One restaurant that may be relatively unknown is Basmati's on 30A.

It has an Asian flair with very good sushi to start the meal. The servings are adequate, not huge, and in visiting the restaurant 10 times or so in the past few months I have never been disappointed in any meal I have ordered.

It isn't cheap. By the time a couple has a small order of sushi, wine and an entree, the bill will easily come to $100 or so. It is small so if you are planning to go during a time likely to be busy, call in advance for reservations.

Thanks for the tip... we'll have to research it a little and ad them to our restaurant listings. Always looking for a good place to enjoy sushi. Thanks!

I have reviewed this one before as top notch but not been there in a while.

Thanks for the update and for reminding us to get back and try them again. A great place with a nice and different atmosphere.


www.keithgoescoastal.com

We enjoy going to Basmati's early (5:00pm or so). Order a couple of large hot saki's and make your meal out of appetizers only! There's no better way to experience the talent that lies behind the doors to the kitchen at Basmati's! -John and Barbara

Thanks for the tip heinisch, and welcome to TripSmarter. We appreciate your reviews of Where to stay in Destin and Bistro Bijoux, too!

You're a Sandestin resident? I bet you've eaten at most restaurants in the area... any more tips on where to go?

Thanks,
Steve

Hi Steve. And thanks. There's no shortage of good places to eat here in the Sandestin area!

Finz and Finz Loft, both located on the Hilton Sandestin property, are two really great places to dine on the beach. Finz is beach casual while Finz Loft is more along the lines of fine dining. Both have great food and great wines. And the service at both has always been tops in my book.

The Marlin Grill located in the Village is very good, too. The bar staff is excellent so we usually eat in the bar area to avoid waiting for a table. Their appetizers are terrific and their wine selection is great (although a little pricey). Half bottles of wine are nice when you don't care for a full bottle. The salmon entre' is wonderful. But for myself, I prefer the grouper. Oh yeh, skip the "lettuce wedge" salad. That's exactly what it is ... one HUGE wedge of lettuce that nobody could possibly eat! I prefer the ceasar salad. Be sure to get some fresh bread from the "bread girl". And be prepared for a bit of a wait if you'd like regular butter instead of their special butter.

I'm usually pretty positive but I can NOT recommend Poppy's Seafood Factory in the Village. While the food has always been very good - I have a tough time with poor service that comes at high prices. We gave them one more try the other night and they failed miserably. We had stopped in for a bottle of wine and some King Crablegs. But we left after waiting almost 30 minutes for a bottle of wine. Perhaps others have had better luck at Poppy's. But we have NO PLANS to go back!

Hammerheads at the end of the Village has always provided great food and great service at reasonable prices. It's very "beach casual". Their sandwiches are always great, their beer is always cold. And they have great shrimp, crablegs, etc. But forget the wine! :o)

Blue Point Fishclub in Destin Commons used to be one of our favorite stops until recently. But we started to notice a steady decline in the availability of their published wines. Then their service started to decline. Then they changed their menu (omitting some of our favorite items). They went up on their prices and down on quantity/quality. So -- we don't go to Blue Point anymore!

Cuvee Beach caught our eye one night so we thought we'd give it a try. The parking lot was packed with cars which is usually a good sign. As it turned out,t the hostess was "not a happy person", our server appeared equally disinterested, the wine and entre's were expensive and the atmosphere in general was very unappealing for us. We ended up cancelling our wine order, tipped our server for "troubling him" and we cut our losses while we had the chance. Whew .... who needs all of that?!!

Panera Bread in Destin Commons always provides great soups and great sandwiches in a timely fashion. Whenever we're in DC, we usually try to plan on having lunch at Panera Bread.

Hey, if you haven't tried Dave's Dogs in Destin Commons ... give them a try. I know -- it's a hot dog. But for five bucks, you get a great hotdog loaded with chili and all of the trimmings on a grilled" bun with a cold drink (bottled water if you want). Hey, there's not much you can buy in Destin Commons for five bucks - so give Dave a try! He's working hard for his money!

Hard Rock in Destin Commons ... nice place, good food. But we won't go back. It's just not for us. We blew out our eardrums during the sixties and seventies. So we prefer something a little quieter now!

The Red Bar in Grayton Beach used to be a favorite of ours but for some reason we've stopped going there. The food used to be fabulous but it seems they've lost their passion for their business. Maybe it's just a cycle they're going through!

Another Broken Egg Cafe in the Village for breakfast or lunch is fantastic! Take your time .. and read everything on the menu before ordering. Be sure to bring your appetite because the portions are large! Omelets, Scrambles, Croissants, etc ... it's all great at the Broken Egg. Last week, I had the Farm Fresh Omelet with broccoli, mushrooms, onions and cheese ... deee..lish! And forget Starbucks and waiting in line - because the coffee at Broken Egg is great!

By now, you know that I'm a nut for good service. I'm a 20% plus tipper if I don't have to ask or wait for everything. Well, McAlister's Gourmet Deli made themselves a big "zero" in the tip category. Their food is great .. that is, if you can get somebody in the kitchen to make "what you ordered" ... and if you can find someone to give it to you! Enough said ... McAlister's Gourmet Deli ... a big zero. Oh, and forget the Burger King next door. It's no better than McAlister's!

Applebee's on Emerald Coast, just east of Baytowne on Emerald Coast Hwy(Hwy 98), has always been a good stop for us. Okay, so it's Applebee's. But they deserve some credit. They're open when others are closed. Their food is always consistent. Their prices are reasonable and their service has always been very accomodating.

I heard the other day that OceanClub is a big "thumb's up" for fine dining. We planned on going there the other night but not wanting to leave the Village, we ended up at the Bistro Bijoux instead. While the Bistro was an excellent decision, we still want to try the OceanClub. Stay tuned.

Harbor Docks in Destin proper has the best blackened amberjack anywhere. Well, there's one other place (Ryan's Catch in Perdido Key but who's going to make that drive?) So, amberjack you ask? Yes, try it blackened. It's fabulous. And the service at Harbor Docks is always good.

Oh, Harbor Docks used to be great for breakfast, too. But I haven't been there in quite a while (for breakfast) so my information may be dated. I don't know if they still serve breakfast. if they do -- I'm sure it's still just as great as it always was.

All of this talk about food has made me hungry. I wonder where we'll go tonight. Hmmm, it's New Years Eve and we don't have reservations. This could be interesting! Stay tuned!

Happy New Year!!

I would give Cuvee one more chance and sit in the bar area and ask for Johnny Chicago.

Go on a Tuesday night when drinks are 1/2 off.( I think they are this way Mon-Fri 5-7 PM) ALL drinks too including wine and martinis! And apps are also 1/2 off. The tuna tower app is the wife's fave. Salads are great too.

This is an opp to save, savor and enjoy while giving them one more shot at your business.

We have tried to make this McAlisters work for us but they continually have poor service.


Vintij in the same strip center and a completely different atmosphere and approach is good however. It is a smaller version of Cuvee and very nice and quaint if you can keep the tourists off their cell phones during the meal.

The scallop app is one of the best we have ever had. It can be an entree for one.


KeithGoesCoastal

Thanks Keith, thanks for your recommendation. We'll definitely give Cuvee Beach another try. We actually prefer sitting in the bar area of most restaurants anyway. The service is usually better and it's generally more cordial. And since FL is a no smoking STATE .. bar areas are generally the best!

Thanks for reminding me about Vintij! We've bought wines there several times and had lunch there once. It was very nice treat. I know what you mean about tourists and their cell phones. I long for the day when restaurants have cell phone zappers just like ones for flies and mosquitos! Turn'em off!!

Thanks again,
John and Barbara

Welcome back Keith! And Happy New Year.... look forward to reading more of your reviews and recommendations.

Awesome reviews you guys! I hope you know how much they're appreciated, and taken into consideration.

Keep them coming!

Where do you guys suggest for live music and dinner? A fun atmosphere, but with good food?

Hammerhead's in Baytowne Village does a pretty good job although I'm usually looking for something that's a little "less" fun! During the summertime, Finz next to the Sandestin Hilton usually has a band on the weekends. The music is great, the dance floor is adequate, the food and the service is always good. I haven't tried OceanClub yet but I hear they have a piano player on Friday and Saturday night. I haven't been to the Red Bar in a while (Grayton Beach) but they used to have the best jazz band ever. http://www.funky-stuff.com/drummers/Interviews.htm

Cool, thanks for the info. I had forgotten about Red Bar, I've been once, but not to eat. I'll have to try Hammerhead's as well.