The last days of Anthony’s

A couple of weeks before Anthony’s Fish Grotto closes its doors on Harbor Drive for the last time (January 31 is the scheduled date), I decided to stop in and have one final meal. Anthony’s has served up seafood at that location for 52 years, and I have dined there since I was a toddler.

It was a Sunday, so the place was packed. I put my name in and waited way past the time I was given. I casually asked the hostess if she had called my name, and she was snippy. I gave her a pass because I knew she would be looking for a new job come February.

I was shown to a good seat in the bar area, and the noise level was intense but I dealt with it since I was alone and didn’t need to talk to anyone. I wanted to enjoy the view and the “Gulf Shrimp Louie Salad, a classic since 1946” one last time. I shouted my order to the server, and he hurried off to retrieve the wine. As I waited I watched a couple on the deck dive into fish and chips and fish tacos. Their food looked great, and I was excited for my order to arrive.

The salad came, and I was disappointed before I tasted it. The plate had shrunk (as compared to the plate of my memory), and the shrimp was on the small side. Maybe it’s climate change, but whatever it was, $18 for a scoop of shrimp, half an avocado, half a tomato, a hardboiled egg, and some cucumber is a little fishy.

Okay, the shrimp was decent, but it was on the verge of being rubbery. The avocado and other shredded carrots and cucumber were passible and crunchy but didn’t have much flavor. It was all about the shrimp. I did dig the dressing, which is just like Jack’s secret sauce.

While I ate, I noticed the cobwebs on the ceiling and that the carpet was in need of cleaning. I will have good memories of Anthony’s, but not because of my final visit.