I had a coupon for $10 0ff $30 at Peppermill Eatery that was expiring soon so after reading a bunch of good reviews online, Gabriel and I decided to go there for dinner last night. What a totally pleasant surprise when our waiter came over to take our order and it was someone I know as a client from my day job at Bear Creek Veterinary Alternatives. (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bearcreeksarasota.com&s=98fb211a0f10c3f2a11705594fe20b5587ce10dbd569394e95235f6315a7a991" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.bearcreeksara…</a>)
After chatting with him a bit about his awesome pack of dogs, I asked him what his recommendations were and he emphatically suggested a dish that I had already been leaning toward. Well, that made for a very easy decision indeed! I ordered the shrimp and 'Lobstah' pasta and a small side salad with blue cheese dressing and Gabriel ordered the stuffed shrimp.
Our salads came out quickly, along with some bread (which was the ONLY thing that wasn't great as it was served cold. If it had been warm it would have been worlds better) It was, however, served with a brown sugar, apricot, whipped butter that was SO delicious that I didn't even really care about the cold bread anymore. Craig, our fantastic waiter, was nice enough to bring me a little cup of it to take home that I can't wait to put on waffles or pancakes this weekend. The salad was simple, but good- and I'm always happy to find restaurants who do NOT serve boring iceberg lettuce. This was romaine, red onions, cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes with a side of creamy blue cheese that was fine- but not particularly remarkable. I personally love a good blue cheese with big chunks, but this one was smooth.
After finishing my salad, it was just a few more minutes before the entrees arrived. WOW! What an impressive presentation! From the looks of the outside of this restaurant which is totally nondescript located in a strip mall, I would have assumed the food inside would be generic, unexciting and maybe one step above edible. I was VERY happy to be proven dead wrong. The food was presented as if it was in a MUCH classier place (the interior could definitely use a bit of sprucing up so that it matches the quality of the dishes). The shrimp and very generous chunks of lobster were super tasty and fresh, and the peas and mushrooms that decorated the linguine were cooked perfectly and the perfect touches to this creamy, buttery, parmesan-y meal. I ate until I was stuffed and STILL had plenty to take home for lunch the next day. I also tasted Gabriel's stuffed shrimp which were equally impressive.
When we received the check, it was almost laughably low for what we'd just eaten. After our $10 discount, we paid UNDER $20 for the 2 of us. We will most certainly be back.
Definitely not a 4 or 5 star establishment. The decor is clean and non-obtrusive but it is in a strip mall and the booths and tables were not the most comfortable. We arrived just after 5 on a Friday evening and although there were many empty tables/booths we had to wait more than a few minutes for the understaffed crew to finally seat us in the back. It was not a pleasant experience to start the evening. The evening clientele was definitely older Senior. There was a lack of wait seating available for the older people waiting.
It took several minutes (less than ten more than 5) to even get a beverage order taken. Finally, a cold loaf of a white bread arrived which was doughy and less than fresh. After 15 minutes (and almost leaving ) a waitress with a zero personality took our order. I will say that the menu was well  organized and had more than a few tempting items from appetizers to entrees. I chose the Turkey wrap and my wife chose the Selma chicken. Again we waited almost 15 minutes and was about to leave when the waitress looked over at our booth and saw that our dinner was not there. She found it on the waiting/warming table in the kitchen and in a "oops, I forgot all about it" moment she brought it out. The food was warm but not freshly hot. It was tasty but nothing to rave about or a reason to return.
Just a note on "class". If you call yourself "Pepper Mill", do not have supermarket type pepper mills at the table. It looks tacky and takes the appearance of the establishment down a peg.
All in all, the food was better than a 2 star and it saved this rating from a one star review. Very much over rated.
My family and I moved to the area 2 years ago, and we only recently found the place through Yelp; I am new to Yelp. The three of us eat out 2-3 times per week because of my schedule and my wife being in school, and we have eaten at a lot of restaurants in the area over the past couple of years. The Peppermill Eatery is by far one of the best in the area for the price. The food is excellent, the service is friendly and attentive, and the prices are very affordable. In my opinion is very rare to see such a fine blend of quality food and service at such affordable prices in FL. For the record I do a lot of business in Orlando and Miami, so my opinion is not isolated to the Tampa Bay Area.
I am not a professional critic, but I did grow up in the restaurant scene in San Francisco, CA. I waited tables at the best of the best in college, and I know what a good meal and services are. I have also lived in several large cities in the U.S. as far away as Honolulu. Nowadays I wine and dine my business clientele in big cities all over the country (4 to 5 star restaurants in Boston, DC, Manhattan, SF, Baltimore, Denver, Memphis, etc.), and FL in general gets a C in all three categories. So it was a real blessing to find a place that  consistently performs well in the three categories, we are 3/3.
The menu has a good variety of dishes from hamburgers and hot sandwiches to pasta, seafood, and red and white meats. The only thing that I would add is more choices for dessert. The decor is casual contemporary, and very warm and comfortable. There is a small bar that serves beer and wine, and from what I can tell the wine selection is pretty good (I have only studied it during our short waits for a table). Over all this is a 4 star restaurant (not to be confused with Yelp stars) with 2-3 star prices.
I definitely recommend  that you give this little hidden gem a try.
We were on the road and stopped in Bradenton for a bite. Â Every chain off the interstate was packed on Friday night so we saw a strip mall on the other side of the street and decided to give this place a try. Â The service was great and the food was good. Â We both had fried shrimp platter which was very good and neither my wife or I could finish. Â There also was a pianist who added to the ambience. Â The only draw back was the lack of a liquor license as it was beer and wine only. Â A stupid Florida law. 'nuf said.
Review Source:We happened upon the Peppermill in Bradenton, FL as we were searching for a dinner spot on our way home to Ft. Myers from Houston. What a local find! While the ambiance wasn't glamorous, it was a fun stop located in a small shopping area just off 75. The bartender was wonderful-greeting us and granting our every wish when it came to what to drink. The place was fun and abuzz with chatter and laughter. As we were seated, the live music started on a mini electronic keyboard (?). The music selection was great for me as i love the old standards, and the musician was playing to a crowd all about my age (older than middle age)! There was a complementary bread loaf that was so-so, but we ate it all because we were hungry and it came with a wonderful sweet flavored whipped butter. My husband and I each had the fried large shrimp with fries-very good, but we could have split the meal! We love going to independently owned local spots, and this one was a fun experience. Great attention from wait staff as well!!
Review Source:Not from the area, we were just looking for a non-chain restaurant and happened upon Peppermill Eatery. It didn't seem like much when walking in the door with an older clientele and odd, diner-like atmosphere, but that is quickly forgotten. One look at the menu and you'll realize this isn't an average place. There's lots of not only creative but varied menu items that can make anyone happy. They've got a little of everything, seafood, burgers, sandwiches/wraps, and more. The Peppermill is even willing to adjust their dishes for you for certain dietary considerations (if you're vegetarian for example).
I had a burger and while the meat was pretty average, the toppings and way it was all put together made for a delicious dinner. A vegetarian option not on the menu anymore but that they'll still make, the Tierra Madre sandwich, was also ordered at our table and was fantastic as well. They did a really great job of making that an option instead of just expecting vegetarians to eat salads. I also want to give a shout-out to the onion rings. We ordered them as an appetizer and they were perfectly crisp and gone in seconds once they hit the table.
Great experience overall, I would love to go back if I'm ni the area and try something else on their varied menu.
Good service and friendly too. Â Prices are very reasonable. Â I had the onion soup, It was filled with onions, and the cheese was OK; certainly not gourmet but if anything there was too much of it. Â The issue was the broth was very salty. Â I then had the sauteed dover sole. Â Nice size portion, again very reasonably priced. Â Served with steamed vegtables, rice and a lemon butter sauce. Â Everything was good but way to salty. Â I may try this again but stick to salads and sandwiches.
Review Source:
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