Father’s Day 2019 – Gulf Shores – Great Places to Dine and
Bushwacker Crawl
Father’s Day 2019 is coming
up and you’re planning a weekend getaway to the beach in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan to
celebrate Dad. What an awesome idea! Weekends seem to fly by down here,
and we tend to spend so much trying to decide where to eat and what to drink
that time can just get away. Sometimes
in haste, we can make bad decisions and end up regretting our choices. To
help you make your food and beverage choices easy, I decided to put together
this blog highlighting some of my local faves.
Here are some great places to dine
during Father’s Day Weekend 2019 and then go on a Father’s Day Bushwacker
Crawl.
To begin with, let’s begin at the
beginning of the day with breakfast. And no breakfast blog is complete
without mentioning Hazel’s
Nook. Hazel’s Nook, located at the intersection of Fort
Morgan Road and Gulf Shores Parkway, has been nestled right there
under those ancient oaks serving breakfast since we actually can’t remember
when. They have been there, no joke, somewhere in the neighborhood of 60
years. And you don’t make it in a small
beach town that long unless you’re doing something right. Hazel’s Nook
does breakfast right! If a hot, home cooked breakfast buffet featuring
fresh eggs served with a side of grits and home fries, great coffee, a fun
staff, and a local place that has stood the test of time appeals to you, then
you need to take Dad to Hazel’s Nook
while you’re here. And by the way…yes, the eggs really are that
fresh and yes, there really was a Ms. Hazel! Hazel’s Nook is located,
like I said, in a great place. It’s not too far from West Beach near 4 Shore, a
fabulous beach home that’ll sleep up to eleven people! This West Beach
home is located in Gulf Shores not far from another can’t-miss breakfast spot:
The Ruby
Slipper Café. And since you’ll be here for two mornings, I can’t leave
them out of this blog, either. Unlike Hazel’s, The Ruby Slipper Café, located on Beach Boulevard in Orange
Beach, is not a buffet style restaurant. Instead, it’s a go-inside,
sit-down and relax-and-chat kind of place. When you first arrive, you’ll find
the staff is so accommodating while you wait. And you’re probably going
to have to wait for a few minutes for a table.
But do it! It’s worth it!
So, once you get your table, what do you order? Choosing what to have at The Ruby Slipper
is challenging for all of us. That’s why I always seem to settle on thePeaceMaker.
This appropriately named breakfast entrée allows you to “make peace” with
your tummy and mind and just have two entrees in one! I like the Eggs
Cochon paired with the Shrimp Boogaloo Benedict. These are two
totally different breakfast entrees and they go great together. And don’t
forget to have a couple of cups of their coffee. I prefer at least one of those to be an Irish
Coffee, but that’s just me. Their coffee tastes like NOLA in a cup. It’s some of the best I’ve ever had, and I
drink a lot of coffee! If you’d like
something sweet for breakfast, try the Bananas Foster Pain Perdu.
This is an island favorite and it’s hard to make a trip down here and not
have Bananas Foster at least once. If Dorothy, herself, found her way to Gulf
Shores, Orange Beach or Fort Morgan, she’d definitely find herself dining
at The Ruby Slipper. Don’t miss an opportunity to treat Dad to The
Ruby Slipper while you’re in town! There may be no place like home,
but Dad will certainly thank you for taking him out for breakfast at two or our
beach home faves: Hazel’s Nook and The Ruby Slipper Cafe.
Located on Fort Morgan Road
about five minutes from Navy Cove
2113, Dunes 705 and Dream, Sassy
Bass Amazin’ Grill is a great place to go for lunch. The
service is outstanding, the drinks are refreshingly chilled, and the food is
amazing. While Sassy Bass is a great place to take the whole
family for dinner, I strongly suggest trying them for lunch, as well. The
atmosphere is great for families or a couple of friends just hanging out. Dine inside or on their screened porch.
The super friendly staff will be happy to seat you where you’re
comfortable. And their menu item choices
are sure to please anyone. With food for both land and sea lovers, there
is something for everyone at Sassy Bass. Their burgers are piled high with perfectly
cooked beef and smothered with the freshest of toppings. Their seafood
po-boys are literally overflowing with seafood and toppings, and their hand cut
fries are a comfort food like none other.
If you choose to have a salad, try the vinaigrette dressing. It is
zippy sweet summery taste of yum and it seems to make the taste of the veggies
sort of pop. I can’t let their slaw go
without mentioning either. If you like
the old timey Pool Room Slaw, you are going to love Sassy Bass’s slaw. It
is served in a quarter cup size side cup, but you’re gonna want a
whole-big-ole-bowl of it. And, if an adult beverage appeals to you, try one of
their signature fishbowl drinks. I’d
love to make a recommendation on which one, after all, there are quite a few.
But I just can’t choose one fave. They are all great! If non-alcoholic drinks are your choice, they
have plenty of those to choose from, too.
We covered breakfast and lunch.
So, what about dinner? Or as we
affectionately call it in South Alabama: supper.
Where are you going to take Dad for supper? Suppertime down here at
the beach is one of our favorite times of the day. It’s a time when we
all sit down together and talk about our day.
Dinner is usually around 7PM or so, but supper can happen most any time
after lunch. If you choose to stop mid-to-late afternoon and eat, then
it’s Lupper! But, no matter what you choose to call it, just make
sure you call Fin &
Fork in Orange Beach and make a reservation for it. While
reservations are not required, I do suggest making one. This place is so
good and so conveniently located on Beach Boulevard in Orange Beach not too far
from Grand
Caribbean 215, they are packed most all the time. You can choose to eat
outside at a picnic area, on their screened-in porch or inside the restaurant.
Regardless of which area you choose, try the grouper. It’s not called “Local’s Favorite Grouper” for
nothing. You’ll get a huge helping of fresh panko (that yummy bready
stuff they put on fish) covered grouper topped with a mushroom and crab sauce
that’s been placed delicately and deliciously inside a cabbage leaf. Oh-Em-Gee!
It’s one of the prettiest plates of food that’ll ever be laid in front of
you and the taste is just as Oh-em-gee-able. You’ll probably just sit
there and admire it for a minute before you taste it. If you’re like most, you’ll have the urge to
snap a picture of it and Facebook post it. But try to refrain. Posting your food on Facebook, according to
most millennials, is so last year. But
then…. there’s always SnapChat! Picture
this: alongside your grouper, you’ll get
these perfectly seasoned whole green beans and whipped Yukon gold mashed
potatoes. The sweetness of the potatoes and the zingy-ness of the green
beans is a perfect pairing for the fish.
If your Dad is more of fried fish guy, try the Whole Fried Snapper. Our
Alabama Gulf Coast is famous
for our great Snapper
Seasons, and Fin & Fork is celebrated for their Whole Fried
Snapper. Also, while you’re there, order some Sushi. You might not expect to get great Sushi in
Orange Beach, but you will! Fin & Fork has a great Sushi Chef
preparing Sushi to order. Take Dad to Fin & Fork for his
Father’s Day Dinner, Supper, Lupper or all three. He’ll thank you for it!
No trip to the Alabama Gulf Coast is
complete with a Bushwacker. So why not take Dad on a Father’s
Day Bushwacker Crawl? (which, by the way, I just invented for this
blog!) Why do we affectionately call it a “crawl”?
Well, when you have your first Bushwacker, the
answer is not so obvious. But by the time Dad tries all three Bushwackers
I suggest here, he might need some help walking. Hence the
name: crawl. Remember, someone sober must drive Dad so he
can enjoy his outing. If everyone in
your group wants to try these, I strongly suggest you plan ahead and contact a taxi to drive you. Uber and Lyft are not
available in our area, but this link will give
you lots of choices for local drivers.
While we love our Bushwackers down here, safety is always our
first concern. Drink responsibly and let someone else drive!
For your first stop, take Dad to Anchor
Bar & Grill located off Canal Road on Wilson Boulevard in Orange Beach. I
say start your crawl here, because they make unique and specialty Bushwackers.
While most Bushwacker bartenders use rum, the good folks at the Anchor
Bar & Grill use Vodka. It’s a great twist on an old favorite and they
are soooo good! And, by the way, so is
the view from Anchor Bar & Grill. It overlooks beautiful Terry
Cove in Orange Beach. While you guys enjoy your first taste of frozen
goodness on your Father’s Day Bushwacker Crawl, you’ll get to watch
seagulls play and maybe even catch a glimpse of a dolphin or two. You’re
also almost guaranteed to see our local pirate ship that docks right outside
the Anchor Bar & Grill at Hudson Marina. Maybe you
could even squeeze in a Pirate
Cruise while you’re down. Your second stop on your Father’s Day
Bushwacker Crawl needs to be Flippers Seafood & Oysterbar located at
Bear Point Marina, just a bit down Canal Road from The Keg (which is a
great place to highlight in another blog!) Bushwackers at Flippers
are worth the drive. While you’re there, go ahead and have some oysters
on the half shell, too. Oysters go so good with Bushwackers! Flippers has a wonderful full menu.
If raw oysters aren’t your thing, I know there is something on their menu
that will make your tummy smile! The last place I’ll suggest for a great Bushwacker
is Tacky Jacks in Gulf Shores.
Head back from Flippers toward Gulf Shores on Canal Road, and just keep
going. Right where the road makes a sharp (really sharp!) left, you’ll
find Tacky Jacks. Tacky Jacks overlooks the intracoastal
waterway. I’d like to suggest an appetizer to go with your Tacky Jacks
Bushwacker, but everything on their menu is a winner. So, I’ll leave
this one to you. By now, you should know
why we call this little outing a crawl. While I hope you guys are having
a great time on your Father’s Day Bushwacker Crawl, I can’t stress
enough the importance of a sober driver and the willingness of locals in the transportation industry to help
you out. Don’t drink and drive. But if you’re having
a good time on this little crawl, and want to keep it going, check out our blog
on 5 Best
Bushwackers to give you some suggestions on a couple more places to try!
I hope this blog helps make your
decisions on where to take Dad for food and drink easier than you expect.
You know, at Sunset
Properties, we celebrate families. We are a family owned,
family-oriented company. We are flattered that you are planning to spend
a weekend with us celebrating your Dad this Father’s Day 2019 with us and
we hope you’ll plan a week later this summer to celebrate your whole family and
stay with us again!
www.sunsetproperties.com
251.543.1370
Have a safe
and happy Father’s Day Weekend and Summer 2019!
“Drinking and Driving – A Threat to Everyone. Every day, almost 30 people in the United States
die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This
amounts to one death every 51 minutes. Driving drunk is never OK. Choose
not to drink and drive and help others do the same.” CDC
