expertise to E & E Stakeout Grill, and Guppy's. More expansion and a partnership with another former employee, also by the last name of Bebell came in 2001. In May of that year Fuhrmann and Chef Doug Bebell, formally the chef at the Lobster Pot opened the Mystic Fish Seafood Grill & Bar at 3253 Tampa Road in Palm Harbor. Another of Fuhrmann's sons, Richard currently manages the award winning eatery.
The three restaurants take their place among Tampa Bay's top rated in the industry, consistently receiving numerous accolades and great reviews. Mystic Fish, in fact, has been named by an area reviewer as one of "The Best" restaurants every year since it opened.
E&E Stakeout is located at 100 N Indian Rocks Rd, Belleair Bluffs. Their hours of operation are:
Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30am - 4:00pm
Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 4:00pm - 10:00pm,
Friday - Saturday: 4:00pm - 10:30pm
Reservations can be made by phone (727) 585-6399 or online at 3bestchefs.com
Guppy's On the Beach is located at 1701 Gulf Blvd Indian Rocks Beach. Their hours of operation are:
Lunch Daily: 11:30am - 4:30pm
Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 4:30pm - 10:30pm,
Friday - Saturday: 4:30pm - 11:00pm
Reservations can be made by phone (727) 593-2032 or online at 3bestchefs.com
Mystic Fish is located at 3253 Tampa Rd Palm Harbor, FL 34684. Their hours of operation are:
Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 4:30pm - 10:00pm, Friday - Saturday: 4:30pm - 10:30pm
Reservations can be made by phone (727) 771-1800 or online at 3bestchefs.com