THIS RESTAURANT HAS CHANGED LOCATIONS Tony Mandola’s Awards

THIS RESTAURANT HAS CHANGED LOCATIONS Tony Mandola’s Restaurant Review:

Tony Mandola has been cooking up Gulf Coast seafood and Italian dishes since the early '80s. This eponymous restaurant looks to be transported right out of New Orleans' French Quarter with its wrought iron-rimmed garden with a gurgling fountain and gas lamps. You’ll find a sleek yet comfortable interior with a tiled bar, banquet room and main dining room with seating for two-hundred-plus. The kitchen turns out reliable seafood like the blackened soft shell crab topped with onion rings and the fried snapper battered in cornmeal that comes with fries, Cajun coleslaw and Mama’s homemade tartar sauce. And speaking of Mama Mandola, it’s a shame to pass on the pasta and wood-burning pizzas based on her recipes. We particularly like her meatballs served over spaghetti with suga pomodoro sauce and gumbo pizza. But don’t deny the oysters: cold and briny on the half shell, fried, and Oysters Roquefort---baked in blue cheese and spinach. A full bar and decent wine list along with a dessert menu that includes banana Key lime pie round out the experience.