A few months ago we had a fabulous dinner at Caps on the Water. It was to celebrate our first month as a married couple, so Roberto found out about this awesome sunset cruise that a chartered fishing boat does, once a month on the full moon. The boat picks you up at Caps on the Water. When Roberto called ahead the woman said we should get there by 5:30, because tickets for the cruise sell out fast, even though the boat doesn’t leave until 7. So we decided to go have dinner there as well. What else could we do?! 
Let me just preface by saying that Caps on the Water is a beautiful beautiful restaurant. The outdoor eating area is a huge wooden deck, covered by a canopy of oak trees covered in Spanish moss. There are twinkling lights everywhere and you are literally right on the water. It is extremely romantic and peaceful. When there is a nice breeze blowing, you really feel like you could relax there all evening and just be completely content.
We were not looking to blow the budget, so we decided to share some appetizers. Caps has a nice selection of seafood, as well as a dedicated oyster bar. So we knew we wanted to try some oysters for sure.
We ordered a nice seafood salad that was full of shrimp, scallops and fish, served in the shape of a ball with half an avocado fanned over the top of it.
We also tried Oysters Rockefeller – the oysters were magnificent – buttery and creamy.
Finally we opted for the Calamari Vilano. It is probably one of the best fried calamari I have ever had, it was also different from any I had ever tried. Instead of served Italian style with marinara, it was served Thai style with a sweet chili sauce drizzled over the top. It was also sprinkled with fried spinach leaves. It was such a great combination of flavors. We really enjoyed the meal and the setting. All was accompanied by a nice glass of pinot grigio – which really complimented the seafood and took me back to the first glass of white wine I had ever had. It was when I lived in Norway, it was summer and I was enjoying a glass of white wine in the outdoor garden of a pub/restaurant/ inn when I was living in Trondheim. I wish I could remember the name of the place, it was fantastic! The way the seafood salad was prepared – chilled with a light creamy dressing was very reminiscent of some Scandinavian seafood dishes I enjoyed while living there. So it was a nice memory to recall.
The sunset cruise was wonderful as well – the weather was perfect and we got seats on the top deck. It was nice to see Saint Augustine from the water in this way. I would highly recommend both Caps on the Water and the monthly, sunset, full moon cruise. We are even thinking of making it a monthly tradition!
The food at Caps is some of the best we have had in Saint Augustine. So much so that when my family was here visiting for Independence Day, we took them to Caps. We had another great meal! I had a fat and delicious grilled tuna sandwich, Roberto had crabcakes, which were excellent, and everyone else went for the fried catfish sandwiches. We also tried the Shrimp Vilano (prepared the same way as the calamari). This time we went for lunch, and sat shaded by the trees, sipping margaritas. It was another great experience, making Caps one of our top picks for Saint Augustine!
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What a cheerful experience!
erin :: the olive notes - July 8, 2008 at 5:24 pm
oh, beautiful…I’ve always wanted to do that cruise, but never have. Maybe that can be a double date sometime
Jenn - July 9, 2008 at 9:17 am
Erin! I like the way you think!
Trotter - July 11, 2008 at 9:49 am
Hi Jenn! This month promises to be even more hectic than the already chaotic previous ones! Anyhow, a blogging break is absolutely needed to balance the atmosphere. So here I am enjoying your blog and the yummy pics;))
)
Would have loved to taste the shrimps (though the avocado isn’t that good for my diet…;)), and the oysters, of course! Raw!!
Meanwhile Blogtrotter has now posted my 401st post (on Ann Arbor, Michigan)! Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!
Amber - July 16, 2008 at 7:23 pm
we also have eaten here and it is fabulous! great atmosphere and food!
Trotter - July 17, 2008 at 7:36 am
I see you don’t enjoy…
Mike D. - July 17, 2008 at 10:30 am
Success has spoiled this business establishment! The hostesses and the management could not care less about seating customers or making them wait endlessly for tables when there are plenty of open ones. And recently our party of four was kept waiting over 1 1/2 hours and was NEVER seated because their policy is to not seat waiting customers when a rain-storm is approaching (small indoor dining room cannot hold all the patrons; most dining is outside). When we inquired what was taking so long, we were advised “No more seating” and turned away. They won’t be seeing any of my hard earned money again.
Mehmet - July 21, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I am glad you had a good time at Caps on the Water on vilano beach. I ve been there too and loved that restaurant as well .
Mehmet
Jenn - July 22, 2008 at 10:51 am
Congrats on your 401st post, Trotter, things have been really hectic around here lately and I have not been able to visit as many of my favorite blogs as I would like to! Too much to do and too little time!
I am so glad that you like Caps too, Amber! I agree completely with your assessment.
Hi Mike! I am sorry you did not enjoy your experience at Caps. But I guess I can see why they wouldn’t seat you outside with a storm approaching – there is nothing worse that a wet lunch!
Their indoor area is pretty small – so I imagine it can get filled pretty quickly. But they should have at least offered for you to wait for a table inside. To turn you away without putting your name on a list is not right. I do enjoy A1A, quite a lot actually – but for a nice romantic dinner with a beautiful atmosphere, I prefer Caps. I also did a review on The Reef, recently http://www.travelcloseup.com/2008/06/03/saint-augustine-fl-the-reef/
- I found it to be a decent restaurant, however I feel their prices are too high and their food not as good as compared to Caps.
Yeah, it sure is a great place Mehmet.
Megan Champion - June 11, 2009 at 9:31 am
I was looking for places to take my super foodie husband to eat on our recent trip to St.Aug – On your reccomendation, we tried Caps, Prince of Wales (fish and Chips did not dissaspoint!) – We also went to a few other places including the Cab Company which was also very good.
Just wanted to tell you thanks – would never have found Caps or PofW without your help.
Love your blog and will use it in the future.
thanks!