60 North Barrett Square
Rosemary Beach
(850) 231-6264
Hours: Open daily for breakfast, 8-10:30 a.m.;
lunch, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner Thurs.-Mon., 5:30 p.m.
Reservations: Accepted
Children's menu: Yes
Dress: Casual

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Overall 1/3

We ate dinner at Summer Kitchen Cafe on a recent weekend (dinner is served Thursday through Monday). The restaurant also serves breakfast and lunch daily, with completely different menus. They have both inside and outside seating. We ate inside.

Summer Kitchen Cafe is located in Rosemary Beach on Barrett Square, squarely at the center of the action. It's a busy spot, especially these days, with tourists coming and going steadily to and from the nearby beach and shops. The night we ate there was apparently Large Tourist Family Night. The cafe staff seated, served and patiently put up with three or four large groups, full of slightly dazed parents and highly active kids.

Summer Kitchen Cafe has a children's menu, and little ones are welcome, but it would have been nice to see some parents exercise a little more control. A waiter balancing a cup of hot coffee does not need to navigate a shifting obstacle course of sunburned and whining little Zachs and Abigails, especially right under the benignly-neglectful noses of Mom and Dad. Folks—you gave 'em life, give 'em some manners while you're at it. Or at least some supervision. Extra credit to the servers.

That said, the cafe is a cottage-like structure, with a small indoor dining room and numerous outdoor tables. The walls are furnished with colorful, local-looking artwork and prints. It's informal, but in that south Walton way. Weather permitting, I could see eating outside, but not that evening, which was hot. The cafe takes a lot of to-go orders, along with the sit-down diners. The staff is young, friendly and agile.

Our server that night was Peter, who gave us menus, took drink orders, and told us about some specials. The menu offers appetizers, salads, main dishes and desserts, all of which are subject to modification or change daily. There's a list of beers and wine, including wines by the glass. At one point, when the children's revels were at their height, Peter discreetly asked if we wanted to move outside. We declined, but it was thoughtful of him.

We ordered a trio of dips—hummus, herbed cheese, and tapenade, served with lots of sliced pita bread. It's $6, and it's plenty for two. The other starters that night were a special soup—shrimp bisque, which had just sold out—and a crab cake. The dips were all distinctive, rich and full of flavor. In addition to the dips, the kitchen sent out a basket of large cubes of warm focaccia, to be eaten with olive oil (already on the table). I believe everybody gets that.

I had ordered the sold-out bisque, so I was in a mood for shrimp. I got the shrimp and grits, served in a garlic butter sauce. My friend ordered a jerk-roasted pork tenderloin. About eight large shrimp, peeled, came arranged around a mound of thick grits, laced with scallions, smoked meat and kernels of corn in a buttery sauce. The tender pork was glazed with a sweet and spicy citrus balsamic sauce. It came in slices on a pile of smooth mashed sweet potatoes, garnished with crunchy plantain chips. Everything looked and tasted, great. We ate every bite, employing the focaccia to get the last of the sauces.

Other entrees that night were a cobia special, grilled chicken and spinach salad, shrimp and penne pasta, creamy parmesan chicken and fettuccini, portabella, garlic, tomato and spinach fettuccini, grouper served pan-fried or pan-roasted, and a seven-pepper grilled salmon. The sides served with the dishes include, variously, cheese grits, sautÈed vegetables, spinach and artichokes.

Desserts that night included zuppa inglese ("English soup"), chocolate spoon cake, and pecan pie, and some others that I can't recall—they vary nightly. We got the first to share. Like the appetizer, it was plenty for two. It was two scoops of sponge cake, soaked with creamy mascarpone and chocolate, sort of like cake-and-ice-cream meets tiramisu. The zuppa was creamy, light, and not overly sweet, a grownups' dessert. Thank you, Italy.

Like the rest of Walton County, Rosemary Beach is currently loaded with visitors, some less relaxed than others. Summer Kitchen Cafe is ideally suited—by location, menu, and staff temperament—to offer all comers a fine meal in a pleasant, welcoming beachside atmosphere.

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