Acme Oyster House

On the last day of our vacation to Florida, we took a short drive to the Village of Baytowne Wharf.  We walked around for while and explored the area.  My daughter enjoyed the playground and "piloting" the remote control boats.  While there my wife did some shopping, but didn't buy much.  She always says that shopping with me is like going hunting with the game warden.  When finished exploring the area, we decided to grab lunch at Acme Oyster House.  Several of our friends have been to the New Orleans location of the restaurant and it came highly recommended.  

I started off with a bowl of the chicken and andouille sausage gumbo.  The gumbo was good, but was not as spicy as I like.  My wife ordered a dozen fried oysters and they were tasty.  They were covered in corn meal, had a crispy crust, and were served with a spicy remoulade.

Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Fried Oysters

For my main dish, I had a hard time deciding what to get.  I was torn between the jambalaya, the red beans & rice, and the fried fish platter. I decided on the fried fish platter and it was good, but not as good as one I had had previously at Seagrove Village Market Cafe.  My wife ordered the seafood etouffee.  She was less than impressed and said it tasted more like a bisque than etouffee.  

Fried Fish Platter

Seafood Etouffee

The other members of my wife's family ate there a while later and were much more impressed than we were.  One of my brother-in-laws said that we just ordered the wrong items.  He claims the chargrilled oysters at Acme are life changing.  Although we ate at better places on our trip, I still thought this place was pretty good.  If I go back, I will definitely try the chargrilled oysters and the jambalaya.  The original Acme Oyster House has been around since 1910, so they must be doing something right.

Acme Oyster House

http://www.acmeoyster.com/menu_sandestin

140 Fishermans Cove

Sandestin, Florida
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Bud and Alley's Pizza Bar

On our second day in Seagrove Beach, Florida, it rained and we were unable to go to the beach.  My brother-in-law and I were trapped in a house with all the girls.  We had our fill of estrogen and decided to brave the weather to go grab a bite to eat.  We took the short drive to Seaside and were looking for a place to grab a pizza.  We settled on Bud and Alley's Pizza Bar.  Bud and Alley also own Bud and Alley's Waterfront Restaurant and Rooftop Bar, which I reviewed earlier.

The rain kept customers from sitting outside

This joint serves Napoli-style pizza cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven.  I ordered the Prosciutto di Parma, which was made with tomato sauce, prosciutto, arugula, and fresh mozzarella.  My brother-in-law ordered the Margherita & Salami pizza, which was made with tomato sauce, Felino salami, honey, chilies, and fresh mozzarella.  Both pizzas were served up within 10 minutes and mine was perfectly cooked and piping hot.  The prosciutto was very flavorful, but they did overdue it on the arugula.  I expected a little bit of fresh arugula on top, but it was served with enough arugula to make a salad.  A little bit of arugula goes a long way, but apparently Bud and Alley didn't subscribe to this philosophy.  My brother-in-law let me try some of his Margherita and Salami pizza, and it was very good with a spicy kick to it.

Prosciutto di Parma

Margherita & Salami

These pizzas hit the spot and the service was great.  Although they were delicious, they were somewhat small and a little overpriced for the size.  If they would have been a larger, I might have rated this place a little higher.  That being said, this was still a fantastic pizza.

Bud and Alley's Pizza Bar

http://budandalleys.com/menu_pizza_bar.php

Seaside, Florida

Livin The Good Life Rating = 3

Barefoot BBQ

On a beautiful afternoon in Seaside, Florida, my wife and I visited the downtown square after a day at the beach.  On the square, there are several Windstream trailers that serve food.  I had not had lunch yet, so I decided to grab some grub while my wife and daughters went to off spend some of my hard earned money.  One of the trailers that looked good was Barefoot BBQ.  The menu looked good and it had been highly rated on a couple of sites, so I decided to give it a try.

I ordered the brisket sandwich with corn on the cob and mac and cheese.  Figuring this might not fill me up, I also ordered a bucket of ribs.  The brisket sandwich came on toasted white bread.  I had never had it served this way, but it intrigued me.  Sadly, the sandwich was absolutely one of the worst I have had.  The meat was tough and didn't have even a hint of smoke to it.  The sides were terrible as well.  I held out hope for the ribs, but they too disappointed me.  The rub was decent, but they were tough, undercooked, and didn't have any smokey flavor.

Brisket Sandwich, Corn, and Mac & Cheese 

Pork Ribs

Lesson learned.  If you want good barbecue, stick to Texas.  I have had barbecue in other places such as the North Carolina, Kansas City, and St. Louis.  Although some of it was good, nothing compares to good barbecue in Texas.  It was certainly a far cry from some that I recently had on a trip to Austin at Franklin Barbecue, John Mueller Meat Co., and Freedmen's Bar.  Barefoot Barbecue may have been the worst barbecue I have ever had.  It was so bad, it even made Dickey's and Spring Creek seem like good barbecue joints.  There are some wonderful restaurants in the Seaside area, but this is not one of them.

Barefoot BBQ
https://www.facebook.com/barefootbbq
Livin the Good Life Rating = 1

Seagrove Village Market Cafe

While vacationing with my wife's family in Florida, my two brother-in-laws visited a place in Seagrove Beach that they said had the best po' boy they have ever had.  The place was called Seagrove Village Market Cafe and they had a grouper sandwich that they said was amazing.  In fact, Garden and Gun Magazine claimed their grouper sandwich was one of the 100 Southern Foods You Must Eat Before You Die.  Although I have never heard of the magazine before, I assumed it had to be credible because it combined two of America's favorite things; food and firearms.  If that isn't a high enough endorsement for you, the cafe has also been featured in Southern Living,  Travel + Leisure, and Coastal Living.  

Entrance to the Cafe 

My wife and her mom

The restaurant has been around since 1949, which makes it one of the oldest restaurants in the area.  The place certainly lived up to they hype of my brother-in-laws and we actually ate here twice.  After sampling the fare, I regret that I did not eat here a third or fourth time during our visit.  During our first visit, I ordered the blackened grouper po'boy and it truly was the best po'boy I have ever had.  It was perfectly blackened and served on a bun with horseradish spiced cole slaw.  It was served with some very good fries, but they played second fiddle to this great sandwich.  This sandwich was slap-ya-momma good.  My wife got the blackened shrimp po' boy.  She let me have a bite and it was very good, but not as good as the grouper.  I also ordered a side of hush puppies, which were some of the best I have ever had.

Blackened Grouper Po' Boy-Best Po' Boy I have ever had

Blackened Shrimp Po' Boy

During a second visit, my wife got the the blackened grouper po' boy and I got the fried grouper basket with fries and slaw.  The fried grouper was some of the best fried fish I have ever had, but it paled in comparison to the grouper po' boy.  The fish was very light, with a flavorful and crispy batter.

Fried Grouper Basket

Some fantastic hushpuppies

This place was very busy during each of our visits, but the food is quickly served and you can be eating your food within 5-10 minutes.  The menu is pretty basic, but the items they have are fantastic.  My wife and I even joked that it would be worth the 12 1/2 hour drive just to eat this sandwich again.  

Seagrove Village Market Cafe
http://seagrovevillagemarket.com/
3004 Highway 395
Seagrove Beach Florida
Livin the Good Life Rating = 5