Grayton Seafood Co | Grayton Beach

grayton seafood co

Restaurant Review: Grayton Seafood Company, Grayton Beach, Florida

On our previous visits to Grayton Beach we’ve eaten at The Red Bar so on our most recent visit we were looking to try something new. A search on “Google” provided some positive reviews for the Seafood Company located in the main entertainment and shopping portion of Grayton Beach that is located along Scenic Highway 30A away from the beach itself. So we decided to give them a try for dinner.

A warm, comfortable, uncrowded dining atmosphere. Neat little bar area.
My Grayt House Salad topped with grilled chicken breast.
It was a little too cool for us to dine outside in their intimate patio.

We were camping in our RV at Grayton Beach State Park, about a mile walk or bike to the restaurant from our campsite so we decided to burn off some calories walking vs driving. There’s a paved bike & jogging path that runs adjacent to the highway. If you are staying along the beach in town, it’s about the same distance, a mile walk, bike, or drive to Grayton Seafood Co.

While the sign outside indicates “since 1890” the restaurant itself is of much more recent vintage (opened in 2015), although they have done a nice job decorating the interior paneling with weather-worn planks, beer signs, old photographs on the walls, etc. Owned by Kenny Griner it is a family run operation. In addition to Kenny are his daughter, his son, and his son-in-law on-site working in the restaurant. While there are some standard menu items, they pride themselves on locally sourced seafood so current catches drive the menu. They also enjoy trying new selections, often using their Sunday Brunch as a testing ground for new items. For example, through their fun experiments, they discovered customers really liked their “chicken and waffles” combo breakfast-brunch selection!

I was feeling the need for some good “roughage” so I chose their Grayt House Salad that comes with romaine & Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, carrots, croutons & cheese. I added some grilled chicken breast to the mix. The salad was terrific, nicely blend, fresh ingredients and a huge quantity. I’m generally a clean-plate guy and it was a challenge to accomplish it with the size of this meal. Jo went with the Fish of the Day recommended by our server: grilled Amber Jack, a fish she has never tried before. The Amberjack dinner was four or five fillet pieces with a choice of two sides; Jo went with the House Salad and baked potato slices. The fish was delicious and the house salad quite generous. On tap are beers from three local craft breweries: we had the Hooter Brown Ale from Oyster City Brewing Co (in Apalachicola).

Service was friendly and attentive; and we didn’t have to wait too long for our food to arrive. In conversation, we discovered our server, Grayson, has Wisconsin roots – his father founded Trek & Trail in Bayfield, Wisconsin one of our favorite towns along the Lake Superior Scenic Circle Drive.

Overall we give high marks to Grayton Seafood Company, casual dining with artisinal attention to food preparation and menu offerings that “foodies” will appreciate yet at a reasonable price.  In summary, very good quality food, good service, pleasing dining atmosphere, good tap beers, and we love family-run places where the owners are in the kitchen and serving customers.

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Red Bar | Grayton Beach, FL

Downtown Grayton Beach Florida

Restaurant Review: The Red Bar, Grayton Beach, Florida

Our favorite Red Bar beverages. Check out the interior decoration in the background!
Red Bar Mahi-Mahi sandwich basket
The Mahi-Mahi sandwich, not quite as exceptional as I remembered from previous dining visits.
Red Bar’s huge and unique blackboard menu is easy to read. Prices shown are 2016. Note cash or check – no credit cards accepted.

The Red Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

This was our third opportunity to dine at the unique Red Bar in Grayton Beach, Florida one of our favorite stops along the Gulf Coast Scenic Drive from Pensacola to Apalachicola. It is the nearest bar or restaurant to the actual sparkling white beach that the town’s name references, so that is one reason for its popularity. Another is its crazy funky interior decorations covering every square inch of ceiling and walls with odd collectibles and notices. It is a fun place to dine and drink and the food ain’t bad either!

My favorite adult beverage at the Red is their signature Bloody Mary, now going for $7 (2018). It is the literal “meal in a glass” having in addition to the Bloody Mary Mix and Vodka, you get a large stalk of celery, a couple of pimento olives, a few dilly green beans, a slice of lemon, and 2 kinds of sweet, mildly hot peppers. Jo had their famous Mimosa, sweet and suitably powerful.

We both ordered the Mahi-Mahi sandwich basket, one of the Red Bar’s specialties we’ve previously enjoyed. Jo found her sandwich as tasty as she remembered and would give it 4.5 stars. However, I felt mine was too dry and a little chewy. I also was surprised it was served on a rather ordinary hamburger bun and the “greens” were iceberg lettuce vs a higher quality loose-leaf lettuce. I’d give my sandwich a 3.5 rating. The service was friendly and prompt. We did have a little trouble understanding our menu options as explained by our server. (After dining at The Red Bar in three different years, it is apparent they employ guest workers or exchange students as wait staff so you can get a mixed bag in expertise in spoken English.) I’ve noticed in checking the reviews on the Zomato website that some of the more recent reviews mirror our recent less enthusiasm for the quality of the food itself.

Slide Show – The Red Bar


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Dining at the Red Bar is always enjoyable and especially when they have live music. If you’ve never been there before, it is must-experience when you visit Grayton Beach. But dedicated “foodies” may want to also check out the Grayton Seafood Company (see our review), located away from the beach along Scenic Highway 30A.

grayton beach florida
The “beach” at Grayton Beach is one of the finest along the gulf coast. Learn more about visiting Grayton Beach here.

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Jaco’s Bayfront Bar & Grill | Pensacola, FL

jacos grill pensacola

Restaurant Review: Jaco’s Bayfront Grill, Pensacola, Florida

One of Pensacola’s Best places to eat, Jaco’s is upscale casual dining, overlooking Pensacola Bay and the Palafox Pier Marina. Spacious, comfortable tables and seating with cloth napkins, lemon-slice in the water, and more substantial eating utensils give it a touch of class.

Jaco's Bayfront Grill
Jo getting ready to dig into her tasty Pesto Flatbread.
The overhead heaters and transparent wind screens allow customers to enjoy dining outside even in cooler weather.

Jaco's Bayfront Bar and Grille Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Service was also classy. Competent, friendly and attentive wait staff. Refilling my water glass and stopping by frequently to check in during the meal is one of my service check marks and Jaco’s staff did well hitting these marks. My glass of Yuengling tap was served in a frosted glass and had a decent head of foam on it, another mark of quality service. Finally it was not a long wait for our meal to be delivered and it arrived hot so it had not been sitting under heat lamps for long. We give 5 stars for Jaco’s service.

I had their blackened Mahi-Mahi Taco, a dish I often use as a benchmark to compare restaurants. Jaco’s offering was a little different from many others in that it was served in a hard shell taco vs. a soft shell. I found the hard shell easier to consume without a mess of ingredients squeezing out. My previous Mahi-Taco at another dining establishment necessitated lots of finger-licking! Jaco’s Taco is nicely prepared and presented, as good tasting as I’ve had in the past. Instead of fries, chips, or hush puppies, Jaco’s Taco came with an ample combination of brown rice and beans as a side dish plus a mango salsa relish serving. Nice change of pace from the usual side I get.

Jo had their Pesto Flat Bread that came with Kalamata olives, Italian sausage, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, fresh basil, spinach and Pesto Spread. She found it very tasty and filing.

Jaco’s outside dining deck had overhead heaters which allowed us to be comfortable eating outdoors on a very nice sunny day that otherwise would have been too cold and windy to eat out on the deck.

Decent quality food, top service, pleasing dining atmosphere, all for a relatively modest price. Jaco’s is an excellent value; we rate it among the best restaurants we’ve experienced in Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. And reviewers on Zomato also rate it among the top 5 restaurants in Pensacola.

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Fat Mama’s Tamales | Natchez, MS

Fat mamas tamales

Restaurant Review: Fat Mama’s Tamales

Jo reviewing the menu before placing our Fat Mama’s order.
Huge Taco Salad, Roast Beef PoBoy, and Mama’s Tamales.
Fat Mamas Tamales Natchez, Mississippi
Jo enjoying her Fat Mama’s Margarita out on the dining deck.

Fat Mama's Tamales Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Fat Mama’s originally opened in Natchez in 1989 and have been at their current Canal Street location since 2008. Its colorful fun atmosphere, fast and friendly service, good homemade food, and decent prices have made Fat Mama’s a favorite Natchez dining institution.

You place your order at the counter, get your beverage, leave your name and take a seat in the restaurant or out on the dining deck. A server will bring your meal when it is ready.

Jo ordered the Taco Salad, a crispy tortilla shell filled with lettuce, seasoned chicken, shredded cheese, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes and onions, but held the jalapeno peppers. Very fresh and crisp and a generous quantity of ingredients. She liked that the chicken and all the ingredients were nicely distributed throughout the salad versus being layered like you find at some eateries.

I had the huge Roast Beef & Gravy PoBoy sandwich. Served on French Bread and a generous quantity of hot thin-sliced roast beef with shredded cabbage, sliced tomatoes and pickles. Served with a side of homemade potato chips. Very filling and tasty. The chips were exceptional.

Because she had no idea what a Tamale was Jo ordered a half dozen to go with our meal. They were served hot wrapped in corn husks. Too spicy for Jo’s tastes; I found them good but could only eat one as my Roast Beef PoBoy filled my tank to the top.

Jo ordered Fat Mama’s signature Margarita and found it suitably powerful and brain-freezing chilled. I had a chilled glass of amber ale tap; one of 8 specialty beers on tap.

We give Fat Mama’s high marks for fun, comfortable, casual dining, plus great food, and good service. Zomato.com rates it in the top 5 Natchez restaurants. We had previously dined and enjoyed the food and service at The Camp restaurant, located along the river in the Natchez-Under-the-Hill neighborhood. Other top-rated Natchez dining spots on our future list of places to try are Roux 61, Mammy’s Cupboard, and the historic King’s Tavern.

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