Courtside Grille, Clearwater, FL

Date: November 18th
Time: Dinner/Drinks
Type: Restaurant/Bar
Where: Ulmerton Road, Clearwater, Fl
Party: Me

Immediate Impression:
Loud sports bar, yuppie-ish, but upscale sports bar feel

Service:
My server was fantastic, prompt and stayed on top of things. The manager however was unhelpful and lacked managerial skills. I sat in a booth which had its own TV, I asked to get the TV switch to the Bolts game; 4x my waitress said she had to find the manager. The manager never materialized after 15 minutes the game was over. I was not please at all.

Menu/Food:
I kept my order simple - French Onion Soup, Chicken & Steak K-Bob's (their spelling not mine) and a Guinness. The soup was digestible but had a bit too much vinegar; the Guinness was old and a terrible pour; however, it was the K-Bob's which ruined my evening. They looked delicious. I promptly took them off their stick and mixed them with the rice pilaf they came with. I started eating the vegetables and chicken first -no really problem, but every once and a while there was a funny taste. Then I had my first piece of beef - which was 100% rotten meat!! OMG, it was nasty spit it right out. Just to be sure, I cut a small piece of another piece and - yuck - exactly the same thing. I lost my appetite completely.

When I told the waitress - she showed some concern and asked if I wanted anything else. She said she would talk with the manager. Although the manager took the k-bob's off my bill, the manager never came to the table to talk with me; furthermore, s/he had the waitress tell me - "the steak is marinated overnight maybe you just didn't like it." Which was extremely insulting cause if you've ever had bad steak its not a taste you soon forget.

Allegren Info: The french onion soup comes with tons of scallions on top, and be sure to make sure they do not put almonds in your rice pilaf. And I recommend smelling your meat before you place it in your mouth. If you have severe allergies to mold, you may want to only drink bottled beer, the taps are dirty.

Price: Pricing is high. My Guinness was $5.25 before tax, and my entree would have been $16.95.

Final thought:
This is my local bar now; its a good happy hour spot. I would go back for sports, appetizer and happy hour drinks, but other than that, its expensive and a little to self-important for my taste.