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Upon entering Sunset Grille you may think you are surrounded by agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency. Scrolled in gold lettering across the back of the staff’s black T-shirts is DEA. If you look closer, however, you will note the acronym stands for Drink Every Afternoon.

Formerly known as the Tide Restaurant, Sunset Grille overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and has both indoor and outdoor dining, with a boardwalk leading to the beach from the restaurant.

It is a casual sports type beach bar which boasts 40 televisions blazing on the walls and around the large, wood bar area. Sunset Grille has been operating at 900 South Collier Blvd. on Marco since 1998.

“Over the past two years, we have emphasized sports more,” said Keith Reeves, owner. “It still has a beachy feel, but we carry all the sports packages (on TV). We have the NFL Sunday Ticket, MLB Xtra Innings, NBA League Pass, NHL Center Ice and more.”

Reeves moved to the island in 1993, married his wife, Jennifer, who has been here since 1999, and has two lovely daughters Samantha and Alyssa. “We are a family ourselves and live on Marco full time,” he said.

A point made obvious with Sunset Grille’s casual, family atmosphere and kid-friendly menu selections such as hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken fingers. All the pizzas are made with Chef Michael O’Connor’s homemade sauce and five different cheeses.

“We offer more than the usual standard sports bar fare,” said Reeves. “We, of course, have burgers and wings, but we also make our own crab cakes, which anyone on the island will tell you are the best! Our ahi tuna, which is served blackened or sesame seed crusted over Asian dipping sauce has a unique presentation.”

Playing Bridge is a weekly activity for Barbara Donovan, Sherrie Marlin, Giesela Martin and Elisabeth Henrie at Sunset Grille. “Is there any other card game?” asked Martin.

All four ladies recommend the baked onion en crute soup, which is a French onion style soup topped with a puffed pastry, green onions, tomatoes and fried leeks and the shrimp fajita wrap with sauteed onions and peppers.

“Customers’ love our hamburgers and the buffalo chicken salad which is served with blue cheese dressing,” said Linda Kingsbury who has been a server at Sunset Grille for the past 10 months. “Also a big request is our frozen daiquiris and margaritas.

“People like to come in on NFL game night. We have grouped our televisions and labeled them with whichever games are airing. We may have the Buccaneers on one set and the Packers on another group,” Kingsbury said. “On the NFL nights we have a special on bucket beer. Customers get five imported or domestic beers in a bucket!”

The bartender, Brian Day, will hook you up with a bucket, which you can enjoy while watching one of the many sports games that are playing in different sections of the restaurant.

Or maybe you would rather shoot some pool, play shuffleboard or another one of the games in the alcove off the bar.

The seafood chowder and onion soup are both house originals. Everything is cooked to order for the customer. The Philly steak sandwich is another popular selection on the menu. The bread used for the steak and hoagie sandwiches are Amoroso rolls, and are shipped down especially from Philadelphia.

“We are as close as you can get to a Philly steak sandwich without being in Philly. We use the Amoroso rolls not only as our hoagie bread, but for our hamburgers too,” Reeves said.

Happy hour is from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Well drinks, wine, bottled and draft beer are available at discounted prices. An extensive selection of both imported and domestic beers is also offered.

“We also have take out,” stated Reeves. “We have developed a nice clientele. People can come as they are and enjoy the sunset.”

Indoor and outdoor dining is available. During season, the outside bar is manned seven days a week. Lunch and dinner menu items are served from 11 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. The restaurant is Christmas Day and will be open through sunset on New Year’s Eve.

On Thanksgiving Day, football fans can dine and enjoy watching the Lions host the Titans, Seattle versus Dallas and the Cardinals and Eagles face off.

Other entrees at Sunset Grille include snow crab legs steamed in garlic sauce; shrimp and clams served over linguini with a red or white sauce; the catch of the day which can be broiled, blackened, lemon pepper or deep fried; crab cakes served with lobster cream sauce; linguini and meatballs; pan seared scallops sauteed in garlic butter or served over pasta with a tomato basil sauce; surf and turf which is an eight ounce filet with grilled shrimp; pasta primavera tossed in a white cream sauce; and chicken and shrimp primavera with a white cream sauce.

Pasta dinners are served with a garden salad and the other dinner entrees are served with two sides and a salad. Sides include baked potato, curly fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, pasta salad, seasonal vegetables and cole slaw.

Other sandwiches include items like clam rolls, french dip, gyros with tzatziki sauce, and cold grilled chicken salad. All sandwich items are served with seasoned curly fries or onion rings may be substituted. Bread choices include kaiser, white, wheat, rye or low carb tortilla.

If you are in the mood for something lighter, you can order the soups, salads or an appetizer, which include but not limited to mini crab cakes served with lobster sauce; conch fritters served with cocktail or tartar sauce; nachos; salads; soup of the day; baked brie topped with sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions and Marsala sauce; or buffalo wings.

They also have burgers served with seasoned curly fries and baskets of chicken fingers, clam strips, fried shrimp, or fish and chips all served with curly fries and cole slaw. The dessert menu carries such items as caramel apple tort and key lime pie. If you want something more on the cold side, they have speedway sundaes and vanilla nutty cones.

Whether you are a sports nut or a bridge connoisseur, head down to Sunset Grille, relax, enjoy the game from any seat in the house, and watch the sun dip down into the Gulf. Let the stresses of the day melt away while you feast on a snack as light as peel and eat shrimp or have something more robust like the eight ounce char-grilled filet mignon served with Marsala steak sauce. They can be reached at 389-0509.