Breeze bar & grill Off to a Breezy Start 36178 Emerald Coast Pkwy Destin (850) 424-6971 Hours: Open daily at 11 a.m. Reservations: Accepted for large groups Children’s Menu: Yes Dress: Casual Food Service Atmosphere Overall

By Bruce Collier
May 28, 2009 Issue

We ate at Breeze Bar & Grill on a recent weeknight. Everyone on the staff was friendly, smiling, and in the case of the young ladies, perky as pups and cute as a box of buttons.

Breeze Bar & Grill sits in a large, house-like structure on Emerald Coast Parkway. There's plenty of room, with high ceilings and the seating mainly in a large inner dining room running parallel to the bar/lounge. The walls are decorated with paintings and posters, with a corridor full of photos near the restroom area.

We arrived a little after 6 p.m., and a solo guitar player was offering up some bar standards (Buffett, Kenny Rogers, etc.). Three TVs were going, and someone had a radio. My dining companion found the mixed media a little disconcerting, even facing away from the TVs. It eased up, but between that and the live band scheduled that night, you can expect that dinner at Breeze Bar & Grill will be a lively evening.

Apparently the word is getting out. Within an hour after we arrived, the staff was fitting foursome tables together to accommodate three large groups. There were families, kids and even a birthday party. The staff kept moving in and out among us, taking orders, clearing tables and generally asking how things were.

They were fine. We ordered drinks, then took the server's recommendation and ordered "flatbread of the day" as a starter. That day it was chicken cordon bleu, chunks of white meat in a light alfredo sauce with caramelized red onions. The portion was plenty for sharing, and some went home. The bread was hot and crispy, and the sauce was light—a pleasant surprise with any cheese-based sauce.

Other appetizers are a daily soup, corn and crab chowder, tempura scallops, sugarcane grilled shrimp, crab sliders, bruschetta, chorizo and cheese empanadas, tuna or crab dip, shellfish nachos, and assorted wings.

For the main event, I stuck with the specials and ordered blackened softshell crab, with a garlic chive butter sauce, sweet potato fries and grilled vegetables. My friend ordered a 12-ounce strip steak, with asparagus, potato cake and a sauce of smoked shiitake butter and soy balsamic glaze. The kitchen offers a variety of sauces for selected entrees, and the server can make recommendations.

Softshell crab is usually deep-fried or grilled, so I was curious about how it would taste blackened. My two crabs were large and juicy, full of creamy tender meat. The blackening spices gave it a salty, spicy punch that paired well with the sweet potatoes and lightly-charred vegetables.

The steak was grilled as ordered, and the crunchy potato cake offered several varieties of spud. As with the crab, portions were generous. Part of the steak went home for next day's lunch.

Other main course selections include a double-burger with customized toppings, seafood buckets, salads, fish-of-the-day, beer-can roasted chicken, chicken diablo pasta, pork porterhouse, flank or filet steak, lobster roll, fish tacos, barbecue chicken sandwich, Philly cheese dip, and both regular and oyster BLTs. There are daily specials.

There's also dessert. We chose to share. As with the appetizer, it proved a wise decision. On offer that night were an almond croissant with candied peaches and bourbon vanilla ice cream, caramel fudge pecan cake, passion fruit and vanilla creme brulee, "chocolate nachos," and a trio of sorbets. We picked the croissant.

The croissant rested on a mound of warm, boozed-up peach slices, cooled down by a scoop of ice cream, plus toasted almonds and whipped topping. It was a little like an upside-down cake, but less cloying. The slightly sweet, flaky croissant was a nice contrast to the sweetness of the fruit. It's a really well-executed dessert.

Breeze Bar & Grill is in the midst of its opening week(s). By the time this piece runs, they should be open every day, and will offer a Sunday brunch. There's a full bar, and assorted live bands and single artists will be playing in the bar/lounge area.

(Top)