Last night, we went to eat dinner at a new place (for us). The Old Island Seafood Market. A working seafood market that is also a restaurant. You can see the pictures above. It is in Matlacha, Florida, the island adjacent to Pine Island and one of my favorite places in the world. As you walk in, they have a sign that advertises themselves as a taste of “Old Florida.”
If you don’t know about “Old Florida,” it’s just the Florida that existed before the tourists came. The casual Florida lifestyle. The real Florida. Don’t get me wrong. Florida loves its tourists. They support its economy. But, if you can find one of these pockets of “Old Florida,” take advantage of it.
Back to Matlacha and the Old Island Seafood Market. Behind the market and restaurant is the marina where fisherman pull in with their catch and unload. It is a true, working fish market. As for the restaurant, you can eat outside or you can eat sort of inside. Let’s just call it open air. We ate in the open air part where you look over into the water of the marina. There were manatees everywhere. There was an osprey sitting on a high post just waiting for a good fish to pass by. South Florida’s wildlife fascinates me.
The menu. Yum. All the good fish of the area. Grouper. Snapper. Oysters. Great salads. Shrimp. But, they don’t stop there. They have the rough and tumble stuff. Alligator, mullet, frog legs. A seafood chowder I am sure is delicious and I plan to eat it soon.
The reason we ended up at the Old Island Seafood Market is because I became ill a few days ago. Nothing serious and it will pass but I didn’t feel like cooking for myself. That’s why you haven’t heard much from me for the last few days and may not for a few days to come.
Enjoy the photos! This is a wonderful place to eat!
The Write Scribe 
Take care !
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