Anything in Gulf Shores AL that are memorable?

[handmc]

Anything in Gulf Shores AL that are memorable?

[NeroW]

Memorable how?

Not quite in Gulf Shores, but the nachos at McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola are amazing (for nachos!)

And there's always . . . the Florabama Lounge.

[FistFullaRoux]

In Foley (which in nearby, but a bit farther inland, there is Lambert's - Home of "throwed rolls". Yes, they throw them across the room. It's a basic "meat and three" place, and the staff wanders around with buckets of vegetables, looking for an empty spot on a plate to put some down. Not the greatest food, but if you have kids, it's a real hoot, it might encourage them to eat their veggies, and gives them something to do besides look for the playground.

Mobile is a bit of a trip, but there is a better selection of places. Gulf Shores is known as the Redneck Riviera, and dining options reflect that sort of thing. If you are lucky enough to get a condo with a stove, consider cooking in. If your accomodations will allow outdoor grilling, go for it.

Besides, there's far more to drink in Gulf Shores than eat.

Edited April 13, 2004 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[Fat Guy]

Al Sawyer, whom I've written about in Food & Wine magazine and here on eGullet, is a former salesman for the Bon Secour Seafood Company and the owner of King Neptune's in Gulf Shores. It's a terrific, super-casual place to get Royal Red shrimp, oysters, and all manner of local seafood. Since I wrote those pieces, Sawyer has also opened Gulf Bay Seafood Grill. Though by no means fancy, Gulf Bay is somewhat more upscale and restaurant-ish than King Neptune's, and the menu is a bit more diverse. Sawyer has done a smart menu of seafood basics augmented by some recipes that he collected over the years. Particularly interesting is his sweet-potato-encrusted grouper and his various tuna dishes. Al and "the boys" (how he refers to his top cooks and managers) have a small semi-commercial fishing boat that brings in a good deal of both restaurants' products, and his purchasing connections from the Bon Secour days are as good can be. I believe Gulf Bay is technically in Orange Beach, which is part of the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach contiguous region.

Calypso Joe's is another fun seafood place, where they happen to have hermit crab races.

A useful place in the area is Gulf Shores Bistro and Bakery, which has very good sandwich-type items.

I'll second FistFullaRoux's vote for Lambert's, which is shall we say an experience.

Gulf Shores/Orange Beach doesn't have a tremendous fine-dining culture, so I would stay away from that end of things. But as NeroW points out you are only a short drive from Pensacola. So if you want to have a big night out you can go to Jackson's, which is a national-caliber fine-dining place with a terrific chef named Irv Miller, and if you spend a day in Pensacola you can also do the Hopkins Boarding House for breakfast or lunch, and maybe the Pensacola Fish House. And that's just a partial list of great stuff in Pensacola.

[Blondie]

And there's always . . . the Florabama Lounge.

Ah, the Florabama. I missed many a Monday morning class because of our Sunday afternoons there. It has a permanent spot in my list of all-time favorite bars. They even have a website.

[NeroW]

Also in Foley they have an old-time soda fountain in a drugstore with a soda jerk and everything! Best. Milkshakes. Ever.

[CarrotStick]

Lambert's is definitely cool. And there are outlet malls in Foley to work off the chicken fried steak.

[davebr]

I had a very good upscale meal at a place whose name escapes me, but it started with a "G" and it reminded me of an old creole name like Geutreau's. The atmosphere was a bit odd. Dont get me wrong, it was nice, it just looked liked it was built to be a reception hall, then converted to a restaurant. But the waitress, Lynn (who actually used to be one of the GM's for Commanders Palace) told me the place was built to be the restaurant it is today. For 3 nights in a row we picked up freshly cooked Royal Red shrimp and had that for dinner with butter and french bread, they were sooooo good.

[ZachGarner]

I grew up in this area. The best places in Gulf Shores are mostly seafood. Standard rules apply: avoid anything in a hotel... which is pretty much everything.

Fish Camp - There are a few of these restaurants in the area -- One in gulf shores (on the bay, so you'll have to drive a little ways if you are staying on the gulf. You'll turn right before the big bridge on highway 95 coming into gulf shores. Call for directions, you'll get lost otherwise.), one in Orange Beach, and one near Loxley. It's very good, and a place you shouldn't miss if you want to go somewhere the locals go. The focus isn't on fried fish and shrimp like it is at other places. The primary dishes usually are some kind of grilled or blackened gulf fish, with various kinds of sauces. The fried seafood is good too. So are the salads and garlic bread. They also have a buffet at lunch.

Sea N' Suds - A restaurant located on a pier near the main beach. You may have a little difficulty finding it. Quite a few people I grew up with have been a waitress here at one time or another. The food isn't anything fancy, and is good because of it. It's a great fried seafood place, with a good price.

The Original Oyster Bar - This is on Highway 59, closer to Waterville than to the gulf.

Desipite what other have said, I would avoid Lambert's like the plague. The food is crap, as far as I am concerned. People tend to like it because of the novelty. Yeah, the throw rolls and play little tricks on you. They also put sugar in most of the food as far as I can tell (Turnip greens shouldn't be sweet), and most of the ingredients seem to be cheap, frozen, and microwaved for your (dis)pleasure. I've been there a few times now, and always wish I hadn't. Cracker Barrel is a litttle better (and across the street), despite being a larger chain restaurant. (Lamberts has a few other locations, as well).

The best restaurant in Foley is the Gift Horse. Go to the Buffet on the weekend. http://thegifthorserestaurant.com/. It's a really wonderful Southern restaurant. Other than that, Foley is mostly a chain-restaurant town.

The Soda Fountain that was mentioned is in Stacey's Drugstore, a little north of the main Foley area on Highway 59. It's very close to the Gift Horse Restaurant. Great place too, although I haven't been there as often as I'd like.