Food

The tradition continues into the first two months of 2012 and beyond. We love the look of this year's poster series by local SoWal artist David DeGregorio.

Market Vendors

It's that time of year again and several SoWal-area restaurants have won the coveted Golden Spoon award from Florida Trend. Each year their dining editor eats his way across the state - tough job!

This year's winners are Cuvee Bistro in Destin, Vint'ij in Miramar Beach, Firefly in Panama City Beach, and Fish out of Water at WaterColor Inn & Resort.

We love the snow-white quartz sands of SoWal beaches that squeak when we walk on them with bare feet, the emerald green and turquoise waters of the Gulf; a bay pregnant with fish and oysters; the delta of the Choctawhatchee River; our 18,000 acres of forest, parks and preserves; plus our unique coastal dune lakes that make South Walton one of the most desirable places on earth to live and visit.

But last June, my wife Karen and I promised to take our thirteen-year-old grandson, Nathan, 80 miles east to the old river town of Apalachicola for a day of fishing.

Just another amazing Sunday at the Red Bar in Grayton Beach featuring Dread Clampitt, cheeseburgers, good friends, lucky tourists, and glorious Bloody Mary creations.

On any given Saturday morning at the Seaside Farmers Market, you’ll find everything from organic breads, to crispy green arugula, to farm-fresh organic chicken and duck eggs. The colorful posters by artist David DeGregorio pasted all over SoWal each month mark the passage of the seasons and the growth of the market (see poster gallery).

Bring together more than 100 domestic and international beers, 40 craft brewers, the charming Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort with beautiful October weather and you have a winning combination for fun in the sun at the Baytowne Beer Festival this October 21 and 22.

Known as the “Best Beer Fest on the Emerald Coast,” this popular event features on-site craft brewers, beer samplings, seminars and live music. Beer aficionados will be able to sample domestic and international options, including specialty, seasonal and not-yet-released beers.

Ice cream and the beach just go together. Kids of all ages pack creameries in SoWal for the icy-cold, sweet goodness. It's not uncommon to see lines out the door.

True ice cream fans will try any kind, even cayenne-flavored. Keep reading for a list of spots in SoWal to get your cream fix.

While it may be too early to make a reservation at Hotel Viridian, on March 11 patrons can enjoy dinner at V, the restaurant destined to be a springboard for rest of the Downtown Seagrove hotel project.

“This project has been in the making for over five years,” says co-owner and veteran restaurateur George Hartley.

“My partners and I consider it a beacon of hope for the community – and a true blessing that we’re able to see our vision realized.”

Every time a rumor swirls about the opening of a new Mexican restaurant that will give diners the opportunity to devour “real” tamales and enchiladas, current Mexican restaurants are compared and dissected for authenticity.

One of those is Don Pedros Café and Bakery, which has managed to attract a loyal following with good food, reasonable prices and generous portions.

Even before the Red Bay Grocery opened just shy of two years ago, it was an unusual operation because area residents were permitted to buy shares in the store.

Principal owner Charles Morgan offered 49 people an opportunity to be shareholders at $1,000 each with the guarantee they could get a full refund after a year.

At the one-year anniversary meeting of shareholders, even though there were no profits to share, only one person decided to pull out of the fledgling operation.