What we Ate in Orange Beach

I usually have a goal when I go to the beach to eat as much fresh seafood as I can possibly get my hands on...it's just makes sense dontcha think? With the plethora of amazing restaurants in and around the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area, it's not hard to find something really delicious. The weather may have been lacking this past weekend, but the food certainly did not. We ate like kings! There was so much delicious food to talk about it, I decided to give the food from this past weekend it's very own post. To make things simple, we'll go in chronological order....

Friday Lunch - Wolf Bay Lodge

I was determinded to just take one trip...I think it's safe to say I beat the salad bar.

Eric and I took off mid morning so we were starving by the time we made it down to OB. Knowing that my BIL and SIL had dinner planned, but that it was several hours away still, we stopped in at one of Eric's favorite spots, the Wolf Bay Lodge. It has quite the history and has been in operation in Baldwin County for over 40 years. For as long as I've known Eric, he has raved about their Gumbo. Any time we go to the beach we have to at least stop to get a quart to take home. They also have a fantastic salad bar. It has your typical lettuce and fixins, but it also has pre-made salads: pasta salad, macaroni salad, artichoke salad, potato salad, tuna salad, broccoli salad. The pre-made salad bar is as big as the lettuce/fixin salad bar, and it has deviled eggs!

Friday Dinner 

My BIL and SIL cooked a fantastic shrimp dinner at the cottage on Friday as everyone came into town. We had Sauteed Shrimp and Gouda Grits, plus fried shrimp and green beans. It was absolutely delicious!

Saturday Brunch - Brick and Spoon 

Since it was so rainy on Saturday, we took our time getting up and going so it was 10AM before we made our way to Brick and Spoon for brunch. I've noticed this place from the road on the way to their house a dozen times and have always wanted to try it, but we've never made our way there until this past weekend. I was quite stoked about the Mimosas and the Bloody Marys so the food was just a bonus in my book. All I have to say is that I have to go back again because there were at least 3 things on the menu I really wanted to try. I ended up going with the Grown Up Grilled Cheese. It was smoked gouda cheese, monterrey jack cheese, fried egg, pecan smoked bacon, spring mix, and tomato (I left this off) on sourdough bread. The sandwich was paired with garlic truffle fries that basically melted in your mouth. It narrowly won over Breakfast Tacos made with a fried wonton shell, chorizo scrambled eggs, and mango salsa; and Crab Cake Benny - crab cakes, bacon braised spinach, poached eggs, and hollandaise...the decision was v-e-r-y tough. Eric went with the Shrimp and Grits and said they were good, but not as good as the ones he had in Key West like always. To which I said...order something else if no other shrimp and grits will ever compare!

Saturday Dinner - FloraBama

My mouth is watering just thinking about this burger

We were stuffed after brunch so we ended up eating a late dinner at the same place we spent the majoirty of our Sadtuday evening listening to music. I knew they had an extensive bar menu, but I did not realize they had a restaurant-ish set up as well....think bar food. I had a burger and it was one of the most delicious burgers I'd ever had....and not just because I'd already ordered a Bushwhacker. The meat was fantastic, but that bun....it was like a burger-sized Hawaiian Roll. I love all things Hawaiian Roll, so I was in heaven. Eric ordered the Oyster Sampler and ended up with 3 different oyster varieties that he said were delicious, too.

Sunday Morning - Hazel's Seafood Restaurant

Eric and I were up before everyone else on Sunday so we got dressed and headed over to another one of his favorite childhood beach restaurants, Hazel's. It's been there for 30 years and even has plaques on certain booths for the regulars. They have a fantastic and well-stocked breakfast buffet in the mornings, and we took full advantage of it.

Sunday Lupper - The Gulf

I mentioned this restaurant yesterday, but it honestly is one of my favorites...it's a fantastic combination of atmosphere and good seafood that's tough to beat. The restaurant part is made out of shipping containers and all of the seating is picnic tables, couches, and lawn furniture in the sand and a few places of sod. It's pet friendly, and super kid friendly...play in the sand and eat at the same time what?!?  It has two walk-up bars to get something to drink, and two different places to order food: one has seafood plates and sandwiches du jour, and the other is a taco bar and oyster station. I've done the plate and sandwich dujour route before and it's delicious, but the line can get a little long and then you have to wait for them to bring your food. If you have time to stay and relax, go for it because it's totally worth it. But if you're short on time like we were on Sunday, opt for the taco bar. THey had shrimp, mahi mahi, brisket, and chicken, plus some absolutely delicious toppings. I did shrimp tacos with pico, cheese, guac, cilantro lime sauce, pickled onions, cilantro, cabbage, and sauteed peppers and onions, and Eric got a mahi mahi bowl and a dozen oysters. Everything was super fresh and so full of flavor!

Needless to say, we left that afternoon in quite the food coma, but oh so satsified! It's a good thing we have an extra hour of daylight in the afternoons now because yours truly will need that extra sunlight for a few pavement sessions this week to work all of that weekend deliciousness.