Dining Out Gulf Coast: Christo's Sports Bar, Panama City Beach, FL

Three years ago, we stopped in at Christo's as we left to go home.  Every so often, one of us will mention those onion rings we enjoyed here.  So we decided as a quick bite on the way to play Goofy Golf, we'd stop in for a burger.  

Yes, Christo's is loud, busy, and connected to a gas station.  Yes, Christo's has extremely delicious food, the best group of servers imaginable, and I was ready to give a standing ovation to the busser who was fascinating to watch!

Before we get to the food I'd like to take a minute to appreciate the young man at the sports bar last night. Y'all, that man was working circles around everybody. He had tables cleared before I could blink, but what impressed me most was what happened afterward. He actually sat down in each booth and wiped down every salt shaker, pepper shaker, and condiment bottle. Not just the table—the things most people never think about. It was one of those moments that restores your faith in people. He took real pride in his work, and it showed.

Now, on to the food!

I knew we were going to order burgers, but I wanted to try their version of She-Crab Soup.  Wowza, I'm so glad I did.  I should have ordered two bowls!  Of course, I'd have to walk half the way home to work on those calories.  But I do believe it would be worth it.

It was served piping hot!  I mean, stir it a few minutes and blow on it gently, piping hot.  The flavor was so rich and buttery.  There were large pieces of crab meat and the texture was so velvety smooth.  This is the one I'll be talking about for a while now.

Now, not to be outdone, Sweet Harold decided he needed an appetizer as well.  What did he order?  Chicken Lips.  He didn't ask the server what exactly that was.  He just ordered them.  She asked what sauce or dry rub he'd like.  He simply said, "Garlic Parmesan."  Now at this point I was a little skeptical of a garlic parmesan chicken lip.

But never fear!  The chicken lips were just small chicken fingers, breaded and fried and drenched in a garlic parmesan sauce.  They were very tasty!!

I had the Classic Burger with American cheese and substituted onion rings for fries.  This burger was LARGE and I couldn't finish it.  The onion rings were as delicious as we remembered.  

Harold decided the Sudden Death Burger was going to be his choice.  It was topped with Pepper Jack Cheese and sauteed jalapenos.  He drank a lot of Coke Zero with his meal!

As mentioned, service was great and super fast for the restaurant to have been as crowded as it was.  The food was definitely generous portions and everything we had was delicious and very much enjoyed.

Dining Out Gulf Coast: Uncle Ernie's, Panama City, FL

Uncle Ernie's Restaurant is located on St. Andrew's Bay in Panama City, NOT Panama City Beach.  It's a short drive, but well worth the time it takes to get there.  You can walk around the marina and enjoy the sites while you wait for your table or to "walk off" your dinner after you're finished dining.

Our party of 8 was seated upstairs and Dion was our server.  We remembered him from last year's visit and were happy to have him taking care of our table this year.

While we were selecting our meals from the extensive menu, bread and olive oil/basil for dipping arrived.  It was delicious!

We started with an order of fried crab claws for the table.

These are almost always sold for market price so make sure you request the current price for these before ordering them in any restaurant.

These were delightfully crunchy and were seasoned well.  The batter was light and allowed the crab flavor to shine.

With my dinner I had the option of two sides and I selected the Soup of the Day which was Seafood Chowder.

Their version was very smooth, no discernable bits of seafood or potatoes, but it was rich and hearty.  The flavor was well balanced in that it was seasoned "just right."

Now about this time, things went awry.  As I mentioned earlier, we were dining upstairs.  The kitchen is downstairs.  My end of the table was directly beside the staircase coming up to the second floor dining area.  I had been keeping one eye on all the runners who were literally running up the stairs with large trays of food.  

Four diners in our party had their food delivered and were about to dig in.  We were told the remainder was on the way.

And that's when it happened.  One poor young woman, running up those stairs, made the turn too quickly.  I watched as the food on that tray, almost in slow motion, tilted and crashed all over the stairwell.  I felt so very sorry for her.  Yes, that was the remainder of our meals.  We encouraged the ones who had their food to eat while it was hot and we patiently wait until the rest of our meals were recooked.  

It was worth the wait.

For my other side dish, I had steamed broccoli.  Again, the vegetables were perfectly cooked, not crunchy, but not mushy either.  The addition of parmesan was a nice touch.

I splurged at this meal.  I ordered the Seared Diver Scallops with Imperial Sauce.

Now at first look, you might say, "She only had four scallops!"  However, these scallops were larger than half dollar coins.  They were nicely seared and the Imperial Sauce was the best I've ever eaten.  Rich, buttery, and the perfect pairing for the scallops.

Aren't they beautiful?  They tasted even better.  I chose wisely!

Sweet Harold had his fried Gulf shrimp at long last!  His meal came with fries and cole slaw.

He was very happy with his entire meal.  That man loves his fried shrimp.

After the delay in getting our food, we were given two slices of Key Lime pie as an apology for our wait.  We ordered one more slice and we all shared in our desserts.

Yes, Uncle Ernie's Key Lime Pie may be the best I've ever eatened anywhere.

Even with the food mishap, we all enjoyed our meals and the time together.

Here are a few pictures of the exterior of the restaurant.

Dining Out Gulf Coast: Pineapple Willy's

 

If you've visited Panama City Beach, Florida in the past 40 plus years, you've probably eaten at, driven by, or seen the t-shirts that proclaimed the "bucket of ribs" you can enjoy at Pineapple Willy's.

We arrived mid-afternoon and it's tradition for some of our family members to have their first beach meal at Pineapple Willy's.  

The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur are still blowing through the Gulf Coast, but we braved the brisk breeze and ate outdoors on their covered pier that reaches straight out into the Gulf.

Sweet Harold has been talking about grilled shrimp for a few weeks and today he got his fill.  The grilled shrimp dinner comes with garlic bread, corn on the cob, two skewers of grilled shrimp, and your choice of fries or mashed potatoes.

He left the table a happy man. The shrimp were more blackened than grilled, but were delicious....he gave me one or two to try.  

I had the fried clam strip basket with fries.  They do know how to fry them just right here at Pineapple Willy's.  As you can see this is a general portion.  The fries were served hot from the fryer.  (Y'all know that lukewarm/cold fries are a pet peeve of mine.)

Granddaughter #1 had the popcorn shrimp basket.  She reported that they were "very good."

Granddaughter #2 enjoyed the Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Pasta (served with corkscrew pasta!).  She loved it.

I've included photos of the menu.  As you can tell, there's something for everyone including that "bucket of ribs!"

All in all, a great way to begin our trip to the beach!

Dining Out: Moe's Original BBQ, Gadsden, AL

 

Yesterday we decided we would, at long last, try the latest BBQ restaurant to open in Gadsden.  We've given them a bit to hit their stride and get the kinks (if they had any!) worked out before we dined here and gave y'all the details.

The building where Moe's is located (208 South 2nd Street, Gadsden, AL  35901) has had several restaurants at that location in the past.  There's ample parking, a lovely outdoor dining area, and a beautiful bar.

To place your order, you walk through the dining area toward the back.  There's a large menu board (easy to read!) where you can order, fill your drink, and then find your spot to have a seat and wait on your food.

We wanted to try as much as possible, so we opted to place our order and then utilize the "Add Moe" to be able to enjoy ribs and pulled pork as well!

Our wait (even with frying my catfish) was easily less than 10 minutes!

Here we go!

Sweet Harold chose the 1/2 smoked chicken and added ribs.  His sides were baked beans and potato salad.  The chicken was resting on a little bit of slaw so he got to try that as well!  Cornbread was included and it was a very ample portion.

Let's break it down.

First up, the smoked 1/2 chicken.

Now we all know, smoking chicken is a highly regarded skill.  To be able to cook the dark meat to keep it juicy while letting the white meat not dry out, is a delicate balance.  The pitmaster yesterday has the skill to have the chicken served at the exact level of perfection.  Kudos! You're not seeing things either.  There's red AND white bbq sauce on that chicken.  

Sweet Harold was very pleased with the chicken.  Now on to his side dishes.  He selected baked beans and potato salad.

The beans were flavorful and a great consistency, not too thick nor too thin. Add a little of that pulled pork, and they'd be a 15/10.

The potato salad was the surprise item for me.  I seldom order potato salad in a restaurant because I feel none of them will ever match my mama's version.  So yesterday, SH ordered the potato salad and I got the macaroni and cheese.  I took a bite of mine and, while it was tasty, not the thickest cheesiest I've ever had.  He tried a bite of his potato salad and said, well, it's got a lot of things in there.  So we immediately swapped.  

When I tried the first bite, I was immediately (in my mind at least) transported to my mama's kitchen.  The texture, the flavors, everything.  She could have made that bowl of potato salad.  That's high praise from me.

His add-on of ribs were a hit as well.  

These ribs were tender and full of smoke flavor.  The dry rub was very complementary to the pork.  It didn't compete or overwhelm the smokiness of the ribs.  

Now to my order.

I really wanted to try the fried catfish and I added on the pulled pork.  

First the catfish and hush puppies.

My order had five pieces of catfish with two hushpuppies.  The coating on the fish was well-seasoned and the fry was light and crunchy.  The person manning the fryer yesterday knew the exact moment the fish was ready.  Very tasty!  The hush puppies were a tad overcooked.  But that may be just my preference.

The tartar sauce was delicious and made fresh in-house.

I also had the baked beans.  Loved them.  My other side dish was the macaroni and cheese.  Yes, for me, the sauce needed to be more cheesy and thicker, but this is their recipe and I'm sure a lot of people enjoy this version.

My add on was the pulled pork.

Oh boy, oh boy!  Look at that bark!  Look at the nicely shredded pork.  This is everything you want from a BBQ restaurant.  The seasoning in the rub was on point and the pork was nice and tender.  There was a bottle of their house sauce on the table and I enjoyed it as well.  

Now let's talk about this cornbread.

I am firmly in the non-sugar cornbread camp.  This cornbread was slightly sweet, slightly crunchy, and delicious!  I could have eaten much more than this ample serving, but I controlled myself.  Barely.  I actually considered this my dessert!

We both enjoyed our meal and will be back to try more of the menu items.  If you haven't been, maybe you'll see us there soon.

InstantPot Chicken Tinga

If you're not familiar with Chicken Tinga (I wasn't!) here's what I have learned:  It's a classic Mexican dish made with shredded chicken that's simmered in a savory, lightly spicy tomatoey-chipotle sauce.

I've recently fallen in love with the La Tiara taco shells and decided I'd try their taco seasoning along with the seasoning for the Chicken Tinga.

While the package instructions direct you to simmer in a covered skillet, we were hungry and I decided to get out the trusted InstantPot to make sure the chicken cooked quickly and would be easy to shred.

You'll need a yellow onion (chopped), 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into large chunks, one envelope of the Tinga seasoning and about 2/3 cup of water.

I added a tablespoon of olive oil to the inner pot and hit the saute' button.  Added the chopped onion and let it cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Then in goes the seasoning and the water.  Gave it a good stir and turned off the saute function.

In went the chicken.....

Put the top on the pot, locked it into place, and made sure the vent was set to closed.

Then set the timer to 6 minutes.

After the cook time was over, I let it naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.  During that time, I got everything out that we would want for our toppings and heated a can of refried black beans as our side dish.

When the 10 minutes was up, I carefully removed the top of the cooker.

I removed the chicken from the pot, placed it in a bowl, and shredded it with two forks.

Then I poured in the remaining sauce that was in the pot and give everything a good stir.

At this point, you have many decisions to make!  You can use the Chicken Tinga to make enchiladas, burritos, crunchy tacos, quesadillas, or soft tacos!

We had soft tacos tonight and maybe we'll have crunchy tacos tomorrow with the leftovers.

The chicken was so tender and the sauce had just a little heat.  It was extremely flavorful and Sweet Harold kept bragging about how good it was the entire time we were having dinner!

I had the Chicken Tinga, shredded Mexican blend cheese, diced raw onion, pickled jalapenos, and taco sauce.  Sweet Harold had the same, but added black beans and sour cream to his.