report & questions on a few places

[IRIETYMES]

Thanks to all who added info on Toni's Produce and Market, she is fabulous and the produce is mighty fine. Maybe we'll try the emu next time.

And La Botana continues to makes us happy with the great food, service and wine list, but only Budweiser on Wednesday, July 2nd? Man, that was a bummer since I enjoy a good, cold Hecho en Mexico cerveza with my spicy foods.

WE will probably take Old Fla Fish House of our list; last visit was only OK and pricey. Seems as if the chef just throws seafood together for the literal effect not the culinary sense. I'll place them in the same category as Cafe 30A that wanted to get us in and out last time we were there as quickly as possible with salads and entrees served within 10 minutes and a constant barrage of wait staff hanging about expectantly although there was a big crowd. The entree was cool, not hot, the salads warm, not cold. And the tab was cerebral. So the search goes on for the best and brightest in food on the coast.

La Botana, Red Bar, Dusty's, J. Micheals, D&K's, Flip Flops, and where else?

 

[Plays With Food]

Stinky's Fish Camp
Cafe Tango
Fabrice
Fire

Also, in Destin, Harbor Docks, Dewey Destin, Beachwalk Cafe (I've only been for lunch).

You report on Cafe 30A is interesting - that was our impression of it the one time we went.

 

[jwscfa]

Try Gravel Road or Blue Orleans

 

[Foodlover]

Borago's, Stinky's, and the recently opened Salty Dog Saloon on 30A. (Salty Dog is a very casual bar and grill type with great burgers, wings, shrimp baskets, etc. I hear that Salty's is now open for lunch.)

 

[IRIETYMES]

Mo' Mo' Mo'

We like Dewey's Destin but it is a long drive from Inlet Beach and almost depressing to hit traffic that thick some 10 or so miles before the turn. I'd kinda hoped Dewey's would stay a secret, but there goes that theory out the window. Again. We stay pretty close to the house when we dine out. Tried Uncle Ernie's in PC on the Bay last week and found it pretty tasty, laid back with super Bay views, a fine wait staff. They seem to specialize in the fried food and tourist traffic. It was crowded and getting even more so but marina characters and boaties were at the bar so it couldn't be bad, just sort of standard. Captain Anderson's was OK but an eating warehouse churning out visitors and food as quickly as possible with an ambience similar to Penn Station at 7:30am. Dusty's is not to be missed in PCB on the Beach Front Drive about 2 blocks west of Pier Park for local oysters, cold beer, loud music, characters/tourists/kids/bikers/wait staff spilling out of their tops but mighty nice and friendly and no smoking and the best damn oysters on the coast followed by J. Michaels on Thomas near the Lagoon with those surfboards hanging on the ceiling and a fine grouper sandwich, cold beer, great service
.
Then we tried Graffitti's at Carillon Beach next to Dirty Dog's Pizza. It was not crowded, but the service was superb, the food terrific, the wine list a bit of a disappointment since they were out of the Pinot Grigio I ordered but made do with a substitute. We had a lovely house salad of mixed greens and a blue cheese and pecan dressing. Had warm bread quickly at table. They also served a warm olive tapanade for the bread and a warm spiced olive oil dip that they shaved asiago cheese into and was consumed immediately by famished 8 year old son and wife. Yeah, I had some , too. We both ordered the shrimp/scallops and grits and they were mighty fine. The scallops were some of the best I've had in the Panhandle. Entrees were in the $17-$19 range with a house salad. We didn't try any desserts, trying to keep this slightly mature figure on the heavy-but-not-fat scale. All in all this was a pleasant surprise for us. The sidewalk art show was terrific, too. Carillon is almost at the PCB limits and the restaurant overlooks the coastal lake surrounded by homes.

Next time we are down we'll have a lunch at Flip Flops and a dinner at D&K's, plus wherever else our tastes lead us. The new places sound intriguing. But we will be back to La Botana. And breakfast at Hibiscus is not to be missed at least once for that wafle/crunchy organic peanut butter/fuit/honey/powdered sugar/coconut plate. Now I've gotta go eat an early lunch because of this post. Damn! I love that place down there.