The Florida House

I feel like a food critic with my restaurant reviews. 

I did find a new one this morning and thought I'd post it for all of my Canadian snowbird friends (and U.S.) as most of them are back up north now.  We have only a few decent breakfast places that I have found so far -- three locations for Another Broken Egg, two for the Donut Hole, and then down in Seaside, The Great Southern Cafe with their famous Grits a Ya Ya -- so I am always asking people if they know any good breakfast places.  Usually they come up with these same ones and nothing else.

But I stopped into The Florida House this morning, a cute little red-painted, flower-boxed eatery along #98. It's right next to AJ's, a popular casual seafood place which hosts live bands and is a favorite for snowbirds when they are here, as well as the young during Spring Break.

To my delight, it has an inviting interior, tables and comfy booths, and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  And they have a good selection.  Breakfasts range from the usual bacon and egg dishes, to omelets, specialty egg dishes, French toast, pancakes made with almost whatever you want, Benedicts and fruit, yogurt and granola.  Lunches offer appetizers (try the fried artichoke hearts) to soups and salads, entrees of fish (grouper, salmon, crab, shrimp), turkey, chicken, and meatloat to burger and sandwich platters.  And dinners offer their own different appetizers (my favorite being coconut shrimp) with soups and salads and a good variety of entrees, a few of which are Baked Stuffed Shrimp, Pan-Seared Grouper, Beer-Battered Fish and Chips, Salmon, New York Strip Steak, Filet Mignon,. Seafood Fra Diavlo, Surf and Turf, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Mediterranean, Tortellini Carbonara and Alfredo Cajun.  More children's choices, too, than just hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken nuggets.

Take a look and click to enlarge photos, if you wish:

Front door

Inside

Sitting at my booth (taking photos)

Cheery flowers inside and out with little cafe curtains

So there you have it.  A new eatery in Destin, sure to become a popular place, not even "officially" open yet, but serving the public until the Grand Opening soon.  I'll give it two thumbs up (because, um, that's how many I have.)