Blog Posts from Our Just-Concluded Destin Trip

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

I always love reading your food reports.

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.

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

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

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

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!

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.

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.

As always, thanks for your reviews - anyone who reads your entire blog knows that you are fair and know what you're talking about.

Thanks for the posts. They are very fair and you are knowlegable.

I feel that an area like ours that lacks a compedent culinary program will have difficulties acheiving consistant standards. Growing the level of good available food & beverage personnel and not just people who show up most often and are promoted to service director/manager or line cooks that can order the produce at the end of their shift as chefs these inconsistanceys will no doubt continue.
People who are trained know and understand the value of traing and are usually able to train. I believe that the lack of an always ongoing in house training program by professionals is self evident by the number of so-so operations that get by on a lack of competion in some cases, a killer view, discounts or some other scheme or fate that keeps them in business and of course leads to the huge numbers of restraunt failures in the area.
Until the area develops a real professional ACF like, assoc. degeed program that turns out a corps of trained individuals over a long period time the situation is likely to continue.

Thanks for the posts. They are very fair and you are knowlegable.

I feel that an area like ours that lacks a compedent culinary program will have difficulties acheiving consistant standards. Growing the level of good available food & beverage personnel and not just people who show up most often and are promoted to service director/manager or line cooks that can order the produce at the end of their shift as chefs these inconsistanceys will no doubt continue.
People who are trained know and understand the value of traing and are usually able to train. I believe that the lack of an always ongoing in house training program by professionals is self evident by the number of so-so operations that get by on a lack of competion in some cases, a killer view, discounts or some other scheme or fate that keeps them in business and of course leads to the huge numbers of restraunt failures in the area.
Until the area develops a real professional ACF like, assoc. degeed program that turns out a corps of trained individuals over a long period time the situation is likely to continue.

I think the folks over at Gulf Coast Community College would greatly disagree with you.

I know and have experienced bad food, good food,bad service, good service in that area , but , as a mother of someone who works there in a very well known restaurant, his keeping that job depends on the quality of his work. Certainly not every good chef has had the opportunity to have been schooled at the Culinary Institute.Iagree with SWGB , in that there are community colleges that can and do send educated chefs into the work place.

I think the folks over at Gulf Coast Community College would greatly disagree with you.

Sorry, I've only lived here three years and have never heard of GCCC.

Hats off to GCCC Culinary Management program. Paul, Billy, and Sandor (yes, the same chef of Sandor's at Seagrove years back) are doing a great job. Plays With Foods writes a damn good review. Unfortunately many of us have already had these same experiences at the same restaurants, but didn't have the (insert word) to actually say it out loud. People get really touchy about their favorite haunts. And I whole-heartedly agree with Bob when "he exclaimed his pleasure" over the oyster chowder or was it the gumbo?

Hats off to GCCC Culinary Management program. Paul, Billy, and Sandor (yes, the same chef of Sandor's at Seagrove years back) are doing a great job. Plays With Foods writes a damn good review. Unfortunately many of us have already had these same experiences at the same restaurants, but didn't have the (insert word) to actually say it out loud. People get really touchy about their favorite haunts. And I whole-heartedly agree with Bob when "he exclaimed his pleasure" over the oyster chowder or was it the gumbo?

I have never forgiven myself for missing out on Sandor's - I read about him in Steven Shaw's book [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Turning-Tables-Insiders-Guide-Eating/dp/B002YNS1S4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268189071&sr=8-1"]Turning the Tables[/ame] just a few weeks before he closed. I then also managed to miss him at Cafe Provence.

Desso - thank you for the kind thoughts - it was the Oyster Chowder that brought my husband such joy.

Sandor is a legend! I had the pleasure of meeting him a few weeks ago.

Great info. Thnx for posting.

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.

Tootsie you have to experience the Boathouse. Must put it on the lunch agenda.....

can't wait for you review!!!

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!!!

Opps, so sorry to hear that you keep getting sick after coming home.. i just wonder why?

Anyways, so you're into food, you better try SUnQuest Dinner Cruise (did i get that right) they do offer and serve wonderful food. I like their foods there and i can't wait for your comments regarding their food. You check this site Attractions & Things to do in Destin, Florida - TripShock! they do offer information and online booking/reservation about this Cruise....

Can't wait for you review on their food!!!

Sorry, I've only lived here three years and have never heard of GCCC.

three years and you've never heard of GCCC? Mosey over to PC then and if you can get a reservation at the college's restaurant, be prepared for some yummy food. Chef Paul and his team do an awesome job!

three years and you've never heard of GCCC? Mosey over to PC then and if you can get a reservation at the college's restaurant, be prepared for some yummy food. Chef Paul and his team do an awesome job!

I know I guess I don't get out much, but that is precisley the type of program I was thinking about. I've seen them raise the quality of all operations in an area.
FYI, the ACF's own site has no mention of a program in the area.

I think Pensacola Junior College also has a culinary arts program.

Third and final blog post is finally up here. The last segment includes some of our best meals, including stellar lunches at Watercolor Wine World, Bay Cafe, and Basmati's, and two fabulous dinners the first two nights that Louis Louis was open (the food was great, alas, the photos are not - too much dim, red light - for a much better look at the pork tenderloin dish - go here; a better shot of the blackened grouper over grit cake is here).

It was especially fun meeting the elusive SWGB at the bar at Wine World, after our dinner at Fire. I just had a feeling I knew those two guys, even though I'd never seen them before!

We also were shown a lovely time by Klaus at House of Klaus - haven't seen much of him here lately, so I hope that all is well there. If you haven't tasted his ice cream yet, you are missing out on something really special - and his savory food is darned good too.

I am already planning for next year's trip - I would so love to get back to Destin/SoWal before winter, but I doubt that will happen. Still, you never know!