Miller’s Dockside: Part 4 in the Boat for Food Blog Series- A Culinary Adventure around Useppa Island!

We must be in a rut. Here we are again, heading north to Boca Grande for lunch. Plenty of fine places to visit south of here, but there is only so much time for boating and eating. We’ll get to the southern eateries soon enough.

From Useppa, we go north up the ICW, across Charlotte Harbor. The Tarpon fleet is long gone, the fish scattered up into the harbor and the numerous canals in Cape Coral, Englewood, Cape Haze and Punta Gorda.Today we enter the Boca Grande Canal and take a sharp left to the Boca Grande Marina, home to two restaurants: Millers Dockside and the Eagle Grill. You won’t confuse the two. This trip we did the Dockside, the Eagle will come later.

 When boating for food, convenient dockage is important, and the marina provides a complimentary tie- up for lunch patrons. It is just a few steps into the restaurant, as well as the ships store. Dock master and attendants are ready and cheerful.

The Dockside means just that, you are right next to the dock. We watch as fishing guides come in and release their live bait, gas-up or meet fresh customers, all 10-15 feet from our table. Boats come and go, with fisherman shopping in the ships store and waiting for a table. We are seated quickly and our server promptly showed up.

 

The menu is really eclectic for a casual venue, with everything from Boca Dogs and Burgers (think soda fountain fare), quesadillas to shrimp and grits, fresh tuna nachos and Duck Dim Sum. International fare, who would have guessed? As usual, I go for the health food-dogs and fries with a beer. There are salads on the menu, of course, and Mary had one-of course.

Another day boating for food from Useppa Island, what a tough day!