Everybody has the world's best, but when a Captain says so it is worth trying.

Responding to a comment on a Sarasota hub this Captain wrote some few days ago, I noticed an AdSense ad for Captain Curt's Crab and Oyster Bar on Siesta Key. This place brags about having the world's best chowder. It seems there is an international chowder championship in Newport, R.I. and Captain Curt's took first place. I don't think that's a running title, but they picked up the title a year or so ago.

The Kid and this Captain have a taste for good chowder so we found someone who could direct us to this joint on Siesta Key. We took the dinghy down the ICW and tied off just beyond the south bridge to the Key. From there it's a short walk up the dead end street to Midnight Pass road and Captain Curt's. We stopped a customer coming out to ask for a truthful observation. I think we scared her. She quickly scurried to her car fumbling for her keys, or pepper spray. The Kid suggested we linger casually instead of using the abrupt frontal approach.

The next person out, The Kid, leaning against a wall, asked, "Good place to eat?"

"Excellent! Great chowder."

This person too, however, rushed to their car. Maybe it was nothing, but good eats and rushing away from the place like you're being chased, or you need to get to a bathroom in a hurry, is not the best recommendation. OK, try another. A guy came out, stopped, looked to the Sniki Tiki across the parking lot, then toward the beach access across Midnight Pass and took a long relaxed, and deep breath.

"Chowder any good in that place?" I asked.

"What place?"

I pointed to the place he just came out of and nodded a couple of times for emphasis.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah good eats. Grilled grouper and chowder ya can't go wrong."

"World's best chowder?"

"Dunno, but good. World's best? I had the world's best at Latitude 43 in Gloucester, Mass. Then I had the world's best at Tortugas' Lie in Nags Head. So, world's best?"

This guy didn't scatter like the others, but went next door to the Sniki Tiki. That resolved it. We went inside. Its done up like a Florida seafood place with stuff to look at hanging from the walls and ceiling. Its kinda a touristy place, but locals go in for drink and some pretty good fresh fish. The waitress was an interesting character. She was maybe 40 going on 20, had already lived to 50 and seemed to be hanging onto the 80s.

"Chowder any good?" I asked.

"Yeah. I eat it."

"Grouper good?"

"Yeah. I eat it."

"Everything good here?"

"Yeah. I eat it."

"What is good on tap?"

At this inquiry she went from disinterested to a complete review about the kinds of beers, the taste, the texture, the cost, the best deal, and just when I thought she could say nothing more, she began down the bottled beer menu. I broke in and got a local named brew.

We ordered and started with the chowder. I was two tastes into it when our waitress came back and asked, "Chowder any good?"

"Yeah. I'll eat it."

 At this she sat down with us. We had a great discussion. Seems she travels around picking up wait jobs and other temp positions until she has the money or desire to move on. She has been in Sarasota for several years and was on her sixth or seventh job. She said she was studying people and was probably going to write about people in restaurants. Not about restaurants, or even the food, but about the people.

The chowder was good. World's best. It probably is for the right person at the right time. So far the best for this Captain was at Wood's Seafood on town wharf in Plymouth, Mass. Still, The Kid and This Captain enjoyed Captain Curt's. The food was good. The price not too bad if you stick with sandwiches and chowder. The wait staff, though too slow for the tourist on the run, was really friendly and what you should expect in the south. This is not in our top 'A' list places, but we would go again to see our friend, and would have the chowder again.

The Captain and The Kid