Fun Playing With Destin-Area Breakfast

What better way to start the day than with breakfast? We found a number of tasty options nearby and barely scratched the surface of the local offerings.

In all our prior years visiting Destin, we'd never succeeding in playing with food at the Destin Diner - it was a cool looking old railcar style place, but always seemed to be between owners during our February visits. The current operators of the space (now called Mary's Kitchen) have remedied this. They also operate a second Mary's Kitchen at Uptown in Fort Walton Beach, which is open until 8pm for dinner. The Destin version is open from 7:30am until 2:30pm, and offers daily "Blue Plate" specials beginning at 11:30am for lunch in addition to the generous breakfast and lunch menus. Due to the number of meals we ate there, Mary's will get it's own post. However, our first breakfast at Mary's, on our first morning in Destin, warrants a preview here.

Bob's Pancakes

Half Order of Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

My side of cheese grits

Bob's pancakes were light and dreamy. I honestly didn't love the sausage tossed into the gravy, but the white gravy itself was delicious and the biscuits were light and airy. They told me their biscuit maker makes them from scratch daily and they certainly tasted like it! People tend to love grits or hate them; I am in the former category and found these creamy, cheesy and serviceable. A lovely start!

Our next breakfast adventure took us back to a place that didn't really impress in years past, but has upped their game quite nicely. The Donut Hole now has three locations; on this trip, we dined at two of them. The original, in Destin, impressed us both times we visited.

Bob's: The Everything. 2 eggs, sausage, cheese grits (subbed in for homefries), 2 pancakes.

Mine: Texas Sweet Potato Pancakes with Praline Sauce

The quantity of food provided two full meals for each of us, and then some. But more important was the quality, which was very good and delivered at very reasonable price points. More of Donut Hole will appear in a later post.

We enjoyed two breakfasts at The Pancakery, just up the street from us. While they do use liquid egg product for their omelets, the fillings I sampled tasted of freshness and quality.

Mine: Crabcake Omelet 

They get the crab cakes already made from their vendor, which they said was a local product. They also source local shrimp for omelet making, but we didn't sample it. This mammoth plate gave me two meals, with some to spare! The quality of the filling and presentation of this dish almost made up for the use of liquid egg product. And to accompany this savoriness:

Sand Dollar Pancakes

What a treat! Why get a side of food service bread toast when there are freshly made pancakes in the house? 

Bob's: Strawberry Fields, pancakes filled with strawberries and topped with strawberry compote. 

This was a little too sweet for my palate, but Bob loved it.

Gone Bananas: Filled with fresh bananas and served with bananas foster sauce.

We both ordered this on our second visit, and didn't love it as much as our first visit. The Bananas Foster Sauce had a strong margarine/butter substitute flavor that wrecked the dish for us. So the trick to enjoying the Pancakery is to order carefully - they do a fabulous job with the pancakes themselves and some of the toppings are worthy. We will definitely return.

Crackings was recommended by our realtor, who is a food guy and is married to another food lover. Originally part of the still-existing “Another Broken Egg” chain, but recently taken independent by its owners, Crackings still felt (and tasted) way too chain like. It wasn’t bad but wasn’t especially good either, and more costly than other local options. The menu bragged about serving Hormel meats – that sort of sums it up. There are better choices. And to be fair, my realtor and his wife had lunch items not breakfast; perhaps they do better with that. 

Mine: Praline Pecan Pancakes - two sweet cream pancakes, filled with sweet crunchy praline pecans, drizzled with scratch made cinnamon cream cheese icing

This looks like a bit of a mess and that was how it ate. Way too sweet, and the parts that weren't covered with icing were quite dry.

Bob's: Banana Foster's it Up - a scratch made brown sugar, banana liquor, and butter cream sauce with fresh bananas with pancakes

Crackings actually did a better job with this dish than the Pancakery had, probably because they used real butter rather than substitutes. Bob clearly chose better than I! Having lots of sauce to drizzle where needed helped.

The final two places are almost polar opposites, but each delivered deliciousness!

Mama Clemenza's is owned by the couple that are part owners in Fat Clemenzas in Miramar Beach and Clemenzas at Uptown Station, Fort Walton Beach. The Miramar Beach location, 12273 Emerald Coast Parkway, Miramar Beach, Phone: 850-424-3157 is open Wednesday – Sunday 8am – 1pm. The Fort Walton Beach location is open 8am- 1pm Sunday in the premises of Clemenzas at Uptown Station, 75 Eglin Parkway | Suite 126 | Fort Walton Beach, FL 32591. Both locations offer an upscale, hand crafted breakfast and lunch experience. Though our second experience was marred by some technical difficulties, the house responded well and we'll certainly be back.

Sliced Oranges in olive oil with black pepper

So tasty that I tried to recreate it for our Snowbird group's Happy Hour. How'd I do?

Plant City Truck Farmer Honeybells with EVOO & Black Pepper

Back to Mama Clemenza's.

Bob's: Italian Breakfast Panini "Special" House-made Italian Sausage, sunnyside eggs and Gruyere cheese, served with side of Hollandaise and "side of the day" which was Raspberry Steel Cut Oats 

Mine: "Special" Seafood Quiche topped with Hollandaise, served with Croissant and "side of the day", Raspberry Steel Cut Oats (it ate like pudding!).

Bob's Banana's Foster French Toast: maple glazed sliced bananas and warm caramel sauce.

Mine: Croque Madame. An open faced egg sandwich with Prosciutto, and Gruyere cheese. Served with Side of the Day (Blackberry Steel Cut Oats) and an addition of Hollandaise sauce on the side.

The menu changes frequently and every day brings one off specials. Mama Clemenza's is not a cheap date, but the quality of the food is a notch above most local offerings and well worth it. Despite the hiccups on our last visit, we'll be back! 

Blue Collar Cafe in Fort Walton Beach is the only place in the area making real NY style bagels from scratch. And doing it quite well. But go early if you want a bagel, because they will sell out (by 10:30ish)!  We didn't get there in time the first time we visited. But the made-in-house biscuits almost made up for it! And that Maple Bacon - divine! The grits - nothing special. But there remains plenty of special to go around at Blue Collar Cafe! And at very friendly prices.

Mine: 2 Eggs Over Easy, Biscuit, Cheese Grits, Maple Bacon

Bob's: 2 eggs over easy, toast, sausage patty.

The bagels were worth the price of admission and a second trip. New Yorker approved. And though that cream cheese probably started life in a food service loaf, it had been whipped with a perfect touch of white pepper by the time it hit my bagel. Outstanding! As was the service, a real treat.

Mine: Plain bagel, not toasted, cream cheese, fruit.

No New Yorker would ever toast a fresh bagel.

Bob's: Poppyseed Bagel Toasted, Cream Cheese, Fruit

Another lovely touch - that fruit garnish isn't just a garnish - it's fresh, substantive fruit, which cut nicely through the richness of the bagel and cream cheese. And the sausage and bacon at our first visit.

Finally, a rare made from scratch breakfast in the condo, featuring Black Bear Bread Company Bread made into French Toast with Blue Eggs we got at the Sandestin/Grand Boulevard Farmers' Market, topped with Strawberry Syrup I made with Plant City Farmers' Fresh Strawberries.

And so we have breakfast in Destin and environs. Some lovely places to play with food, and a few others we didn't get to try. There will be more Fun Playing With Food from this trip, coming up shortly!

Fun Playing With Food in Richmond, Virginia

The Christmas-New Year's break brought us once again to Virginia Beach, VA with a house-full of friends. Our route took us first to the northern Richmond suburb of Glen Allen, then Richmond proper for breakfast, then on to Virginia Beach.

We managed to get ourselves to the Richmond metropolitan area in time for a late dinner. Didn't matter what time it was, Mill on MacArthur was jammed! Luckily, there was one deuce open; larger parties were waiting up to 30 minutes for a table! Though the bar looked both fun and funky, with craft beer and tempting wine selections, so not a bad place to wait.  

Bob's: the mill burger.

Single-source grass fed VA black Angus ground beef char-grilled & topped with sautéed mushrooms, crisp bacon, melted cheddar, lettuce & tomato on a toasted Kaiser roll, with house made fries (the diner also has other side choices, at up charges of $1 or $2 each). We were both very happy with the house-made fries, which were in the $1 up charge category.

Nancy's: oyster po boy.

Hand-breaded & fried VA farmed Rappahannock River Oysters with VA country ham, lettuce, tomato on a warm baguette finished with a Cajun remoulade, with house made fries. The combination of briny oysters with salty ham made the sandwich a little too salty for my palate. But fresh seafood always makes me happy and this sandwich did!

Vegetable of the Day

Side order of fresh green beans sauteed with garlic, to share. Yummy.

After getting a good night's sleep and checking out of our hotel in Glen Allen, we first headed for a "must try" recommendation: Early Bird Biscuit. Once we found it, we unfortunately discovered that it was take-out only. With rain and gloom all around us, and having already checked out of the hotel, we reluctantly decided to go someplace else, since we didn't feel like eating in the car.

This turned out to be a great decision, because it led us to Saison Market on Adams street near downtown Richmond. Saison sells beer, wines, and coffee and tea beverages, to eat in or to go, and offers an eclectic "made from scratch" menu from 9am to midnight (not be confused with the affiliated Saison restaurant on the corner of Adams and Marshall, which serves dinner and drinks after 5pm). We started out with hot coffee for Bob and a beautiful fresh-brewed ice tea for me. Though everything is "counter service" the staff brought our plates to our table and were friendly and welcoming. 

Bob's: C A R N I T A S   S O P E S    C O N    H U E V O S

Bob's plate consisted of house-made Masa Cakes topped with Carnitas, Salsa Verde, and Sunny Side Up Eggs. My taste was a little spicy, but definitely enjoyable. The eggs on both plates were simply gorgeous. 

Mine: “ F A N C Y ”   C H I C K E N    B I S C U I T

I can count on one hand how many times a year I order chicken in a restaurant. But the description of this dish just hooked me: Nashville-style Fried Chicken Breast, House made Sausage Gravy, Sunny Side Up Egg, Biscuit. The flavors reeled me in.

 Here's another angle on the Chicken Biscuit; you can actually see the chicken in this one.

The chicken was also to the spicier side (though more of a Frank's Hot Sauce than the Mexican flavors on Bob's plate), but I'd have licked the plate any way! Tender yet crispy fried chicken, runny egg yolk, beautiful sausage gravy all over a light and flaky biscuit. 

As I rose from the table, I found myself staring at the sherry display. Looking right back at me, begging to be taken from the shelf, was a bottle of my favorite sherry, Pedro Ximénez. Yes, I answered the call.

Rested and fortified after our long drive from Cleveland, happy to to have played with such delicious food in Richmond, we headed off to Virginia Beach!

Fun Playing With Food in South Florida

We did something completely different for Thanksgiving this year. Instead of visiting friends or Bob's family or cooking, we winged it to Highland Beach Florida and spent a long week and the holiday with my parents. My sister and brother also joined us for several days, so it was a nice family reunion. We enjoyed a nondescript Thanksgiving Dinner at my parents' club, then proceeded to do some playing with the local restaurant food. 

The siblings all stayed at Delray Sands Resort Collection in Highland Beach. This was Bob's first trip following cervical spinal surgery, and we were distracted by a few health issues over the first few days. But the weather was mostly delightful, as were the ocean views from the beachfront hotel.

We were even treated to some rainbows!

Our first meal outside the hotel was at the Green Owl Restaurant, a small, cash-only breakfast-and-lunch establishment in downtown Delray Beach.

Bob's Corned Beef Hash & Eggs,

Mine: Cheese Omelet with Grits

We each received a serving of rye toast on the side. Even though Green Owl is owned by Steelers fans, we recommend them for a nice breakfast and the lunch food looked good also.

Our first dinner out together was at City Oyster, also on the Atlantic Avenue strip in Delray Beach. 

Bread Service

We started out with a smoked fish dip for appetizer, which was accompanied by the most lovely house-made crackers.

Whitefish dip with homemade crackers and pickles,

Bob's:  Yellowtail Snapper Hong Kong Style

Bob's fish was pan roasted, and accompanied by Jasmine Rice, Sesame & Ginger Sauce, and Vegetables.

Mine

This dinner special of Swordfish over fresh tomato ragu and polenta offered a refreshingly different take on the fish dinner. Both dishes featured fresh fish prepared well. I couldn't finish mine and enjoyed the leftovers at my parents' place the next day. Yeah, City Oyster is a little pretentious and expensive - but the food and service were very good. 

Just a few doors down from City Oyster is a newish place called Tryst, where we had another aquatically themed dinner, this time composed of small plates which we shared. I confess, I missed the house-made crackers with the fish dip, but the dip itself was delicious. 

This dip, rather than relying on whitefish, was made from salmon and yellowtail. Different than the whitefish dip, but very tasty. 

IPA Steamed Florida Clams  with Housemade chorizo, serrano chile, basil, orange, blistered grape tomatoes & ciabatta

Plate-licking good, though they need to serve it with a spoon (or two). The only plate we came close to finishing (we were a little overly generous in ordering).

"Angry Pig" Slider: Sicilian Pulled Pork, Orange Marmalade, Pickled Fresno Chilies, Fennel Slaw, Basil

This sandwich is as small as it looks, but packs a lot of flavor! We split it in half and it was enough, given how much else we'd ordered.

Nueske's Bacon Mac & Cheese

Proving that I am capable of ordering a non-fish/seafood dish when in Florida. It had Neuske's bacon, after all! One of the best mac n cheeses we've sampled.

Tuna "Poke" Lettuce Wraps: Toasted cashews, pineapple sambal

More pristine fish with beautiful accompaniments. Tryst was my favorite culinary find of the trip.

On Sunday, we treated my parents to the Unlimited Champagne Brunch Buffet at Latitudes Restaurant, at the Resort. The Resort was formerly a Holiday Inn, but the entire property (including the food service) has been renovated over the past 2 years. My parents had brunched here before in the old incarnation, and we all looked forward to seeing what the renovations would bring. Given the $50 per person price point, I expected better than average hotel food service, and Latitudes did not disappoint. 

My "first course" plate

Though the sushi rice lacked profundity, the fish and seafood was of very good quality. The smoked salmon and trout, and seared tuna were nice, and yes, those are shrimp at the back of plate - no smell or taste of pyrophosphate on them. The crab gazpacho was mostly gazpacho and a little crab, but the shellfish was pristine. 

My "second course" plate

Staying with the seafood theme, I can endorse both varieties of scallop and shrimp on this plate. The pulled pork (which I put over potato cake rather than tortilla) and guacamole were both good but nothing to write home about. I did not care for the coconut crusted fish, left middle, which didn't taste fresh.

 The buffet included a selection of charcuterie, carved meats and casserole-type dishes.

And a bountiful selection of sweets, many of which were food-service grade. Despite it's likely Sysco origins, I really liked the red velvet doughnut.

The blintz, which is also offered on Latitudes's regular breakfast menu, was also food service and not made from scratch (the cheese filling suffered a little from the freeze-thaw cycle). The key lime parfait was very tasty. And of course, I could never say no to caramel.

Carmel Parfait

The Mimosas (and coffee, for those who care about coffee) kept on coming, and there were many other food options on the buffet that I didn't try or photograph, as well as an egg/omelet "made to order" station. We enjoyed our brunch in a most leisurely fashion and never felt rushed as we enjoyed the food, beverages and the built-in ocean view. We ate at Latitudes several times over the course of the trip, and the service was always exceptional and the food mostly good to very good. Prices were reasonable.

Our next adventure took us to Gary Rack's Fat Rooster, also on the strip in Delray Beach, for brunch. As of Thanksgiving 2015, they've eliminated separate brunch and lunch menus in favor of a single midday menu 7 days a week. Worked for us!

Fat Rooster has a "fun playing with food" feel and an eclectic environment and menu. Our server used to live in Northeast Ohio, near to us!

Bob's

This "Special" consisted of a housemade biscuit, pulled pork. 2 fried eggs, tomato, hollandaise, potato-sweet potato hash. 

Mine also featured their signature biscuit, topped  with Fried Green Tomato, Avocado Smash, Fried Egg, BBQ Hollandaise and served with the same potato-sweet potato hash. I loved this slightly lighter/smaller take on the typical Eggs Benedict.

For Bob's 65th birthday, my folks took us all out to City Fish in Boca Raton for dinner. And here I hit the culinary motherload: a perfect stone crab claw. I loved the way the fishes and seafood product were displayed where the diner can see them, and the server was expert on everything served.

A thing of beauty, loaded with sweet crab meat

This salad comes with every entree. Pre-plated and a little cold, but very nice.

Bob's: Blackened Black Grouper and Fries 

Mine: Sauteed Black Grouper and sweet potato 

My sister had to leave on Monday, but since Bob's actual birthday was Tuesday, we who remained assembled at Josephine's in Boca Raton for dinner accompanied by a song stylist. We had a great time, though I don't think I'd order fish there again (though the clams were excellent - the taste of the veal I sampled was even better).

You can see that the bread isn't really fresh; toasting saved it.

This clam appetizer was lovely; a shame that the fin fish didn't have the same freshness and skill of preparation. Beautiful shellfish, cooked just right.

The salad was way too cold, and a bit slimy. First fail.

Bob and I both got this; he ate his

Fish "special": Swordfish, olives, capers, tomato sauce, pasta. Fish was overcooked and old, pasta from a box nothing special. Mom gave me a few clams from her dish that she didn't want, and I was good.

For our last meal in Florida, we headed south on the Intracoastal to Prime Catch in Boynton Beach, where we enjoyed a lovely lunch. 

CRISPY THAI SHRIMP

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, Rice Paper & Scallions - this shrimp passed inspection, though frying does cover a thousand sins! The fried rice paper was a nice touch and deftly sopped up the chili sauce. A very successful dish.

Bob and I both had Yellowtail Snapper: Bob's grilled with the Thai Chili Sauce on the side and fries, mine pan seared with paprika, sweet potato fries. The oil must have been a little too hot when they dropped my fries, because they were a little overcooked. But other than that, a fresh and delightful lunch to see us out of town. We had fun playing with South Florida food!