Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Waynesboro's Clearwaters Seafood Bistro


Memorial Day found SWAC Husband and me heading to Clearwaters Seafood Bistro, one of Waynesboro's newest restaurants, to grab some lunch after spending the morning at Staunton's Gypsy Hill Park Memorial Day service. It was my second trip and I wanted SWAC Husband to taste some of the good food I had bragged about from an earlier trip.

Located on Red Top Orchard Road off Lew DeWitt Boulevard (behind Waffle House and across from the new Golden Corral), Clearwaters offered a variety of seafood, sandwiches, chicken, salads, appetizers, desserts, and even something for the little pirates age 10 and under.

We were escorted to a nice high-backed booth in one of the dining areas where we studied the menu (they have added more and expanded their food choices since I was there last time) and ordered from a friendly, very accomodating waitress.

SWAC Husband tried the ocean catfish sandwich with fries and cole slaw from the lunch menu. It was a huge sandwich and, while he was able to finish that and his cole slaw, some of the generous portion of fries got left behind. He liked the side of tartar sauce which was used to add even more flavor to his sandwich as he raved over the great taste of the catfish and even the sandwich roll. The $7.49 price was extremely reasonable.

I stayed with the tried-and-true, ordering the Sassy Standing that had been so good before. It was described as, "An unbelievably delicious mound of lightly breaded shrimp tossed with our secret spicy sauce. There will be a skirmish over the last one! Served with fresh steamed vegetables and island rice." The sassy shrimp had, indeed, made an impression on me. I switched out the rice this time because I found it dry on my last visit, and substituted french fries instead. At $6.99, it was a good value for a filling lunch. If someone wanted, they could also substitute the veggies for cole slaw.

Everything was yummy. The steamed julienned veggies consisted of carrots, squash, zucchini, and green beans with just the right flavoring. The french fries were filling if perhaps a tad undercooked. The "secret" spicy sauce and shrimp were subtle at first and then the spiciness popped on the back of my tongue -- not too much but just enough to make my mouth water for more.

A basket of fresh, hot yeast rolls was provided while we waited for our meals. Afterwards, thin chocolate-mint straws were brought with the check, a nice variation from an ordinary after-dinner mint.

Clearwaters has a nice bar area with three TVs and afternoon Happy Hours ... the music was a mix of oldies, country, and current tunes and very upbeat. (Our waitress laughingly asked if I was enjoying the music when she caught me bebopping in my seat while waiting for my lunch.)

The restaurant is painted in cheerful beachy colors of coral, yellow, green, and blue. It offers a banquet room that seats 40 and private alcove dining for up to nine people in the "Beach," "Surfer," "Water," and "Bird" rooms. Hope it won't be long before we're returning with friends.

Bar area complete with bar chairs and booths.

Coral, green, blue, and yellow walls add atmosphere to the dining areas that provide tables and cozy high-backed booths. There are also private alcove areas with tables that seat up to nine.

Clearwaters Seafood Bistro
1101 Red Top Orchard Road
Waynesboro, VA 22980
(540) 949-8068

Photos by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
April/May 2010

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