Curlee's Fish House & Oyster Bar

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  Quiet atmosphere but not very busy for a Thursday night.  Ample portions on the grouper sandwich and fries.   The jury's still out.  I want to go back and try the raw oysters since that seems to be the highlight on the reviews.  Then I will update my review.

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  Posted on 05.22.13 Sherri T.

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  one star for the waitress who did a 4 star job, and one star for the 4 star oysters. the rest of the meal was almost inedible. the bar looked nice but the dining area was bleak even with the large format gaudy nautical paintings. was an appetizer night , trying to save a few bucks. gave my son a hard time for not eating his boom boom shrimp - one taste later and i knew why. weird moldy taste that was prevalent in the shrimp,my clam chowder and my wifes curlees fingers as well. curlees fries belong to- and probably came from - a fast food restauant. 3 measley breaded finger sized curlees fingers for my wife and supremely processed tasteless fried calamari w/ jalapeno for all of us. what a disappointment and im being kind. saving a few bucks cost us $50. before tip. im surprised that curlees hasnt curled up.

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  Posted on 01.06.13 Johnnie d.

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  Disappointed. Good atmosphere, and the menu seemed promising, but it was not a great experience.  
  
  We ordered a 1/2 dozen raw oysters - they were the highlight of the meal, which (the careful reader will understand) means the meal was all downhill from there.
  
  My friend ordered the fish tacos with fries. The fries were cold and tasted stale - we told the waitress and she seemed eager to make it right, so she took the plate back to the kitchen.  About 45 seconds later, the exact same plate came back out with only-slightly-warmer stale fries: the kitchen had just microwaved the plate for a few seconds!  Blew my mind! Fries are relatively such an inexpensive item in a restaurant - when a customer sends them back because they're cold and stale, why would you not make a fresh batch to ensure that doesn't happen again?!?!  Didn't set a good tone for the meal.
  
  My wife got the shrimp po' boy. In her words, "it was okay. Really heavy though. Not sure I'd get it again."
  
  Personally, the worst for me was (of all things) the cucumber with my side salad - tasted like it had pesticide on it! Did they not rinse it?
  
  The blackened ahi tuna was okay, but not spectacular.
  
  Not to be totally negative: the oysters I mentioned were really delicious, the hush puppies were excellent (though not a difficult culinary item to prepare...) and the soup was pretty good.  
  
  Seems like there's potential here, but I'm not sure even if they reach it that I'll be back to enjoy it.

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  Posted on 08.07.12 Michael S.

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  When my friends visited Curlee's for the first time, the week it first opened, they had a horrible experience (iffy food, not great service, etc.).  Because the options for food in Rome are limited, my husband and I are always dying to try new places, so we talked them into coming back with us so we could give it a try.  
  
  The second time around was much improved from my friends' first experience, which indicates that this new restaurant is trying to learn from early mistakes and improve - a good sign.  We ordered a few dozen oysters for appetizers (both raw and cooked), which were pretty good and shucked right in front of the customers at a table in the back.  The entrees were also reasonable and nicely portioned.  3 of the 4 diners liked the meals they were served, though my friend found her fish tacos to be less than what she expected.  We also tried the "Maple Bacon Experience" for dessert, which combined bacon, onions, maple syrup, waffle cone pieces, and ice cream for a dish that was unique to say the least.  This was just ok - too much maple syrup and too many onions, without enough bacon and ice cream for balance.  If we return (and we probably will), I'll probably try something else off the dessert menu next time.  The server was very nice, and lots of help was available to clear plates, check if we needed more drinks, etc.
  
  Overall, Curlee's seems like a good addition to the Broad Street scene that has to overcome a few bumps in the road before it can be considered great.  I do hope that it continues to improve, though, so I can return to report a rating that is above average.

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  Posted on 07.27.12 Lauren H.

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