Beachin' It

A couple of weekends ago I snuck away to the beach for a few days.  Well I didn't actually sneak, it was planned, but still...  Eric had fishing trips to run that weekend so he opted to stay home.  As much as I hated to leave him, I needed some beach time desperately, so I joined Mom and Dad in Panama City Beach for an extended weekend.....and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Beach bums!

We got down there on Saturday evening and after spending hours in the car we opted to walk down the beach to grab dinner at Sharkey's for some delicious seafood.  You really can't beat fresh gulf seafood.  I never really ate fish until Eric and I started dating and now I can't get enough of it!  Of course it probably had something to do with the fact that we lived in Memphis and the seafood there wasn't exactly what you would call "fresh."

The next three mornings looked almost identical.  After donuts for breakfast (there was a new place right across the street from us) Dad headed off to golf while Mom and I got in a 4+ mile walk where we window shopped in Pier Park and solved ALL of the worlds problems....we get a lot done on our walks.  After we got back we'd head to the beach and stake out a spot to lay our chairs and sheet, and R-E-L-A-X. Dad would call when he got home and we'd meet him upstairs for lunch.

Sunsets, good company, and a wall of donuts....makings of a great vacation!

Our afternoons varied slightly, one day we beached all day and one day it rained so we checked out the Panama City Beach Winery and sampled some delicious fruit wines before beaching in the later afternoon.  We absolutely LOVED the winery.  The owners were really nice and very helpful!  I think we tried nearly half of the wines on the menu, and there were a bunch.

This is the third year we've been to PCB (Year 1, Year 2), so we're learning our way around, and discovering the best ways to enjoy the city. One thing we discovered last year is that going away from Front Beach Road is a good thing, especially if you want some really delicious local food. With traffic as bad as it is on the beach road, it takes just as much time to go elsewhere.

After dinner sunset at Uncle Ernie's

On Sunday we opted to head back to a restaurant that is becoming a favorite of ours called Uncle Ernie's.  It was recommended by a concierge last year, and did not disappoint!  It's on St. Andrew's Bay in Panama City (next to PCB).  We fell in love with this place last year when we celebrated Mom's birthday there.  They have a-m-a-z-i-n-g fried crab cakes (which was had to get again), and really delicious seafood dishes.  And the view from their outdoor patio is incredible!

Right: Crabcakes and grouper from Uncle Ernie's; Left: Southern goodness from Boondocks

Monday night we went for some southern seafood fare in the form of a little place called Boondocks. It's on West Bay - just north of PCB. We heard about it on a local tv program about hole-in-the-wall local restaurants and had to try it.  You can get just about any kind of seafood one of three ways: grilled, steamed, or fried.  We went all in and got everything fried because we could, so we shared platters of grouper, shrimp, crab claws, deviled crabs, and scallops, and then waddled home. I almost forgot, we did get one thing that was not fried - their Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.  I could have made a meal off of those alone!

The view and some of the local residents at Boondocks

I had to head back after lunch - perks of living 3 hours from the beach - so I did not get to partake in dinner that night at Shipyard Grill on St. Andrew's Bay, but some little birdies told me that it was amazing, too!

Besides the good food and beach I had some fantastic company in my parents! Whether we were on the beach, at dinner, sitting on the balcony in our condo watching the waves roll in, or sitting in the car trying to turn on to Back Beach Road watching all of the vehicles roll by (you have to catch it at the right time or you wait forever), it was so nice to get to spend some time with them.  The only thing that would have made the trip better would have been Eric and Matt there......next trip guys, next trip!

Until next time Gulf!