Juno Beach Fish House a Florida seafood treat

Juno Beach Fish House

13980 US 1

Juno Beach, Florida 33408

Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m. – 2:30

Dinner:  5 P.M.

Sunset Menu:  5-6 p.m.

561-626-2636

www.junobeachfishhouse.com

By Jane Feehan

After dining for more than a year in New Orleans and along the Mississippi Coast where seafood reigns supreme, I entered the Juno Beach Fish House in South Florida a bit of a skeptic about its quality, creativity and taste.

That skepticism unraveled plate by plate.

House made bread served with seasoned olive oil proved to be a great intro to what was to come. A Juno Fish house salad adorned with fresh chopped tomatoes and cucumber and topped with blue cheese and white vinegrette was excellent. And then the main course: Grouper Piccata (about $20) set atop bow tie pasta dressed with lemon and capers.  The fish was fresh, the portion oversized and it was sautéed perfectly. Maryland Crab Cakes (about $18.00) ordered by a fellow diner were not the star my meal was; they were on the gummy side. But the two sides, whipped sweet potatoes and a fresh (not frozen) vegetable medley were outstanding. To end the meal, we split a crème brulee prepared just right - a browned sugar topping over a room temperature custard.

Hats off to Chef/Owner Glenn Cockburn, once a student at the Culinary Institute at Hyde Park. He takes pride in his menu that includes lobster (half pound for about $20), salads, fresh catch of the day and an array of items for meat eaters.  Juno Beach Fish House, located at the site of a former Denny’s and Howard Johnson’s restaurant, is uncommonly good – and relatively inexpensive. ©2010 Jane Feehan. All rights reserved.

Waterway Cafe - It's all about Florida living

Waterway Café

2300 PGA Blvd.

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410

www.waterwaycafe.com

561-694-1700

 Lunch: 11:30am-4pm Mon-Sat
             11:00am-4pm Sun
  Dinner:4pm-10pm Mon-Thu  
                  4pm-11pm Fri-Sun
  Happy Hour: 
             4pm-6:30pm Mon-Thu
             3pm-6:30pm on Fri
  Light Menu Served in the Bar:
             until 10:45pm Mon-Thu 
                    11:45pm Fri-Sun
  Bar:     Until 11:00 pm Mon-Thu 
                    1:00am on Fri-Sat
                    midnight on Sun

By Jane Feehan

A meal along the Intracoastal Waterway is requisite to a visit to South Florida. At least it used to be. While the number of good waterside places to dine has dwindled in Broward County over the years, there are a few in Palm Beach County still worth the visit. Waterway Café in Palm Beach Gardens is one of them. 

Waterway has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate weather – or preference. It’s also boat friendly.

Waterway’s food, though standard tourist fare, is varied and solidly good. A Chicken Caesar salad (about $10) was decked out with fresh Romaine lettuce and generous slices of juicy meat topped off with a well-seasoned (read: garlic – as it should be but seldom is anymore) dressing. The grilled Dolphin sandwich (about $12.00), served with a tasty tarter sauce and wedge fries earned good marks.  Daily specials included a meatball sandwich the day we were there and seemed a popular choice among diners.  

A note about the service: Our waiter was terrific but two staffers seating customers seemed grumpy and put out that we asked to be seated on the outdoor deck. First impressions were redeemed by the server. Thanks, Jason. © 2010. Jane Feehan. All rights reserved. To see additional waterfront restaurants in Palm Beach Gardens, Search this blog for "waterfront dining in Palm Beach Gardens"

More to fill than the gas tank at Fayard’s BP

Fayard’s BP

Delores and Marie’s Grocery, Meat Market and Deli

1757 Popps Ferry Rd.

Biloxi, MS 39532

228-388-1021

Open for breakfast and lunch six days with dinner five days
Monday -Friday - 6 a.m - 7 p.m
Saturday 6 a.m.- 3 p.m

  

I thought I’d sup on my last shrimp po-boy before heading back to South Florida after a 14-month absence and couldn’t think of a more suitably ironic place than a local BP gas station.  At Fayard’s BP, Delores and Marie’s has a much better rep for food than does BP for oil producing at the moment, so it wasn’t a difficult choice.

Nor would buying a tank of gas here or at any BP franchise be a difficult choice. BP franchisees have suffered during this oil spill crisis. Boycotting franchised gas stations serves little purpose; it only throws more victims on the pyre of demolished dreams along the Gulf Coast.

Keith and Delores Fayard own their station on Popps Ferry Rd. They also own the attached grocery, meat market and deli, Delores and Marie’s. Bobby Pitalo serves as cook. He’s a retired high school basketball coach -  and restaurateur until that other mother of disasters, Hurricane Katrina, washed his place, Big Mike’s, away.  Real people, these - not oil magnates.

And they serve up some authentic Gulf Coast food.

The shrimp po-boy – dressed and pressed (about $7) did not disappoint … lots of fresh shrimp and juicy tomatoes. They sell the best (house made) cole slaw I’ve had in Mississippi.  The menu headliner is their seafood gumbo - a savory delight.  

“Keith and I worked several months to refine a recipe that was in my family since way back,” Pitalo said. “It was from the early 1900s – the teens.”

They sell plenty of it – by the cup ($3.95), bowl ($5.99), quart ($15.99) and gallon ($52.99). It’s made with local shrimp, which are safe to eat – for now. They worry about what will happen if shrimping is halted because of the spill, which has not yet reached the Mississippi Sound.

“We worry about where we’ll get shrimp, what price it will be,” Pitalo said about a possible local ban. “But there’s something else – we worry about the taste of the gumbo changing without Gulf shrimp.”

For now, there's a steady stream of customers for that delicious gumbo. Something tells me they'll come up with a winning recipe whatever the source of shrimp, especially the way they cook it up at Delores and Marie’s at Fayard’s BP. ©Jane Feehan. All rights reserved.

Next stop: South Florida 


British Petroleum: www.bp.com

Aerial view of Biloxi + great food = Thirty-Two

By Jane Feehan

IP Casino Resort

850 Bayview Ave.

Biloxi Mississippi  39530

888-WIN at IP

Sunday-Thursday: 5 - 10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 5 – 11 p.m.

Up, up and away … that’s “thirty-two”, the upscale restaurant on the 32nd floor of the IP Casino and Resort, tallest building in town. With a great view of Biloxi’s Back Bay from the lounge and a view of the Gulf from the dining area, thirty-two offers a top-notch dining experience.

I started my meal with their signature thirty-two salad: arugula, mesclun greens, grapefruit, bleu cheese and walnut bits, dressed in champagne vinaigrette. Excellent. The main course of red snapper was salt water fresh and the accompanying butter lemon sauce was served appropriately on the side. No covering up these goods with sauce, as if it were a dare to find fault with the fish, which I couldn’t. Most everything is a la carte. I ordered creamed spinach, which was very light (I could actually taste spinach) instead of the usual tasteless quasi-cement mixture presented by many other dining establishments. A variety of breads was served with both baked garlic and butter. Since everything was so good – and relatively light in calories – I decided to try dessert. Their Southern Fried Fruit Pie served with sour cream ice cream was a winner; it wasn’t too heavy or too sweet, a perfect ending to a memorable meal.

Thirty-two offers Allen Brothers steaks for beef lovers. They also serve a fairly good collection of single malt scotches as well as good wines from an extensive list. This place is expensive – about $150-200 for two with just two glasses of wine each. It’s worth it in so many ways. If you seek the experience without the big tab, eat in the lounge from the appetizer menu while listening to live music. Try it either way; you’ll love it. Service: excellent.

© 2010 Jane Feehan. All rights reserved.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Official website
Tags: Mississippi Coast restaurant reviews, Biloxi restaurants

Lower the sails for breakfast at Ole Biloxi Schooner

Ole Biloxi Schooner Seafood Restaurant

871 Howard Ave. (Across the street from the cathedral, Nativity B.V.M.)

Biloxi, MS 39530

228-435-8071

Monday-Friday: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. 

Breakfast 7-10 a.m Mon-Sat

Friday and Saturday: 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Closed Sunday

http://schooner.biloxi.tk

Having enjoyed lunch at Ole Biloxi Schooner, I recently stopped by for breakfast on a Saturday morning. The popular eatery does better with the afternoon and evening fare (see prior review).

The menu is basic: eggs and bacon, pancakes, cereal - quite ordinary, which isn't a bad thing. I ordered eggs and potatoes with a biscuit. A large portion of pan fried potatoes was more than I could finish.  The over sized biscuit was impressive but it was brought down a few notches by serving a "spread," a.k.a margarine - a turnoff for this butter lover.

Their lineup of house-made cakes looked intriguing: German chocolate and a few cheesecakes.   I'll be back for a slice of one of them next time with a cup of coffee instead of another typical breakfast choice.

Ole Biloxi Schooner, located near city government, draws the court house crowd during the week. An early start to the day mingling with the city's movers and shakers may deem the morning meal here a power breakfast, if not a culinary experience. Lunch and diner  - a better bet. Service: good  .©2010 Jane Feehan. All rights reserved.

Juan's Flying Burrito - Mexican food a la New Orleans

Juan’s Flying Burrito

2018 Magazine Street

New Orleans - Uptown

504-569-0000

Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday: 12 -10 p.m.

www.juansflyingburrito.com

By Jane Feehan

Juan’s Flying Burrito is a hole-in-the-wall, Tex-Mex joint with tattoo-covered waitresses, quasi-alternative rock music and a menu that juices up the taste buds.

It’s one of the few Tex Mex eateries in New Orleans with a creole flair – and the food is great.

After chips and guacamole, I sampled a Jerk Chicken Burrito ($7.50) laden with beans, yellow rice, salsa, sour cream, avocado and pieces of chicken spiced right. It was enough for two.

Juan’s offers salads, quesadillas in a wide variety, tacos with just about anything, fajitas, enchiladas and, of course, burritos stuffed with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp … and more. The good news is Juan’s also caters to the vegetarian with dishes such as Super Green or Wicked Punk burritos, Wicked Garden fajitas and other veggie delights.

The restaurant is filled with people of all ages (there’s a kids menu too) out for a good time, fun food and the company of like-minded patrons.

Full bar includes Margaritas and Mojitos. Inexpensive. Another location at Mid town. Service: Good. © 2010 All rights reserved.
Tags - New Orleans restaurants, New Orleans restaurant reviews

Phoenicia Gourmet - a touch of the Middle East in Mississippi

Phoenicia Gourmet Restaurant

Downtown Ocean Springs

1223 Government Street

Ocean Springs, MS

228-875-0603

Breakfast, lunch and dinner: Monday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 9 pm

Friday - Saturday 7 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Sunday - breakfast and brunch: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.

By Jane Feehan

Phoenicia offers food with a Middle Eastern flair with its homemade hummus and warm pita bread served with each meal and a variety of items including chicken shawarma – boneless, sliced chicken marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic – a winner. But there's much more if you’re looking for something less exotic.

Fish is a favorite there – always fresh, never frozen. Phoenicia also serves USDA prime steaks. A typical lunch special may include a choice of fresh red snapper, mahi mahi, lemon fish or coconut shrimp, with spinach lentil soup, a salad and desert for around $15. Portions for any meal here are huge. If you’ve got dinner plans, sharing a lunch may be the best way to dine in the afternoon. Ask for the specials before ordering from the menu.

There's also a “little of Mexico” with chicken or beef fajitas or quesadillas and a children’s menu with chicken tenders and hamburgers.

A plethora of choices tends to cast doubt about how good everything can be but Phoenicia seems to have a handle on it. They recently started serving breakfast. One of the morning featured items is Eggs Oscar Tournedos of Filet Mignon topped with a poached egg, crabmeat, asparagus and Hollandaise sauce for $11.95. Everything I’ve eaten there for lunch and dinner has been outstanding; the same is expected of breakfast.

Phoenicia does not sell alcohol but they invite you to bring your own. It’s a casual atmosphere, with a hint of the Middle East with its gold, blue and white wall décor and white table clothes. This is a popular place, reservations are welcome. Service: It’s been both good and bad. About 85 miles from New Orleans.

© 2010 Jane Feehan All rights reserved

Biloxi Shrimp Prices and Perils

Biloxi Shrimp: prices and perils

Small Craft Harbor Biloxi (Behind Hard Rock – parking for docks on first floor of garage)

Biloxi, Mississippi (About 75 miles from New Orleans)

By Jane Feehan

The boat docks were crowded this morning with residents and tourists buying Biloxi shrimp. The season opened 10 days early on Thursday to accommodate the uncertainty of the effects of the BP oil spill on the Mississippi Sound. 

Shrimp – small because of the early harvest – are selling for $2 a pound for small, $6 for large. The prices for large shrimp are considerably higher than they were at the close of last year’s season.

“They were selling for $3.85 then,” said shrimper Tony Nguyen. “This season is not great.”

Nguyen’s parents have been shrimping for 35 years in Biloxi; he has nearly 25 years in the industry.

“If the oil comes here, there will be no fishing, no shrimping for years,” Nguyen said.  “We’ll have nothing. Same as what happened in Alaska after that [Exxon] spill.”

After my chat with Nguyen, I visited Desportes off Porter Avenue. Their shrimp prices were about the same as the docks but supply was definitely down and they were pushing five-pound packs of frozen shrimp. The fish catch, while it looked excellent, was not plentiful, though that could be because there were plenty of customers.

Shrimp season is open - and questionable for how long. Testing of the water and the shrimp for oil contamination continues ...

Read prior post, Biloxi Shrimping: A one-two punch and still standing. 2010 Jane Feehan All rights reserved.