Intro to Destin and Fort Walton Beach

To get my feet wet with my first featured destination, we are going to do a flash back to May when I briefly visited the Destin and Fort Walton Beach area of the panhandle.  Over the course of the next 7 posts, I will give a quick overview of the restaurants I dined at to give you a little sample of what is to come.  Nicknamed “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” Destin was named after a fisherman from Connecticut, Captain Leonard Destin, who settled there around 1850. It began as a small fishing village and continues to dominate the fishing industry today by boasting the largest fishing vessel fleet in the state and one of the largest charter fishing fleets in the U.S.  Undoubtedly, you know the food scene here is all about the fresh local fish.  Being in the south, you can also expect southern comfort food to make frequent appearances.  Making its way from Louisiana, there is also a significant Cajun/Creole influence at many of the local restaurants.  A big surprise was that I found an uncommon dish popping up on menus in several different places…smoked gouda grits!  Yet, Destin is most popular for its white sand beaches made of pure Appalachian quartz with its sugar-like texture cooled by the beautiful emerald-green waters.  Its most famous attraction is Crab Island.  It is a submerged sandbar in shallow water where a large community of boaters gather for social events with music and floating restaurants as their entertainment.

Fort Walton Beach is a less popular destination.  It is also recognized as a small resort and fishing town located just west of Destin.  It doesn’t have much to offer in the way of coastal food and entertainment as Destin, but it is home to a large military community. Thanks to Eglin Air Force Base, it is a significant point of interest for any military buff.  My next post we will kick things off with a “taste” of Destin to hear about the breakfast hotspot that tantalized my tastebuds with the smokiness of gouda.