Fresh from sea to table

Broad Street Grille concentrates on bringing the freshest ingredients to the table for guests, whether it's seafood or local vegetables.

"We have always done the Farm to Table [a movement concerned with producing food locally and delivering that food to local consumers], but now we are also involved with the Sustainable Seafood movement and a lot of our seafood is now Sea to Table," says Matt Pinner, executive chef.

"We are exclusively using a company called Sea to Table who knows the fishermen at the docks, so you know what boat it came from, the skipper and everything."

Through Sea to Table, BSG has access to seven docks. The restaurant sends its order to the fishermen, who pack it at the dock and send it practically still swimming to the restaurant.

BSG's kitchen is currently working with a variety of seasonal fish including snapper and red grouper. Pinner says he looks forward to seeing halibut, tuna and yellow fin this spring.

Opaka

"The main focus is the quality and the sustainability," Pinner says. "We are really focusing on the docks and where it is from. It's not mass fished. The downside of this is you will do the menu planning and they might not catch any of that. So you have to be fluid and keep everything a little more generalized."

Along with a focus on farm- and sea-fresh recipes on the regular menu, which changes weekly, BSG often hosts specialty nights with themed menus. Pinner is currently offering guests a chance to enjoy their favorite New Orleans-inspired dishes during Cajun Creole night the second Thursday of every month.

That evening, a specialty a la carte menu includes options like shrimp, oyster or catfish po'boys, muffaleta, duck and bison sausage gumbo, Abita beer-battered crab claw, Cajun shrimp sauté, jambalaya risotto and red beans and rice.

There is a four-course meal option as well, which could include specialties like duck and sausage gumbo, a crawfish and red rice eggroll, crispy skin red fish and buttermilk beignets.

"Since our whole thing is field to table with a menu that changes weekly, we aren't stuck to one thing," Pinner says. "Our niche is trying to get a themed meal once a week throughout the month."

The third Thursday of every month, BSG hosts an Italian night, which is popular for families. The special evening features a buffet filled with tantalizing pastas, including house-made lasagna. The last Friday of the month is the restaurant's crawfish boil, which is a buffet from 5-10 p.m. for $22.95 that includes all the favorites like peel-and-eat shrimp as well as crawfish and gumbo.

This spring, Broad Street Grille is again hosting its annual Mother's Day buffet and encourages guests to make reservations early. The buffet, being served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., costs $35 for adults and $18 for kids.