Dining Out Gulf Coast: Pepper's Mexican Grill, Port St. Joe, FL

 

We arrived in Mexico Beach, FL mid-afternoon to a light drizzling rain.  We were a tad early for check in and decided to make the short drive over to Port St. Joe for a late lunch.  We always enjoy Pepper's Mexican Grill and, more often than not, it's our first place to dine when we're visiting this part of the world.

Chips and salsa appeared almost as soon as we were seated.  We were each given a bowl of salsa instead of having to share which is always a nice touch.  The salsa had a touch of heat and was loaded with finely diced white onion, peppers, and fresh cilantro.  

When I'm on "beach time" it's always "5 o'clock somewhere," so I knew I wanted a margarita, but which one?  There was at least a dozen different flavor combinations on the menu.

I finally decided on the Azteca:  Premium Sauza 901 Silver Tequila, mezcal, triple sec, fresh lime and orange juices, and sweet and sour.  The was not a happy hour version or a house margarita.  This one had lots of balanced flavors and I enjoyed it a lot!

Cheese dip was up next while we pored over the large and varied menu items.  Again, just a touch of heat in the dip and it was served hot.  A nice serving size for a small order.

Sweet Harold chose the Pelusa Texana:  chicken, shrimp, and steak sauteed with onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes over a bed of rice covered with shredded cheese.    It was also served with warm tortillas.  

As you can see, this was a very generous serving.  They didn't skimp on the proteins in favor of vegetables.  He was well pleased with his choice.

I selected the Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo:  juice shrimp sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and garnished with fresh cilantro.  I chose refried beans and salad as my two sides.  For those of you who know I am allergic to avocados and that means NO guacamole, never fear.  I passed off that delicious looking guac to Sweet Harold.  He loved it, btw.

Again, they do not skimp on the serving sizes here at Pepper's.  There were 12 shrimp on my plate.  The sauce was full of flavor, but it wasn't spicy.  The shrimp were perfectly cooked and were large.  I would definitely order this again.

Service was prompt and attentive.  The dining room is large and the hostess did a great job of spreading diners out throughout the room, so the noise level was almost non-existent.  Sometimes you appreciate the opportunity of not having a lot of other diners piled all around you when there is ample room to seat people away from other diners a bit.  

All in all, a great meal to welcome us to the beach for the week.