Marco's trendy Sand Bar a sports (and food) lover's delight

OK, maybe it isn't such a secret. When my friend and I had dinner there Nov. 1, it seemed at least half the island's population -- from toddlers to seniors -- was packed into the popular sports bar, and more were arriving by the minute.

I love a restaurant that serves good food at reasonable prices.

Check out the happy-hour prices for these popular starters: wings at 25 cents each and fresh raw oysters shucked to order at 40 cents each, about half the regular price.

Of course we ordered both, as well as a basket of onion rings served piping hot and barely coated with crisp brown batter. Just perfect!

Did I mention that our personable and efficient waitress, Dawn, told us the oysters (from Louisiana) were sweet and succulent with little loss of flavor from being pasteurized to eliminate that nasty vibrio organism?

	AT A GLANCE
	Sand Bar 826 W. Elkcam Circle, Marco Island Phone: 642-3625 -- Open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day; eat in or take out. -- All major credit cards accepted. -- Famous wings: $5 - $42.94 -- Starters: $2.25 - $9.95 -- Basket specials: $6.95 - $9.95 -- Platters/sandwiches/salads: $2.95 - $24.95 -- Steakburgers: $4.75 - $7.25 -- Childrens menu: $4 - $5.50 -- Desserts: $3.50 - $4.95

Everything you could possibly want to eat or drink is neatly listed under logical, self-explanatory headings.

For instance, there are basket specials, which include the usual suspects as well as the rarely found, never frozen, and fried-from-scratch oyster basket. This is a bountiful mound of the aforementioned succulent bivalves lightly dusted and deep-fried 'til golden yet juicy.

"Ambrosia from the briny deep," my friend murmured, graciously offering me an ample sample. I reciprocated in kind with a crusty chunk of the huge 12-ounce grouper fillet, which I ordered deep-fried rather than crunchy battered upon Dawn's recommendation.

The starring entries under the "What Made the Sand Bar Famous" banner (and long may it wave, I say!) were my "world famous grouper platter"; its grouper sandwich counterpart; the deep-fried oyster sandwich; the pork tenderloin sandwich; and, last but not least, the 42-ounce porterhouse.

The supporting platters, subs and sandwiches are too numerous to list, but I can promise you won't be disappointed.

Even the children's menu offers bountiful baskets (grouper fingers for $5.50) with "happy face fries" (adorable) and a soft- drink refill. Incidentally, the "famous" items are served with coleslaw (too sweet for me, but my tablemates loved it) and your choice of homemade pasta salad or french fries. Take a tip and opt for the tasty, piquant pasta salad rather than fries you can order anytime.

Whew! Just writing about all that flavorsome food makes me feel full, so I'm happy to tell you that the menu also offers a lighter side. Among the taco, chef and tossed salads, you'll find the Sand Bar's inimitable Caesar salad, which garnered a prestigious People's Choice Award and can be embellished with either chicken for $1 more or grouper for $2 more.

Let's see, there also are "mouth watering steakburgers," served with the aforementioned sides. The five kinds listed must be as the menu promises, for I spied a perfectly coifed and garbed white-haired grand dame at the adjoining table digging into her platter with the gusto of a gourmand.

Actually, anywhere you looked, including the dining areas on each side of the large U- shaped bar, there were singles, couples and families with children enjoying the food and having a grand old time.

I should mention that some of the cheerful pandemonium could be attributed to the game room participants and enthusiastic fans watching the 40 or more TV screens -- each tuned to various athletic events.

Sports fans who developed a thirst rooting for their teams could wet their whistles with a selection of soft drinks (the coffee is quite good) or wine, including trendy Kendall Jackson Chardonnay or Merlot. There are also 19 beers on draft (it's a sports bar, remember?), and more than 120 bottled beers from around the globe.

Oops! There's also a familiar selection of sweet drinks that pack a punch.

Desserts, on the other hand, are not so well-represented in quality or quantity as the liquid sweets, and they are prepared off the premises, our resourceful server said. She did recommend both the strawberry Margarita pie (good enough to order again) and the fried banana cheesecake (tres unremarkable).

Jenine C. Ouillette is a retired features editor of the Key West Citizen and a former food writer and restaurant reviewer for other publications in the Keys and mainland Florida.