Living on a tropical island would be pretty sweet for a while, until you realize you'll run out of food long before that damn Professor gives up on coconut radios and builds a crude raft. Bringing the tropics to you instead, Octo Waterfront Grille.

Making over the old Rock Lobster as a sprawling, 13,000 sq ft "tropical urban oasis", Octo features a tented dining space anchored by a 40-seat triangular bar underneath projections of shimmering water, and an expansive outdoor lounge/deck complete with separate bar and private cabana beds -- providing waterfront views of the Delaware and the 200 boats docked throughout the marina, and a reminder to fire your financial adviser. Besides a NY strip and filet mignon, the menu's seafood-loaded, including starters (lobster and surf & turf spring rolls, grilled shrimp skewers, grilled octopus salad), pastas like rock shrimp & bay scallop Fra Diavolo, and handmade squid ink ravioli stuffed w/ lobster; and specialties like stuffed Brazilian lobster tail, and grilled ahi tuna, prepared fresh in the "mood of the day" (so, "lightly cheerfulled, and served on a bed of bok joy"). Cocktails follow the "We may never get off this island -- but who cares!" theme, e.g., the Octain Tea (Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, club soda, lemonade), the bi-vodka Skyy High Martini (with both Skyy Pineapple and Passion Fruit), and the tri-vodka Tropical Cooler, with Absolut Mandarin, Citron, and Peach -- because the ultimate mixer is "no".

Along with DJs and live bands Wed-Sat, future plans include the installation of three massive fish tanks at the entrance, separately housing lobsters, the namesake octopus, and freshwater fish -- but unfortunately for the Professor's experimenting, includes no electric eel.

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Don't front on the river -- check out the full menu at OctoPhilly.com