We had dinner at Sunset Grill during Easter week and were pretty disappointed in a number of things. We had a very memorable meal here on New Year's Eve 2007 and decided to return with family members during spring break.
We were seated outside on the porch - it was all that was available when I called to make a reservation. When we were here in December, it was dark when we arrived and the weather dictated that we eat inside. The ambiance was great - candlelight, music, wonderful kitchen smells. The feel on the porch left much to be desired. You are basically sitting at the edge of the parking lot! We did get a peak of the sunset past the parked cars, across Captiva Drive and through the landscaping. But I would not choose the outside option.
Our server was just OK. She mentioned that this wasn't her real job and she only works now and then. It showed. Service was slow and somewhat unprofessional - a sharp contract to what we experienced in December when David was our excellent server.
Four of us ordered salads. The spinach salad was topped with portabellas, roasted red pepper and bacon bits but seemed too heavily dressed with a balsamic vinegairette. At $11, this was not a good value. The Ceasar, at $10, was even less desirable.
The bread with olive oil and herbs was delicious however.
Two of us ordered red snapper steamed in parchment paper - it was tender but lacked imagination. My husband did enjoy his sea bass done in a puff pastry. It was a hardier dish with more flavor than the snapper. One big reason we returned to Sunset Grill was because of the Buffalo Ribeye my husband had on New Year's Eve - it was amazing. My son could not wait too order it!
Unfortunately, his cut was fatty, overly seasoned and rather unappetizing. We should have sent it back to the kitchen but my teen is embarassed by that kind of thing so we let it go. At $36, we should have embarassed him!
Our bottle of wine was marked up more than what we saw at other Sanibel eateries during the week but we did enjoy it! Our total bill came to nearly $300 and we just did not feel the value was there. And to top things off, we all came home with no-see-um bites from that darn porch seating.
