Seaside Eats.

I could list about a million reasons why you should visit Seaside, FL, but the food here, y'all.. it's divine. We have enjoyed exploring all that 30A has to offer. What you won't find here are commercialized, chain restaurants or anything that isn't locally owned or operated. Seaside itself has a ton of eateries, all of which are unique and hold a signature dish that must be tried. If you're looking for pizza, lobster rolls, a five-star grilled cheese, home-made ice-cream or even a raw juice bar - you're in luck! There are so many choices.. but these are a few that we decided to give a try! We've mostly stuck to local Seaside cuisine, but the rest of 30A offers so much more. We'd have to stay another week just to try them all :)

First things first.. pizza! Bud & Alley's is one of the only sit-down sea-front restaurants and they just so happen to own a pizza bar too. After a long day of travel, it was nice to sink our teeth into something easy (and quite delish!). 

For Father's Day, I ended up cooking! (Branching out and trying new things..) I made pork chops, sautéed veggies and some yummy garlic mashed baby reds. Everyone had clean plates, so I guess it was good ;)

Monday night we drove out to Grayton Beach to try The Red Bar. It kept popping up when we searched restaurants to try before heading down and had the best reviews. Let me just tell you... this was a one-of-a-kind place! Every single spot on the wall (and ceilings) was lined with music artist and 30A regalia. They also had live music which gave the place a low-key beachy vibe, perfect for a relaxing dinner after being in the sun and sand all day. The blackened grouper and bacon grit cake was on point.

Tuesday we stopped in for a quick eat at the cutest place on the beach! The Shrimp Shack is known for its buttery-delicious lobster roll. And yes, it was buttery, and delicious. Mama and daddy shared a half-pound of shrimp and my sister opted for the lobster roll as well. Their hand-squeezed lemonade was also a hit. Gulf-front dining was also available.

Wednesday we headed down to a restaurant below our condo called 'The Perfect Pig'. They offer a pretty wide assortment of dishes.. but I was pretty partial to my parmesan-crusted grouper atop a risotto mixed with fresh summer squash and zucchini. Mmm. House-made cheesecake for dessert also (bike ride anyone?).

| Loved watching the fishermen unload their catch of the day! |

So for Thursday night, we met up with my mom's two uncles: Earl and Irvin (and his new fiancé). They only live about 15-20 miles from where we are staying and we just had to see them! These days it's few and far between visits.. :( We headed to the infamous Captain Anderson's in Panama City and had probably the best seafood of our entire trip. Everyone got so stuffed before our entrees were even served! I probably had two bites and then had to bag the rest :) Lunch will be perfect tomorrow!

We have gone out for ice cream (almost) every night! It's kind of a tradition at the beach for us to hunt out the best frozen dessert. (When I was little, daddy would take us for DQ blizzards almost every weekend.. it's only tradition!) So we heard about the airstreams-turned-food-trucks and had to see what all the fuss was about. One holds Seaside's most best-kept secret... Frost Bites. They offer shaved ice, homemade ice cream and my mom's favorite, the beloved root beer float. They did not disappoint. 

| They even had a doggie water station! |

Ok y'all. If you've never heard of bacon jam, now's the time to pinterest this recipe. O.M.G. We've probably had it atop a biscuit every morning since our discovery. I can't even describe the flavor.. you just have to try it! The Melt Down also offers one of the best grilled cheeses I've ever tried (still doesn't stack up to mama's ;)). They also offer a variety of twists on the classic, including pimento cheese, gouda and of course bacon-topped anything.

Today we plan on having a low-key day for our last one here. We have had such a great time! I'll be blogging about the rest of the trip later.

xoxo, ab