Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Mucky Duck Sunsets

One of the highlights of the trip for me each year is watching the sunset and dining at The Mucky Duck on Captiva Island.  The restaurant was established in 1976 by two Englishmen, who had purchased a beach house and found they could reactivate a beer and wine license for a mere $100.  The rest is history, as The Mucky Duck has settled into being one of the most beloved spots on Sanibel-Captiva.

As I mentioned in my Happy Halloween post, driving over to Captiva from our condo's position on the very end of Sanibel Island takes at least 30 minutes.  On Tuesday evening, the crew took my word that The Mucky Duck was worth the longer drive in the car again.  We arrived around 5:30pm to ensure that we'd be able to find a parking spot at the pretty small Mucky Duck parking lot.  We were in luck.
Around the back of the restaurant is an outside bar, complete with a few available draft beers, bottled beers and pre-mixed margaritas.  There are also picnic tables, brightly painted lounge chairs, a ring toss game and live music.  The guys took an immediate interest in ring toss, while Daisy, Karen and I opted for a seat at a table with our margaritas.

The best part of The Mucky Duck is that the beach is right behind those palm trees and reeds seen in the above pictures.  There are such beautiful surroundings all around you, which makes passing the time before sunset all too easy.  We chose to order many-a-refill and enjoy the live music.  Before we knew it, we were drawn to the sandy beach itself to get a better view of the sky starting to fill with brilliant pink and orange colors.
Mike
Dave, Me, Daisy, Adam
The guys
Me and the beau
Getting closer to setting...
Group shot
Gorgeous right?
Daisy
Last bit of sun
After that amazing sunset experience, we put our name in for dinner inside.  We barely had a wait this night and were all happy to be sat right away.  We had 10 in total when you counted my aunt, uncle and cousins, so we split the tables up 6 and 4.  The waitresses had some fun with us and gave us "tables by the window" by putting this free-standing "window" in between us.


If you sit outside at one of the picnic tables, you can order appetizers from the indoor bar and eat the food outside.  However, inside you have a full dinner selection, highlighted by many entrees from the sea as well as the land.  For an appetizer, Dave and I split an order of Jalopeno Poppers (4 for $7).  These are a favorite of Dave's.  For dinner, Dave and I got the best of two worlds by splitting the Surf & Turf ($38).  The dish included a 8oz. filet and 4 BBQ shrimp wrapped with bacon.  The shrimp were just delicious, with the BBQ marinade in perfect harmony with the fresh shrimp.  The steak was cooked well and I enjoyed the seasoning.  


My cousin Karen always orders the Scallops Au Gratin (Scallops baked in Marsala wine and garlic butter, topped with Monterey Jack cheese - $25) so I feel confident in recommending this dish to readers as well.  I'm sure Daisy will have lots to share about her own meal so I will leave that to her, but the rest of the crew ordered fish & chips and pub burgers and seem very well satisfied.

One sunset proved not enough for us on this trip and we found ourselves heading back to The Mucky Duck for drinks on Friday evening (our last night on the island).  There was a cold snap on Friday, only reaching the mid-70s during the day, which also brought about gusty winds and a choppy ocean.  Here are a few picture highlights from this night.

Do yourself a favor and head over to this spot if you get the chance to spend any time on Sanibel/Captiva.  You wont regret it! :)

Mucky Duck on Urbanspoon

16 comments:

  1. love it! especially the shot of the crew, minus Adam's goofy face.

    take me back....

    ReplyDelete
  2. tricia these are AWESOME shots! the last picture is of the sunset/reeds/ocean is breath taking. please display this one in your condo!!! xo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great post.
    What happened to Victor? He was the "straw that stirred the drink"!

    ReplyDelete
  4. We came to Mucky Duck in 1987 as newly weds. It was our second evening as a married couple and our first night on honeymoon. We still talk about the evening - red snapper, several buds and that sunset. 25 years later we will return in 2012 - can't wait.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Friends told me about this place and found it by accident looking to get closer to the beach for the sun setting. It was October 31 2012, and one of the best birthdays I've ever had. Absolutely had to compliment the chef on my swordfish, perfectly cooked melt in your mouth, and the ambiance and views towards the beach were breathtaking!I've been bragging about it ever since. Can't wait to go back in Feb.....

    ReplyDelete
  6. We looked forward to spending the day at the Mucky Duck. The beach, drinks and food. Unfortunately, the over sized parking attendant rudely chased us off the beach. The Mucky Duck policy was that you were not permitted to enjoy the beach if you were parked in their parking lot. Even though we had purchased drinks from the bar (which we were still drinking) and were on the waiting list to be seated for lunch. Not a friendly or accommodating place. No one wants to be hasseled while vacationing. Don't waste your time going here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I fully agree. What makes a place good? The attitude of their employees. The ones at the Mucky Duck suck!
      My fammily and I were "bounced" off the premises because my kids decided to play at the beach while we were waiting to be seated. Can you believe such stupidity and rubbish behaviour?
      Of course I do not recommend this place unless you enjoy being treated like scum.

      Delete
  7. From Ted's seranade at our table to Kelly's personal attention to our wants/needs, our dinner at the Mucky Duck was a special moment to savor and fondly remember as a highlight of our time in Ft. Myers/Captiva. Also...kudos to the chef for wonderful food. And the view is the BEST on Captiva!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bringing our dog Winston to the Duck!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. We've been going to Sanibel/Captiva for over 30 years off and on and every trip we traditionally go to the Mucky Duck for at least one lunch. We love it there. The food is consistently great, the staff excellent. We started going when our girls were little, now we take our grandson. We['ll always go back to the Mucky Duck!

    ReplyDelete
  10. A nature guide at the Ding Darling site told us about the Mucky Duck. This was after I asked him for directions to another place on Captiva. He said the Duck had everything you would want: good food, good prices, great ambience, fabulous setting and if it's crowded, you could eat at the bar. That's actually what we ended up doing. it was exactly what I would want to do the next time. We had grouper and flounder. It couldn't have been better. Thanks guys.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Most def. My favorite place to go in Florida. The food is outstanding and to be able to view the outside fron the dining area is awsume.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Is there a reason the beach cam position has been changed? No more sand and ocean. Just a palm tree and people at tables.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for changing the beach cam back.When I see the sand,ocean and sunset it's my happy time.

    ReplyDelete