From Pensacola to Tallahassee, Northwest Florida is known for its sandy white beaches, emerald green waters and fresh seafood, purported to be among the best in the world. Promotional material for the Emerald Coast CVB sums it up best: “Where there is great fishing, there are usually great seafood restaurants.”
In fact, the largest commercial fishing fleet in the nation is located in Destin, dubbed the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village.” And the entire Northwest Florida area teems with family-owned restaurants, such as Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant & Waterfront Market, a Panama City Beach institution since 1967, and the Atlas Oyster House in downtown Pensacola.
“We’re known for our seafood dishes and many of our local restaurants are some of the highest rated in the U.S.,” said Lori Coppels, destination sales manager, Visit Pensacola.
One standout for groups, she said, is H20 Cajun Asian Grill, located inside the Hilton Pensacola Beach. This establishment offers special dining events, including a Lowcountry boil (vats of potatoes, sausage, crab, corn and shrimp), wine and art programs, cooking demos and even a pig roast with all the fixings. Such incredible food should be enough, but in this case, spectacular views of pristine beaches and the glorious Gulf of Mexico are also included.
The National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (District 2) held its 2016 meeting at the Hilton Pensacola Beach in October, where chefs accommodated special menu requests by offering several entrees that included seafood, steak and chicken, said Dee Dee Doecker, executive director for marketing, digital media, recruitment and external affairs for the Council.
“The group also enjoyed local favorite Flounders Chowder House, which served nachos, grouper and fish tacos—and triple-decker key lime pie for dessert,” she said.
Emerald Coast
“In addition to our beautiful beaches and friendly, small-town feel, our restaurants are filled with unbelievable seafood,” said Maureen Morgenthien, deputy director of sales and marketing at the Emerald Coast CVB, which represents Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island.
Gulf-to-table is all the rage, where anything caught during the day can be turned into a feast that very night. From rustic oyster bars and open-air cafes, to candlelit restaurants, all the local eateries offer the freshest and most extensive variety of seafood.
Many of the area restaurants participate in the Fish Trax program, so when guests order their entree, it comes with a little fish story—literally. Guests scan a QR code to find out who, where and at what time their fish was caught.
“Fish Trax is a great way to ensure that the fish being served is fresh, safe and local,” Morgenthien said.
South Walton
Carley McMillan, CMP, lead sales coordinator at Visit South Walton, said the Gulf-to-table movement in Northwest Florida is the inspiration for many group activities. Fishing charters are popular for groups, enabling attendees to take their catches to local restaurants where chefs will prepare the fish blackened, broiled, fried, grilled or bake
d. “Dining is more than just a meal in South Walton. Local chefs have discovered the best ingredients for carefully crafted menus. From fine-dining to food trucks, South Walton has it all,” McMillan said.
“We’ve been coming to South Walton since 2004 and just this past July held our annual meeting with 225 attendees at the Hilton Sandestin,” said Matt Hartley, executive director, Mississippi Consumer Finance Association. “One of the main reasons we keep coming back is because of the large variety of restaurants in the area.”
Some of his favorites are Destin’s Acme Oyster House for its char-grilled oysters, Louisiana Lagniappe, also in Destin, for its redfish, and Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa for its three-tiered seafood tower. He also counts Seagar’s as having an exceptional wine list.
“We offer a custom menu and access to our collection of more than 600 wines,” said Dan Vargo, executive chef at Seagar’s. “Here, we stress sourcing local products, from basic ingredients to seasonal items. Everything we use to prepare our menu items is fresh and comes primarily from within 100 miles.”
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Panama City Beach
“We are all about the Gulf seafood here, mixed with Southern and Cajun influences,” said David Demarest, public relations manager for Visit Panama City Beach.
Demarest said planners can look forward to Cajun blackened grouper, red snapper, flounder, mahi-mahi, fish tacos and bay scallops at such popular spots as Capt. Anderson’s, recognized as the “Best Seafood Restaurant” by Southern Living magazine.
Yonnie Patronis, one of the owners of Capt. Anderson’s, said catering to groups, no matter how large, is easy.
“In almost 50 years we’ve gone from 4,000 square feet to nearly 40,000 square feet, and can seat more than 700,” he said.
“The highlight of this restaurant is that people love to sit right up front and see the fishing boats unloaded,” he continued. “That’s where 90 percent of our seafood comes from.”
Patronis prides himself on buying whole fish such as grouper, pompano and amber jack, to name a few, right in his own backyard.
Other local finds popular with groups include The Boar’s Head Restaurant & Tavern, opened 35 years ago; Andy’s Flour Power Cafe & Bakery, owned by John Certo, a third-generation chef from New York City; and Firefly, whose chef, Derrick Langford, considers as strictly farm-to-table.
The prevalence of owner-operated restaurants that also offer catering is a plus for meeting planners, Demarest said.
“Many of Panama City Beach’s best chefs also own their own restaurants. This gives them tremendous flexibility when it comes to catering group functions and allows meeting planners to offer their favorite local cuisine to their guests,” he said.
Tallahasee
Florida’s capital, Tallahassee, has some really wonderful local restaurants for groups to enjoy, said Janet Roach, CGMP, meetings and conventions director, Visit Tallahassee.
“We’ve also had three local restaurants win the Golden Spoon award by Florida Trend magazine,” Roach said.
One establishment, Food Glorious Food, adds Southern classics like collards, cheese grits, seafood and Andouille sausage to its traditional fare; Zin & Sin serves venison Brunswick stew, Florida blue crab cakes and pecan-encrusted trout. The restaurants’ “Sin” dessert menu features such decadent items as Southern Comfort butter pecan cake and brown sugar bourbon cake. Meanwhile, Cypress Restaurant is known for its creative use of ingredients such as sugar cane, fennel, okra and goat cheese.
Eugene, Ore.-based Sixel Consulting Group’s 100 attendees met at the Hotel Duval this past April.
Terri Campbell, director of travel services, said “The Hotel Duval provided a reception on their Level 8 Lounge, which offers spectacular sunset views overlooking downtown Tallahassee.”
The appetizers included an avocado pancake with masala shrimp and creme fraiche, grouper fingers with Cajun remoulade and coconut shrimp with horseradish marmalade.
The group also enjoyed a dinner at the stately, private Governors Club, steps from the state Capitol, where, she said, “tropical salsas merged with Southern fare of Florida cobia and cheesy grits.”
Campbell also cites The Edison, housed in the 1921 City Electric Building, featuring terraced dining overlooking Cascades Park.
“They offered paella, steak kebabs and pita, accompanied by sweet potato puree and charred Brussels sprouts, finished with key lime brulee and coconut macaroons,” she said.
For a casual evening, she recommends Proof Brewing Co., which features a state-of-the-art, 20-barrel brew house in Railroad Square Art Park. Brews and sangrias accompany Taco Republik’s signature tacos and custom guacamole bar.
“As a vegetarian, all venues offered selections to satiate my palate,” she said, adding, “Tallahassee offers conference attendees a variety of culinary experiences within venues as unique as the food.”
