Blog Posts from Our Just-Concluded Destin Trip

[Plays With Food]

The first post is here: Fun Playing With Food: Fun Playing With Florida Food - 2010 Destin Part 1 (of 3).

Unfortunately, like last year, I've gotten sick right after coming home, so it is coming slowly. I promise to post some photos directly to Sowal.com!

Our favorite meals included: Cafe Tango (of course!), Boathouse Oyster Bar, Shorty's, Harry T's . . . those are included in the first post; there will be two more!

Dang, we miss Sowal already!!!

 

[Kurt]

Thanks! Lots of great info on there it is going to take me awhile to read.

 

[beachmouse]

I always love reading your food reports.

 

[Teresa]

wow, the food pix on your blog are gorgeous! I've never been to Boathouse Oyster Bar - where is it? the oysters look gorgeous.

can't wait to finish reading the other parts!

yes, I am in agreement with you: travel is all about the food.

 

[Allifunn]

Awesome, love the pics! waiting for more
You two had quite the culinary adventure!

 

[Matt J]

I love the reports, it was so nice meeting you.

 

[Green Knight]

Nice Read...It hurts to read how poor Harbor Docks is now cause that's one of the places that I used to go to back in the 1970's....Sadly I have to agree with you...the last time I went Everyone's Fish smelled like an old shoe...As for your bread complaint I totally agree with you...The South and Destin Area in particular don't put much thought into bread at all..very poor quality with a particular pet peeve of mine being all the places that serve Po Boys not on French Bread...ummm it's not really a Po Boy if it's not on French Bread... As for La Famiglia I have to say you made a bad order..It is an excellent and very authentic restaurant if you order Italian Meals....Seafood at an Italian Restaurant is a stretch to put it mildly...nice write up again.looking forward to the next 2 Installments

 

[Plays With Food]

Nice Read...It hurts to read how poor Harbor Docks is now cause that's one of the places that I used to go to back in the 1970's....Sadly I have to agree with you...the last time I went Everyone's Fish smelled like an old shoe...As for your bread complaint I totally agree with you...The South and Destin Area in particular don't put much thought into bread at all..very poor quality with a particular pet peeve of mine being all the places that serve Po Boys not on French Bread...ummm it's not really a Po Boy if it's not on French Bread... As for La Famiglia I have to say you made a bad order..It is an excellent and very authentic restaurant if you order Italian Meals....Seafood at an Italian Restaurant is a stretch to put it mildly...nice write up again.looking forward to the next 2 Installments

With regard to La Famiglia - Italian/Mediterranean cuisine is usually very fish/seafood focused, and the menu at LaF reflects that. However, it is true that a lot of Italian-American restaurants, like Chinese-American restaurants, use food service seafood. That was why I asked first. I noted the heavy Italian accent of our server - he should have known exactly what I was looking for if he was from the old country. Had he warned me off the seafood instead of extolling its virtues, I think we'd have all been happier. Nevertheless, I like the place enough to want to give it another chance - for something other than seafood!

Also - I've had fabulous fish and/or seafood at Borago (where I also had horrible shrimp), Locanda (restaurant deceased) and Enzo's - we didn't return to Enzo's this year because when I called to ask if they had any fresh fish or seafood, they said no. I hope to rectify that next year!

 

[Desso]

The lack of fresh seafood at most local restaurants is laughable. I would be embarrassed (which they are not) to serve frozen shrimp and fish when I am so close to the Gulf. I know all about price points, availability, blah, blah. What it really comes down to is laziness and the fact that many of these places don't do enough business to turn over fresh seafood inventory.

 

[Plays With Food]

Second blog post is up here: Fun Playing With Food: Fun Playing With Florida Food - 2010 Destin Part 2 (of 3)

And now, a word from this blogger: I thought long and hard before posting details about some of our less stellar experiences, which for the most part occurred during this middle segment of the trip. It genuinely hurt me to say anything bad about Stinky's, since I have always loved it so much and they have always offered a quality product. I want to urge you all again, as I did at the beginning of the first post in this series, to keep in mind that we only visit once a year and visit most places only once. While that is not an excuse for some of the negative things we encountered, I do appreciate that our experiences may not be typical. Heck, as far the the service issues went - we saw other servers in some of the same establishments busting it at the same time that our servers were leaning. Nuff said.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled blog post about 2.5 weeks of dining in Destin, Sowal and environs.