(Is this what you call “Dry Docked”? – Apalachacola, Florida)
Well Cindy and I have just recently logged our 4,000 mile on our GYPSY KITCHEN Tour ‘09 thus far and am now in Louisiana. We have experienced some rather stormy weather of late and watched intently as the local TV stations warned of several tornado alerts in the area. It’s a little scary riding out a severe storm inside the motorcoach as each and every raindrop sounds like armor-piercing rounds above your head. The dogs keen sense of sound made for a couple of sleepless nights. All in the name of research!
(St George Lighthouse – St George Island, Florida)
After leaving the Tallahassee area last week, we made our way to St George Island, which is part of the “Forgotten Coast” of Florida – an area lying between Tallahassee and Pensacola. They refer to it as the “Forgotten Coast” because it is void of the huge strip malls and sprawling housing developments seen so dotting the Florida landscape today. Instead, this area highlights the small “mom & pop” businesses, single family real estate, lovely sandy beaches and some of the best oysters I’ve ever encountered.
(The lighthouse, rebuilt for the fourth time – St George Island, Florida)
St George Island is considered a barrier island, accessible from either the one main bridge, by boat or by private plane. Home to some 700 homes, the island has a tiny “downtown” spotted with mostly tourist type shops, a few restaurants and several real estate offices…we are told that there are some “real bargains” here on waterfront lots & homes. One girl told us that homes that were selling for $2,000,000.00 are down to a mere $600,000.00. Most of the homes built over the past decade are built up on stilts to help ward-off flooding during hurricane season. Yes the “Forgotten Coast” shows signs of weather related damage inflicted over the past couple of years.
After checking into our campground and setting up “camp” (which now takes us seasoned RV’s all of 6–8 minutes), we made our way into “town” for dinner. We started at a small local watering hole called “EDDY TEACH’S RAW BAR”, located just off of Third Street. This place on first appearance seems more like a rowdy bar then a restaurant and most of the seating is outside at wooden picnic tables or at several wobbly wooden bar stools, each with a plastic bag filled with water hanging above. The decor (if you can call it that) is “more-than-rustic” and black “Sharpie's” are used by patrons to leave their witty musings upon the walls, floor, ceiling and yes even on the plastic bags filled with water hanging over each bar stool. A statue of a scantily dressed, buxom female pirate stand guard just outside the restroom doors complete with eye-patch. On the floor are several large white plastic buckets filled with water for the many canines who visit with their somewhat intoxicated owners. The bartender seems to know everyone, everyone except Cindy & I and at first seems a bit put out that we have no clue what Eddy Teacher’s Raw Bar is all about. As we take our seats on two of the wobbly bar stools and attempt to take the whole experience in, I notice that chalk board highlighting the multitude of draft beers and spot not only the “Black & Tan” (Guinness and Bass) but also a “Black & Blond” (Guinness and Stella Artois), “Brown Mixed” (Smithwicks and Yuengling), “Poormans” (Guinness and Strongbow) and “Dirty Cracker” (Boddongtons and Strongbow) – maybe this place isn’t so bad!!!
(Eddy Teach’s Sidekick, St George Island, Florida)
Our bartender/server turned out to be extremely friendly, attentive and informative and suggested that we had try a dozen of the Apalachacola Bay Oysters on the half shell – sold. Within minutes we were presented with twelve of the plump-est, most tender and juicy oysters that I can remember ever putting in my mouth. The only thing better then the oysters was the house-made cocktail sauce which was absolutely fantastic! And the oysters seemed like they had been put on this earth only to accompany yet another “Black and Tan”. We learned from our friendly bartender that the plastic bags of water keep the flies out as there are no windows. I had never heard of this but I must say that there was not one fly to be found in or around Eddy Teacher’s Raw Bar.
We had seen another restaurant down the street a ways and decided that we should give them a try for dinner as Eddy Teacher’s Raw Bar was after all a bar – not a restaurant. So we departed and made our way down three blocks to “HARRY A’s RESTAURANT AND BAR” on Bayshore Drive. HARRY A’s has live entertainment daily and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Upon entering we were greeted by a warm and very bubbly hostess who proceeded to seat us at a table right next to the front door and apologized but informed us that they were far busier then expected and that the entire staff was over-run…not what one wants to hear. After a couple of minutes, our bubbly hostess checked back to see if we had been offered beverages yet – no not yet. So she then proceeded to take our drink orders. Our waitress appeared and asked if we were ready to order – not asking if we had any questions, not offering to go over any special the kitchen might be offering this evening…just place your order so she can try and get to yet another table. Let’s just say that the meal was adequate and leave it at that.
HARRY A’s RESTAURANT AND BAR rates: 
Typical tourist destination.
(Historic Lafayette Park, Apalachicola, Florida)
The next day, Cindy and I ventured off the island over to Apalachicola, a small seaside community that has re-invented itself numerous times. In the early 1800’s, Apalachacola grew to be the third largest shipping port in the Gulf of Mexico, shipping cotton to ports-of-call all over the world. In the early years of the 1900’s Apalachicola became known for it’s vast cypress trees and become home to several huge lumber mills. By the end of the 1900’s Apalachicola became famous for it’s bountiful fishing and shrimping industry. Today, Apalachicola Bay and the surrounding waters are considers some of the most productive and cleanest waters in the nation. The area harvests more than 90 % of Florida’s oysters and more than 10% of the total oysters consumed within the US – more than 2 million pounds of oyster meat is shucked in Apalachicola annually. The town streets are lined with beautiful old historic homes, many now run as Bed and Breakfasts. The downtown area, at first has a feel of a by-gone era, and parts look run down and abandoned – but after spending just a little time in several of the shops, you get a sense that this town is on the rise. The shops are unique, upbeat and friendly, there is the strong and popular Dixie Theater which hosts an ongoing list of live professional theater as well as musical events throughout the year…There is a strong sense of pride in this town and you can actually see it and feel it on the faces of the people you meet here.
(Old lumber mill, Apalachicola, Florida)
Right next to the Dixie Theater, on Avenue E is a lovely little restaurant called “THAT PLACE IN APALACH”. Actually, the owners of this place operated a very successful eatery over in Eastpoint called “That Place on 98” until Hurricane Dennis caused havoc along that section of Route 98, so the owners decided to move the operation to Apalachacola. We entered and were immediately greeted by an extremely friendly and polite server who showed us to our table and exuberantly described the specials for the day. After taking our beverage order, he was back in a flash with our drinks and proceeded to take our order. Cindy went with the Jamaican Jerk Pork while I had to try the Panhandle Chowder and the Chopped BBQ Brisket Sandwich Special. The Panhandle Chowder was delicious…creamy without being too thick, nice sized pieces of potato, onion and celery and loaded with fresh fish – I had to keep battling Cindy for the next spoonful! Cindy really enjoyed her Pork as did I…it had just the right hint of Jerk without being over-the-top. My BBQ Brisket Sandwich was also great – maybe not as great as Mrs. Burt’s but still delicious just the same. It was great to see that each of the 18 tables filled up while we dined, some seated more than once. The staff worked in unison and all seemed to really like working at “THAT PLACE IN APALACH” Our server enthusiastically sold us on the house-made Key Lime Pie as well as the Chocolate Mousse Pie (his reason for working there, or so he said). The Key Lime Pie was tasty with just the right amount of tartness, although it was served a drizzle of chocolate sauce, which to my palette tasted like it came from a can which drew my attention away from the pie itself. I think that the pie could easily stand on it’s own without the addition of the chocolate sauce. The Chocolate Mousse Pie was a hit, topped with fresh made whipped cream. If I had to find a complaint on this dish it would have to be that the whipped cream could have used a tiny bit more sweetness and there could have been a tad more on the pie – other than that we loved this dessert.
(“THAT PLACE IN APALACH” – Apalachicola, Florida)
“THAT PLACE IN APALACH” rates:
We would return in a heartbeat to dine here.
We wished we could have spent more time in Apalachacola and the surrounding area as there actually is a lot to see and experience here. We are told that there are several really good places to eat in Apalachicola…”THAT PLACE IN APALACH” certainly makes that list.
(Apalachacola fishing fleet – Apalachicola, Florida)
Tuesday was a somewhat lazy day for us…we spent the morning walking the dogs along the beach and doing laundry. For lunch we both decided that another trip to “EDDY TEACH’S RAW BAR” was in order, so once again we made our way to Third Street. This time, Cindy and I were the first to arrive and we were greeted by a lovely bartender whose smile and laugh were infectious. She immediately became fast friends with Tucker and Panda (the dogs) and saw to it that the white plastic bucket next to our table was filled with nice cool water. This place caters to dogs with people!!! Because I wanted to mix things up a bit, I ordered a “Black and Blond” this time around instead of the “Black and Tan”, Cindy tried the “Strongbow Cider” which she enjoyed thoroughly (kind of like a mix between a lager and a fermented cider). Of course we had to split another dozen of those delectable oysters along with that to-die-for cocktail sauce – yes these were as good as two nights earlier. This time the oysters were shucked by the owner herself. The menu at “EDDY TEACH’S RAW BAR” is limited somewhat but we were told that the burgers were really good so Cindy and I both opted for the Cheese burger with Chips. Apparently, in Florida all ground meat MUST be cooked to medium-well – but our bartender/server assured us that the burgers would still be juicy. When the burgers came they were gigantic, served with nice crisp lettuce and a slice of vine ripened tomato. We couldn’t believe just how juicy and delicious these “well done” burgers were. Incredible is a word that comes to mind easily.
(“EDDY TEACH’s RAW BAR” – St George Island, Florida)
We learned upon this visit that Eddy Teach was the real name of Black Beard the pirate. That maybe helped to explain the “booty” of women’s lingerie hanging from various rafters and wall adornments – maybe not! “EDDY TEACH’S RAW BAR” is a fantastically fun experience…the place to go for a great chilled beer, some of the best oysters you will find anywhere and for a wonderfully juicy and tasty hamburger and on top of that, it’s a great place to meet some of the more colorful island folk.
(I think this sign says it all – St George Island, Florida)
“EDDY TEACH’S RAW BAR” rates:
This is a fantastic CASUAL place.
The oysters were so good that I decided to write a real easy recipe for “Easy Oyster Stew”. Make sure to join the GYPSY KITCHEN Family to receive this and all other weekly recipes.
On Wednesday, we had to say goodbye to St George Island but have marked it as a spot we’d like to return to. As we made our way west on Route 98, we drove along the coast through Port St Joe, Mexico Beach and Panama City Beach. About the time we passed through Laguna Beach we were getting pretty hungry…driving in a 36–foot motor coach with a tow vehicle behind limits the available places one can stop. As we drove through Destin, we noticed a “HOOTERS” with a very large and manageable parking lot so we opted for lunch at “HOOTERS”. I don’t know if it’s my age or what but I simply DO NOT GET the whole “HOOTERS” thing. Don’t get me wrong, like most members of the male species, I enjoy the sight of a young, perky taught female as much as anyone…but the bright orange short shorts I think went out in the early 1970’s if I’m not mistaken. This place was more than loud, the tables and stools uncomfortable. We both selected the Bone-less Chicken Wing Platter. “HOOTERS” is the place to go for chicken wings right? Wrong!!! Both Cindy and my wings were beyond over cooked, the celery sticks were tan and limp, the Bleu cheese sauce lacked flavor. I was hungry and wanted something to satisfy that hunger – I did not go into “HOOTERS” looking to become friends with our waitress, no matter how cute she was…so please DO NOT pull up a stool and chat with us. I’d rather you pull up a stool next to the fryolator and make sure that my chicken wings aren’t burnt. Here’s the deal – don’t call me “Honey” and I won’t call you “Babe” – okay? Needless to say, I did not purchase any “HOOTERS” memorabilia to take home with me. The ice tea was adequate and the parking lot was of good size for an RV.
“HOOTERS” rates:
A first…the “Broken Spoon” – it was just that bad!
A short time later we pulled into Big Lagoon State Park in Pensacola were we booked for two nights. Again, after setting camp and after we thought our stomachs had recovered from our luncheon experience, we decided to travel down the road a bit to Perdido Key for what we hoped would be a decent dinner. Based on the number of cars parked outside of “VALLARTA’S AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANT” we thought this would be a solid choice. Margarita's seemed in order, so we ordered the Grande’s…when they arrived these were so big you could actually have bathed in them – HUGE! As we sipped, you couldn’t lift them, we looked over the extensive menu and settled on two of the various “Combination Plates”. Cindy’s consisted of a beef enchilada, a tamale, a beef taco and refried beans. Mine was a combo of a chili relleno, chicken quesadilla, beef burrito and rice and beans.
Now I don’t know if it was still the knot in my stomach from the earlier “HOOTERS” experience or what, but I got about 1/4th. of the way through this massive dish and I simply couldn’t go on. Cindy picked through hers as well, only eating a taste of this and a nibble of that. We packaged the left-overs and returned to the coach with a massive treat for the dogs who really seemed to enjoy all of it. Later that night, both Cindy and I had that horrible after-taste of MSG drying out the palette – again, not sure if it was the result of “HOOTERS” or of “VALLARTA’S AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANT” – but my gut tells me the MSG is VALLARTA’S handy work.
“VALLARTA’S AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANT” rates: 
Too much unappealing food piled on a plate, and watch the MSG.
We spent the next day recovering.
On Friday, we had to move all of about 10 miles down the road into Alabama to the very nice “Gulf State Park” were we stayed for two nights. This is were we encountered the severe weather, tornado watches and sleepless nights. I have to say that I’ve never experienced a more dramatic light show then what we witnessed on Saturday evening. The lightning would light-up the sky with two, three and sometimes more steaks crackling and thundering down all around us.
We did get a break in the weather on Saturday, during the day and had the opportunity to take in the semi-annual German Sausage Festival in Elberta, Alabama were they expected to serve over 1,700 pounds of German Sausage before the day ended. Based on the crowds, I would venture to guess that they hit that target. Yes, the sausage was delicious and I would have made my Grandpa Willwerth proud as I enjoyed this tasty piece of grilled sausage, stuffed inside a large hoagie roll complete with sauerkraut and mustard and a nice cold Yuengling draft to wash it all down with.
Remember that this weeks recipe is a tribute to the delicious Apalachacola Bay oysters, Easy Oyster Stew…you can get it by subscribing to our GYPSY KITCHEN Family.
Have a great week, please keep sending those suggestions and comments along – We really are using them as guiding posts for our adventure. Also, please tell your friends about our wacky travels and have them join our growing family.
Remember to support your local restaurants and let them know that their hard efforts are appreciated. No government stimulus programs are going to help these tireless soles out and they really do rely on us for their livelihood and right now so many independent restaurants in America are offering some great, wonderful and tasty “Special Offers” to entice us with!
Until next week,
Chef John
in the “Gypsy Kitchen”
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Ratings Scale:
= Hopeless, Would Definitely Not Return (A new addition to the rating scale)
= Needs Work, Most Likely Would Not Return
= Good Basic Find, Things Could Be Improved, Would Probably Try Again
= As Expected, Good Choice, A Few Things Could Be Better, Almost Certainly Visit Again
= Better Than Expected, Great Choice, Would Definitely Revisit
= Totally Blown Away, Every Point Exceeded Expectation, Would Drive Out-Of-Way To Revisit
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