ChaCha Coconuts is always a favorite if you have a touch of beach bum in your soul.  Fresh shrimp with dollar beer at happy hour makes it almost hard to get up and watch the sunset over the Gulf.

Finally spoiled myself with dinner at the Crab & Fin - after sunset of course.  Overhead heaters drove off the touch of February chill. Dining outside to the sound of piano music is a very relaxing way to spend the evening.

My server, Robert, was yet another victim of the out sourcing mania, having been a bank manager until a few years back. Now, he’d probably never go back to corporate work.

The wine list runs over 100 entries and comes on the back of a menu that is printed each day. I chose to stay simple with a Matanzas Creek Chardonnay and leave the more exotic choices for another visit.

Diner was Gulf Amberjack (I was assured it was quit fresh and it certainly tasted that way).  Somehow, ordering something from two continents away, Fiji Escolar or New Zealand John Dory for example, seemed a stretch when excellent local choices were available.

Key Lime pie is my test for Florida restaurants. Theirs was superb and obviously made from scratch with fresh key limes.  I should know, having made key lime pie from scratch a number of times. Takes a bunch of those tiny little buggers to make one pie, and they have to be fresh or you don’t get that tart lime edge on the back of the tongue.

Armagnac is my final test for topping off an excellent meal with an after diner beverage.  Robert knew what it was but warned  they only had one choice. Actually, that put them ahead of the last dozen or so places who could only offer Cognac. Even better, he warmed it properly before serving.

Don.