That Food Guy
Saturday, June 01, 2013
OEC Japanese Express
St Petersburg, FL 33710
(727) 345-4088
HTTP://www.oecexpress.com
 |
| OEC Take-Out Tempura Chicken Plated At Home To See What An In Restaurant Serving Would Look Like |
OEC Japanese
Express March 4, 2013
2438 66th
St NoSt Petersburg, FL 33710
(727) 345-4088
HTTP://www.oecexpress.com
It surely is a nice day when you have a pleasant surprise.
Today was one such day. A year or so ago I received a flyer in the mail
advertising OEC Japanese Express. It was an interesting concept; a storefront
fast food Japanese emporium. At the time I did not think I had ever encountered
anything like that before. It was on my list of things to do but often was put
aside for other things that came to light; maybe someday…
 |
| What is in the bag? This is what I got when I ordered a Teriyaki Chicken Bento Box to-go. |
It was the wife’s day out today. She was on a shopping trip
with her girlfriend. That left me free to find my own lunch. I rummaged through
some of my papers and found the flyer for OEC and decided to give it a try. I
wasn’t sure what I’d find. In my mind I was comparing it to several storefront
Chinese restaurants in the area which are very bare boned; edible but really
nothing to brag about. On the way to OEC Japanese express I was reminded of the
old axiom of location, location, location. OEC is located on one corner of a very
busy intersection. Access has to be planned ahead of time and casual drive-by
encounters with OEC would be rare. In spite of being a difficult to access
location, OEC has prospered and is still in business. That is always a good
sign. Looking up OEC Japanese Express on the Internet I could only find one
reference and that to the store in St. Petersburg. This restaurant is
apparently not part of a chain and is a unique entity which may explain why the
employees seem so dedicated to their store.
 |
| The Bento Box - The teriyaki chicken and vegetables. |
The store is more than just a takeout counter. It is also a
small sit down eat in restaurants as well. It is subtly decorated and does have
a bit of the feel of Japan. I know more than entered the door then I was
approached by the hostess. I informed her it was a takeout order. She has
guarded me to the counter and provided me with a menu to make my selection. The
menu is very complete. It features most of the items you would find in a more
traditional sit-down restaurant. My selection was the bento box on the lunch
special for $11.99. For the main course of the bento box you have a choice of
teriyaki chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon or white fish. I selected the teriyaki
chicken ($11.99 Choose from It is served with a California roll, house
salad, white rice, and you have your choice of shumai or an eggroll). I
chose the pork eggroll. The bento box gives the opportunity to sample many of
the dishes at one time; the sushi, the rice, and the other traditional entrées.
I was curious about how they would package the bento box to go since it usually
requires a special plate.
 |
| The Bento Box - The California Roll |
After I placed my order I sat down in one of the booths and
looked around the restaurant, taking in my surroundings. There are several booths
along one wall and tables and chairs occupied the rest of the area. I also
noticed a few tables outside for alfresco dining. There is also a sit at sushi
bar with about a half a dozen stools. From my vantage point I could watch the
sushi chefs preparing foods for the day’s customers and I also had a peek
inside of the kitchen and could watch many of the activities as they prepared
my order.
One of the sushi chefs was preparing cucumbers. He was
peeling the cucumbers into a paper thin strip. He worked his way around the cucumber
making a long continuous strip. It w3as one continuous cut until he reached the
seeds which were then discarded. I was amazed at his skill with the knife and
thoroughly entertained while waiting for my order; his skills were excellent.
From what I could see the kitchen, it was neat and tidy and very clean as was
the rest of the restaurant. It was a little before noon and there were only
three other customers in the restaurant (the small open-air patio outside had
several customers but they had apparently already been served). My order was
completed in a very short time. Neatly packaged in a plastic bag it was brought
to me by the hostess. I hurried home to see just what I got.
 |
| This is what I got when I ordered Tempura Chicken and California Roll to-go. |
The accessories included two pouches of soy sauce, a pair of
disposable chopsticks, and just in case, a fork. The house salad was in a small
Styrofoam container by itself. The main part of the salad was coarsely grated
lettuce, some finely grated carrot and a slice of tomato. It was accompanied by
a small container of a mild dressing similar to 1000 island dressing. Lettuce
was crisp and not discolored. The slice of tomato was from a nice ripe tomato
that had good flavor. The dressing, though mild and taste, was a good
accompaniment to the salad. The eggroll was also in its own little Styrofoam
container with a small container of what appeared to be duck sauce. The eggroll
was neatly wrapped crispy and fried to a nice Golden Brown. The filling was
flavorful and consisted of a mixture of pork and cabbage. The dipping sauce was
slightly fruity, slightly sweet with only a hint of sour. It also was a good
accompaniment to the eggroll.
 |
| The Tempura Chicken with a crispy - flaky crust. |
My curiosity about how they would serve the bento box
without satisfied. It is served in a compartmented plastic to-go bento box; a
nice touch. The main food compartment contained the teriyaki chicken. Under the
chicken were some vegetables consisting of broccoli, carrot, onion and scallion
and some nice slices of mushroom. To say the vegetables were under the chicken
is not mean they were skimping a chicken. The chicken was all white meat, cut
in small bite-size pieces and was a very generous serving. The teriyaki sauce
was thinner than I would have expected, it didn’t cling, but had an excellent flavor.
I saved some of the steamed white rice to sop up the teriyaki sauce after I had
finished my chicken and vegetables. The white rice was an ample serving as well
overflowing its compartment into the small compartment that would normally be occupied
by the wasabi and beni shoga. The next compartment contained the California
roll. There were six slices. The rice layer was very thin; the filling of crab
and avocado and daikon was more than ample. The California rolls were freshly
made but some of the ingredients may have shared space with sashimi and had
just a slight taste of fish. Other than that, the California rolls were
excellent. The last bento box compartment contained a small Dixie portion Cup
had the essential wasabi and beni shoga. Thinking of other bento boxes that I
have sampled, I recall that that one of the compartments would usually have a
small selection of vegetable tempura. What I mean to say is that although this
bento box selection was smaller than others I have tried it contained all of
the items listed on the menu in ample quantity.
 |
| California Roll with Masago (capelin roe) |
What started out as a curiosity quest ended up being a voyage
of discovery. OEC Japanese Express is close by, is very clean and
well-maintained, provides ample servings of good tasting, well-prepared food at
a fairly reasonable price. I do believe that OEC will become one of my favorite
places to go for a fast bite to eat when I don’t have time to cook at home. To
anyone who asks, anyone who likes Japanese food, I would say yes, try OEC
Japanese Express for a bit of sushi or other traditional Japanese dishes
prepared for the American palate. I enjoyed this encounter very much and I will
be going back again. I do believe I’ll try the tempura next…
A Revisit to OEC
Japanese Express March 17, 201
Over the next week or so I remembered fondly my first
encounter with OEC Express. Enough so that I was back again for lunch and would
now sample the chicken tempura ($8.99
Served with white rice. It includes containers of tentsuyu dipping sauce and
another creamier sauce). I was a bit on the hungry side so I also ordered a
side of California roll ($3.95 8-pieces Crab,
cucumber, avocado and masago in place of the usual tobiko. Includes a container
of beni shoga and wasabi). The California roll tasted good; it had a fresh
smell. The filling was more than adequate which made the rice layer a bit thin.
The rice was perhaps not as sticky as it should have been and the roll was, how
should I say, tender and I had to handle them very carefully. Other than that
small bit, the roll was excellent, the dipping sauce flavorful. The chicken
tempura had a bit of different coating than I would have expected for a tempura
batter. It was more like a fried coating
on Southern-fried chicken, crispy and flaky. It was more a difference of style
than substance in the long run because the coating was excellent, light and not
greasy. The chicken inside was cooked through to perfection; hot, steamy and
still moist. The tentsuyu sauce was favorable but seemed a bit thin. The creamy sauce was mild in flavor but I
really can’t say what the main flavor was; not as prickly as a 1000 Island nor was
it as pronounced in flavor as a Ranch dressing.
I alternated between the two but looking back I would say I preferred the
tentsuyu; perhaps I am just a traditionalist. The side container had a nice serving
of sticky white rice. I was able to eat it with chopsticks. Two single serving
packets of soy sauce were included.
Both of these dinners were package to go for take home. That is not the best way to showcase your food
product. However, the packaging shows care in preparing the food to go. The end
product is tasty and attractive. OEC Japanese Express will certainly be on my
list of favorite places to go.
You can call
in to order ahead, take out, eat in or perhaps linger at the sushi bar. For a
minimum order of $15 they offer free delivery in the local area. OEC Japanese Express
has a website at
HTTP://www.oecexpress. com ; there you will find
information about the restaurant including the unusual name, directions to get
there, their menu, and some pictures of the foods they prepare.
Labels: beni shoga, California Roll, chicken, Express, Japanese, OEC, rice, tempura, teriyaki, wasabi
¶ 11:35 AM 0 Comments
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
The Pub Waterfront Restaurant - Indian Shores, Florida
The Pub Waterfront Restaurant
20025 Gulf Blvd.
Indian Shores, FL (727) 595-3172
In the warm waters of mid-Florida’s Gulf Coast are a chain of barrier islands. Hardly more than speed bumps to a hurricane’s tidal surge, the keys do provide, however, white sand beaches, beach front property, a playground for more inland communities and a protected Intercoastal Waterway. Once mostly accessible by boat, their isolation helped the islands take on unique and individual characteristics. Now most are connected by causeways and an extensive road system, but they all seem to have their own aura. Some of the islands host large homes, mansions by any standard. Others have condominiums, motels and apartments. In some places there are still cottages left over from the early settlement of Gulf Coast Florida. In places the islands are wide enough to host small communities. In other places the spine road has small beach front lots on both sides of the road.
It was in this sub-tropical archipelago we found ourselves Tuesday last. For her Uncle Gilbert’s birthday, my wife, Janis, wanted to take her aunt and uncle out to lunch. Gilbert and Effie had been to a Sand Key restaurant on the Intercoastal Waterway. They had liked it and that is why we were returning to The Pub Waterfront Restaurant in Indian Shores.
An eclectic building, one of many expansions, features shaded open air terrace and a Tiki bar on one side, and conventional dining room and cocktail lounge accommodations on the other. We chose indoor seating. The dining room is carpeted but there wasn’t the usual mustiness of a carpeted room on the waterfront. The carpet and the wall paneling are in darker colors that help to mute the bright sunlight that spills in through the wall of glass windows that overlooks the Intercoastal Waterway.
There were few customers in the dining room. From the happy-sounding commotion, I’d say most of the midday patrons were clustered on the patio desks and around the Tiki bar. The hostess seated us quickly and our server, Shanisty, was quickly there with menus and took our orders for beverages. The menu features seafood, much of it local, as well as beef and chicken dishes. There is also a large selection of pasta dishes. Being that it was lunch, we ordered off the Sandwich and Early Bird Specials (11Am to 6PM) page on the back of the menu.
The napkins: The napkins are remarkable for restaurant paper napkins. They are large, eight-inches square when folded four-ply, thinner than but stronger than a paper towel. You can wipe and sop to your heart’s content.
Sandwiches come with a choice of pasta salad, French fries, or coleslaw. Gilbert and Effie both ordered the Fish Sandwich ($8.49). You have your choice of either fried or broiled. They chose fries and French fries as their side order. Both only wanted water as a beverage and it was served with a slice of lemon. I chose the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich ($8.49). I also chose the French fries. Janis ordered from the Early Bird Menu. The early bird selection, “comes with a fresh house salad or a cup of chowder and your choice of baked potato, garlic mashed potatoes, yellow rice and beans, fresh veggies, pasta or French fries.” She chose the Jumbo Shrimp 
($12.95) with clam chowder and French fries. The Pub features Coca Cola products and Janis and I ordered Coca Colas.
The sandwiches are not just served on any old hamburger bun. They use large sandwich buns. Gilbert and Effie’s sandwiches were both with very large, breaded and fried golden brown white fish. They were apparently cooked just about right ; I could see they had that nice flakiness when Gilbert took a bite. Both commented that the sandwiches tasted good and were satisfying just as their last visit to The Pub. It was a large serving of fish and there were abundant lettuce, tomato and onion as well as the large bun. I was
surprised, but they both finished all their meal.
Janis’ clam chowder arrived first; a nice serving size with a bag of oyster crackers. It was a nice thick and creamy sauce with lots of clam chunks. She said it was very good. Her entrée was a serving of five large shrimp, cooked well to a nice golden brown and a side of French fries. When I asked her about only five, she said they were very large shrimp, very tasty, and the serving was more than adequate for a lunch meal.
My teriyaki chicken sandwich was served open-faced. A nice portion of boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled, with a topping of grilled pineapple and a nice reduction teriyaki sauce, was served
with lettuce, tomato, slices of red onion on a large sandwich bun. Put it all together and at first you wonder how you will fit it into your mouth. The teriyaki sauce was thick, not runny and that was nice because the bread did not get soggy. However, it was sticky; more on that later. The sandwich had excellent flavor and it was a very ample serving.
All around the table, we had French fries. They were oaky as French fries go but they were not great. I think they need to put a little more effort into what constitutes about half of the food on a dinner plate. The fries were cooked, they had a nice color but they were not really hot nor did
they have that crispy texture we have come to expect of French fries.
When the food arrived, the fish sandwiches had a side of tartar sauce and the shrimp a side of cocktail sauce. We looked around. No ketchup to be seen for the fries. It took a moment to catch the server’s eye as she was delivering food to some other customers. Approaching our table, we could see that she had anticipated our request and brought a ketchup bottle and a big stack of those big napkins.
When I finished my teriyaki chicken sandwich, I had teriyaki sauce all over my fingers. Even with the big napkins, rub as I might, I could not get all the sticky off. I excused myself and went to the rest room. “Oh, well,” I thought, “I’ll do something I haven’t done before and check out the bathroom for the blog.” Small, it could accommodate two people at a time, it was clean and odor free. There was a big functioning soap dispenser and lots of hot water. It passed my casual inspection.
It was a pleasant lunch with good company celebrating a gala occasion, an eighty-third birthday. The food was good, and we had a nice table at the window overlooking the Intercoastal Waterway. We watched the manatees swimming in the channel. We had good, prompt and courteous service; Shanisty kept our glasses full.
It is an interesting place with outdoor and indoor dining at your choosing, a dock and slips to tie up your boat if you arrive by sea. They have been in business for about fifty years and it would seem that they have the right formula to bring back the regulars and add first timers to their return customer list. I think you will enjoy a visit.
You can get more information about The Pub or peruse their online menu at their web site http://www.thepubwaterfrontrestaurant.com/
20025 Gulf Blvd.
Indian Shores, FL (727) 595-3172
In the warm waters of mid-Florida’s Gulf Coast are a chain of barrier islands. Hardly more than speed bumps to a hurricane’s tidal surge, the keys do provide, however, white sand beaches, beach front property, a playground for more inland communities and a protected Intercoastal Waterway. Once mostly accessible by boat, their isolation helped the islands take on unique and individual characteristics. Now most are connected by causeways and an extensive road system, but they all seem to have their own aura. Some of the islands host large homes, mansions by any standard. Others have condominiums, motels and apartments. In some places there are still cottages left over from the early settlement of Gulf Coast Florida. In places the islands are wide enough to host small communities. In other places the spine road has small beach front lots on both sides of the road.
It was in this sub-tropical archipelago we found ourselves Tuesday last. For her Uncle Gilbert’s birthday, my wife, Janis, wanted to take her aunt and uncle out to lunch. Gilbert and Effie had been to a Sand Key restaurant on the Intercoastal Waterway. They had liked it and that is why we were returning to The Pub Waterfront Restaurant in Indian Shores.
An eclectic building, one of many expansions, features shaded open air terrace and a Tiki bar on one side, and conventional dining room and cocktail lounge accommodations on the other. We chose indoor seating. The dining room is carpeted but there wasn’t the usual mustiness of a carpeted room on the waterfront. The carpet and the wall paneling are in darker colors that help to mute the bright sunlight that spills in through the wall of glass windows that overlooks the Intercoastal Waterway.
There were few customers in the dining room. From the happy-sounding commotion, I’d say most of the midday patrons were clustered on the patio desks and around the Tiki bar. The hostess seated us quickly and our server, Shanisty, was quickly there with menus and took our orders for beverages. The menu features seafood, much of it local, as well as beef and chicken dishes. There is also a large selection of pasta dishes. Being that it was lunch, we ordered off the Sandwich and Early Bird Specials (11Am to 6PM) page on the back of the menu.
The napkins: The napkins are remarkable for restaurant paper napkins. They are large, eight-inches square when folded four-ply, thinner than but stronger than a paper towel. You can wipe and sop to your heart’s content.
Sandwiches come with a choice of pasta salad, French fries, or coleslaw. Gilbert and Effie both ordered the Fish Sandwich ($8.49). You have your choice of either fried or broiled. They chose fries and French fries as their side order. Both only wanted water as a beverage and it was served with a slice of lemon. I chose the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich ($8.49). I also chose the French fries. Janis ordered from the Early Bird Menu. The early bird selection, “comes with a fresh house salad or a cup of chowder and your choice of baked potato, garlic mashed potatoes, yellow rice and beans, fresh veggies, pasta or French fries.” She chose the Jumbo Shrimp 
($12.95) with clam chowder and French fries. The Pub features Coca Cola products and Janis and I ordered Coca Colas.The sandwiches are not just served on any old hamburger bun. They use large sandwich buns. Gilbert and Effie’s sandwiches were both with very large, breaded and fried golden brown white fish. They were apparently cooked just about right ; I could see they had that nice flakiness when Gilbert took a bite. Both commented that the sandwiches tasted good and were satisfying just as their last visit to The Pub. It was a large serving of fish and there were abundant lettuce, tomato and onion as well as the large bun. I was
surprised, but they both finished all their meal.Janis’ clam chowder arrived first; a nice serving size with a bag of oyster crackers. It was a nice thick and creamy sauce with lots of clam chunks. She said it was very good. Her entrée was a serving of five large shrimp, cooked well to a nice golden brown and a side of French fries. When I asked her about only five, she said they were very large shrimp, very tasty, and the serving was more than adequate for a lunch meal.
My teriyaki chicken sandwich was served open-faced. A nice portion of boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled, with a topping of grilled pineapple and a nice reduction teriyaki sauce, was served
with lettuce, tomato, slices of red onion on a large sandwich bun. Put it all together and at first you wonder how you will fit it into your mouth. The teriyaki sauce was thick, not runny and that was nice because the bread did not get soggy. However, it was sticky; more on that later. The sandwich had excellent flavor and it was a very ample serving.All around the table, we had French fries. They were oaky as French fries go but they were not great. I think they need to put a little more effort into what constitutes about half of the food on a dinner plate. The fries were cooked, they had a nice color but they were not really hot nor did
they have that crispy texture we have come to expect of French fries.When the food arrived, the fish sandwiches had a side of tartar sauce and the shrimp a side of cocktail sauce. We looked around. No ketchup to be seen for the fries. It took a moment to catch the server’s eye as she was delivering food to some other customers. Approaching our table, we could see that she had anticipated our request and brought a ketchup bottle and a big stack of those big napkins.
When I finished my teriyaki chicken sandwich, I had teriyaki sauce all over my fingers. Even with the big napkins, rub as I might, I could not get all the sticky off. I excused myself and went to the rest room. “Oh, well,” I thought, “I’ll do something I haven’t done before and check out the bathroom for the blog.” Small, it could accommodate two people at a time, it was clean and odor free. There was a big functioning soap dispenser and lots of hot water. It passed my casual inspection.
It was a pleasant lunch with good company celebrating a gala occasion, an eighty-third birthday. The food was good, and we had a nice table at the window overlooking the Intercoastal Waterway. We watched the manatees swimming in the channel. We had good, prompt and courteous service; Shanisty kept our glasses full.
It is an interesting place with outdoor and indoor dining at your choosing, a dock and slips to tie up your boat if you arrive by sea. They have been in business for about fifty years and it would seem that they have the right formula to bring back the regulars and add first timers to their return customer list. I think you will enjoy a visit.
You can get more information about The Pub or peruse their online menu at their web site http://www.thepubwaterfrontrestaurant.com/
Labels: barrier island, chicken, fish sandwich, Florida, indian shores, pub, shrimp, teriyaki, waterfront
¶ 12:10 PM 0 Comments
