My favorite time for Sliders is Saturday afternoon; that’s when they have music in the Tiki Hut. Recently, my companion Rumsey and I decided to indulge in a little seafood and listen to their latest crooner, Cason, who also happens to be the entertainment manager at Sliders. Our bartender, Kevin, served us up a real Hawaiian Mai Tai, fruity and refreshing, as Rumsey and I shared a crab cake, one of Sliders specialties. Yes, it’s true what they say: this is one of the best crab cakes on the island, loaded with sweet back fin crab, no filler, crispy on the outside and moist within. The crab cake was served with spicy remoulade sauce, made with a secret Sliders recipe. What a great appetizer!

Since Sliders has a reputation for their oysters (well, where do you think they got their name?), I simply had to order a dozen raw, on the half shell. As usual, they were fresh, extra large, and served with horseradish, cocktail sauce, and lemons—and just delicious. I happily ate most of these myself, as Rumsey was already diving into our entrée, a seafood combo platter of fried shrimp and grouper.

The thing I like about Sliders seafood entrees is that you can make up your own combinations and have them cooked the way you like—either grilled, fried, or blackened. And the restaurant offers healthier side dish options, like steamed vegetables and rice. We opted for the veggies and baked potato, and decided to share our entrée. Sliders has a terrific seafood batter for their fried food. It’s light and delicate, and the shrimp and grouper were perfectly cooked, moist and piping hot. Our veggies were tender and crisp, and the baked potato easily ample enough to serve two persons.

The day was perfect for Tiki Hut dining, sunny and breezy, and the music was delightful and fun. There were a lot of folks enjoying the patio area, and children playing on the swings out back. Our server, Shea, asked us if we wanted dessert, but I told her that we were full, so she brought us one of Kevin’s specialty dessert drinks, a Key Lime Pie Shot. Yes, it’s liquid key lime pie in a shot glass, and it tastes exactly like key lime pie—you can even taste the graham cracker crust! Kevin isn’t giving out his secret recipe, so you can only enjoy this drink at Sliders. Just when we were about to leave, a wonderful thing happened—the Space Shuttle Discovery was launched and we could see it from the patio at Sliders! Talk about the perfect ending to a perfect meal! Sliders has lots of entertainment going on throughout the summer (Space Shuttles included!). What a wonderful choice for seaside dining on Amelia, any time of the year.