The Summer Menu at Charley's Crab

(NPBL Photo)

​We have entered the Dog Days of Summer. Whatever that really means. 

Well, whatever it means, when you live in the Palm Beaches of Southern Florida in July, one thing it means is fancy-pants (and plain-pants) restaurants offer special menu prices.

Usually, it means a set price, set menu and a set time to sit yourself down at the table.

When you live here, you also know to call Palm Beach...The Island.
Yes, THE Island. But, that's another blog post.

Anyway, the other day, we drifted ourselves (this sounds like we were in a boat, but no) on over to Charley's Crab on The Island for a little lunch. 

To be honest, we were unaware they even had a "Summer Menu" offering; we just like the place. But, they did, and we liked what we saw. 

Let's break it all down.

The Food:
We opted to start with the chilled Gazpacho -- delicious; the crusted whitefish, which was perfection, accompanied by green beans that were so undercooked, I looked for the vine, just to make sure they had, indeed, been picked from it, and risotto. 

For dessert, I opted for Key Lime pie, and that was a good choice. It is among the best in the area.

As it was lunch, and we have some decorum, we both ordered regular iced tea.

The price? $25 per person.

Now, this is all great, but there's more.

Let me back it up, and begin at the beginning.

The Valet:
Great service. No complaints here. The guy could not have been nicer, and he has a thankless job in this heat and humidity.

The Hostess:
I don't want to complain about her, but I must. She was the sort that has such a low-key personality, there is none. At all. Blank stare. Blank face. Blank.

She mumbled something about did we have reservations? No. It was a random weekday for lunch, but it would not have killed us to make some. 

The place was almost empty, and as the Girl With The Empty Eyes (GWTEE), continued to grill us, another staffer waited with menus to seat us.

GWTEE did not immediately release us to the other staffer, but detained us for further questioning.

How many?

Um, two. The two standing in front of you.

What is your phone number?

Now, this is where it got awkward. 

Phone number to call us later on to chat?

My consort in dining out is a super-patient type. But, at this unnecessary query, even he hesitated with a look that said...well, you can imagine.

Listen, if the joint is jumpin' and they need a phone number to signal you to shuffle your stylish shoes to a table, no prob.

When the place is empty? 

Seems pointless, and quite irritating.

The thing is though, the GWTEE seemed genuinely clueless, in a fog, still asleep, something.

Our Server:
A continutation of the Hostess. Not the greatest. Her attitude toward us was, indifferent at best. Just seemed very bored with the entire scenario.

Oh, she appeared annoyed that we were locals and already a member of the Landry's Club (where you get points for eating at places). Very poor service from her.

Very positive was that we got the best table in the house, in our opinion.

The view of the Atlantic always saves the day at Charley's, no matter what else transpires.

Yes, after all these years, Charley's Crab remains a favorite with us.

The food has never let us down, and on this occasion the Manager did make a special effort to make us feel welcome. So kudos to him for that kindness.

So, during these Dog Days, which has nothing to do with actual dogs in case you didn't know, having Summer Menu offerings is a fun way to hop and skip (yes, we do) around the Palm Beaches and dine the day away.

Charley's (Landry's) did send us a follow-up survey to see how our visit went. I scored them high, because it is about the food. But, my comments were quite honest. Will they even read it? Doubtful. I gave them a high number score, and no one really reads the comments, do they?

Now, back to the Dog Days.

I was messing with you at the top, I do know what it means. Sort of.

It has everything to do with the Dog Star, Sirius, and its position in the heavens. 

Let me just say, here's to Sirius and all the heavenly Summer Menus all over the Palm Beaches during these hot and humid weeks. Call it what you will.
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