Hi folks,
Been back for a few weeks, but thought I'd stop in and say "hi" and let you all know how things went.
Overall, very nice time, very relaxing vacation for the most part. Didn't get to everything we would have liked, but that's likely because we were still crashing and burning from our work which has been at a steady Defcon One for quite some time...
Couple of comments: First off, as had been insisted here, the weather cooperated for the most part. There were a few slightly chilly days, but being in the sun, one didn't really notice. One beautiful day, the water was as still as a pond, warm and perfectly clear. I had to call a friend at his work in Pennsylvania while standing in the water just to rub it in... ;-)
Beaches are deserted. For a few days, the nearest people we could see were say, 300 yards away.
As mentioned, got a little chilly here and there. Stopped up at the Gulf Place artist kiosks one day. Unfortunately, the chilly reception matched the air temperature. Ever walk up on a klatsch of people and they immediately stop talking and then turn and stare silently? Yeah, like that. Anyway, hey, must be nice to be so solvent so as not to have to be nice to people and actually have to sell things...
Stopped at Red Bar,
outstanding service there. Those folks know how to treat customers right there, no doubt. Good to see Bud & Alley's open as well, stopped there on another day. Great tacos, especially liked the chorizo tacos, which isn't something one finds everywhere.
Great food and service as well at The Donut Hole, but everyone knows that already! Stopped twice.
Osaka Sushi Rocks at Baytowne Wharf was pretty good. Always consistent, that place. Also pleased to see that Hammerhead's had live music even during the off-season, although the band was cut short due to the small crowd, if "crowd" is the right word...
Went to Ciao Bella. Pizza is decent there although the service does leave something to be desired. Had the same dye-job blonde waitress we had last year, glum impatient personality, rushes diners way too much. It's practically,
Here are your menus, please make your final determination now, OK, thank you, get out. Funny how she had exactly the same impatient demeanor last year. Sweetheart, maybe this isn't the job for you?
Looked forward to Pepito's, which I enjoyed a few years ago, but this year was just so-so. Wife got chicken fajitas, which isn't cheap on their menu, smallest serving of chicken we'd ever seen for that particular menu item, utterly tasteless and to make matters worse, at least half of the "chicken" was gristle and fat. The wife barely touched her dish and the waitress either didn't think to or care to inquire if anything was wrong with the dish. So, our quest for good Mexican in the Destin area goes on. Better luck next year I guess!
Service and food was very good at Cheeseburger in Paradise. They'd had a special on a burger that combined a cheeseburger with the meats from a Cuban sandwich. If this sounds like your thing, go there for it. Definitely recommended.
Speaking of burgers, we even tried Whataburger. Don't have those around here in TN. Not bad, not bad at all!
But still, with the ups and downs, the good definitely outweighs the bad.
We'll be back... Maybe next year, we'll be more rested up before we go on our vacation and get to do more...
