We recently traveled to Destin, Florida for the Sandestin Wine Festival. While we were in town we made time for some of our favorite restaurants for lunch and dinner. We didn’t visit every place we love, but Chicken Legs is already asking to go back — a summer weekend at the beach is definitely in order.
Our first stop was Pompano Joe’s.
We love Pompano Joe’s — not just for the food but for the unbeatable location right on the beach.
We snagged a table on the deck and enjoyed absolutely perfect weather.
We began with fried mozzarella sticks — crispy and delicious.
Chicken Legs ordered the blackened grouper sandwich, which looked fantastic.
I chose the Jerk BBQ Chicken: a jerk-seasoned grilled chicken breast topped with Voodoo sauce and melted cheddar. Absolutely YUM.
Both sandwiches came with pineapple slaw — a refreshing side that I’ve recreated on the blog.
For happy hour we stopped at Travina in the Grand Boulevard shopping area at Sandestin.
We enjoyed martinis and an order of Italian Nachos: lightly fried chips topped with Italian sausage, mozzarella, tomatoes, scallions, banana peppers and asiago cream sauce. We asked for them without black olives and they were delicious — I’ll be recreating these at home soon.
After happy hour we walked over to the Sandestin Hilton to watch the sunset.
We loved the long shadows and the beautiful colors as the sun sank.
The sunset was absolutely stunning.
For dinner we went to one of our favorites, Ocean Club.
Ocean Club sits near the entrance to the ocean side of Sandestin and offers great food with live music.
The restaurant was lively — packed with locals dancing on the floor while we ate. We didn’t join in this time, but next visit we’ll be ready to boogie.
Chicken Legs chose sushi for dinner: a Spicy Tuna Roll and an Eagle Roll. The Eagle Roll featured yellowtail, green onions, spicy sauce and salmon on top; the Spicy Tuna Roll had tuna, green onions and spicy sauce. He enjoyed every bite.
I ordered the chicken breast with lemon caper sauce served over linguine with basil, olive oil, garlic and Reggiano. It was so good I wanted to lick the plate. I have a homemade version of this recipe on my blog.
Before attending the wine festival we fueled up with lunch at The Red Bar.
The Red Bar is a 30A favorite with eclectic decor and a lively atmosphere. Note: they only accept cash, but there’s an ATM in the back if you need it.
Chicken Legs started with a Bloody Mary loaded with garnish. I had the cheeseburger and fries — one of the best beach burgers I’ve had. Chicken Legs enjoyed the grouper fingers and fries.
After lunch we attended the Sandestin Wine Festival and had a blast sampling our way around Baytowne. We discovered a favorite cocktail called the Pink Bikini and enjoyed an Albariño that quickly became a new go-to wine for us.
Later we returned to the Sandestin Hilton to watch another beautiful sunset.
Beautiful views all around.
That evening we treated ourselves to dinner at Seagar’s Restaurant at the Sandestin Hilton.
Seagar’s was a real treat — excellent food and outstanding service. The Parker House rolls were irresistible; Chicken Legs had a table-side Caesar salad, and I started with crab cake bites that were delicious.
For my main course I ordered the 8 oz filet — the steaks at Seagar’s are USDA Prime Black Diamond and lived up to their reputation. It was superb.
Chicken Legs enjoyed lamb chops, and we shared sides of macaroni and cheese and sautéed mushrooms. I have a homemade version of the steakhouse macaroni and cheese on the blog — it’s one of my favorites and worth trying.
Even though we were full, we couldn’t resist dessert and ordered the Grand Marnier soufflé — absolutely amazing. We walked out feeling happily stuffed.
Before heading home we stopped for breakfast at Another Broken Egg in Baytowne. It was a beautiful morning and we sat outside. I had sausage gravy biscuits with potatoes — those potatoes were addictive — and Chicken Legs enjoyed a waffle with eggs and bacon.
In a short time we managed to visit many favorite spots, and we still have a long list to return to, including:
Vintij
Fat Clemenza’s
Elephant Walk
Sandcastle’s at Hilton
Buster’s
What are your favorite spots in Destin? We’re looking for new places to try!
