Tales from the Road: Restaurant Traditions at the Beach
(Due to technical difficulties, Tales from the Road was delayed)
Just as I returned home from one trip, I had a few days to rest before I was on the road again. Since I has heading to the beach, Panama City Beach, Fla., to be exact, I wasn’t complaining. Regardless of the time of the year, I’m always in the mood for a trip to the beach. See, my thought is you can never travel to the beach enough. And this was going to be a great trip because I was going to be here for the Panama City Beach Seafood, Music and Wine Festival (more on that later.)
However, I had a day or so to explore or do whatever I wanted to do. Now, I’m no stranger to the area -I grew up in Dothan, Ala., and Panama City Beach was our beach, only 90 minutes away (13 minutes from the the state line.) Now, I’m a hair-pulling seven hours away. So, not only do I know my way around, but also have favorite spots that I tend to visit over and over. Yes, I’m a creature of habit.
And of course these favorite spots include restaurants. Truthfully, there many good places to eat here and I’m have had the opportunity to dine at most of them, but there are a handful, well, that are a tradition (at least a tradition to me) to eat at.
For lunch, it was Pineapple Willy’s. This was actually our second choice. Our first choice, Shuckum’s (fabulous for 
oysters) fell through. Long story short, their oyster shipment from the bay was going to be delayed two hours. When your body is still on Eastern time, two hours seem very long. So, it was off to Pineapple Willy’s, and trust me when I say that’s not settling at all.
Now, this is a place that has been in the area for awhile. I can remember eating here with my 
parents way back when. The pier seemed to extend far out into the ocean (okay, so I was young and had no sense of distance.) I just knew I didn’t want to sit out there. Today, due to the aftermath of Hurricane Opal that kind of changed the landscape of the area, the pier is somewhat shorter. As for the food, well, let’s just say you won’t be disappointed.
I’m all for sitting outside and will highly recommend it. However, do be warned it can be windy and/or hot, but the views more than make up for it. When it comes to ordering, they are known for their bucket of ribs, served for both at lunch and dinner. I tend to eat light for lunch and chose an appetizer – Al E Gator, 
which is lightly battered fried gator tail. Now other options include signature sandwiches such as mahi mahi BLT, a popcorn shrimp basket, fried shrimp 
(even peel and eat shrimp) and a variety of salads. There’s also a kid’s menu. The dinner menu is somewhat the same but has a larger selection of seafood dishes, including a seafood platter for those who can’t make up their mind. They offer prime rib as well.
After lunch and spending a relaxing time on the beach (the weather was perfect and the ocean was calm), it was time for dinner. Remember, my body is stubborn even on vacation and will cling to the thought that everything should be done according to Eastern time. So, I was hungry. And for me, there’s only one option, Captain Anderson’s (okay, so being as old-school as I am, Angelo’s did cross my mind as well.)
What can I say about Captain Anderson’s that hasn’t been all ready said by those who know the area and the restaurant. It’s another old-school place, but just like Panama City Beach itself, it’s changed throughout the years. 
They have a great Waterfront Market, which is food and gift shop. Every time I walk in there, I always wish I knew what I was doing when it came to cooking seafood. I would love to get something from the market and cook it back at the condo. But for right now, I let the professionals do it.
And speaking of seafood and eating, let’s talk a little about the menu. Serving dinner only, they offer appetizers such as crab fingers and grilled shrimp. The salads include 
Johnny’s Special Greek Salad, which is my favorite. If you have any room left, some of the entrees are jumbo gulf shrimp with homemade crab stuffing
, whole broiled flounder, a seafood platter with a little bit of everything, various Greek-style fish and fried seafood, and choices of steak.
As for the child’s menu, I highly suggest either the grilled cheese or chicken fingers, which both have gone over well. There’s also great seafood, meat and pasta options for the younger crowd too.
Oh, I forgot to tell you before I mentioned some of the highlights from the menu. Be sure to save room for dessert, and get a piece of the Peace cake.
The restaurant is one experience, and you shouldn’t leave without taking a walk along Captain Anderson’s Marina. You just never know what you might see.
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