The Evolving Destin Scene

Over the past week, Sunshine Cindy and I have been out and about a little. One night we went to the original La Famiglia Restaurant in Destin. This is the place close to the Red Door Saloon. We love the atmosphere in the place. It kind of feels like my old Italian family home we would visit on Sunday. As always the food was fantastic. We did learn they are closing this location and will relocate to the old Hard Rock location in the Destin Commons in March. That makes sense as they have a second restaurant just down the road above Crab Island Cantina. We wish them well in their move.

We also visited World of Beer again which is also in the Commons. Just like our first visit, the place was packed. Sunshine Cindy and I shared a Ahi Tuna appetizer. It was really good. I think I was the only person in the place drinking beer out of a can. I wanted Abita Amber and they only had some Mardi Gras promotional cans left but they were just $3 each so I was happy.

Another stop we made was at Uncle Bucks which is right across from World of Beer. Scott was behind the bar again. He remembered us from the last time we stopped in. John was also working the bar. John used to be the GM of The Block for many years. He told us a bunch of stories about some of the country music stars they had play there. He said they tried hard to get Willie Nelson to play there even meeting his tour bus at a truck stop and giving him a case of Jack Daniels but it was not enough to sway Willie to come to Fort Walton Beach to play.

Brian at Landshark Pizza was doing a special Rib Eye Steak special on Saturday. Like our friend Eric Stone said, “Having steak at a pizza place is like having sushi at a bait and tackle shop.” It does sound weird but the steaks were very good. Brian was also smoking chicken wings. They looked great but I was stuffed already. Hopefully he will smoke some more wings again soon.

Last week the American Legion in Destin had a special fundraiser. They had Kevin Black (Clint Black’s brother) playing. He was really good. A big crowd was there and a lot of money was raised for some of the local Veteran’s hospitals and services. The Legion is the home of many of our vets and they can use your support. Stop in sometime and help keep the Legion going strong.

After the show Julie, Loujean, Jan, Sunshine Cindy and myself all stopped at Hooters for some dinner. It was late and the place was nearly empty but we had a good time like we always do. I tried their chili and it was actually very good.

Speaking of chili…This coming Saturday is the Emerald Coast Parrot Head Clubs Chili Cook-Off in Harborwalk Village. Up to 20 different restaurants and individuals will be competing for the title of best chili in Destin. You can taste test the chili with an armband that is $10 per person pre-sale or $15 at the event. All proceeds will benefit Horizons and Relay for Life.

As the cook-off winds down on Saturday, Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef will be playing at Crab Island Cantina from 3-7 pm. Jerry and the band is an award winning Trop Rock band from Texas. There is no cover charge and everyone is welcome to party with band.

Spring break is now starting. The next couple of weeks we will have a transition from snowbirds to young party animals. The authorities have been cracking down on the rowdiness as they don’t want this area to become like Panama City Beach. We want everyone to come and have a good time but to respect our beaches and town.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!!!

Out and about in Destin

Destin continues to be busy for our so-called off season. It looks like Destin is really becoming a year round destination. We even heard Destin mention on Good Morning America the other day. I guess the secret is out.

Friday night Sunshine Cindy and I went to Panama City Beach to party with our Parrot Head friends over there. Jeff and the Camaro’s were having a CD release party. Steve and Dottie also went from our club to party with our friends in PCB. No one knew we were coming so it was a surprise. We had a blast. Driving over traffic was heavy taking us over an hour to get there. Then coming home we made it in 45 minutes. Much easier!

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s Day. Personally I don’t think you need to show the love of your life that you love them only once a year. You should do it every day. But I know, if we did that the Hallmark’s and candy companies would not make any money!

We went to Niceville to visit with her parents. We all went to a late lunch at The Boathouse in Val-P. It was a nice time. When we headed back across the Mid-Bay bridge we were amazed at the amount of traffic heading north. It was a steady stream. In Destin we stopped at TGI-Friday’s for a nightcap. There was a line waiting for tables. I don’t know but I can think of a few better places for a romantic dinner. lol  Friday’s has been going downhill recently. But they did have some new bartenders who were hustling making sure everyone was taken care of. That’s a good first step.

Sunday Funday saw Sunshine Cindy and I down on the harbor. I had a chance to talk to Carlos about our upcoming Trop Rock music at the Cantina. We are working on getting a schedule together. Sunshine Cindy and I listened to Flash Flood perform on the big stage then walked down and talked to Matt at his charter booth. We kept going heading to the Boathouse. On the way we saw and talked to Jonelle. She also books charters for some of the boats.

At The Boathouse we ran into a bunch of friends including some folks from Louisiana who we had not seen since the fall. They were back in town for a few days. I also ran into some guys that I work with. Everyone was having a good time. The Boathouse was packed. After Kelly Byrd finished playing we went up to the Red Door Saloon. We hung out there for a while then tried to get in to see Rusty at The Boathouse. The snowbirds had the placed packed. We didn’t want to sit outside so we took off.

We made a stop at Landshark Pizza for some food. They had a decent crowd in there. Hailey and Ryan were working and they were training a new girl, Liz. We got some food and headed home to call it a night.

I know most of the country is in the deep freeze. It’s colder than normal in Destin but not too bad. We are still in the 60’s during the day and will be in the low 40’s at night with a few nights coming up in the 30’s. It’s still better than below zero and tons of snow!

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Playing in Destin

Sunshine Cindy and I had a chance to visit a couple of new places recently. At the Destin Commons the new expansion is open with some exciting new spots. One of our stops was at World of Beer. They opened a couple weeks ago and appear to be doing very well. We were there on Friday afternoon about 5 pm and the place was almost full. By the time we left a few hours later there was standing room only. We saw a few server friends there. Izzy who used to work at Sago spotted us and came by to say hello. We also saw Becca from a distance but didn’t have a chance to talk with her. There was a fun vibe to the place. Service was good and they have a huge selection of craft beers to choice from.

When we left WOB we walked across the street to Uncle Buck’s. This place is a Bass Pro Shop creation. It has a huge bar that is flanked by 8 bowling alley lanes on each side. There is a big restaurant in front and smaller private rooms for parties. The bar is decorated with a nautical theme that is kind of Disney like but is actually cool. The bar was not too busy so we had a chance to talk to Scott the bartender. He said they have doing great especially when it rains as this gives parents a chance to keep the young ones busy when you can’t go to the beach.

Prices at both World of Beer and Uncle Buck’s are typical Destin. $4 for a beer are the norm now in the tourist places and these places are that. Sunshine Cindy and I had a good time and we will be back to both establishments.

Sunday was a perfect day weather wise. The temp got up to around 70. We went down to the harbor to walk the docks since we had not done that in a while. We started at Crab Island Cantina. We saw Judy and Mike was working the bar. Mo was at the bar with a new lady friend. We talked to them for a while. Michael Stone, a local musician sat at the bar next to us and we chatted with him. He remembered us from the old Scoreboard Lounge. I was shocked he remembered us.

We walked down the docks and ran into Lynley and Coconut Radio. Carol from CA was with them as she was in town for a few days. Then we stopped at Fishheads. Melissa was staying busy with folks enjoying the sunshine. Alan and Jackie joined us and we went to AJ’s and sat outside. It was a perfect day to be in the sun. Next stop was The Boathouse. I was shocked to see they had remodeled their bathrooms. They used to be the nastiest bathrooms on the harbor but are now brand new. Wow.

Jack and Lynn came in. We love seeing those two. They are Destin royalty having been here forever. Jack was the very first city employee way back in the day. It was great seeing them! We were off again. This time to Rotten Apple. We wanted to see what was happening there. They had a kids birthday party and a few regulars were there but that was about it. Then we made a last stop at Landshark Pizza to have some dinner. It was a great way to end the day.

We walked by the new Quigley’s place on the harbor. It is going to be huge. There are at least three stories and it will overhang the boardwalk from the looks of things. They have a long way to go but it will be something when it’s done.

We heard that Chip’s at The Palms has closed down. That is not a surprise. I am not sure if anything will open there or not. At this time Brick and Spoon is still open though.

We have also heard that the Jackacuda’s folks will be taking over the old Fisherman’s Wharf location but they will keep their Harborwalk location open. And finally La Familia is going to open another location. This time it will be in the Destin Commons at the old Hard Rock Café location. No word on if their other harbor locations will stay open or not.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Changes to my blog schedule

Nothing ever stays the same and it is true with my blog. As of today, I will be posting the blog once a week. My work load has increased with Crab Island Mambo and the time to put the blog together is one place I am cutting back I'm sorry to say. I will be making some other changes in my Mambo writings too but that will be talked about at a different time.

I will still focus on the things that make Destin a fun place to live and vacation in. I will still give a brief account of some of the activities Sunshine Cindy and I engaged in during the week too. And of course as local places open and close I will mention them too.

My hope is you will still enjoy my once a week musings about Destin. This past weekend we had some folks over to the house and that was fun. Sunday was the Super Bowl at Landshark Pizza. They were selling wings and pizza’s like they were going out of style. Good for them. It rained almost all day Sunday but even with the bad weather they had a good crowd.

Everyone have a great week. See ya next Monday!