Plays With Food
Beach Lover
Our trip to Destin this year was a little shorter than usual (saving $$ for a planned summer vacation) but full of mostly fun eats. The full report is on my blog here.
There were only two "low lights" on our trip: Dewey Destin's Harborside and, very surprisingly, Gravel Road, which is much beloved on this board (and was liked by us the last time we went). The latter offered an "all you can eat" fish and seafood "special" for lunch @$14 which would have been fantastic had the seafood smelled/tasted good. More disturbing was the attitude and service that accompanied ammoniated shrimp and stale crab. If you tell me that ANY shrimp is supposed to have a "metallic" taste (your word, not mine) - well, you are lucky I didn't laugh at loud at you and record it for the internet. Bad form.
The great news is that we enjoyed tasty eats and great service at most of the places we visited - props to Shoo Mamas, Louis Louis, Harbor Docks, Silver Sand's Breakfast, Smiling Fish Cafe, Basmati's, House of Klaus, and - our winner of Best and Most Amazing Restaurant of Trip: Marie's Bistro. The former Blue Orleans has been transformed to a delicious nirvana. Lunch was perfection and the sushi we took with us for in-flight dinner (you need to read the blog to learn about my Alton Brown-esque idea that pulled this off successfully) melted in our mouths during the journey home.
Finally - a shout out to Shrimp Shack in Seaside. We mooched a beach side table for a couple of hours before heading to the airport, and everyone there was so friendly and courteous that I wished we'd eaten there rather than at Gravel Road - next year, I promise we will re-pay your kindness!
Some highlights (visit my blog for the full story):
Breakfast at Silver Sand's
Perfect fish (mahi), perfectly cooked at Basmati's
If you have not tasted Klaus's ice cream - you must! His full menu is posted on my blog. But the house-made ice cream alone is worth the price of admission!
Lunch at Marie's - the motherload of great eats for the trip:
This local shrimp with garlicky pasta, which followed the above cup of amazing seafood soup, was overall the best meal of the trip.
Dinner at Louis Louis rocked! More photos on the blog.
Sushi goodness from Marie's ended the trip:
We miss you already, Destin and South Walton Beach! Sucked to miss the openings of Nick's on the Beach and Santa Rosa Beach Club - and we were sad we didn't get to Cafe Tango. I've corresponded with the new owner, who kept Walter and Paja's staff and recipes - but we just couldn't fit it in this time.
Also sorry we didn't hook up with some local friends (Hi Allifun!) - but I got sick with a cold then bronchitis just as we arrived, so things got a little . . . as we say in Yiddish, fublunged. Did I mention that we miss you already? We do.
There were only two "low lights" on our trip: Dewey Destin's Harborside and, very surprisingly, Gravel Road, which is much beloved on this board (and was liked by us the last time we went). The latter offered an "all you can eat" fish and seafood "special" for lunch @$14 which would have been fantastic had the seafood smelled/tasted good. More disturbing was the attitude and service that accompanied ammoniated shrimp and stale crab. If you tell me that ANY shrimp is supposed to have a "metallic" taste (your word, not mine) - well, you are lucky I didn't laugh at loud at you and record it for the internet. Bad form.
The great news is that we enjoyed tasty eats and great service at most of the places we visited - props to Shoo Mamas, Louis Louis, Harbor Docks, Silver Sand's Breakfast, Smiling Fish Cafe, Basmati's, House of Klaus, and - our winner of Best and Most Amazing Restaurant of Trip: Marie's Bistro. The former Blue Orleans has been transformed to a delicious nirvana. Lunch was perfection and the sushi we took with us for in-flight dinner (you need to read the blog to learn about my Alton Brown-esque idea that pulled this off successfully) melted in our mouths during the journey home.
Finally - a shout out to Shrimp Shack in Seaside. We mooched a beach side table for a couple of hours before heading to the airport, and everyone there was so friendly and courteous that I wished we'd eaten there rather than at Gravel Road - next year, I promise we will re-pay your kindness!
Some highlights (visit my blog for the full story):
Breakfast at Silver Sand's
Perfect fish (mahi), perfectly cooked at Basmati's
If you have not tasted Klaus's ice cream - you must! His full menu is posted on my blog. But the house-made ice cream alone is worth the price of admission!
Lunch at Marie's - the motherload of great eats for the trip:
This local shrimp with garlicky pasta, which followed the above cup of amazing seafood soup, was overall the best meal of the trip.
Dinner at Louis Louis rocked! More photos on the blog.
Sushi goodness from Marie's ended the trip:
We miss you already, Destin and South Walton Beach! Sucked to miss the openings of Nick's on the Beach and Santa Rosa Beach Club - and we were sad we didn't get to Cafe Tango. I've corresponded with the new owner, who kept Walter and Paja's staff and recipes - but we just couldn't fit it in this time.
Also sorry we didn't hook up with some local friends (Hi Allifun!) - but I got sick with a cold then bronchitis just as we arrived, so things got a little . . . as we say in Yiddish, fublunged. Did I mention that we miss you already? We do.
Last edited:
...but your blog and photos are wonderful as ever! I look forward to seeing you this summer!! You will have LOTS of wonderful places to try out that visit! 