Rusty's Bistro

This hidden treasure within the Sheraton hotel had an amazing menu with creative and delicious dishes from appetizers to dessert. Cocktails were fabulous. Most of all, our server Blake was informative, accomodating and a great pleasure!

Outstanding dishes and dinner service.
Our waiter added a whole new dimension to the dishes, the story of the plating arrangement: a view from above with the scallops being umbrellas on the beach with the cauliflower puree as the sand etc.

The calamari appetizer is out of this world.

Their breakfast buffet is absolutely worth it, all items are high quality and with one main dish on rotation so it's worth coming every morning.

Wonderfully friendly staff all throughout.

Rusty's is the fine dining restaurant in the Sheraton at Clearwater Beach. We went here the first night of our three night stay, mostly because we were too tired from traveling to leave the hotel, but we weren't disappointed.

First the gripes. Our waiter was NOT masked which made us uncomfortable. Also, we called several times from the room to see if they had a table but they didn't answer the phone. When we went in person, despite seeming completely empty they said they couldn't seat us for an hour. Back to the room to wait. Not a huge deal, really, but could have been better. Lastly, I wish there had been more originality on the menu, but my survey of menus in this area suggests that is not what people come here for.

We ordered the fried olives, the rock shrimp bisque, the seared sea scallops with lime aioli, and the filet and crab cake. All of the food, including the complimentary bread basket, was excellent. The dessert menu was enticing (let lime creme brulee!) but we opted to skip dessert.

The olives were the curiosity. Green olives stuffed with beef, battered and fried, with a wedge of grilled lemon. They were kind of like fried pickles at other southern cooking places. They were crispy and the breading didn't fall off. They were good but I wouldn't make a special trip just for them.

The bisque was creamy and complex and the sweetness of the sherry came through. There were several large chunks of shrimp that were cooked perfectly. The portion was perfect for two to share as an appetizer without filing you up too much. If you're going to do a seafood bisque, you should do it well, and they did.

The seared scallops were large, plump, and perfectly cooked. The lime aioli was an excellent pairing and the capers in the sauce provided just enough bite to ba a good accent. The grilled cauliflower was a nice complement.

The filet was small (4 oz) but perfectly medium rare with a crusty exterior. The crab cake was small but very tasty and they didn't stretch it with too much bread crumb filling. The grilled asparagus was really very good. I could have had a plate of just that, and the mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy. If you're a big eater this might not fill you up but it was a perfect portion size for me.

The ambiance was nice. Not too dark and not noisy at all. Enough space between tables to feel comfortably socially distanced.

In summary, my only real complaint was the lack of originality. They served standard fine dining fare and did it well. We enjoyed our dinner and given what we had, the prices were very reasonable.

I am staying in the sheraton sand key resort and decided to try this restaurant. I had Walter as my waiter and he gave us an outstanding experience and was very welcoming. The food was delicious and made with great care. I had keylime pie for the first time, it was delicious 😋. I recommend that if you are staying here, you should not try anything else, definitely eat here. It is worth every bite.

Dinner tonight was fabulous! We were surprised there was not a wait for this place! The food was so fresh- unique flavors, large portions, and wonderful presentation. Our server, Randy, rocked! He was super knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating. Jamie, the maître d’, ensured everyone was taken care of- staff and customers. All around fantastic experience and the highlight of our stay in Sand Key. Everything was delicious, but I cannot say enough about the delectable crab cakes, spring salad, and pasta pappardelle (tender pasta with blue crab, scallops, and shrimp- so good!).