Review: The Whale Raw Bar & Fish House in Parkland
By Judith Stocks, Sun Sentinel
Important: This article was last updated on August 5, 2010. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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 7619 North State Road 7, Parkland 954-345-9190 thewhalerawbar.com Cuisine: American Cost: moderate Hours: lunch and dinner daily Reservations: accepted but not necessary Credit cards: all major Bar: full service Sound level: can be moderately noisy Outside smoking: yes For kids: menu; boosters; high chairs Wheelchair accessible: yes  |
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First Impression: A majestic stuffed orca suspended from the ceiling looks over the well designed casual dining room.Ambience: There's much to catch the eye at this bustling eatery including lobster and crab traps and an almost room-length bar. Lakeside and patio dining are available at umbrella covered tables.
Starters: One of the most enticing entry points is an order of Ipswich (whole belly) clams steamed with onions for extra punch. We paid the $19.95 market price for approximately 20 clams. Mahi sliders ($10.95) give you the option of grilled or blackened mahi. (I suggest the nicely spiced blackening). The sliders come with Whale Fries, but you'll want a full order of these addictive fries for $4.95. And, be sure to add a buck for scatterings of gorgonzola. Whale Fries are thin cut potato slices dotted with the melting cheese. Blue Point oysters turn Oysters Rockefeller into a pricey and disappointing $16.95 version using provolone instead of parmesan. The oysters are fine, but the spinach is dull and sorely misses the classic addition of Pernod. Thick tomato slices topping each oyster also makes them clumsy to eat.
Entree excellence: Most menu items we sampled needed a pinch of salt to get flavors moving, though most of the kitchen's cooking techniques are basically good. A pristinely fresh meaty grouper filet prepared Island style was breaded in golden brown crushed fried plantains and drizzles of citrus butter sauce. A marginal mango salsa, fragrant jasmine rice and garlicky fresh broccoli accompany for $21.95. For $4 more, add four grilled, Cajun, or, better yet, beer battered fried shrimp. Crab cakes ($18.95 for a pair) with house made remoulade are nicely crusted on the outside with no shortage of crab. One cake as an appetizer is $10.95. On the steak side of this seafood menu, there's an ideally cooked tender rib eye ($19.95) capped with boursin cheese and served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
Sides: A basket of conch fritters ($10.95 with Whale Fries) further succeeds after a whoosh through the tongue tingling house made "fritter sauce", much like a spicy remoulade.
Sweet!: Individually sized confections are commercially prepared but better than average quality. Creamy New York style cheesecake ($6.95) is topped with a strawberry compote while the key lime pie ($5.95) is just tart enough with its fresh tasting graham cracker crust enhanced by cinnamon.
Service: Our server's limited menu knowledge resulted in guessing at many answers when we asked ingredient questions. That said, service is swift and efficient.
Insider's tip: Even with shortcomings it's hard not to like the Whale. Particularly with so many value oriented deals: Mondays feature $12.95 whole lobsters; Tuesdays are crabby (as in all the snow crab you can eat for $19.95) and Wednesdays are Fajitas & Ritas day, offering a free margarita with an order of fajitas. On Sundays, all day happy hour features two-for-one well drinks, draft beers and house wines along with select $5 appetizers, and raw bar goodies such as 50 cent clams, 50 cent peel & eat shrimp and a $10 bucket of steamers.
Contact dining correspondent Judith Stocks at judithstocksreviews@yahoo.com.