Every summer, I try to visit at least one or two regional waterfront eateries I’ve never dined at before. Each year, my options grow fewer, but last week, The Grub Spouse and I were finally able to knock one out — Off the Hook Lakeside Bar and Grille, overlooking Cherokee Reservoir at Black Oak Marina in Jefferson City.
We were periodically pelted by rainstorms en route, but the sky cleared up somewhat in time for our arrival. The host on duty didn’t even ask us if we wanted to sit in the main interior dining room; he presumed that we would want to sit on the enclosed, climate-controlled porch overlooking the lake. He was not wrong.
Since Off the Hook is lakeside dining, it came as no surprise to me that seafood accounts for a fair amount of the menu. Appetizers include fried calamari, fried shrimp, peel-and-eat shrimp, crab cakes and raw oysters. I always love a raw oyster, and I was also compelled by the fried Oysters Rocky Top, but I’m generally wary of landlocked oysters at restaurants that don’t specifically specialize in that item…