Spoto nears grand opening of Grill 131

One of the city's most well-known names in dining excellence will soon be back on the landscape.

[Susan Paulson]

I stopped in to see Bob Spoto today at his new restaurant. He was the most rude, belligerent person I have talked with in a very long time. Please patronize businesses other than this and support the restaurant owners who care about their customers coming back, instead of treating people nastily.

[Gator Hater]

Ok but whatever you do, dont go to Gator;s, I mean Gutters. You want rude, filthy, horrible service and food: Go to Gator's.

[Lynn Hutchinson]

Susan Paulson wrote:

I stopped in to see Bob Spoto today at his new restaurant. He was the most rude, belligerent person I have talked with in a very long time. Please patronize businesses other than this and support the restaurant owners who care about their customers coming back, instead of treating people nastily.

I find what you say as totaly inconsistant with Bob Spoto and the way he treats his customers. I have known Bob for more than 20 years and he has always had the utmost respect for all customers who have frequented any of his resturants. If you visited him before 7/14, which was the first day Grill 131 was open, you were most likley bothering a very busy person in the middle of an upcoming opening. Some consideration should be given when you visit a resturant even before it is open. We ate there last night which was their first day open and the food was excellent and the design and decor is fabulous. This will be another success for Bob Spoto. I would recommend for every one to try this upscale venue and judge for your self. One persons experience should never be a final say. Put this on your must list to try!!!!

[Okey Ryan]

Wow, no one wants a tourist to go away angry but if this was Ms. Paulson's first impression it should not be her last. I ate at Grill 131 this week and enjoyed myself. I will go back and try the entire upscale menu. The atmosphere was pleasant and the service kind. Here is the deal, Susan if you pass this way again, come up to the comfortable bar area within the restaurant and I will buy you a drink. If I am not there put it on my tab.

[JDS Seminole]

Disappointing.
Very expensive ala carte menu, and the meal just wasn't good. Not nearly as good as the competing restaurants on the beach.

[Susan]

I agree. I don't mind paying $25 for a steak dinner, but it should include salad, veggie, and potato.

[Dave Smith]

Susan Paulson wrote:

I stopped in to see Bob Spoto today at his new restaurant. He was the most rude, belligerent person I have talked with in a very long time. Please patronize businesses other than this and support the restaurant owners who care about their customers coming back, instead of treating people nastily.

Hi, I might not be a food critic, but respectively I thoroughly enjoyed my dining experience at Grill 131. The wait staff was well trained & knowledgeable of the menu & the owners were nothing of the above said but quite the contrary, they asked me how was my food & dining experience was & listened with open ears. Please don't judge ONE person's experience. They might not have not had an open mind to begin with. WE LOVED IT!!!!!

[Donna Andrews]

Hi, we dined at Grill 131 last night, it was not that busy, and we found the evening most disappointing. The food is very over prices, the servers act desparate for money, over service is just as bad as poor service. The managers only was to hear positio news. I ordered a filet, med, I was told to enjoy a steak order it rare, or go someplace to eat!! Not a place i'll ever go again.

[Ruth Fratus]

Could someone please tell me where Grill 131 is located on the beach.

[Pat]

Grill 131 is not on the beach. It is located at the intersection of Park Blvd and 131st Street, hence "Grill 131", in Seminole about a mile inland from the Park bridge. Haven't been there yet, but plan to before long to make my own assessment.

[Bob Strand]

Donna Andrews wrote:

Hi, we dined at Grill 131 last night, it was not that busy, and we found the evening most disappointing. The food is very over prices, the servers act desparate for money, over service is just as bad as poor service. The managers only was to hear positio news. I ordered a filet, med, I was told to enjoy a steak order it rare, or go someplace to eat!! Not a place i'll ever go again.

Your poor grammar only proves your inability to read a menu. Mr. Spoto spends weeks preparing his steaks. If you don't like to spend money on a quality meal, then please go elsewhere so the literate members of society can enjoy ours!

[Erin Katz]

I was very disappointed with my dining experience. The food was over priced, and just ok.

[new york]

i too was very disappointed the potato should not
be an extra and which roll would you like
one small roll and no starch he will be retiring
again soon. this is FLORIA NOT CHICAGO

[Beverly Clearwater FL]

I agree with the majority of the responses regarding Grille 131. I have been a customer of Spotos restaurants for years. The facility is beautiful, but we were disappointed with the food and the ala carte pricing, this is Clearwater, not NYC. Would we go again, not for dinner, maybe for drinks and hors d'oeuvres'.

[Donna]

Although it was a little pricey we enjoyed our meal in July when Grill 131 first opened. The salmon then was delicious with wonderful veggies and a terrific salad. We returned tonight and the salmon was barely warm with less than 2 forkfuls of veggies (mostly alfalfa sprouts) and a small yellow iceberg salad with a couple of cherry tomatoes on top. Not what you'd expect from a $20 entree. Maybe we would have fared better with their early bird selections, but we won't be back. The service was indifferent and the food was not even hot. It's disappointing to see such a decline in quality and service.

[Rebecca]

When we went to the place, it had been closed down, and the owners didn't even put a sign up saying, "hey, no longer here, new location," absolutely nothing.Anyways, we called 411 and got the number to the new place and called them up. they game us the street and told us to drive, actually they told us the street and to "go right past it", we did, and restaurant was actually on the street. Dumb waiter/res move one. So we go, we are shown to our booth, and guess what, not only had the decor and location changed,but the name,(now Grill 131), and the menu did as well. They no longer had my favorite cut, the Filet Mignon, no, they had just your normal cuts. hey, its ok, al just get a Sirloin. We got appetizers, some shrimp and claimare.They were good, not as good as I remembered,,nor was the portion size as large. Anyways, we got those, ate them and enjoyed each others company..... and the waitress' who would not leave us the heck alone. She was pushy and annoying. Then, we got our main courses. J**** got the fish and of course, i got the streak. J**** fish was bland and stiff, it was supposed to be favorable and flaky, it was, obviously, neither.My steak was supposed to be medium-well. It was just above rare, meaning, not walking, just twitching. I told the waiter (someone who was not our waitress, guess she decided to pester someone else), who rook the food back into the kitchen. Now keep in mind I'v already cut into the meat. What did he do, brought it out again... it looked medium well done, I cut into it again, it was now medium rare. Not only that, they had re-fired my steak, meaning it had gone on to the same grill that other food was being prepared on, my already cut into steak was with other customers steak... I wonder exactly how many other nice places re-fire? I would expect that of a chain restaurant, but not a , "classy privately owned place." Also, at this point, the waiter who had brought out the steak had disappeared before I could even tell him that the steak was still under cooked. As soon as we were done, the annoying waitress came with are bill, as soon as the credit card was placed in it, she took it, took several minutes to get back to us. We signed the bill and left. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. Your better off hitting up a Chilles unless you want crappy service and food. I give it from a 4 ****(star), to a 1 1/2 *.

[Tom]

Susan Paulson wrote:

I stopped in to see Bob Spoto today at his new restaurant. He was the most rude, belligerent person I have talked with in a very long time. Please patronize businesses other than this and support the restaurant owners who care about their customers coming back, instead of treating people nastily.

She didn't even eat? Just went in to see Mr. Spoto? People go to restaurants to eat and drink, sounds like a sales person went into the restaurant and was turned away. There is a sales rep for U.S. Foodservice named Susan Paulson, we knew her as Susan Plecas, was fired for some serious anger management issues, could it be the same person? Sounds like something she would say.

[Rick in FLA]

Sounds like a place we will pass on. We like
Sam Seltzers,good steaks grilled to order and friendly people,oh and well priced too.