by Karen Harrell, Publisher
It was hard enough for adults to wrap their heads around what happened on 9-11 much less young children. Many of the schools had their classes write essays and use art as therapy in the days and months that followed this tragic event in 2001. This is what my daughter wrote in the months after the event when she was just 8-years-old and I believe, in the 2nd grade.
by Karen HarrellJust one block off busy Hwy. 98 in downtown Fort Walton Beach, Fla., is a place many longtime Snowbirds proudly call “home” – The Magnolia Grill.
“We have many Snowbirds who bring their friends and family in to ‘their’ restaurant,” said owner Tom Rice. “They go through and tell them all about the history and introduce me to them. It’s great.”
The remodeled and rambling 90-year old Craftsman-style two story house has a prime waterfront location that history buffs will remember as the former site of the 98 Court Motel. The walls are covered with memorabilia of Fort Walton’s long and sometimes racy history which included gambling well into the 1950s. The restaurant was named after the Magnolia Club, a landmark downtown business from that era.
The restaurant is open for lunch during the week and dinner nightly. The menu features Italian, seafood, steak and homemade desserts.
Lunch entrees range between $8 to $10 and include many of the Magnolia Grill’s signature dishes that come complete with soup or salad.
“Snowbirds know when they come here they will get value for their money,” said Rice who kept his prices steady during the recent boom years. “Most of the time we send them home with a ‘go’ box so they have a meal for the next day too.”
We visited for lunch and my strapping 6’3, 24-year-old nephew ordered the salad with prime rib accompanied by a cup of Fagoli soup and toasted garlic toast. I had the Crabcake with Fettucine and Shrimp Alfredo sauce and took half home for my 16-year-old daughter’s dinner. She proclaimed it as “the best she’s ever had.”
Both of us left stuffed but still ordered a sampling of desserts for later. The restaurant
offers a variety of home-made desserts contributed by various staff members from Tiramasu, cheesecakes, pies and good, oldfashioned apple pie.
Visitors are urged to visit the museum upstairs where military, media and local landmark memorabilia will make you go “wow.”
Each year the famed World War II heroes “Doolittle Raiders” hold a reunion at the restaurant.
Rice caters to a local crowd year-round part-time locals. Each year he gives a warm welcome at the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Snowbird Expo – set for Jan. 9 at the Emerald Coast Conference Center – with a grand gesture – a free bottle of wine for the first 1000 people.
Rice’s free bottle of wine gives the expo a huge boost. “This is my opportunity to say ‘thank you,”Rice said.
Local, local, local.
In today’s world of never-ending chain stores and restaurants, it’s always a challenge finding quality local businesses, but especially restaurants.
Opened last spring in a
nondescript shopping center on Pensacola Beach, the Native Café is a true local’s (although tourists are encouraged) restaurant.
The restaurant serves only fresh food found from the area and eschews
the cost-saving steps taken by many chain restaurants.
What does this mean? Seafood pulled out of the Gulf of Mexico, vegetables purchased from local farmer’s markets, biscuits and desserts made fresh each day using unbleached flour, homegrown herbs and recipes that are all “native.”
Owner Joyce Brown starts her day at 5 a.m. getting the restaurant’s baked goods in the oven and prepping food. “Chef Tater” creates tasty sauces and recipes that have become popular among many repeat diners.
Brown’s entire family was involved in forming the restaurant including her two grown children who helped name menu items and create a strategy. But the restaurant came about by chance.
“One of my friends owned the building and he said there was a need for a breakfast place on Pensacola Dining at the Beach,” said Brown who has worked in the restaurant business for many years. “I decided to go for it.’
One of the most popular breakfast items is one your doctor may have ordered for you – the Apple & Raisin Oatmeal. Brown adds tasty ingredients such as cinnamon and real butter to the chopped apples and raisins.
The hottest seller on the menu is the Fish Tacos. Sorry, Brown won’t give away her recipe for this tasty dish but will tell you the secret is the fish is pan seared with an infusion of olive oil, home-grown herbs and Pinot Grigio. A generous serving of three soft tacos filled with the tasty fish, cabbage, red and green peppers with pico sauce or chipotle mayonnaise makes a meal. But, be sure to order at least a cup of gumbo. Brown adapted her mother’s home recipe and added generous helpings of vegetables to the traditional shrimp and chicken and tasty roux. Along with gumbo, fresh soups such as Lentil and Five Beach are served daily.
The décor in the restaurant is also local – the walls are filled with paintings, photos and other artwork produced by area artists. The artwork is also for sale.
