Great selection of dining in Destin - The Crab Trap

Great selection of dining in Destin - The Crab Trap on James Lee Park / Destiny Beach

In a recent blogpost Great selection of fine dining in Destin - Bijoux we featured Bijoux Restaurant in Sandestin Miramar Beach.

We spent a week traveling, visiting the Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle getting to know the area and evaluating the real estate market and several properties. During our stay, we dined at four local legendary restaurants. In Destin (FL) we dined at Louisiana Lagniappe, Boshamps Seafood and Oyster House, besides The Crab Trap, Destin. As featured in that earlier reference blogpost,  we also dined at Bijoux Restuarant in Destin/Miramar Beach in the Sandestin Resort community.  As mentioned, the wide range of fine and casual dining options in one of the key reasons we're considering the Destin area for a vacation or vacation home. 

We featured some other wine and dining experiences in recent posts from a trip to the area earlier this month - Kistler Les Noisetiers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay at Emerils Coastal.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/04/kistler-les-noisetiers-sonoma-coast.html

We visited the Destiny neighborhood (shown in background, opposite the Crab Trap restaurant) in Destin on Florida's Scenic Highway 98. We had lunch at The Crab Trap, Destin, the original historic Gulf/beach front seafood restaurant located at James Lee Park, first opened in 1991.

The Crab Trap has several dining options, inside, with open air windows, on the veranda, or out on the patio deck. The restaurant features local art and hand carved sea side sculptures and a playground for the kids, all on the central site of the community beach with incredible views of the beautiful beach on the Gulf of Mexico. 

The Crab Trap Destin is a favorite of both tourist and locals with unparalleled views of the sugar white beaches of the Emerald Coast, They offer a wide variety of menu options featuring Fresh Seafood with  daily specials ranging from Bronzed Grouper or Grilled Filet to Alaskan Crab Legs. Their 'secret' to fresh Gulf seafood is their very own wild fish processing facility, known as the Seafood Commissary, located at The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island, it is a hub for all locally-sourced seafood for the Crab Trap and their sister restaurants. With deliveries arriving daily straight from the harbor, each year the commissary prepares over 250,000 lbs of fresh-caught Gulf seafood such as shrimp, grouper, snapper, mahi-mahi, cobia, wahoo, and amberjack. 

https://www.crabtrapflorida.com/

Louisiana Lagniappe Destin for spectacular fresh seafood

Louisiana Lagniappe Destin for spectacular fresh seafood

We spent a week traveling, visiting the Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle getting to know the area and evaluating the real estate market and several properties. During our stay, we dined at four local legendary restaurants. In Destin (FL) we dined at Louisiana Lagniappe, Boshamps Seafood and Oyster House, and The Crab Trap, Destin. We also dined at Bijoux in the Sandestin Resort community in Miramar Beach (FL). The wide range of fine and casual dining options in one of the key reasons we're considering the Destin area for a vacation or vacation home. 

Louisiana Lagniappe is somewhat of an institution in Destin, FL, opened in 1984 and established inside the Sandpiper Cove condominium community on the waterfront of the Destin Harbor lagoon.  Since then, Louisiana Lagniappe has developed a loyal following due to the quality of the food and the attention to detail of the service, consistently serving only the freshest Gulf seafood and steaks prepared with a Creole flair.

 

 

 Lagniappe is consistently ranked in the Top 10 restaurants on TripAdvisor and wins the Award of Excellence every year. 

We arrived shortly before 5:00 pm and were seated immediately on the outside deck overlooking the waterfront. By the time we left, the huge dining room inside and all the others were full and there was a line outside waiting for tables. There was a long line of cars waiting to be parked by the valet parking associate. 

Their extensive menus offers ten appetizers, ten 'Chef's Selections', eleven 'Lagniappe Favorites', three fried seafood and four steak offerings - all served with their delicious homemade hush-puppies, house salad and twice-baked potato.

With twenty delectable mouthwatering seafood dishes Louisiana Lagniappe is a landmark for finest Seafood in the area.

We had two seafood dinners, the Twin Lobster Tails and the Grouper Meuniere - Fresh Gulf Grouper, pan sautéed and finished with meuniere sauce. Both were fabulous, perfectly prepared and presented.

With our dinner we had WBTG standard Napa Chardonnay from the fundamentally sound basic wine list. 

Can't wait to return! Get there early. 

They also have a sister restaurant just across the state line on the Alabama shore at Perdido Beach in Orange Beach, AL. 

http://www.thelouisianalagniappe.com/destin/

Louisiana Lagniappe Destin Waterfront Dining Seafood Dinner

Louisiana Lagniappe Destin Waterfront Dining Seafood Dinner 

Our last night hosting Linda’s lady friends at The Cove, our Destin, FL vacation rental home, we took them to LOUISIANA LAGNIAPPE for dinner. Louisiana Lagniappe is a Destin institution since 1984 known for Gulf seafood with a Creole flair.  The upscale restaurant offers waterfront dining at the end of Destin Harbor. 

They also offer beachfront dining ant their two sister restaurants The Back Porch, and our favored Pompano Joes a beach walk from our vacation home. We regularly walk the beach to Pompano Joe’s for dinner or for their Happy Hour Signature PJ’s Punch. Shown below is our kids/grandkids there.

Among the hundreds of restaurants in Destin, Lagniappe is consistently ranked in the Top 10 restaurants on TripAdvisor and wins the Award of Excellence every year.  

The extensive Lagniappe menu features steaks but focuses on fresh seafood with a broad selection of “Chef’s Selections” and “Lagniappe Favorites”.

Lagniappe Chefs Selections include:

GROUPER PONTCHARTRAIN - Fresh Gulf Grouper, pan sautéed and topped with fried jumbo soft-shell crab, hollandaise sauce and honey roasted nuts 

TOURNEDOS OF BEEF - Medallions of Certified Angus Beef Filet Mignon topped with sautéed jumbo lump crab meat and shrimp and finished with béarnaise sauce

BAYOU GROUPER - Fresh Gulf Grouper, pan sautéed, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and jumbo shrimp, then finished with meuniere sauce 

SHRIMP & GRITS - Jumbo Gulf Shrimp tossed in a smoked tasso ham cream sauce served over stone-ground cheese grits

BLACKENED REDFISH - Fresh filet of Redfish, blackened then topped with jumbo lump crabmeat, medallions of lobster and both hollandaise and garlic-beurre blanc sauce 

TWIN LOBSTER TAILS - Two Maine Lobster tails cooked to perfection

GROUPER CREVETTES - Fresh Gulf Grouper, pan sautéed and topped with grilled jumbo shrimp and hollandaise sauce

CHARGRILLED YELLOWFIN TUNA - Fresh Yellowfin Tuna topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and hollandaise sauce

BLACKENED SHRIMP OR SCALLOPS - Your choice of blackened jumbo shrimp or blackened bay scallops served with a pineapple-rum butter sauce, and 

SEAFOOD LAGNIAPPE - Gulf Grouper, sautéed and topped with medallions of lobster, hollandaise sauce and a light garlic-beurre blanc 

The Lagniappe Favorites include:

SNAPPER DESTIN - Gulf Snapper, stuffed with jumbo lump crabmeat, rice and cream cheese 

BARBECUE JUMBO SHRIMP - Peeled, spicy New Orleans style barbecue shrimp

JAMBALAYA - Chicken, sausage and shrimp cooked together with rice in a rich tomato sauce 

GROUPER LOUISIANNE SAUTÉED OR GRILLED - Fresh jumbo lump crabmeat in a seasoned butter atop a fresh fillet of Gulf Grouper 

GROUPER ALMONDINE - Fresh Gulf Grouper, pan sautéed and topped with toasted almonds and lemon butter

LAGNIAPPE STUFFED SHRIMP - Fresh jumbo shrimp topped with our shrimp and jumbo lump crabmeat stuffing

GROUPER MEUNIERE - Fresh Gulf Grouper, pan sautéed and finished with meuniere sauce

GROUPER PECAN - Fresh Gulf Grouper, pan sautéed and topped with toasted pecans and meuniere sauce

OYSTERS LAGNIAPPE - Baked with Lagniappe stuffing and jumbo lump crabmeat

CRESCENT CITY FETTUCCINE - Jumbo shrimp tossed in a smoked tasso ham cream sauce with fettuccine, finished with Parmesan Romano cheese

For our dinner we all selected variations of the Grouper selections … all were delicious, perfectly prepared, served hot, and included their signature twice baked potatoe and vegetable, along with their signature hush puppies starter.  

BAYOU GROUPER - Fresh Gulf Grouper, pan sautéed, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and jumbo shrimp, then finished with meuniere sauce

Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay 2023

From the basic fundamental wine list, we ordered this standard pleasant drinking Chardonnay. Sonoma Cutrer are consistently recognized for good value Chardonnay. 

This was ideal for pleasant easy sipping pairing with our fresh seafood.  

Wine Spectator-California - Sonoma County - "Appealing for its seamlessness and texture, this white is creamy and supple, with lemon meringue pie, shortbread and peach notes at the core on an elegant frame. Accents of lemon zest and wildflower honey linger on the finish..."

https://www.sonomacutrer.com/

https://www.thelouisianalagniappe.com/destin-menu

Massolino Wine Dinner Destin

Massolino Wine Dinner at The Wine Bar, Destin

During our getaway week at The Cove, our vacation home getaway in Destin (FL), we attended the Price Fixe “Massolino Wine Dinner”, at The Wine Bar in Destin, featuring the world-renowned wines of Massolino, guided by fourth generation producer Franco Massolino, visiting from the heart of Italy’s Langhe region. This was the same format as the "Tour of Bordeaux Wine Dinner at The Wine Bar Destin that we attended last fall.

This is the same restaurant where we held our Pour Boys Wine Group wine dinner last spring as we gathered in Destin (FL) for the gala SoWal (South Walton Beaches) Wine Festival weekend. 

That Saturday evening following the SoWal Wine Festival Activities, we dined at The Chef’s Table Wine Room in The Wine Cellar Room at the Wine Bar Restaurant in Destin. We featured that dinner in this blogpost in these pages -  Chef’s Table Dinner at Wine Bar Destin.

This “Massolino Wine Dinner” evening was kicked off by Amir Friedman, GM of Wine World Destin, who introduced and turned the evening over to be curated by featured producer Franco Massolino. 

Franco along with his brothers Roberto and Paola, represent the fourth generation of the Massolino family estate that dates back to 1896. Franco spoke of the founder, great-grandfather Giovanni and his son, Grandfather Giuseppe, the historic earlier patriarch of the business. 

Giuseppe was instrumental in founding the Consorzio di Tutela Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba, Langhe, Dogliani, the wine cooperative consortium that was the beginning of selling a small amount of bottled wine in 1956.

In 1957 the Massolino family inherited some vineyards in the Serralunga d’Alba area from aunt Matilde Ornato, which was consolidated into the estate. This began expansion of Crus (vineyards) that would become the Crown Jewels, with the first, Parafada in 1967, and later the Marguerite vineyard, source of the vineyard designated label we tasted tonight. (In my research and exploration of the event, I learned there was a follow on tasting dinner at another restaurant, Gallions, in the 30A region. They served the Parafada vineyard designated Barolo in place of tonight’s Margheria at that dinner).

Grandfather Giuseppe fell in love with Vigna Rionda and acquires the parcel through and exchange that requires Giuseppe has to give up a plot twice the size. The gamble paid off with the release of Vigna Rionda in 1982, followed by the first Barolo DOCG Vigna Rionda Riserva.

The estate was run by the third generation of the family after Giovanni and his son Giuseppe - Renato, Giovanni and Camilla with further expansion in 1986.

Massolino purchased the last parcel in Vigna Rionda, the most important acquisition in 1990, as it becomes one of the most famous areas of the entire Barolo production zone.

Franco along with his brothers Roberto and Paola, represent the fourth generation of the Massolino family, took over the reins in the 1990s. They purchased the Parussi Cru which completed the Barolo portfolio of Massolino Vigna Rionda, extending production beyond the borders of Serralunga d’Alba.

In 2015, a new cellar was built in front of the historic family home in the centre of Serralunga d’Alba, including a new tasting and hospitality center. 

In 2019, a new chapter in the family’s story began with the acquisition in the prestigious hills of Barbaresco, which added two new labels of the most important wines the territory.

Tonight’s tasting featured wines from each of the vineyard sources of the brand. The dinner showcased a curated flight of carefully selected Massolino wines, each paired with a gourmet dinner course, from Barolo to Barbera, crafted to complement their elegance and depth to enhance and complement that courses distinct characteristics. 

The Wine Flight - 

    2022 Massolino Chardonnay

    2022 Massolino Barbera d'Alba

    2022 Massolino Barbaresco 

    2020 Massolino Barolo Margheria 

    2023 Massolino Moscato d'Asti

As I’ve exclaimed often in these pages, the proper pairing matching food with the ideal wine greatly amplifies the enjoyment of both. Tonight was such an experience.

The pairings this evening were wonderfully matched for each course. 

To Start: 

2022 Massolino Chardonnay

Smoked tomato arancini with truffle aioli, Roast leg of quail brushed with Rosemary oil, and Focaccia crostini, prosciutto, gorgonzola cream and fig

1st Course

2022 Massolino Barbera d'Alba 

Beef carpaccio with fresh arugula, shaved pecorino cheese, capers and truffle oil

2nd Course

2022 Massolino Barbaresco 

Roast lamb rack, saffron/ green pea polenta, haricot vert and fresh pesto sauce.

3rd Course

2020 Massolino Barolo Margheria 

Porcini mushroom risotto, braised leg of rabbit and Taleggio cheese.

4th Course

2023 Massolino Moscato d'Asti

Tiramisu panna cotta with fresh berries and hazelnut glazed lady fingers.

Tour of Bordeaux Wine Dinner at The Wine Bar Destin

Tour of Bordeaux Wine Dinner at The Wine Bar Destin

During our getaway week at The Cove, our vacation home getaway in Destin (FL), we attended the Price Fixe Wine dinner at the "Tour of Bordeaux" Wine Dinner at The Wine Bar in Destin. 

This is the same restaurant where we held our Pour Boys Wine Group wine dinner last spring as we gathered in Destin (FL) for the gala SoWal (South Walton Beaches) Wine Festival weekend.

That Saturday evening following the SoWal Wine Festival Activities, we dined at The Chef’s Table Wine Room in The Wine Cellar Room at the Wine Bar Restaurant in Destin. We featured that dinner in this blogpost in these pages - Chef’s Table Dinner at Wine Bar Destin.

This “Tour of Bordeaux” evening was kicked off and hosted by emcee Wade Starwalt, Wine Sales Director of The Wine Bar. 

The dinner showcased a curated flight of carefully selected Bordeaux wines, each paired with a gourmet dinner course, crafted to enhance and complement that courses distinct characteristics. 

As I’ve exclaimed often in these pages, the proper pairing matching food with the ideal wine greatly amplifies the enjoyment of both. 

The pairings this evening were wonderful for each course. This was especially impressive since several of the wines were modestly priced high QPR (Quality-Price-Ratio) wines, which showed exceptionally well with the accompanying food courses. It’s easy to pair foods with expensive wines, but much more challenging to achieve great pairings with moderately priced wines. 

Each wine paired with the courses was then curated and described by guest speaker Cassidy Stiebing, Regional Sales Director and Bordeaux expert from Twins, a French Bordeaux Negociant and US Distributor.

Wine steward, Cassidy Stiebing is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, now residing in New York City. Her time between those two cities included several years in Europe, where she pursued a career in the wine industry — first in La Rioja, Spain, then in France. In 2019, she earned an MBA in Wine Business from INSEEC University in Bordeaux, which led to her role at Château Pape Clément, overseeing the U.S. market.

After six years immersed in the world of Bordeaux, Cassidy transitioned to the negociant side of the industry in 2023, taking on her current role as Regional Sales Director and Bordeaux Ambassador at TWINS Bordeaux. (Twins provided photo).

The evening was delightful with exceptional food and wonderful wines, supurbley prepared, presented and served. All were matched perfectly to ameliorate each course. The venue, setting, food, wine, program presentation and service were all spectacular, meeting the highest expectations in every respect and offering a great value for such an event. 

The wine flight:

The dinner courses, and pairings:

First Course.- Reception - Goat Cheese Croquettes with tomato sauce, Acorn Squash, Gorgonzola and Walnut Crostini, and Cheese and Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms with Garlic Aioli. 

Paired with the first course was Château Puyanche’ Cotes de Bordeaux 2022. This Grand Vin de Bordeaux  is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. 

The First Course was Shaved Sprout Salad with Apples, Walnuts, Cranberries, Feta Cheese, and Braised Pork Belly with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette. 

The Second Course was Grilled Hangar Steak with Chimichurri, New Portato Dauphinoise and Carrots.

The wine paired for the Second course Château Lilian Ladouys St Estephe 2018

The Third Course was Bone-In Venison Chop with Roasted Butternut Sage Veloute’ Sauce over Parsnip Mash. 

The venison was brilliantly paired with Château Poesia Grand Cru St Emilion 2019. 

The Fourth and Final Course was Dark Chocolate Expresso Panna Cotta with Conconut and Raspberry Coulis. 

The Fourth Dessert Course was paired with Château Clos Junet Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2020

We certainly don’t need more wine for our cellar and thereby are selection in what we acquire these days as we work to consume our broad collection. As such while we do strive to support the venues that host such events, we don’t always feel compelled to acquire the wines. Never-the-less, we thought enough of the flight this evening that we purchased each of the selected wines to have for future consumption at our holiday home. 

https://www.thewinebarfl.com/tour-destin

Hope Cuvée at Beachwalk Cafe, Destin

Signorello Hope Cuvée BYOB at Beachwalk Cafe, Destin 

We celebrated our anniversary with dinner at Henderson Beachwalk Cafe, one of our favorite eateries near  The Cove, our vacation rental in Destin (FL). 

We’ve featured Scenic Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, Destin, often in these pages, as excerpted here. 

With its idealic views of the Gulf Coast beach and off-shore horizon, and the towers of Destin across Henderson State Beach Park in the distance, it is noted to be one of the best views along the Emerald Coast.

It has been named one of the most romantic restaurants in North America for its pairing imaginative cuisine rooted in the freshest, local ingredients with spectacular sunsets and starry skies amidst the surf.

The cuisine is crafted by executive chef, Destin native Daniel Peters. Daniel first worked a professional kitchen at the age of 26, gaining his first taste of fine food and wine knowledge at Chan’s Wine World here in Destin.

In 2011, he moved to Napa Valley to further his culinary skills and experience. There he studied under a number of world-renowned award-winning chefs, including Douglas Keane, Sang Yoon, Jake Rand and Stephan Barber. He returned home to apply what he learned to elevation Destin’s food culture, with his Gulf-to-table concept at Beach Walk.

We’ve written about Beach Walk Café in these pages often as we typically dine there each time we visit the area.

For the starter course I chose their delicious mixed green salad with Mixed Greens, Strawberries, Pecans, Goat Cheese, and their to-die-for Maple Bacon Vinaigrette.

For dinner I ordered from the menu fresh seafood local catch, a regular feature - Snapper with Corn Truffle Risotto, Madeira Mushrooms, Matchstick Truffle Fries, Citrus Beurre Blanc.

Linda chose the daily special, also fresh Snapper, but crusted with coconut and served with a Beurre Blanc sauce with asparagus spears and garlic mashed potatoes. This was understated as the coconut crust treats t was absolutely delicious showing a flavor profile much more expansive than mere coconut. 

With the dinner course, we enjoyed from our home cellar, BYOB, one of our favorite full flavored Chardonnays, and ideal pairing with the seafood selections. 

Signorello Hope's Cuvee Napa Valley Estate Chardonnay 2010

We discovered and acquired this wine at a winery dinner/visit at the magnificent setting overlooking lower Napa Valley vineyards during our Napa Wine Experience 2013.

I selected this hearty full, forward Chardonnay that I knew would accompany the fish entree as well as the first and second starter and salad courses and I was right.

Our CellarTracker wine inventory records showed we had four different vintages of this label dating back to 2010. Only when we removed the colorful tissue paper packaging from the winery did we know which vintage release we pulled for this special dinner. It turned out to be the oldest vintage, 2010, ideal for proper inventory management, consuming the oldest vintage. .

Previous blogposts of this label note - “Read through my blog postings and you'll know I am predominantly a red wine drinker. While I enjoy an occasional glass of white, most often with appropriate food, I don't normally get excited about a white wine. This Chardonnay was the exception, memorable and special. This was the first bottle from our winery purchase that we have opened at home and it met all my high expectations.”

At fifteen years, this Chardonnay was actually starting to show its age, with a slight fog in the color, a cause for initial concern, but in the end, it was absolutely delicious, but time to drink up. Using a conventional corkscrew, the cork separated on removal, but was otherwise intact. (I’m confident an Ahso two-pronged cork puller would’ve extracted it intact with ease.)

Aside the clarity issue mentioned above, consistent with earlier notes - This Hopes Cuvée Chardonnay was deep golden colored, full bodied, bursting with expressive forward flavorful fruit with layers of peach and poached pear with a sharp flavor sprite almost akin to tangy butterscotch accent giving way to hints of honey, almond, nutmeg, vanilla and creamy soft spicy oak. There is very pleasant full mouth-feel with rich texture on the palate with a long lingering finish of sweet mellow oak. It was a great accompaniment to the carefully prepared, delicious fresh seafood dinner.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1401845

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/01/signorello-del-dotto-napa-wines-paired.html

http://signorelloestate.com/

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2024/10/henderson-beachwalk-cafe-dinner-with.html

https://www.hendersonparkinn.com/dine/beachwalk-cafe/