Laishley Crab House - Punta Gorda, FL

We love trying new places and new foods:) Being new to Florida, we aren't exactly seafood experts quite yet... but we're well on our way. We'd been eyeing Laishley Crab House for a while, and we finally made our trip over Labor Day Weekend.

We love places that have variety on the menu. The more cuisine we can have throughout a meal, the better. At Laishley, they have a great variety of seafood dishes, land dishes (steak and chicken), plus a raw bar with shrimp and sushi!

We started with wine - Jee with her Riesling and Caleb with a Chardonnay - as we usually do when it's a nice date night. The drink menu at Laishley had a great wine selection, plus beer and a plentiful selection of rum drinks that all had some local flair.

We're suckers for great apps, and it's sometimes a struggle to try something new. Laishley's had quite a few regulars on the menu (Spin Artichoke Dip, Bruschetta, Shrimp Cocktail), but we were in the mood for something new, so we decided to go with Sushi.

*Side note* I'm (Caleb writing) still a beginner when it comes to sushi, but it's squarely in my sights as something I want to try much more of.

We got a Mexican Roll - Tempura Shrimp, Avocado, Spicy Mayo, and Roe - and it was great! Caleb was able to successfully navigate chopsticks and didn't drop one grain of rice. The roll was the perfect size for an app, and was the perfect setup for the main dishes.

For dinner, Jee Ah chose the Tuscan Shrimp Pasta and Caleb took a chance on the Crab-Stuffed Shrimp with Rice and Broccoli. Despite eating only 6 bites and then being full, Jee's pasta received high marks. The shrimp was flavorful and the Tuscan sauce was over-the-top good. Caleb's shrimp was a bit out there - I don't have much experience with crab either - but it ended up being very tasty. The parmesan cream sauce over the shrimp was to die for, and the shrimp were fresh and flavorful. The rice made a perfect pairing for the crab meat, and the entire dish went together very well.

Unfortunately, all of that food meant that dessert was out of the question. Nevertheless, dinner plus the patio view overlooking Charlotte Harbor (the pic above doesn't do the view justice) made Laishley Crab House a great date night stop!

OUR TAKE: Laishley Crab House is one of our favorite SWFL seafood stops, and one we'll definitely make a return trip to. If you're going, be sure to request patio seating as the view is so cool. The menu is full of great choices, so you'll have a tough time deciding... but that's part of the fun:)

OUR RANKING: Laishley Crab House takes the #7 spot on our overall list and takes the top spot for SWFL seafood restaurants on our list... edging out Hurricane Charley's (Punta Gorda, FL).