You can eat inside, but the main attraction is the outside seating deck and the tables that are right on the beach.
James and I went one night in early November. It was freakishly cold that night, but with the outside heaters we decided to brave the cold to enjoy the sunset. The outside area has such a great relaxed atmosphere with live music. There was a wedding at their reception pavilion that night, so we were "treated" to their music instead of our own.
The Sandbar have a lovely menu of tropical drinks, perfect for a hot sunny day. My favorite is the Passion Fruit Pina Colada, but I passed as it was too cold that night for a frozen drink. James stayed true to his Sandbar staple, a Bahama Mama.
The Sandbar has two different menus: a Deck Menu and an Inside Menu. As I don't eat seafood, this can prove to be a bit of a challenge. They have an amazing Shrimp salad that I'm able to get with blackened or jerk chicken that is sprinkled with Gorgonzola cheese, fresh mango, and has a passion fruit dressing. Until recently, it had been added to the Deck Menu, but as it was so cold that night, I wasn't in the mood for salad. Once it gets warmer it's back to pleading with my server to have something on the Inside Menu. We had gotten there a little early for the sunset so decided to have a starter. I had their house salad (also with mango and passion fruit dressing) and James opted for a more sensible cup of soup.
We both opted for the Buffalo Burger with Swiss, Mushrooms, and Sauteed Onions as our main course. There is something about a burger on the beach that you just can't beat. It also takes be back to my childhood when it was about the only non-seafood option. The burgers there are huge, and when paired with fries, can definitely be shared by two, which is what we'll do the next time we get a burger there.
Another perk of eating outside before sunset is that your server takes your guess of what time you think the sun will disappear into the gulf. Whoever gets the closest guess to the actual time wins a bottle of sparkling wine. We've yet to win, but have come pretty close.
Whether your looking for somewhere to unwind after a stressful weekday or to have a relaxing dinner on the weekend, The Sandbar is definitely a lovely place to be.
I had a look at some of the dishes walking in and decided that one course would definitely be enough. There were several things I could have happily ordered, but my sister-in-law said that their Lavender Honey Duck was very good. They served the duck as an entrée, but as I wasn't feeling up to a full main course with all of the trimmings, so I opted for the Roasted Duck Salad. This was partially down to the fact that the ladies at the table next to us had ordered it and it looked sublime. It also came with baguette with fig compote, need I say more? The duck came served in a crock, covered in sliced potatoes, and then was roasted. It wasn't too much duck, just the right amount. I don't remember the menu saying that it came with jambon de montagne, or if the chef took pity on me for only having one course, but it was a nice and very welcomed addition. The duck was nice, but I wish that it had a little rosemary to balance out the sweetness of the honey. There was so much salad to that I was completely full when I finished that I had to pass on the tempting desserts.
