Blue Parrot Restaurant

Our exploration of St. George’s Island, which sits between the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola Bay off the coast of Florida’s panhandle, coincided with lunchtime!  There aren’t a lot of restaurants on the island but we did spot one that looked like it might be ok…

This is the front entrance of The Blue Parrot Oceanfront Restaurant near the intersection of Gorrie Road and FL Hwy. 300 with the bridge that takes you to St. George’s Island.  Gorrie Road is the only road that runs the length of the island.

Based on our drive up and down the island, it appeared that this might be the only restaurant on the beach on the Gulf of Mexico side of St. George’s.  We decided to eat outside on the covered deck.  I generally don’t like to dine outside unless I’m by the water… I’ve never understood the charm of big city outdoor dining when you are enjoying the great outdoors looking at a busy street or a parking lot!

We both ordered a cup of Lobster Bisque. ($5.99 cup/$8.99 bowl) It was a decent rendition of my wife’s favorite soup although we have had better on occasion.  The Blue Parrot also offers Seafood Gumbo by the cup ($5.99) or by the bowl. ($8.99)

I thought that Laurie would go for some Apalachicola Bay oysters for an appetizer but lobster always trumps any other seafood for her.  The oysters can’t get much fresher here along the bay.  A dozen oysters on the half shell were $11.99 and a dozen baked oysters cost $13.99.  

For her main luncheon dish, Laurie ordered a Lunch Special…the Fried Grouper Finger Basket. ($15.99) She opted for a bag of potato chips as her side rather than the usual French fries.  Coleslaw was another option.  Her basket came with a couple of big hushpuppies too.  She enjoyed her lunch.

Commentary… “Fingers”… Who in the heck came up with the term ‘fingers’ when referring to fish or chicken dishes?  Neither species has fingers.  What’s wrong with using the term chicken or fish “filets”?  Are steak fingers next?!

I decided to skip the usual shrimp, fried fish or fish sandwich for lunch.  Instead I ordered an appetizer.  This is a basket of Cocktail Claws. ($13.99) These are locally caught blue crab claws that have been breaded and deep fried.  They were a nice change of pace from my norm!

This big orange tabby hung out over on Laurie’s side of the table looking for scraps.  The Blue Parrot advertises itself as being pet friendly and this cat is just one of the local ‘beach bums’ that hang out here.  It must get interesting when someone shows up with a German Shepard as their ‘pet guest’.

 

Oh yes… I had a visitor on my side of the table as well.  He/she is apparently giving me hell for not providing enough blue crab claw meat to satisfy his/her hunger!  These cats look like they’re pretty well fed…

Of course the oysters and locally caught shrimp are all fresh here.  For those who love fresh fish, the Blue Parrot’s menu stresses fresh local grouper, mahi-mahi and yellowfin tuna.  Local soft shell blue crabs are also featured.  Dinner entrée prices run from $19.99 for a shrimp dinner up to $28.99 for the “World Famous” Blue Parrot Seafood Platter.  It includes grouper, shrimp, oysters, sea scallops and a crab cake...either fried, grilled, blackened or broiled. 

We enjoyed our lunch and the setting didn't hurt either!  The Blue Parrot Restaurant is located at 68 West Gorrie on St. George’s Island Florida.  Phone: 850-927-2987.  Their website can be found at: http://www.blueparrotsgi.com/index.htm.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave  

St. George Island Florida

Laurie and I love to explore when we’re on road trips and even when we’re home in East Tennessee.  So when we were in the Apalachicola area in Florida’s panhandle, it was just a matter of course before we left the town itself to see what we could see…

As you come off the bridge from the mainland, this lighthouse and keeper’s home and cottage are just about the first things that you see.  The lighthouse dominates the skyline.  The lighthouse keeper’s home serves as a museum and visitor’s center for the island.

St. George Island is a barrier island that protects and helps form St. George Sound as well as the eastern end of Apalachicola Bay.  The island is 28 miles long and 1 mile wide at its widest point.  St. George Island is part of a string of barrier islands that include Cape St. George Island and Dog Island.  St. George Island is connected to the mainland via FL Hwy. 300 and a bridge over Apalachicola Bay.

The St. George’s Island lighthouse looks old but it’s really a quality reconstruction of the original.  It was completed in 2008 and the keeper’s cottage was finished and opened to the public in 2011.  Tickets can be purchased at the cottage to climb the lighthouse stairs.

To learn more about the cottage and lighthouse, you can go to http://www.stgeorgelight.org/.

The original lighthouse actually stood on “Little” or Cape St. George Island.  As shown in this sad photo, it collapsed in the fall of 2005 after a series of hurricanes and related attempts to save it. (Photo by Debbie Hooper, JoeBay.com)

The first lighthouse on the island was built in 1833.  It was damaged and replaced in 1848.  The second lighthouse lasted only 3 years and was replaced in 1852.  This one was built to last!  The lighthouse keeper was replaced by an automatic light in 1949.  The Coast Guard deactivated the light after severe storm damage in 1994.  Given its exposure to hurricanes and other storms, the fact that the original lasted 153 years is remarkable. 

The beach on St. George Island goes on and on and on… With 28 miles of seashore on the Gulf of Mexico there is enough sand for everyone!

St. George Island is informally divided into three regions:

·       The Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park.  The park occupies the eastern 9 miles of the island.  We didn’t visit it because I just wanted to drive through and take a couple of photos but there is an admission fee…not worth it for just 30 minutes of sightseeing.  For information about this park, go to https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/St-George-Island.

·       A fairly long strip of restaurants, bars, small businesses, homes and a public beach.  We drove the length of this area in both directions and as you’ll see in an upcoming post, we had lunch here.  We did notice that there are a plethora of nice rental cottages in this area.

·       At the western end of the island there is the St. George Plantation, a private, gated, highly exclusive housing community with its own airstrip that includes some of the most expensive multimillion-dollar beach homes along the Gulf of Mexico.  Homes can be rented in this community too.  Check it out at http://www.stgeorgeplantation.com/.

This is a photo of the FL Hwy. 300 Bridge that I took from St. George’s Island as we headed back to the mainland.  The St. George’s Island Bridge was completed in 2004, replacing an older bridge that had been deemed as unsafe.  

At 4.1 miles long, the St. George's Island bridge is the third longest bridge in Florida.

Note:

·       Tampa’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay is exactly 25 feet longer than the St. George’s Island Bridge.  Florida’s longest bridge is the Seven Mile Bridge that connects Knight’s Key with Little Duck Key in the Florida Keys at the tip of the state.

Sections of the old bridge to St. George’s Island remain.  One reaches out from the mainland and the section shown above reaches into the bay from the island.  As a guy that likes to fish, I was happy to note that both old bridge segments are designated as fishing piers…

On the way back to the mainland from St. George’s Island Laurie was able to capture this picture of Apalachicola Bay oystermen plying their trade. 

Apalachicola Bay, which is relatively shallow and about 30 long, produces 90 percent of Florida’s oysters. I was both pleased and surprised to learn that Apalachicola Bay is the last place in the United States where, by law, wild oysters are still harvested by tongs from small boats.  The commercial fisheries “bag” limit for the current season is 3 bags or 6 5 gallon buckets of oysters in the shell…3 inch minimum.  It is a challenging way to make a living!

That’s about it for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a little sightseeing!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

An Italian Valentine’s Day Dinner

One of our few gripes about living in the paradise that is East Tennessee is the lack of good ethnic restaurants.  In my opinion…lots of luck in finding decent Greek, Polish, Vietnamese or German food in this area.  The lack of quality Italian cuisine has been a particular issue for us.  We moved here from Chicago where there are many good to great Italian restaurants.

Well, I guess that we just didn’t look hard enough for quality Italian food or we relied on less than accurate restaurant feedback…

Our friends Norm and Linda made reservations for Valentine’s Day dinner at Naples Restaurant in Knoxville and they invited us to join them.  We had a furniture delivery that day so we weren’t sure we’d make it…but the timing worked out just fine.

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why we hadn’t dined at this restaurant before now… (I failed to take an exterior photo so I borrowed this picture from Naples website…the flower beds weren’t in bloom on Valentine’s Day!)

This is the small bar/part of the waiting area just inside the front entrance to the restaurant.  Despite it being a busy ‘dining’ holiday with Norm and Linda’s reservations, we were seated right away.

This location has served as an Italian restaurant since 1955.  Joe and Hazel Alberti operated Alberti’s Italian Restaurant for 23 years.  When they retired, Chuck Naples and Ray Ward purchased the business and changed the name to Naples which it remains today.  It’s still called “Naples” despite the fact that Chuck Naples moved to Arkansas.  The Luper family then partnered with Ray Ward, buying him out in 1998.  The Luper family still operates the restaurant. 

Naples Restaurant is not a huge venue… There is another dining area through the hallway at the back left.  Linda, Norm (in red,with his back to the camera) and Laurie are at the first table at the right of this photo.

Note the dark area in the back right corner of the restaurant…more on that below.

I know that the photo is dark but I think that you can see people in that little ‘room’ or private box.  I believe that there are at least 2 such private dining ‘booths’ at Naples Restaurant.  While it’s not for me apparently many people think that this special seating is quite romantic.  It’s certainly something that is rarely seen in any restaurant! 

Now onto what’s really important…the food!  Our efficient and pleasant waiter brought us this plate of nice bread along with some nice dipping sauce.  I will admit to being primarily responsible for whipping out the bread supply!

If these 2 appetizers look similar it’s because the base ingredient is the same…gnocchi.  I can’t recall what Norm and Linda’s gnocchi was topped with (first photo), but ours was topped with pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes in garlic oil with feta cheese. ($7.99) This appetizer was so good that I could have eaten 2 orders of it by myself!

I also learned something new.  I always thought that gnocchi was made with semolina or ordinary wheat flour.  Wrong!  I now know that gnocchi can be made with potato…like these luscious crispy potato cake beauties…or even corn meal!

Laurie and I opted for a side Caesar salad. ($4.99 with entrée) This version of a Caesar salad is made with fresh romaine lettuce that was tossed with Naples homemade eggless dressing, Kalamata olives and parmesan cheese.  Despite the fact that we both love ‘real’ Caesar salads made with egg and anchovies, this was an excellent salad.

Norm ordered a salad too… This Half Wedge Salad ($5.99) is the best presentation of a wedge salad that I’ve ever seen. The Tuscan Wedge Salad consists of a crisp iceberg wedge with apple bacon, gorgonzola crumbles, balsamic marinated tomatoes, walnuts topped with a molasses drizzle and a choice of dressings. I’m ordering a wedge salad myself the next time we visit Naples Restaurant!

Laurie spotted one of her favorite Italian dishes on the list of specials.  There was no real doubt that she’d order the Lobster Ravioli. ($21.99) She liked this version quite a bit but she would have preferred a little creamier sauce with it.

Linda went for the Scampi Amaretto. ($19.99) With this offering, gulf shrimp are tossed in a toasted almond and Amaretto cream sauce over fettuccini.  This is an entrée that I & Laurie would have enjoyed too…

Norm and Linda have eaten here every Valentine’s Day for the past several years…and now we know why!  I can’t remember the last time (in 38 years) that Laurie and I ate out on Valentine’s Day…

Norm decided to order an appetizer with a side of spaghetti for his dinner.  Since Naples doesn’t have Italian Sausage and Peppers on the entrée portion of the menu, this was his solution to that issue. ($7.99) His ‘entrée’ consisted of Italian sausage, peppers and onions sautéed in fresh garlic and oil then it was lightly dusted with Romano cheese.  He was a happy camper!

My dinner wasn’t on Linda’s list of acceptable entrees…but it was excellent!  This was Naples version of Veal Saltimbocca…veal sautéed with prosciutto ham and provolone and served in a white wine sage sauce. ($19.99) It was excellent and to enhance this dish, you might note that the veal was accompanied by a couple more of those crispy potato gnocchi!  I also had a side of decent if not great pasta Alfredo… 

  

OK…after these sumptuous meals, we should have let well enough alone and ended our dining experience!  But after all, it was Valentine’s Day… Norm decided to have a Crème Brulee…even though it was an odd flavor for this particular dessert…key lime! ($6.99) He enjoyed it but he would have preferred a good old standard issue Crème Brulee.

Linda went for the Spumoni. ($5.99) This in-house creation featuring layers of chocolate, dark cherry and pistachio ice cream was topped with whipped cream…and it was very good!

Laurie and I decided to split a dessert.  She said that I should order whatever I wanted as she’d be fine with whatever I chose.  I’m really not into cake so I don’t know why I decided to share a slice of Chocolate Italian Crème Cake. ($6.99) This well presented rich layered chocolate cake has coconut and walnuts in it plus it features cream cheese frosting.  Note the whipped cream as well.  It was OK and it may be fabulous as these cakes go but it was just too rich for my taste…

I forgot to mention that Valentine’s Day diners at Naples Italian Restaurant were treated to a quartet of tableside crooners… The crowd seemed to enjoy their efforts but I thought that they were only just OK.  Of course, this is coming from a guy who can’t carry a note in a bucket and who was kicked out of mixed chorus in the 9^th grade because he was ruining the sound of the class…

We were very happy with our dining experience at Naples Italian Restaurant and we will return!  It is now our choice for upscale Italian cuisine in the greater Knoxville area.  This restaurant is located at 5500 Kingston Pike in Knoxville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-584-5033.  Website: http://naplesitalianrestaurant.net/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a bit of Italian cuisine!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Historic Apalachicola #3

Continuing with our tour of historic Apalachicola Florida… Not all the historic sites in the area are homes!

This is the US Post Office in Apalachicola.  It was originally built in the Mediterranean Style as a Customs House in 1923.  This is one of the few structures in town with a basement and it has a tunnel that encompasses the interior of the building.

The Apalachicola Post Office was established here in 1829.  In the early 1920s the post office was located on the first floor of the Masonic Hall.  The Masonic Hall still distinguished with the title “POST OFFICE” stamped in the concrete of the sidewalk in front of the structure.

There were several federal agencies that had offices in Apalachicola at this time: the post office, the customs office, the weather service, and the inspector of steamships.  In 1914 Congress passed a bill authorizing the construction of a single building to house all of these agencies under one roof in Apalachicola.  At this time, the first floor of the building houses the post office, while the second floor contains offices…although all other Federal agencies have phased out of operation or have moved to new locations. 

OK… This is not an historic property or structure per se.  But this is the home of the Apalachicola Maritime Museum and it is all about maritime history.  The Museum is a non-profit organization that was founded to preserve the maritime history of Apalachicola.  A work still in progress, it will ultimately occupy 2 locations, serve as a maritime museum, an active sailing center, offer boat building and restoration programs.  It also provides educational programs and as well as stewardship of ecosystems in the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, Flint River System and the Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf Coastal regions which rely upon river outflows.

The Apalachicola Maritime Museum has 2 locations.  This location has been open since late 2007.  The second location is at the start of the Apalachicola River in the city of Chattahoochee Florida and is set to open soon.  Much planning and construction continues as they strive to make the Museum a world class attraction.

The Museum’s educational programs focus on all aspects of maritime experience.  Excursions to pristine barrier islands, kayak rentals, estuary cruises, wooden boat building school, sail training...they have something for everyone.  Nine different cruise/tour options are available including sailing trips on a 58 foot ketch.  Another major project has involved the restoration of the 87 foot paddlewheel riverboat “Jean Marie”.  This boat was formerly owned by Debbie Reynolds.  The goat is to provide cruises up the Apalachicola River.  I was unable to ascertain the status of this project via the internet but delays have reoccurred. 

For more about the Apalachicola Maritime Museum, go to http://ammfl.org/.

This is the Chapman House.  In the mid-1800s it was the home of internationally known botanist, Alvin W. Chapman.  Chapman was a physician, scientist and botanist.  He wrote a well-respected manuscript entitled the “Flora of the Southern United States”.  The original document is at the Biltmore estate in Asheville North Carolina. 

Dr. Chapman built this house in 1847 and he lived in it until his death in 1899.  During his many years in Apalachicola he served as county judge, mayor and collector of customs taxes.  He was also associated with the Smithsonian Institution.

That terrific looking Live Oak tree blocks a clear view of the beautiful Trinity Episcopal Church.  The rectory can be seen next door.  This Greek-Revival style church was shipped in sections on a schooner from White Plains New York.  It was assembled with wooden pegs in 1838.  Both Dr. John Gorrie (early air conditioning design) and Dr. Alvin Chapman were among the church’s early members.

Notes:

·       The Trinity Episcopal Church is the second oldest church in the state of Florida.  It has held continuous services since its inception.

·       The church is believed to be one of the first pre- fabricated buildings in Florida.

·       The original organ is still on premises having been moved to the “slave balcony” in the rear of the church when the new organ was installed. 

I don’t know anything about this house… Laurie took this photo. It is a large, old home. What we do know is that this Live Oak Tree with its huge trunk and outreaching limbs is a beautiful creation of nature!

While this particular tree is impressive, there are many examples in the South that surpass this one in size.  The Angel Oak near Charleston South Carolina is 65 feet tall, has a girth diameter of 28 feet and its crown covers an area of 17,000 square feet.  One limb on the Angel Oak is 89 feet long…

Not every home in Apalachicola can be famous!  I have no idea regarding the age or history of this classic looking home… To the best of my knowledge, as attractive as it is, it isn’t included on the brochure entitled “Apalachicola – Historic Walking Tour”.  However, I’m willing to bet that it is included in Apalachicola’s expansive historic district as listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

That’s it for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Casual Breakfast in Apalachicola Florida

Unless you’re staying at a Bed and Breakfast, finding a standard bacon and eggs meal to start your day in Apalachicola is a challenge.  We were told that there is a Mexican restaurant across the 8 mile bridge and causeway in the town of Eastpoint that serves the usual American style breakfasts.  

Instead we opted for a ‘light’ breakfast alternative in Apalachicola…

This is Café con leche.  It’s located along Water Street in Apalachicola.  The sign states that it is an “Internet Café”.  Note the outdoor seating…

I was thinking that the name was French but Café con leche is a Spanish white coffee beverage.  It is somewhat more similar to the Italian caffè latte than to the French café au lait. (I just take mine black and strong…)

 

This is the service counter and part of the food prep area at Café con Leche.  It turned out that one could order bacon and eggs or breakfast sandwiches with a Hispanic touch…but we stuck with our original attention to stick to ‘light’ pastries and coffee.

Café con Leche is quirky to say the least.  None of the chairs or tables match, walls are decorated with offbeat art and other items, there are plenty of books to peruse, etc… The place seems popular with locals too which adds to the ‘flavor’ of this coffee house/restaurant.

Laurie ordered an almond scone.  It was just OK…nothing special, that’s for sure.  It was filling though.  I should note that we both thought that the coffee was pretty good.

I went for a cinnamon roll and I had it heated up.  I didn’t really care for it.  It was dry in the middle and lacked any of the zing that I expect from one of these breakfast treats.

Unsatisfied after the cinnamon roll, I spotted the apple fritters so I ordered one of these in the hope that my taste buds would be sated.  It worked!  While certainly not the best apple fritter I’ve ever had, it was pretty good. 

This photo pretty much summarizes Café con Leche and for that matter, Apalachicola too. (Laid back, quirky, dog friendly, cat friendly and people friendly) While we weren’t crazy about what we had for breakfast, it may be because we should have ordered something other than pastries.

We will return to Apalachicola in the not too distant future, that is a guarantee!  We will also come back to Café con Leche and order a couple of breakfast items to see what we might have missed.  After all, the most recent count of excellent/very good reviews for this place on TripAdvisor.com was 182 vs. 17 poor/terrible. 

Café con Leche is located at 234 Water Street in Apalachicola Florida.  Phone: 850-653-2233.  This coffee shop/restaurant is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cafe-Con-Leche/111529018887463.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Historic Apalachicola #2

Continuing with our midwinter tour of Historic Apalachicola…

This is the Marks/Clark House.  This home was originally built in the early 1800s about 33 miles west of Apalachicola in the town of Port St. Joe Florida.  It was moved/relocated to Apalachicola in 1854.  It is one of only a few homes that survived a disastrous fire in town that occurred at the beginning of the 20^th Century.

Note:

·       The ‘great fire’ in Apalachicola took place on May 25, 1900 and it destroyed 8 city blocks in the center of town.   A total of 71 buildings, including almost all of the business section of Apalachicola, were destroyed.

This is the First United Methodist Church in Apalachicola.  Apalachicola’s great fire started in the kitchen of a nearby house and it destroyed the original 1846 church.  The current Gothic and Renaissance style structure was built in 1901.  It was constructed with locally sourced black cypress ceilings and wainscoting with yellow pine tongue-and-groove floors and walls.

The First United Methodist of Apalachicola was established in 1839, making it one of the oldest churches in the state.  It began as the Methodist Episcopal Church South.   The congregation met for a time at a local hotel, then at the newly constructed Trinity Episcopal Church.  They also met for several years at the homes of various members. 

This impressive structure is the Flatauer House.  It was built for Adolph Flatauer in 1908 – 1909.  This historic home was occupied by an insurance company for a while.  It is now one of the most unusual and attractive branch banks I’ve seen in a long time.  It is a branch office for Gulf State Community Bank…complete with an ATM.

This is the Marks House.  It was built in 1903 and it’s now called the Coombs Inn Annex.  As such it’s part of the Coombs House Inn Bed and Breakfast complex.  The Marks house had many of the same Victorian architectural features that had attracted the owners of the Coombs House to that home.  Bathrooms have been added (maintaining the Victorian charm), and a carriage house named Camellia Hall was redesigned to serve as an elegant hall for weddings and other special events.

Note:

·       The Marks House and the Coombs House have both been investigated for paranormal activity.  To quote one of the researchers, “Our Team has had the pleasure of investigating this location many times. Without a doubt it is active in both the Coombs and the Marks House. We have captured EVPs and have had objects tossed across the room check out our web site for audio and video of what we have captured. A very difficult location to get in to investigate due to the volume of rentals.”  To learn more about this paranormal investigative group, go to http://www.emeraldcoastparanormalconcepts.com/.

The Coombs Inn and Suites operates a 3-home bed and breakfast group.  This is the original building in the group.  The Coombs House Inn was considered the most elegant residence in Apalachicola when a local lumber magnate built it in 1905. 

This is a classic Queen Anne style home.  The home features black cypress wall paneling, nine fireplaces, a twelve foot high entrance hall, ornate light fixtures, and a carved oak staircase leading up to the second floor past leaded glass windows.  Indoor plumbing featuring a claw-footed bathtub may not have been considered part of the home’s elegance, but was still a rare and convenient luxury for that time and place.

James N. Coombs was a very successful businessman and he was recognized as the wealthiest man in town.  He owned 3 sawmills, the First National Bank of Apalachicola, and the Coombs Company, an exporter of pine and cypress lumber.  In 1905 Apalachicola was a busy port of 3,000 citizens from which much of north Florida’s lumber was shipped.  Learn more about The Coombs Inn and Suites and its history at http://www.coombsinnandsuites.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for Part II of our tour of Historic Apalachicola.

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave