Welcome friends, family, fans and foodies to what I hope will be only the beginning of a very long (and tasty) journey.
My name is Keith Thoma and I am a professional drummer/vocalist for 7 Bridges : The Ultimate EAGLES Experience. I'm also a lover of food and drink of all styles, ethnic varieties, colors, shapes, etc...
Through my travels as a musician I get the opportunity to try restaurants from all over the world, and here, in this humble blog, I will bring you along as I describe every succulent bite and sip. I also live in Nashville, TN, a virtual melting pot of culinary styles, so from time to time I will be presenting some of my favorite places to get your grub on in NashVegas.
For the inaugural post, I will take you back to Destin, Florida. Grab your sunblock, swimsuit and your favorite shades and let's hit the beach!!!
First up, the absolute BEST place (IMO) in the Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, FL area for steamed crustaceans, The Old Bay Steamer. Located at 102 Santa Rosa Boulevard in Fort Walton Beach, The OBS is the perfect example of knowing what you're good at and sticking with it. Steamed seafood. Period. No grilling, saute-ing or broiling here. Just steam and the bounty of the sea!
Ok,ok... I know, just get on with the juicy details! Here goes:
We started our meal with the Blue Crab Dip, which looked like a cheese ball but tasted like heaven. Lots of tender blue crab, mayonnaise that tasted homemade, and just the right kick of heat. Served with crackers and lemon, this was a great starter, but could have also made for a fabulous light lunch. (I said light, as in little, not healthy!!).
Next up were the Steamed Blue Crab Claws. I prefer my crab claws fried, but these were still very good. Big and meaty, they were perfectly steamed and sent to the table bathed in an exquisite Italian-style dressing. Melted butter and cocktail sauce rode along, but these claws didn't need any training wheels, as they stood just fine on their own.
On to the main event!! There were four of us in our party (myself, my girlfriend and her parents), and none of us were starving after the appetizers, so we opted for the King Crab Steamer, which contained only Alaskan King Crab legs and Royal Red shrimp (fresh from the Gulf, of course). The steamers come in a big, plastic bucket with boiled red potatoes and half-ears of sweet corn thrown in, crab-boil style.
For the finicky, you may want to find another venue to feed your seafood addiction, but if you're not afraid to grab a pair of kitchen shears and lop the head off a shrimp before popping it into your mouth, this is the place for you! The Royal Reds are served head-on. I'm assuming that this helps to keep the shrimp moist during the cooking process, or maybe it's just for the few that like to suck the heads like crawfish. Not me.
The crab legs were steamed perfectly with shells that cracked easily and meat that was tender, juicy and had such a wonderful flavor that the melted butter wasn't needed (but I used it anyway!). For those who have never experienced Royal Red shrimp, I like to describe them as little lobsters. The meat has the same consistency as lobster as well as the creamy texture and smooth flavor. By far, the best shrimp I've ever eaten and a pity that the Gulf Coast is the only place you're likely to find them.
After the meal, finger bowls are presented with warm water and lemon wedges. These are a BRILLIANT idea, because OBS encourages "hands on" eating!!
Final assessment: Old Bay Steamer is THE place to go for fabulous steamed seafood. For steaks, fish, chicken, etc.. I'd definitely head somewhere else, but there is no better place in the Destin/Ft. Walton area for FRESH seafood than Old Bay Steamer! Check it out!
I hope you all enjoyed my first (and very long-winded) post. I hope to see you all back again soon, and feel free to leave comments and tell me about YOUR favorite places so I can check them out!
Happy Eating!!!
