I am always looking for good getaway spots. Somewhere you can go to just relax, eat some good food, sit on a beach and just get away from it all. Granted I do enjoy busy vacations full of historic sites and things to do, but lately, I have really enjoyed just sitting back relaxing and watching the waves come in. Anna Maria Island, near Bradenton Florida, just outside of Sarasota, looks like a good candidate. Unfortunately the day we went, it rained…all day. No sitting on the white sugar sand beach for us, no strolls along the surf looking for shells. But we were not to be deterred. We came for relaxation and a nice day trip, so we were just going to have to make the best of it, by eating our way through Anna Maria Island.

(photo courtesy of The Sun House Restaurant & Bar webpage)

We started at the
Sun House Restaurant & Bar (111 Gulf Drive South, Bradenton Beach Fl)
known for their “Floribbean” Cuisine. The décor was bright and full of Caribbean flair. The service was great. Being at the beach we naturally went for the seafood specialties. We began with the conch fritters served with a Cajun remoulade. The fritters were nice and crispy on the outside and conch was tender and delicious on the inside. The dipping sauce had a nice spicy bite to it with a hint of old bay, which really made the whole dish come together. The fish and chips were wonderful. The batter was very crunchy and there was no hint of soggy oil. Washed down by a cold tangy margarita and those gray rain clouds couldn’t damper our spirits.

After lunch we decided to drive up around Bean Point and to the Tampa Bay side of the Island. There we came upon The Waterfront Restaurant (111 South Bay Blvd, Anna Maria Island, FL),
a beautiful European style eatery.

Of course we had just eaten, so we decided to sample a glass of their delicious house sangria – full of fruit and refreshing. One glance at their menu and this is certainly a place I would go back to for dining. Inventive seafood lunches with choices like fish tacos, oyster po’boy sandwiches and crabcakes to be had for under $10 is a steal in such a beautiful ambience.

After taking a scenic driving tour up and down the island and before heading home we decided to stop for a sweet treat, because what trip to the beach, even if you don’t actually go to the beach is complete without ice cream? So we headed for Joe’s Eats & Sweets (219 Gulf Drive South, Bradenton Beach, FL)
which we had found on the internet before heading out, as it said on their website they had gelato (which has since been corrected). They did not have gelato, but they had the most creative and inventive ice cream ideas I have seen in a long time. Since they had no gelato, I started looking at soft serve – and lo and behold they had hazelnut soft serve available. I inquired and what I found out was amazing! They take their vanilla soft serve, mix it with fresh roasted hazelnuts, they throw it back in the machine and it comes out as hazelnut soft serve. It was creamy, nutty and wonderful! Joe’s also serves up more old fashioned sundae choices than one can imagine. But it doesn’t end there, they have frozen chocolate dipped bananas, chocolate cake, cheesecake and key lime pie. They also serve espresso, cappuccino, latte’s and muddy mochas, panini sandwiches, hot dogs , wine and imported beers. All of their ice creams are made in house daily. It was a great find and if you ever find yourself in Anna Maria Island, I suggest stopping in at Joe’s.