::: CRAB INVASION!

You heard it! Tyndall, FL has been invaded by herds of crab! Just kidding these, cute little guys just call this bay home :) I would like to introduce you to the Fiddler Crab. They are about 1.5-2" wide, and the males can be seen with a large front claw as large as their body. They travel in groups to protect each other and court. They also help our wetlands through mineralization of the marshes and continuing ecological growth.
But don't get too close...they might become attached. Ben had to tell this crab he wanted his shoe back! Fiddler crabs aren't the only crabs along this shore. We have also seen little white crabs, and blue crabs on the Tyndall Air Force beach.

::: Let's Talk French

Red Bar...
Louis Louis...
Have you been there yet?

It is QUITE the experience. My brother, Mark, and I decided to go there on a Friday night...mid October. We weren't even thinking about it being a weekend or prime dinner time. Let me just say, EVERYONE and anyone was there! Luckily our wait was only 20 minutes. Red Bar is packed back in Grayton Beach (Remember the map I made in the first post? Check it out if you're not familiar with 30A). Basically you drive ALL the way down county rd 238 S until you reach the sand. Once you hit the sand take a left and you will see Red Bar on the right.

The interior is so fun. It's not your normal restaurant, and you definitely wonder how they pass fire code. There are dimly lit chandeliers, living room furniture for waiting, and lots and lots of candles. It's a dark restaurant, mainly lit by candles but don't worry about bringing reading glasses or key chain flashlights (I'll get to the key chain flashlights story in another post). They read the menus to you off of a chalk board. There are about 6 items on the menu, and you can either hold onto the chalk board at your table and think, or just tell them right then what you would like.

Mark and I each got the Panne Chicken. It is amazing!
{topped with lemon caper butter, served with Mashed Potatoes and a House Salad}
There is so much food. Either plan ahead to go to the restaurant hungry or prepare to leave with a to-go box!

Louis Louis has a similar menu with some of the same food items. I would recommend going to both to sample the different atmospheres. I plan on going back to both to try out the desserts :)

Mark's not going to like this, but this post needed some pictures! Here are some recent pics of me and my brother...
Fall 2009:

May 2010:

October 2010:

enjoying the beach during Mark's visit October 2010!Please pardon my crazy hair, it was the only good pic of Mark looking at the camera and smiling.

Check out Red Bar's Website: http://www.theredbar.com/

::: Po Boy Goodness

In my opinion, the best Shrimp PoBoy is at The Back Porch.

Why is it better than other restaurants? For a few reasons:
1. Served on a thick Hoagie bun
2. They serve it FULL of crispy fried shrimp. There is no skimping at all. Normally it is so full I can't even eat the whole thing!
3. The remoulade sauce is perfectly prepared to drizzle over the shrimp. {This is actually where restaurants win my decision. Basically if a restaurant does not offer remoulade sauce then I don't order a PoBoy!}

There is only one other restaurant where I love getting a Shrimp PoBoy and that is The PoBoy Factory in Huntsville, AL (my hometown!). At The PoBoy Factory, you can normally find my dad and I there! That is one of our favorite lunch spots.

The Back Porch has two locations...one in Destin, and one at Pier Park in PCB. They also have other great items on the menu to check out :)

::: Welcome!

Hello bloggers!
I am living along this beautiful coast for 9 months, and I wanted to share all of it's secrets with you! The purpose of this blog will be to share my favorite restaurants and activities to enjoy while in the South Walton area. To begin, I want to describe this vast Emerald Coast to you. Here is a map to show you the area:



I have been trying to visit each location on that map! So far, I have found some great shops and restaurants to visit. I will be posting my favorites shortly so stay tuned!