‘Watts for Dinner’ the Takeout Edition: Take a dive into Deep Lagoon

We tried something new this week! Deep Lagoon Seafood, located in the Esplanade, is our next dining destination.

On this evening, the entire Esplanade was packed. There was live music. And hardly a mask in sight. We picked up our food at the bar, where there wasn’t one open seat and no effort to social distance. It was as if the pandemic was over. At least the staff were wearing masks.  

Things got off to a somewhat appetizing start with the grouper fingers ($14) and the conch fritters ($10). I say somewhat because the staff forgot the tartar sauce and lemon for the fingers, and they forgot the Carolina BBQ sauce for the fritters. Otherwise, both were tasty.

I ordered the Greek salad ($11) featuring cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, English cucumber and feta cheese and served over a bed of Romaine lettuce. It was supposed to come with zesty Greek dressing, but alas, it did not. What was there was decent. For the record I added olive oil and more feta, which helped a lot.

My partner in dine picked the tropical seafood salad ($18) featuring sautéed shrimp and scallops over baby greens, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers and craisins. A work of art. But you guessed it. They forgot the dressing, a raspberry vinaigrette.

I partially blame myself. I assume somewhere in that restaurant was a bag filled with sauces and dressings. And in my rush to get away from the unmasked masses, I did not check to make sure I had everything in my to-go order.

On to the first complete dish of the night, my shrimp risotto ($26), sautéed Gulf shrimp served over creamy asiago and asparagus risotto. The dish looked like a big singular gelled clump of components, but I can’t argue with the taste. This was my best dish of the night.

My dining companion had the tropical mahi ($26), blackened fresh mahi, topped with a homemade mango salsa and served over mashed sweet potatoes and fried plantains. A beautiful and tasty dish. And I give it an A for originality.

For dessert we had the raspberry cheesecake and carrot cake. A bit smaller serving than we’re used too on Marco Island, but otherwise delicious.

Deep Lagoon: I know you’ll try it, because its new. But if you’re taking it to go, just make sure to check your bags for all the necessary ingredients before you go.

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This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food. Not all dishes are featured in print, but you can find a gallery of all reviewed dishes online at marconews.com.

If you go

Deep Lagoon Seafood

• 760 North Collier Blvd. Suite 105, Marco Island
• 239-235-7497
• deeplagoon.com