Dining along the Emerald Coast

[joiei]

I just got home from 5 days visiting family and friends between Panama City and Pensacola. This is where I dined and my impressions.

Saltwater Grill, Panama City Beach - chosen by my b-i-l, not very good, mostly chain type food offerings and overpriced for what it is. I had the Grouper Ponchatrain, the fish was mushy, the sauce tasted like it was from a mix. The salad was boring.

Andy's Flour Power Bakery and Cafe, on Thomas Drive in PCB, excellent. It was crowded with more locals than snowbirds, I guess the prices were too high for them. The food was excellent, I had three different things on three different mornings. The chocolate croissants are a great substitute for toast at breakfast.

Gravel Road, in Uptown Grayton Beach center in Grayton Beach, excellent. I met a friend there for lunch and the grouper sandwich was worth every bite. The salads were also interesting, I had the arugula and beet salad, delicious.

The Great Southern Cafe, on the circle in Seaside. Affordable, fun and very good food. This is where Shades used to be. And enjoyed a stroll to Ruskin Place to see the shops afterwards. The Modica's still have the market, didn't get anything this time.

McGuire's, Pensacola - took my brother to lunch and the food is still good as I remembered it, I especially liked the Senate Bean Soup at 49cents a bowl. I had thought about having a root beer float, they make their own root beer, but I was too full. My loss.

The amount of new restaurants along the beaches is incredible. It would take too long to try them all. I did get to see Fish Out of Water at Watercolors, but we didn't eat there, beautiful room and very pricey menu.

Off all of these, I would definitely go back to Gravel Road, and McGuire's of course, where else can you Kiss the Moose?