Jackacuda’s Seafood & Sushi, Amber Beer on Tap, and Everyday Pinot Noir
Jackacuda’s history is intertwined with the lore of Destin which is branded the World’s Luckiest Fishing Village with the largest fishing vessel fleet in the state of Florida.
Part of the allure of fish and fishing in the area is due to the Tenaco 80 that was dropped back in the mid-1980’s to create an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico, which quickly became the spot to catch monster amberjacks.
As the story goes, one day local legendary Destin Charter Boat Captain Dale Beebe set out to catch the celebrated monster amberjacks, only to catch that summer day barracuda. Barracuda have a way of putting on a spectacle and the fish jumped in and out of the water delivering a show for all that were on the boat. On his way back from the trip, surrounding local Captains jumped on the radio to see how Captain Beebe fared and his response was “All I caught today were Jackacudas!” From that day forward the Teneco 80 spot was reborn as the Jackacudas Spot! And the Jackacudas moniker was born along with the founding of the popular local restaurant
Jackacuda's Seafood & Sushi.
The original restaurant was located on the legendary HarborWalk Village downtown Destin, but relocated when it was merged into another existing restaurant after an extensive renovation in 2017, also owned by Jackacuda's owners Christopher Ruyan and Tyler Jarvis, down the road on Emerald Coast Parkway (Hwy 98), just outside the gate of our community.
They also are partnered with these other restau
rants in the area: The Jackudas menu highlights ‘All You Can Eat Sushi - Traditional Rolls, Signature Rolls and Deep Fried Rolls,’ and their ‘All You Can Eat Snow Crab’ as their “Specials”. Their Happy Hour Specials features a selection of FlatBreads, Seared Tuna, Crispy Pork Belly Tacos with Brussels Sprout Slaw, Ginger Dressing, Savory Glaze and Sesame Seeds, and Meatballs with marinara sauce, parmesan cheese and crostini.
The entrees menu features several Sushi courses, with Shrimp, Tuna, and or Salmon, New and Traditional Rolls and Poke Bowls. They offer a selection of specialities including Angus Beef Burger, Local Catch Fish of the Day Tacos, Grilled Chicken, Blackened Snapper, Shrimp & Grits, Teryaki Steak, Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp, their Specialty Steamed Snow Crab, and their award winning** Mac-n-Cheese. They also offer traditional appetizers, salads and desserts.
** Jackudas participate in the Annual Mac & Cheese Festival held at the Destin Commons retail center just across the highway which raised $60,000 in support of local club kids. “The family-friendly event featured gourmet, chef-inspired twists on the south’s favorite comfort food while local restaurants competed for the best mac and cheese in town.” Jackacuda's Seafood and Sushi entry won the People's Choice Award of the entries submitted.
We’re not sushi aficionados, so we have a difficult time judging the menu at Jackudas. It feels like they have a bit of an identity crisis, determining and then executing on their branding and mission - Seafood and Sushi. The seafood selection is limited, lacking the usual offerings including the highlight daily fresh catch, common along the coast. And, the sushi isn’t apparent, hidden away in the kitchen, unlike Sushi Bars where it is prominently displayed and visibly produced.
In any event we had a delightful meal - Linda ordered a burger and I had the Teryaki Bistro Steak with Loaded Mashed Potatoes, Asparagu and Teriyaki Glaze. I love Mashed Potatoes and found them delectable, a highlight of the meal, loaded with shallots, cheese and bacon bits.
They serve a selection of beers, including my typical request/choice, an
Amber, and on tap! This deserves high marks in of itself.
Forgive me as I digress here, and pontificate, perhaps on a tirade, about beer, despite this being a ‘wine’ blog. I don’t understand why it is so difficult to order an ‘amber’ beer in restaurants and bars - Dos XXX Amber, Fat Tire, Samual Adams, and what has emerged as one of my favorites, Shiner Bock, my staple at home - from Shiner, Texas. (Gone is the old Anchor Steam from San Francisco, and others.)
My actual quest is for a traditional English Bitter which is not to be found this side of the ‘pond’. A hundred plus trips to the UK, I grew to love their traditional brew, and searched for it long and far on our shores, to no avail. (Several stories here, for another time.)
In my search for a ‘bitter’ I came to ask for an amber, still with an amazing and frustrating amount of difficulty. Then, on a trip to Texas, I found Shiner Bock, called “American-style amber lager” by brewer Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas, a small town (population 2127, roughly equidistant between San Antonio (90 miles east), Austin (87 miles south), and Houston (125 miles west)).
Shiner Bock is brewed with rich roasted barley malt and German specialty hops. But, notably, it is not overly hopped. I find too many American brews are hyper hopped - akin to mustard on a hot dog … it’s a condiment, not the main course! (My kids all tire of this tirade, until they too traveled to the UK and discovered English Bitter. At least now, they understand, but still think I’m tyrannically obsessive on this subject (as witnessed here)).
Founded by German and Czech immigrants in 1909, they found a local brewmaster, Kosmo Spoetzl, classically trained in Bavarian, who brought his old world recipe that had been in the family for generations, which he first brewed for them in 1913. Shiner Bock was originally a seasonal favorite, but patrons demanded it year-round, hence, which it has been offered since 1973.
Brewers tasting notes of Shiner Bock - “Bock has a tan, dense head with a crystal-clear amber color and a sweet aroma with a subtle roasted maltiness on the notes. The taste is slightly sweet with notes of roasted nuts and caramel. Lightly hopped, this amber lager goes down smooth.”
For pairing with my Teriyaki Steak, I tried the amber beer which they had on tap. While close to what I sought/seek, perhaps crave, it was a bit over hopped. After all that, in the end, I opted for some red wine, to accentuate the teriyaki glaze and the steak!
From their limited wine list, I ordered this California red blend.
Meiomi ‘California’ (not Sonoma or Santa Barbara or Monterey County) Pinot Noir 2022
Meiomi gets its name from the native American Indian word for “coast” from the Wappo and Yuki tribes who lived along the central/northern California coasts in the early days. The Meiomi wine label began in 2002 with their release of Pinot Noir, in a quest to deliver reasonably priced good QPR (quality price ratio) easy drinking wines that are approachable and ready to drink while young. I've written often and regularly in this blog about the challenges of finding such a Pinot Noir. I've tasted the label several times but have never been moved to write of the experience, until now (circa 2015).
Meiomi is the handiwork of fifth generation offspring from the legendary Napa Valley winemaking family. Founder and winemaker Joseph Wagner is the son of Chuck Wagner, winemaker of Caymus Vineyards, who is the son and co-founder with principles Charlie Wagner and Lorna Wagner who started Caymus Vineyards in the early seventies.
Joe's first wine enterprise was Belle Glos, named for Chuck Wagner's great-grandmother who first acquired the Napa Valley estate, followed by this label, Meiomi.
From the Meiomi website - “All of Meiomi's vineyards can be found in California’s sought-after, cool-climate coastal appellations of Sonoma, Monterey, and Santa Barbara counties, which have proven ideal for producing world-class Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rosé. By blending fruit from these three regions together, they create richly layered wines of bold character and exceptional balance, every vintage. These wines are always rich and ripe, yet elegantly expressive, with depth and complexity”
“California provides the perfect combination of earth and elements, contributing to each Meiomi wine, representing the best the Golden State has to offer. By combining California's exemplary qualities into a single wine, Meiomi achieves unforgettable balance, complexity, and richness of flavor.”
Meiomi wines are the handicraft of Winemaker Jason Becker, who has an extensive and impressive background at some of California's top wineries. Jason approaches his role as a regular exercise in balancing the best fruit that California has to offer. He strives in his blends of cool-climate grapes to produce wines with bold character and harmony – ripe and rich, with expressive depth and taste.
Meiomi California Chardonnay, and this Pinot Noir, are blends from “reputable vineyard sites in three different California regions - Sonoma County, Santa Barbara and Monterey Counties”. Such a blend, lacking a sense of terrior or place, without predominance from one site or another, therefor warrants the 'California' designation for its origin, which they now use in their branding. This versus a more granular specificity such as Sonoma County, or even an appellation specific Russian River Valley, or Santa Rita Hills. Or, an even greater specific designation of a particular vineyard selection, which one often finds highlighted in these pages. The source designation on the label indicates the origin of at least 75% of the fruit represented in the bottle.
I’ve written before in these pages, that while providing affordable every day drinking, these wines lack ‘terroir’, or the essence of any particular site, since the blend is from a myriad of sites, from diverse regions, topographies and climates, and that will change from vintage to vintage. The practice that provides a supply of quality bulk wine at a reasonable price, loses the selectivity of the finest fruit and consistency of place from one vintage to the next. That difference separates a $20 bottle from a $40 bottle - an appropriate wine for the price point and the occasion.
This mass market affordable QPR concept was popularized by Jess Jackson which is brilliantly chronicled in the book, featured in this post -
Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay.
I wrote back at that time that was our first tasting of this label which was the second vintage release of Meiomi Chardonnay. That was surprisingly flavorful showing the essence of the Chardonnay descriptors of creamy and buttery in a nicely balanced pleasant drinking wine at a good QPR affordable pricepoint; this also applies to this Pinot Noir - casual easy sipping, at a affordable every day price. This was a nice complement to tangy Teryaki and beefsteak, and great QPR.
Winemaker Notes - “The wine owes much of its complexity to its varied upbringing, unifying grapes from California's most notable winegrowing regions. Meiomi Pinot Noir brings you structure and depth seldom seen in a Pinot Noir wine, thanks to its unique and meticulous aging process. Aged for six months in French oak barrels, this California red wine's juicy strawberry flavor and notes of dark berries and toasted mocha add complexity and depth on the palate.”
Bright Ruby colored, medium bodied, straight forward, while the winemaker stresses complexity, due to its blending from several sites, I call it a cacophony of flavors, competing for primacy, lacking balance and a bit too sweet. Ripe raspberry, currant and strawberry fruits with earthy spice, clove and vanilla notes with moderate tannins on the finish.
The overt sweetness was moderated and tamed by the tangy teriyaki glass resulting in a nice enjoyable pairing.
RM 87 points.
*PS - Anyone that might think our primary residence is a potential target while we are traveling should note it has significant physical security monitoring, but more importantly, is occupied by house-sitter when we are gone.
Nickel & Nickel wines are produced from 14 select acres of this 270-acre vineyard, planted in 2007, composed of volcanic ash and rock with a southwestern exposure. The growing season tends to be long in this cooler area, allowing for fully mature fruit at harvest.
