Come for the oysters, stay for the burger.

The 6 Best Burgers in America: Middle-of-Nowhere Edition

By Paul | Jan 17, 2013
Posted in: Bars, Booze, Beer, Etc., Best Of, California, Florida, Food, New Mexico, New York, Utah |

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Finding a good burger in a city is easy. There’s Dick’s in Seattle, Kopp’s in Milwaukee, In-N-Out across the Southwest, and Culver’s everywhere in the Midwest. But there’s something about being in the middle of nowhere and finding a great burger place. A cheeseburger in paradise is wonderful, but a cheeseburger in the boondocks is even better. Here are my six favorites: 6. Sebastian’s Store — Hearst Beef Burgers Sebastian’s […]

St. Joseph Peninsula State Park in 6 Pictures

By Lisa | Jan 15, 2013
Posted in: Florida |

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Last April, we soaked up the sun and salt water at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park on Florida’s Gulf Coast. This area is called the Forgotten Coast, but…cue corny joke…we won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. We’re looking forward to returning soon to explore more of the Forgotten Coast and to gobble up our share of the area’s seafood. Here’s a look back at our favorite photos from this beautiful part of Florida:

Lots of the houses reminded us of Charleston, SC.

The Master-Planned Experience: Seaside, FL

By Lisa | May 11, 2012
Posted in: Florida, Reality |

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I first heard about Seaside, FL in a college course, an intro to intelligent design (as in the kind of design that is well thought-out, not the one supposedly dictated by a deity). The professor was enamored with the town. Years later, I was reminded of Seaside when reading The Geography of Nowhere, a fascinating book about America’s relationship with urban planning, or lack thereof (really, it’s a great book, […]

Indian Pass Raw Bar: The Perfect Seafood Shack

By Paul | May 11, 2012
Posted in: Bars, Booze, Beer, Etc., Florida, Food |

2 Comments

“Y’all been here before?” the woman behind the register asked. Nope. She was being nice. We were looking around in confusion and hunger trying to figure the place out while eyeing the plates of oysters and shrimp in front of the other patrons. Clearly, this was our first time. We were lost and drooling and overwhelmed. There was a lot to take in — the very short menu board, the […]

I’m a Gulf-Shore Convert

By Paul | May 10, 2012
Posted in: Florida |

1 Comment

I like Florida. I’ve been visiting Florida since I was a child. We always went to Ft. Lauderdale because that’s where my dad went when he was a child. One winter we tried Orlando but it wasn’t warm enough, Florida enough. So we headed south and ended up in Ft. Lauderdale again. I love Ft. Lauderdale; I love the Atlantic-side of Florida. But Ft. Lauderdale is like Miami North. It’s […]

Heaven is St. Joseph Peninsula, FL

By Lisa | May 10, 2012
Posted in: Florida, Parks |

1 Comment

Heaven is located about an hour from Panama City, FL (aka the Redneck Riviera). Heaven is the State Park on St. Joseph Peninsula, a tiny sandbar that juts into the Gulf of Mexico near the middle of nowhere. This area calls itself the forgotten coast. I can’t decide if they’re happy or unhappy that they seem to have been forgotten by the partiers that patronize Panama City or the oldsters […]

Boiled Peanuts! Fried Peanuts! The South is Nuts for Peanuts.

By Paul | May 9, 2012
Posted in: Florida, Food, South Carolina |

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Roasted, that’s the “normal” preparation. And salted. Get them at any baseball game. Great bars in the north serve them and tell patrons to discard the shells on the floor. I like those bars because I like peanuts. But boiled? Gross. So I tried them. I think they have a branding problem. They’re not peanuts … call them “Southern Edamame” and us Northerners would gobble them up. They’re salty and good but squishier than […]

A Night at the Bug Bar in Tate’s Hell

By Lisa | May 9, 2012
Posted in: Florida |

1 Comment

It’s been a rough night at the Bug Bar. A giant jumping beast named Jones acts as bouncer at the door, eyeing each patron suspiciously. Jones doesn’t want any more trouble tonight. In the middle of the floor is the result of the earlier tussle: a large beetle lies crushed, marshmallow-like guts oozing out onto the filthy floor. RIP, Fred. Fred’s body will continue to lie there as a reminder […]