Santa Rosa Beach, Florida Eats ?

[ImHogginIt]

A friend has a condo down there that we will get to use for free in October. Are there many good places to eat there or do we need to go to Destin or Panama City for better eats? My favorite is fried grouper.

[wholehog]

Lots of good places up and down 30A.  You should have no reason to go to Destin or Panama City. 
Get the fried grouper sandwich at the Seagrove Village Market.  Only about a 10 minute drive from Santa Rosa.  It's incredible.

[ImHogginIt]

Lots of good places up and down 30A.  You should have no reason to go to Destin or Panama City. 
Get the fried grouper sandwich at the Seagrove Village Market.  Only about a 10 minute drive from Santa Rosa.  It's incredible.

Thanks

[Hogfly]

Stinky's Fish Camp
Seagrove Village Market (already mentioned)
Red Bar
Hurricane Oyster Bar
Great Southern Cafe
George's
La Cocina
Old Florida Fish House


Lots of other threads on this as well.

[Arkiehawg (kingfish0318)]

www.sowal.com    Go to their restaurant section....   

October is a great time to visit SRB

[Dirttrackhog]

the locals were giving great reviews of Red Bar...  I plan on eating there when I go down Sep/Oct.

[Dirttrackhog]

also the website or app urbanspoon is a must.  gives you a lot of info and reviews.  it is great for at home and really great on trips.

[ImHogginIt]

Thanks !

[Arkiehawg (kingfish0318)]

I lived there for 11 years before moving to Cape San Blas last October.

Solid restaurants: (in no order)

1. Stinky's  (Best Creole/Cajun Seafood)
2. Marie's Bistro (Super owners; Excellent everything especially the sushi)
3. Great Southern Cafe (Shrimp/Grits)
4. Red Bar  (A must! Menu constantly changing)
5. La Cocina (Mexican)
6. Seagrove Village Market (grouper sandwich)
7. Messina's (Gulfplace; Creole with a must Brunch on the weekends)
8. Christiano's (Italian and excellent pizza)
9. El Mercantile (mexican grocer in strip mall by the post office:  Great tamales/tacos)
10: Bud and Alley's:  (Food good; primarily bar with best view of the Gulf)
11. Santa Rosa Country Club. (Very good food with dining on the Gulf) Open to Public
12. Amore (Pizza)

If you want Destin/Sandestin restaurants pm me...

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Stayed there less than a month ago.

Two musts:    Hurricane Oyster Bar and Louis Louis.

[wholehog]

Louis Louis is owned by Louis Petit.  He was the chef at Jacques and Suzzane in Little Rock and also owned Cafe Prego in the Heights.  It's essentially the same restaurant as Red Bar.  His son owns it.  Good people and great food.   

[Hogfly]

Louis Louis is owned by Louis Petit.  He was the chef at Jacques and Suzzane in Little Rock and also owned Cafe Prego in the Heights.  It's essentially the same restaurant as Red Bar.  His son owns it.  Good people and great food.

I totally forgot about the whole weird Red Bar/Little Rock connection. This was an absolutely wonderful article about the importance of Jacques & Suzanne on the Little Rock food scene: http://www.regionalmagazines.org/downloads/competition/ARL-2011-ctgy6-Culture-Feature.pdf

It was also the first time I realized there was a connection to the Red Bar.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Louis Louis is owned by Louis Petit.  He was the chef at Jacques and Suzzane in Little Rock and also owned Cafe Prego in the Heights.  It's essentially the same restaurant as Red Bar.  His son owns it.  Good people and great food.

Didn't know that either.  Wish I'd known when we were there, not that it would have made any difference in anything; just would have been nice to know.

Wow, I hadn't thought about Jack & Susie's for years.  Ate there once or twice; a little too high falootin' for my redneck tastes, but gotta admit the food was great.

[Boarcephus]

I totally forgot about the whole weird Red Bar/Little Rock connection. This was an absolutely wonderful article about the importance of Jacques & Suzanne on the Little Rock food scene: http://www.regionalmagazines.org/downloads/competition/ARL-2011-ctgy6-Culture-Feature.pdf

It was also the first time I realized there was a connection to the Red Bar.

That article brought back many memories.  I was in sales for quite some time in the LR area and sold most of those restaurants.  Alain and Susanne at Ciao's were a pair.  Met while both worked on a cruise ship, got married and moved to LR.  My Lord she was a looker!  Dave Williams was a hoot.  Is Daves Place still open???

[Jackrabbit Hog]

That article brought back many memories.  I was in sales for quite some time in the LR area and sold most of those restaurants.  Alain and Susanne at Ciao's were a pair.  Met while both worked on a cruise ship, got married and moved to LR.  My Lord she was a looker!  Dave Williams was a hoot.  Is Daves Place still open???

If you're talking about Ciao's on 7th (?) Street downtown, I didn't know the owners but loved their food.  Always wondered why it wasn't one of the most popular places in town.

[Boarcephus]

If you're talking about Ciao's on 7th (?) Street downtown, I didn't know the owners but loved their food.  Always wondered why it wasn't one of the most popular places in town.

That's the one.  Great food.  Only thing reason I can come up with is where it was.  Great location for lunch maybe not so great a location for dinner.  Alain and Susanne were both Swiss or Swedish and as I said, she was a knockout.  Peter Brave of Brave New Restaurant was one of their chefs till he went out on his own.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

That's the one.  Great food.  Only thing reason I can come up with is where it was.  Great location for lunch maybe not so great a location for dinner.  Alain and Susanne were both Swiss or Swedish and as I said, she was a knockout.  Peter Brave of Brave New Restaurant was one of their chefs till he went out on his own.

Remember Andre's?  I think it started with a location in the Heights and then it moved downtown at the foot of the Main St. bridge.  That was about as hoity-toity as I ever got, but I loved their food.

[ricepig]

Remember Andre's?  I think it started with a location in the Heights and then it moved downtown at the foot of the Main St. bridge.  That was about as hoity-toity as I ever got, but I loved their food.

Yeah, proposed to first one there, as Jimmy Buffett said, cost me much more than the ring. Their chocolate souffle was the best though.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Yeah, proposed to first one there, as Jimmy Buffett said, cost me much more than the ring. Their chocolate souffle was the best though.

Love that Buffett song, btw.  One of my favorites by him.

[Boarcephus]

Remember Andre's?  I think it started with a location in the Heights and then it moved downtown at the foot of the Main St. bridge.  That was about as hoity-toity as I ever got, but I loved their food.

Not sure we ever went to Andre's but we wore Ciao's, Brave New Restaurant and 1620 out. 

[Boarcephus]

Fellas, we've just derailed the hell out of this thread.  Maybe we ought to stop?

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Fellas, we've just derailed the hell out of this thread.  Maybe we out to stop?

I'll get it back on track.  I mentioned Louis Louis, and I'll stand by what I said.  It's a great restaurant in the SRB area and ImHogginIt needs to eat there.

[ricepig]

I'll get it back on track.  I mentioned Louis Louis, and I'll stand by what I said.  It's a great restaurant in the SRB area and ImHogginIt needs to eat there.

We stay at Seaside and love Bud and Alleys and everything in that area. Shoot, I'm good just picking up some shrimp and a key lime pie from Modica's.

[panhandlepig]

Fellas, we've just derailed the hell out of this thread.  Maybe we ought to stop?

  Not so quick there, Boar. I remember eating there in Little Rock. Was it on top of a bank building down town? I did not know the connection to Red Bar. Great story and only goes to show how connected every thing is.

[Boarcephus]

  Not so quick there, Boar. I remember eating there in Little Rock. Was it on top of a bank building down town? I did not know the connection to Red Bar. Great story and only goes to show how connected every thing is.

which place you talking about?

[panhandlepig]

which place you talking about?

  Jaques and Suzannes early 80s.

[Boarcephus]

Gotcha.  Never ate there.  We left LR in 95 to move back to nw Ark and have never looked back.  What is lacking in nw AR, IMHO, is a place like Ciao's, 1620 or Dave's for that matter.

[ricepig]

  Not so quick there, Boar. I remember eating there in Little Rock. Was it on top of a bank building down town? I did not know the connection to Red Bar. Great story and only goes to show how connected every thing is.

Yes, it was on top of the First National Bank building, which became First Commercial, and is Regions, now??

[Boarcephus]

I mentioned earlier I was in sales and we sold most of the restaurants mentioned so I was back in the kitches alot.  It was neat to watch someone like Dave Williams and Peter Brave handle a knife and just cook.  Those guys made it look easy.  Peter was always somewhat reserved, as was Alain and Susanne but Williams was a blast.   Good to see them doing well.