Zo and Honey have been coming to Destin for years and have chosen to lay roots there, purchasing a beautiful vacation home, views of the ocean available from every window. Before traveling with Z to Destin, I had come to know this town as a spring-breaker’s haven, a wild and raucous little sister to Panama City. What a sad misperception of this place. Honey and Zo make their home on the quiet end of Destin, along Miramar Beach. Late summer days will offer long, languid hours of sunbathing and peace, a very limited number of beach-combing neighbors surrounding you. Honey and Zo have also taken a great interest in the local food scene, searching out the ideal dining options in a town that is decidedly tourist driven. We spent the first night tucking into sushi, blackened grouper and seared tuna at Camille’s. Stated proudly on their menu, they use local purveyors as often as possible, a distinction that ranks very high in my book. The highlight of the night had to be the sushi. Selected from an extensive list, this was their signature – the backdown roll – and it arrived piled high with thinly shaved crab. My initial impression was that it was too much – how could all of these items sing their own song with any semblance of harmony? I was more than happy to be proven wrong, as the sweet slivers of crab were a perfect compliment to the creamy avocado and the crunchy tempura, bringing all of the other elements together. I only wish we had ordered three.
Another night brought us to 790 on the Gulf, a Louisiana-inspired restaurant right on the beach. Located in an condo building there is no sign of this spot from the street. Rightfully boasting a fantastic happy hour, 790 serves up an array of seafood and traditional Cajun dishes that are full of spice and life. Their gumbo is award winning and layered with complex flavors. The overall winner for me had to be the clams. Served in an addicting sauce of white wine, butter, parmesan and lots more butter, the clams were perfectly cooked and delightfully sweet.
Unbeknownst to us, Zo had made special arrangements that evening. Kicking off the ‘local season’ we were seated by the one-man-band and our service was phenomenal. We sang along to the songs, all of which were by request, and savored every bite of our clams, alligator corn dogs, fried shrimp, grilled grouper, chicken livers and blackened snapper. Reveling in food-filled bliss, we were lost in the moment, brought back only by the glow of candles and the sounds of ‘Happy Birthday’ filling the air. Zo had spoken to the Pastry Chef and he had prepared a decadent cake, wishes of happy birthday for both Z and I adorning the top. Sharing almost the same birthday (Z the 9th, myself the 10th) has made our milestones that much more special and this was a wonderful way to close an already meaningful night.
After several days of enjoying the bounties of Destin’s sea while out and about, I was dying to get my hands on it. We had designated Friday night as our official ‘birthday night’ and my Mom and I set off to collect the makings of the birthday dinner. Shrimp has always been one of my all-time favorite foods. Growing up, I found it to be an absolute luxury item and requested shrimp yearly for my birthday dinner. Steamed in the shell, I relished peeling the wrapping off of this wonderful gift from the ocean. The gulf offers an ideal home for shrimp and we picked up two pounds. I was going to pan sear them and toss them with linguine in a creamy clam sauce. It was an adaptation to my recipe for pasta with clam sauce, simply substituting the clams for the shrimp.
I was proud of the results as well as how crisp and tender the simply seared grouper was, which we served along side of the pasta. Out of place? Perhaps – but we couldn’t resist buying a pound when we saw the beautiful fillets at the fish market.
I still can’t quite get over what happened next. Zo, Honey, Duke and Dutchie wanted us to go ahead and open our gifts. My first shock came as we tour the paper off of a brand new MacBook Air. Wow. And, as I type on it now, I can’t tell you how much I love this laptop. What an incredibly generous gift from Zo and Honey, and I know a big reason they picked this for us is so I can continue to work on Foodie-Girl with ease, no matter where I go. I was so touched.
Next was a large box that my Mom slid across the floor to me, telling me not to pick it up or really move it at all. Hm. Any guesses? I was clueless. I folded the paper off of the top, exposing the side of a box with a large label proclaiming ‘contains alcohol.’ My Mom instructed me to open the end of the box and to reach in on the far left side. Feeling the top of a bottle of wine, I carefully pulled out a magnum of Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon from my birth year of 1982. I was speechless. As if that weren’t incredible enough, a second look in the box found a bottle of Chateau Haut Brion Bordeaux, also from 1982. The Beringer was meant for that night and it was incredible. Delicate and rich, it was smooth with blueberry and bell pepper notes, backed by an earthy tobacco flavor. The Chateau Haut Brion will have to wait. Ready to drink for the next twenty years, we were careful to keep the bottle horizontal at all times, and it is going back into peaceful storage. Don’t worry – I’ll be sure to let you know when we drink it!
Our last day in Destin was spent on the beach, grabbing every last ray of sun before we returned north and headed into fall. I sat with my chair at the ocean’s edge and thought about the moments that made up our trip, as the water washed over my feet. Zo teaching us to play skit-skat. Sitting on the deck at night with Honey, holding hands and sharing a moment. Just being with my father, relishing in his hugs and calming smile. Long walks on the beach with my Mom, talking about food, travel and life overall. Sharing all of this with Z, the stresses of the real world put on a very deliberate hold. I vowed to never take my blessings for granted and to savor all that life has to offer me as I step into the next decade. I looked back up the beach at my family, lounging blissfully in their chairs, lined along the sand. Their heads were tipped up toward the Destin sun, their lips stretched into savory smiles. Thank you Destin – it was the happiest of birthdays.
