Where to dine for freshest, local seafood?

Will it still be available next month?

It's my understanding that the cobia season for this year is pretty much over, so doubtful any available next month. Capt. Larry's & his blog may have more info.

IIRC, Jewel Melvin's closed some time around 2000. There's a park named for him in Destin over towards the airport.

I didn't realize that it had been THAT long. He sure served some good old-school seafood platters!

Never had cobia. What's it taste like?

Trey Nick, of Nick's (in the sticks) Seafoood, holding up an 80 lb Cobia caught earlier in the day.

Wow!

Gravel road is, fantastic!

They have wonderful and unique food and it's affordable, too! If you want a great experience, ask for Russ, one of their servers!He's so knowledgeable about their food, way it's prepared and in his description, you can almost taste it! Another great restaurant, is Bayou Bill's! I've been in and out of the area for years, but, had never experienced them! Now, I live here permanently and pass by them at their 98 location, everyday! Like I've said, "I'm not easily impressed with anything, or anyone"! I will recommend them, for sure! They have a Glass Blower, which wasn't there when I was there, this week. I've heard great things about that, too! Yet another reason, to return!

Gravel Road has been serving some wonderful fresh cobia lately!

For whoever asked about The Back Porch, it essentially turned into a small chain (Southern Restaurants now has a number of outposts from PCB to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach) and as they kept expanding, the quality kept slipping at everywhere except the Destin Louisiana Lagianappe.

Does anyone have stone crab claws...or is that a south florida thing that goes away soon?

Does anyone have stone crab claws...or is that a south florida thing that goes away soon?

South Florida. The season is over down there... Used to commercial fish for stone crab out of Islamorada.....

Anymore? All finished? All done?

Int, I think stone crabs are only in season during the winter. I know we always get them for my birthday and Christmas but don't remember getting them in spring and summer. As a kid in Sarasota we had to dive for own. Now I'm spoiled by getting to just buy em, crack em and eat em.

We all had great meals at Fish Out of Water at WaterColor tonight. Heard that Kenny Chesney was there last night. Will have to be more inquisitive about fish origins next time, but we all had excellent tasty meals.

Can't find Shrimper's anywhere....any suggestions on where to look?

Mid week update....been to Nick's, Bayou Bill's, Bud and Alley's Taco Bar and short road trip to Dee's Hangout in PCB. All were good, but Nick's and Dee's were both well above average, very memorable.

Int, I think stone crabs are only in season during the winter. I know we always get them for my birthday and Christmas but don't remember getting them in spring and summer. As a kid in Sarasota we had to dive for own. Now I'm spoiled by getting to just buy em, crack em and eat em.

The rule of thumb is that they are "in season" during months that have an "r" in them (Sep-Apr). BTW, I was born and raised in Sarasota....moved here 13 years ago to become a "northerner".

The first time we went to The Back Porch (circa 1982-ish) we LOVED their chargrilled amberjack, but it seems to have changed a lot...smaller portions and not as good as we remembered it from that first trip. We're basically looking for that "old" Back Porch, if it even exists anymore.

A majority of the seafood at The Back Porch and the other Darden companies comes from Venezuela.

The rule of thumb is that they are "in season" during months that have an "r" in them (Sep-Apr). BTW, I was born and raised in Sarasota....moved here 13 years ago to become a "northerner".

That was actually born back in the days when refrigeration was a luxury and not the norm. There's always a risk, but they (oysters) taste just as good to me in July as they do in November!

Can't find Shrimper's anywhere....any suggestions on where to look?

it is a seafood market on north side of Hwy 98, west of 393.

Mid week update....been to Nick's, Bayou Bill's, Bud and Alley's Taco Bar and short road trip to Dee's Hangout in PCB. All were good, but Nick's and Dee's were both well above average, very memorable.

I like Nick's. Tell us about Dee's.

Mid week update....been to Nick's, Bayou Bill's, Bud and Alley's Taco Bar and short road trip to Dee's Hangout in PCB. All were good, but Nick's and Dee's were both well above average, very memorable.

All great! Hope that when you say "Nick's" that you aren't referring to shrimp. Their's aren't local but tasty nonetheless!

it is a seafood market on north side of Hwy 98, west of 393.




I like Nick's. Tell us about Dee's.

Dee's Hangout is on the north side of Frontage Beach Rd. in Panama City Beach across the street from one of the big high rises containing a place called Pineapple Willy's in a small strip shopping center between Pompano's and another restaurant called The Curry Pot.

For starters, we had the alligator appetizer, deep fried, of course. It was interesting, glad we sampled it. I took the opportunity to try my first po' boy sandwich, the oyster model. The menu claims their bread comes from the New Orleans bakers that invented the sandwich, and I believe it. Besides the oysters, it was the best part of the sandwich. Pretty much decided that would be my last po' boy, as I didn't care much for the rest of the ingredients. But if you like them, they probably don't get much better than here.
The rest of the meal was really good. My wife had the grouper sandwich, my daughter had the grouper bites basket and my son got the popcorn shrimp. All were very good. My daughter ate all the homemade cole slaw that came with her grouper, even though she "hates" slaw. I had cajun fried potatoes, which were also very good.

It's a small place, with a bit of a throwback atmosphere, with plain tables and chairs and old photos of what appeared to be several previous incarnations of the business.

Four big thumbs up.

Dee's Hangout is on the north side of Frontage Beach Rd. in Panama City Beach across the street from one of the big high rises containing a place called Pineapple Willy's in a small strip shopping center between Pompano's and another restaurant called The Curry Pot.

For starters, we had the alligator appetizer, deep fried, of course. It was interesting, glad we sampled it. I took the opportunity to try my first po' boy sandwich, the oyster model. The menu claims their bread comes from the New Orleans bakers that invented the sandwich, and I believe it. Besides the oysters, it was the best part of the sandwich. Pretty much decided that would be my last po' boy, as I didn't care much for the rest of the ingredients. But if you like them, they probably don't get much better than here.
The rest of the meal was really good. My wife had the grouper sandwich, my daughter had the grouper bites basket and my son got the popcorn shrimp. All were very good. My daughter ate all the homemade cole slaw that came with her grouper, even though she "hates" slaw. I had cajun fried potatoes, which were also very good.

It's a small place, with a bit of a throwback atmosphere, with plain tables and chairs and old photos of what appeared to be several previous incarnations of the business.

Four big thumbs up.

For those with adventurous appetites, The Curry Pot serves some good Indian-style groceries! Not expensive, not pretentious, but authentic home-made food cooked by an Indian husband and wife team. Try it, you'll like it!

Dee's Hangout is on the north side of Frontage Beach Rd. in Panama City Beach across the street from one of the big high rises containing a place called Pineapple Willy's in a small strip shopping center between Pompano's and another restaurant called The Curry Pot.



It's a small place, with a bit of a throwback atmosphere, with plain tables and chairs and old photos of what appeared to be several previous incarnations of the business.

Four big thumbs up.

I LOVE places like this!!! You do good reporting!

Happy2B Stone crab season is regulated and open from Oct 15-May15. You can only take one claw.

Scallop season opens two weeks early this year! I wanna go to St. Joe!!!!

Updated report...bayou omelette at The Donut Hole, with fresh crab meat is AWESOME! A.J.'s in Destin...too touristy. Shrimp O.K., a little too soggy for my taste.
The Red Bar...best overall meal while there. Spent our last Friday night meal there, crabcakes and a blackened grouper special with a bacon and cheese gritcake under the fish was worth the parking hassle. So was the bread pudding with bourbon sauce.
Nick's was my favorite. My daughter's was Dee's Hangout in PCB.

We went to Dee's Hangout on Saturday and the food was great. I had the gumbo and my friend had a roast beef poor boy. Both were really good. Thought we were in NOLA! Didn't have any oysters, but they looked wonderful. Everyone eating them seemed to be very happy. But my favorite oysters and Oyster Bar is in Millville (right next to PC) not PC and not Hunt's, although Hunt's are good they are just not the best. I have been sworn to secrecey not to to unveil the name, so just google oyster bar in Millville! It's less than 30 minutes from SOWAL and the prices are right.

Love "that place" in Millville. Been going since I was a kid. Iris, I'm curious. How do you get there in less than thirty minutes from Sowal?