Fun Playing With Food in Destin, Florida - We're Baaack

We last visited Destin, the "Luckiest Fishing Village in the World," in February 2012. Since then, life intervened with some twists and turns. Beginning in December 2018, we not only returned to Destin, but for the first time, snowbirded there until March. We anticipate moving to the region sometime shortly. 

A lot has changed and a lot has remained the same, both culinarily and otherwise. Our condo overlooked the Gulf of Mexico and offered some lovely views.

From the terrace

From the private beach access

On the beach at sunset

We also took a short road trip to Delray Beach and Jacksonville, enjoying delicious eats along the way. 

Stone Crab Claws for dinner at Gleneagles Main Dining Room

Salvadoran Tamale at Rosy's, Jacksonville

The best plate of food from the trip? Was it this Chirashi at Sushimoto in Miramar Beach?

Or perhaps this whole Grilled Snapper at Christiano's in Santa Rosa Beach?

Or could it have been something we cooked ourselves, like this Seared Tuna sourced from Blalock's Seafood & Specialty Market in Destin?

Please join me in the posts to follow as we seek out Fun Playing with Food in Destin and its environs.

Fun Playing with my last meal . . .

. . . before shoulder surgery. I wanted something healthy, hearty, tasty and close to home - so Bob and I met up with Edsel and Tom for sushi at Pacific East Eton in Woodmere, an East Side suburb near Beachwood. I had lunched at Pacific East on my birthday in July, and had been wanting to get back and try more.

We decided to "go for it," and ordered the "King & Queen" Nigiri Sushi & Sashimi Combo, described on the menu as a "Wonderful combination of nigiri sushi, sashimi & roll. Served with Miso Soup, Salad." I have skipped the photos of the soup and salad, which are in my previous post.

When they say they are going to bring you a "sushi boat" - they are not kidding!

According to the menu, our boat contained 28 pcs nigiri, 44 pcs sashimi, three rolls & three hand rolls. In addition, the website boasts that our dinner included "natural white pickle ginger. Not artificial pink color" and "gold & silver grade nori (seaweed)." My takes on these aspects of the food were most favorable during my one lunch - I looked forward to seeing what my dining companions thought. Edsel has eaten sushi all over the world, and was the most knowledgeable person at the table.

My first task was to try to photograph this monster! I worked forward from the stern.

You can see the mackerel sashimi on the right (the silver-colored fish). It was the only variety that three of us passed on (Edsel ate his - brave trouper!). Mackerel is just too strong on its own like that!

Yup - no sign of pink dye on this tasty ginger!

I wasn't crazy about the tiny shrimp - there was nothing wrong with it - just lacked profundity.

This sashimi was presented most artfully, draped over the shotglass and sprinkled with roe. It was almost too pretty to eat. But we did. And we liked it!

This Daikon "vermicelli" was another lovely and refreshing garnish.

This is where I hope Edsel jumps in and fills in the gaps in my knowledge/memory. The Unagi (Fresh Water Eel) was delicious - I had stopped ordering eel, especially in Cleveland, because it always tasted old. Not this time! The handrolls behind the eel contained rice topped with a type of roe. Again, roe usually tastes like pebbles to me - but this was fresh and welcomed by my tastebuds!

So, we began to eat, working our way back from bow to stern! There was one piece of each item for each of us.

This very tasty roll was, I believe, crab stick mixed in the most delightfully spicy sauce. Had I not read it on the menu, I wouldn't have guessed it was crab stick!

This fish was lightly seared.

Definitely a tuna varietal.

Sweet, clean salmon.

This fish was a little stronger, but delicious.

A little stronger yet. Still yummy.

I really wanted to taste this appetizing squid roll with the cucumber intact - but my nose got the better of me and I poked it out. Fortunately (for me), all of the cucumber came out of the rolls very neatly.

California Roll.

Another type of tuna, this time as nigiri.

Edsel - help!

Ditto.

It all tasted good, even though I don't know my Hamachi from my Escolar.

The eel, as mentioned above, was superb.

This roll surprised me - I took the piece in the next photo, because I thought it had a big mushroom in it and it would be easy to pick out. Silly me!

Ichiban Roll (I think)

Smoked salmon, eel (this was the thing that looked like mushroom at first), cucumber, avocado & fish roe.

Our last roll, as you may recall, looked like this (rear left right in front of Tom's hand):




Closer inspection revealed tempura shrimp as the featured filling (and a yummy sauce):



This feast left us absolutely sated. My mouth wasn't burning from saltiness and my tummy wasn't too full - a perfect last playtime before who-knows-how-long shoulder rehab. But Pacific East Eaton is definitely on my "go to" list once I am back in the saddle again! Oh - and if raw fish isn't your thing - Pacific East has a lovely noodle and cooked food menu also - so don't let the "sushi thing" deter you from playing with your food here - quality is high, food and service are wonderful, prices are reasonable - what more could you ask for when playing with your food?

More Fun Playing With Dante's Fish (and Foie Gras!)

Last night, a group of us convened at Restaurant Dante for Sushi Blues - live music and not so live fish! We had just enjoyed Sushi Blues two weeks ago, and couldn't wait to try some more!

Bob and I were a little early for our 6pm reservation, so we sat at the bar and enjoyed a cocktail and the music of Austin Walkin' Cane:









Austin played until 8pm, and the volume was just right - loud enough to enjoy, but not so loud as to interfere with our conversation.

Once we were seated, bread service arrived; the melted phonograph record contained something I hadn't tried before - a whole grain epi. Most lovely.



We began with an amuse bouche:


Carrot-Ginger Soup Topped with Pumpkin Seed Brittle



This was deliciously different, especially the brittle.


Edamame


Nasu Miso - Miso & Sesame Glazed Eggplant





This dish was amazing - especially since it was made with Western Eggplant rather than the sweeter Asian variety. Chef Dante explained that the eggplant slices were given a very long miso marinade, which made them tender and sweet. The eggplant melted in the mouth, with sweet toothy goodness from the sesame glaze, contrasting against the slightly bitter sauteed greens underneath the eggplant slices.


Sashimi - Pickled Garlic and Peppers

Bob and I managed to eat the variety we ordered this time - and it was fantastic. (For an explanation of the mix-up last time - look here.)


Scallop


Tuna


Not Sure Which Variety This Was


Salmon


Hamachi (Yellowtail)


Pickled Garlic and Peppers Over Freshly Made Onion Ring

Once again, the sashimi was pristine, and presented with a lovely drizzle over it.


Flash Cooked Hamachi Sashimi



One of our dining companions ordered this, with all five of the sashimi pieces consisting of Hamachi. It was beautiful to look at and to eat.




Sushi Time!


Spicy Crunchy Tuna






Cut in Half



This item delivered - fresh tuna with a little spice and a little crunch, and delightful sushi rice.


The Zeppelin - Chef's Choice Sushi



This roll was stuffed with four varieties of fish - tuna, salmon, Hamachi and a fourth I can't identify. As you can see, not only was it wrapped in cucumber, cucumber was also part of the filling (those of you who read me regularly know I simply can't deal with the taste or texture of cucumber). No problem - I removed the internal cuke with chopsticks, keeping the roll intact. The beautiful looking cucumber wrapper, which had been painstakingly prepped, went to Bob, who happily consumed it. The rest of the filling was delicious - avocado, asparagus, carrot and wasabi.








Yellowtail and Scallion

Our friend Kay was kind enough to swap one of these for one of our Spicy Tuna pieces - yum!




Sake Kama Shioyaki - Roasted Salmon Collar

Each of the four couples at the table (and our single friend Kay) ordered this. And it is a delicacy not to be missed - crunchy-skin, bone-sucking good!





Unfortunately, there was a minor kitchen snafu, and the table wound up one order short on the collar, with none left in the house. The other three couples had already been served - Bob and myself, and Kay, were still waiting for our two orders. Fortunately, our server immediately solved the problem - pouring us each a glass of wine "on her", asking if we three would all share the one last order of salmon collar (which she said would come off of the check), and then, she offered to bring us each a replacement item, on the house. Kay took her up on the latter - and I'm so glad that she did!


Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Stuffed French Toast, Vanilla Pear Compote, Pomegranate Puree








Was this a starter, as the menu described it, or dessert? I'm not sure - but I'm so glad I got to taste this (and on the very day that Chicago lifted its foie gras ban!). The three ounce hunk of foie was perfectly seared and still pink in the middle. The French Toast contrasted perfectly, with rich egginess and a hint of vanilla. This played well against the tart pomegranate and sweet pear sauce. This dish made me so happy, I could not imagine eating anything else.

The table wound up sharing a round of desserts from Pastry Chef Wendy Thompson anyway - and even my husband, who claimed he was too full to taste the foie gras dish, had some.


Tahitian Vanilla Crème Caramel, Rhubarb Confiture, Funnel Cake and Strawberry Float



The creme caramel was lovely with a bit of the float drizzled over it and a bite of funnel cake.


Chocolate Peanut Crunch Bars: Milk Chocolate Ice Cream and Caramel Bananas







This dessert was a peanut butter-chocolate-banana lover's dream. And I love that particular combination!


Crispy Tapioca, Green Apple Sorbet and Huckleberry Compote



This was the most intriguing item on the dessert menu, so I am glad I got to try it. Inside the crispy skin was a creamy tapioca pudding. Again, the contrasts of the mild crunchy tapioca bits against the tart Huckleberries and the slightly less tart, but not super sweet sorbet worked perfectly.



I'm not sure exactly what this was. The on-line dessert menu describes a Tropical Cheesecake with lime, crème fraiche, and lychee sorbet - but I remember this dish tasting of rich chocolate and caramel. It was gooey and delicious - and definitely had lychees on the plate!



These desserts truly finished us off! Pastry Chef Thompson is a keeper.

We were all impressed with the food and the service - especially the generous and concerned way the restaurant recovered after the kitchen ran out of salmon collar. We thanked our gracious hosts (Chef Dante was still working his sushi station at the bar, even though it was well after 9pm) and servers, who took such wonderful care of us. We'll be back to play with Dante's sushi again - and we do need to crack more of the "regular" menu, too. Dante Boccuzzi is a man who knows how to play with food!