Southern Breeze 2007 Summer Issue - (Page 42) There’s no shortage of eateries in Panama City Beach! Enjoy the atmosphere at Capt. Anderson’s (right), and the fabulous food at the Boatyard (far right). And with scores of condo towers like Splash, you can enjoy the water in the lazy river (opposite, left), the activities on the beach (opposite, center) or just taking in the view of the Gulf from the balcony (opposite, right). I f you’re feeling more adventurous, you can catch a ferry from St. Andrews to Shell Island, a pristine, undeveloped rustic paradise located between the Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrews Bay. Burgess and her family thoroughly enjoyed their excursion but she cautions: go prepared with lots of sunscreen, a beach umbrella (there is NO shade over there), and lots of drinks and snacks. “We saw a group of stingrays swimming along the shore, not close enough for our little swimmers, but close enough in the greenish water to be clearly seen. We also saw dolphins swimming alongside our boat as we were being ferried to the island.” When it’s time to eat—and when you’re on vacation, it’s always time to eat—Capt. Anderson’s is overwhelmingly preferred by tourists and locals alike. Founded by brothers Jimmy and Johnny Patronis, Capt. Anderson’s has received boatloads of culinary and wine awards and is recruiting new fans every day. If you get to the restaurant early enough you might even see your main course make the trip from the fishing boat to the kitchen from one of the many dockside tables. Take advantage of the open flame grill and watch your dinner char-grilled to mouth-watering perfection. Boatyard, in the middle of the Lighthouse Marina’s boatyard, has great tables on the water where you can breathe in the fresh, salty air. Despite its casual, open-air environment, Boatyard has some of the best cuisine you’re likely to find along the Emerald Coast, as well as a martini menu that gives you a great excuse to linger at the bar overlooking the harbor. Chef Konrad Jochum’s menu is a unique fusion of Gulf Coast classics with the tropical taste of Key West. You can even pilot your own skiff right up to one of the restaurant’s available slips. Burgess, who now lives outside Charlotte, NC with her husband and two kids (see what happens when you grow up?), travels home regularly and she recommends Sharky’s, which has a great Gulffront view. However, she warns of the hot wings. “I thought we would DIE,” she says. “It’s not just hot, it’s peel-the-skin-off-ofyour-lips-and-dunk-them-in-the-blue-cheese hot.” The more upscale Saltwater Grill on Hutchinson Blvd. features a massive 25,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, bigger than a couple s o u t h e r n b re e z e . c o m of New York City apartments I’ve had. As with most restaurants in such a seafaring town, seafood is the specialty here, but you can’t go wrong with their choice cuts of beef and the mint juleps will ensure return visits! This is definitely the place to go if you’re in town for a special occasion, or for one last night of self-indulgence before you head back to the daily grind. As I drove along Front Beach Road on my way out of town, I couldn’t help but wonder what would become of the liquor stores, tattoo parlors, tacky souvenir shops, and mom and pop diners and motels. It won’t be long before they too are relegated to relic status as they are slowly but surely replaced by the new architecture reshaping the landscape with soaring towers and tin roofed houses. That being said, it was comforting to see that La Vela and Spinnaker were still going strong just like they were two decades ago when Burgess, Bruce, Cindy, Natalie, Phillip, Wendy, Snapper, and myself all whooped and hollered when the bar band started playing those first iconic riffs of Sweet Home Alabama. Like me, Panama City Beach is keeping adolescence in the rearview mirror and heading toward a sun-drenched, middle-aged horizon. Who knows what the golden years have in store for either one of us? But in the mean time, I’ll have another mint julep. 42 http://southernbreeze.com
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