| |
 |
| |
Down Under Marina Restaurant |
 |
| |
 |
| |
LuLu's Bra & Grill |
|
| |
 |
| |
4th Street Shrimp Store |
|
| |
 |
| |
Casual Clam |
|
| |
 |
| |
Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish |
|
A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"Our Favorite Regional Restaurants" is from the Favorites 2005 issue of Southern Living.
BEACHES OF SOUTH WALTONCafé Thirty-A (Contemporary Southern): 3899 East Scenic Highway 30-A, Seagrove Beach; (850) 231-2166 or www.cafethirtya.com. The seafood tastes divine, but other items are just as
tempting. Try the Grilled Georgia Quail, which comes with creamy grits and sage fritters, or the Grilled Australian Lamb Rack. Dinner.
Criolla's (Seafood): 170 East Scenic Highway 30-A, Santa Rosa Beach; (850) 267-1267 or www.criollas.com. Dishes showcase local seafood and organically grown produce. Offerings have
included barbecue shrimp served with a crispy tasso cornbread stuffing, and crab cakes made with Spanish chorizo sausage and avocado. Entrées may change, but thank goodness the dessert list always
includes the irresistible Criolla's Warm Chocolate Gateau with pistachio ice cream and raspberry sauce. Dinner (call for days).
Fish Out of Water (Contemporary Southern): 34 Goldenrod Circle, Seagrove Beach (at WaterColor Inn); (850) 534-5050 or www.watercolorinn.com. You'll love both the beachside setting and a
creative approach that recently offered grouper combined with littleneck clams, blue prawn, red pepper risotto, and chorizo saffron broth. Dinner.
Nick's On the Beach (Seafood): 7585 State 20, Freeport (8 miles west of Freeport on Choctawhatchee Bay); (850) 835-2222. Ask which is freshest, the snapper or grouper, and order it
grilled. Lunch, dinner (closed). Note:"] The restaurant in Blue Mountain Beach had a severe fire; this location features the same great menu.
DE FUNIAK SPRINGS
McLain's Family Steak House (Steaks & Such): 622 Hugh Adams Road; (850) 892-2402 or www.doitgulfcoast.com/defuniak/mclains. In addition to steaks, you'll find plenty of seafood and
traditional fried chicken. Just off I-10. Breakfast (Wednesday, Friday-Sunday), lunch, dinner.
FERNANDINA BEACH
Down Under Marina Restaurant (Seafood): at AIA and the Intracoastal Waterway; (904) 261-1001. You have to bounce down a dirt road to get here, but the huge helpings of fresh seafood cooked
to order are worth it. Dinner.
Fernandina Seafood Market (Seafood): 315 North Front Street; (904) 491-0476. This out-of-the-way dockside market next to the Nassau Port Terminal serves some of the freshest shrimp in
town. Order from the takeout window, have a seat at one of the picnic tables, and enjoy. Lunch, dinner (Thursday-Saturday); closed Sunday.
LuLu's Bra & Grill (Ethnic Standout): 11B Cup South Seventh Street; (904) 261-7123. The tongue-in-cheek name and address catch attention, but it's the food that keeps folks coming back.
The menu includes Cuban sandwiches, fish tacos, and fresh salsa. Lunch, dinner (closed Sunday).
The Surf Restaurant (Seafood): 3199 South Fletcher Avenue; (904) 261-5711 or www.thesurfonline.com. Sit out on the open-air deck and indulge in a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne to go
with your fried shrimp or po'boy. Lunch, dinner.
FLAGLER BEACHHigh Tides at Snack Jack (Seafood): 2805 South Ocean Shore Blvd.; (386) 439-3344 or www.snackjacks.com. Best reason to stop at this classic beach dive is to dig into a basket of fried
snook. Lunch, dinner.
KEY WEST
Blond Giraffe (Area Specialty): three locations in Key West, including a new store at 107 Simonton Street, near the dock for cruise ships; (305) 293-6667 or www.blondgiraffe.com. You can
also find the Blond Giraffe in Miami and Marathon. Be sure to try a wedge of their frozen chocolate-covered Key lime pie, the richest dessert on a stick!
Mangoes Restaurant (Seafood): 700 Duval Street; (305) 292-4606 or www.mangoeskeywest.com. Grab one of the outside tables, and start with Conch Fritters served with a mango habanero dipping
sauce. Order the fresh fish of the day and throw in a side of cauliflower mash. Lunch, dinner.
MIAMI AREA
Ayestaran (Cuban): 706 SW. 27th Avenue, Little Havana; (305) 649-4982. You can't get food more authentic than this. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Casa Juancho (Ethnic Standout): 2436 SW. Eighth Street; (305) 642-2452 or www.casajuancho.com. Take a culinary trip to Spain. Fresh seafood is paired with ingredients such as Spanish ham and
peppers, saffron, and olive oil. Lunch, dinner.
Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant (Seafood): 11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach; (305) 673-0365 or www.joesstonecrab.com. It's so famous for the stone crab claws, served with Joe's signature
Mustard Sauce, that some forget there's more on the menu. Even if you stick with the crab claws, save room for the Key lime pie. Lunch (Tuesday-Saturday), dinner.
PANAMA CITY BEACH
Angelo's Steak Pit (Steaks & Such): 9527 Front Beach Road; (850) 234-2913 or www.angelos-steakpit.com. Take a break from seafood and sit down to one of the best steaks around. Dinner.
Capt. Anderson's Restaurant (Seafood): 5551 North Lagoon Drive; (850) 234-2225 or www.captanderson.com. Consistently voted the top seafood restaurant in the South in the annual Southern
Living Readers' Choice Awards. The honor is well deserved. The Patronis family has been doing seafood right for more than 30 years, and they cook a mean steak too. Get there when it opens at
4 p.m., or you'll have to wait. Dinner (closed Sunday).
ST. PETERSBURG AREA4th Street Shrimp Store (Seafood): 1006 Fourth Street North; (727) 822-0325. Shrimp, any way you want it. The menu also includes catfish, oysters, and crab croquettes. If you're really
hungry, come on an all-you-can-eat day:"] Monday for clams, Tuesday for snow crabs, and Wednesday for shrimp. Lunch, dinner.
Casual Clam (Seafood): 3336 Ninth Street North; (727) 895-2526. Get ready for some of the best mahi mahi and grouper sandwiches around. The seafood--fried, blackened, grilled, or broiled--
is served on paper in red plastic and wicker baskets. Lunch, dinner (closed Monday).
Dockside Dave's Grill (Seafood): 13203 Gulf Blvd., Madeira Beach; (727) 392-9399. The grouper sandwich features a piece of fresh fish so big, it dwarfs the bun. Lunch, dinner.
Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish (Seafood): 1350 Pasadena Avenue South; (727) 381-7931. Have a seat at one of the picnic tables outside this clapboard eatery and hold your hunger at bay with
smoked mullet spread and crackers. Then dig into a smoked fish dinner of mullet, salmon, mahi mahi, or mackerel. Bring cash (no checks or credit cards). Lunch, dinner (closed Tuesday).
TALLAHASSEECatfish Pad West (Catfish): 4229 West Pensacola Street; (850) 575-0053. This hole-in-the-wall joint isn't much to look at, but it serves fresh and tasty catfish. Lunch, dinner (closed
Sunday).
TAMPA
Columbia Restaurant (Ethnic Standout): 2117 East Seventh Avenue (Ybor City); (813) 248-4961 or www.columbiarestaurant.com. One of the city's best known landmarks, it serves traditional
Cuban favorites, as well as a sinfully delicious Key Lime pie. Other locations are in Celebration, Clearwater, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota. Lunch, dinner.
Mike's Pies & Coffee Shop (Regional Specialty): 3225 South MacDill Avenue; (813) 835-7437 or www.mikespies.com. One slice just won't do it. You have to sample the Killer Key Lime Pie, The
Southern Pecan Pie, and the Reese's Peanut Butter Pie.
WEST PALM BEACH AREA
Havana Restaurant (Cuban): 6801 South Dixie Highway; (561) 547-9799 or www.havanacubanfood.com. This family style eatery features a 24-hour walk-up window. Lunch, dinner.
Little Moir's Food Shack (Seafood): 103 South U.S. 1, Jupiter (about 15 miles north of West Palm Beach); (561) 741-3626 or www.littlemoirsfoodshack.com. You'll find creative fare such as
Tuna Bagel Rolls With Wasabi Dipping Sauce along with the fresh catch of the day crusted with anything from sweet potatoes to yucca. Lunch, dinner (lunch only on Monday; closed Sunday).
Mark's City Place (Seafood): 700 South Rosemary Avenue; (561) 514-0770 or www.chefmark.com. Chef Mark Militello is a former recipient of the James Beard award for best regional chef in the
Southeast. His menu includes fresh seafood, steaks, pasta, and sushi. Try the signature buttermilk fried calamari, and make sure your entrée includes a side of truffled macaroni and cheese.
Dinner.
Mango Cookbook: The Mango Inn Bed & Breakfast in Lake Worth has developed an entire cookbook devoted to mangoes. The Best of the Best From the Kitchen of the Mango Inn ($10) is available
from the inn; call 1-888-626-4619, or visit www.mangoinn.com.
|
