Great Gulf Dining

If you're going to Alabama's Gulf Coast, be prepared to gain a few pounds. When I visit, I calculate my trip by the number of meals I will be able to eat, rather than in days. Don't laugh--I'll bet you count it that way too!

We really haven't found many exciting breakfast places yet. (If you know of some, let me know.) About the best breakfast place I know of is Beignet's, which serves--guess what! It is on Highway 59 about 1 mile north of the 182 intersection. The beignets are made fresh and hot to order, and are as good as you get in New Orleans.

Breakfast aside, the other two meals are covered. My very favorite restaurant at the Gulf is Perdido Pass, which is just before the big bridge on 182 at Perdido Pass. It is on the upper floor of a shopping center, and the view of the bridge, Perdido Pass, and the Gulf of Mexico alone would make the trip worthwhile. The food, however, outranks even the spectacular view. I've never eaten anything there that I didn't enjoy. The seafood is fresh, the steaks tender, the bread hot, and the salads are generous and delicious. With iced tea, it is easy to eat for under $25.00 per person. No need to dress up, but plan to get there early or wait your turn. There is a nice lounge area downstairs and several interesting shops to browse through, so the wait is not difficult.

Our routine is usually like this: Perdido Pass Day 1, Original Oyster House Day 2. My husband, John, is Mr. Fried Food, and loves the Original Oyster House. I enjoy it, too, because you don't HAVE to order your food fried. You can also get it broiled, baked, or blackened. They have a small--but very good--salad bar and the best baked potatoes I ever ate. I wish I knew what they do to them. The hush puppies are delicious, too. If you can get them to seat you in the back by the window, you have a view of a salt marsh teeming with wildlife. (REAL wildlife--didn't I say Gulf Shores is a family place?) You would be hard-pressed to spend more than $20.00 per person if you drink tea or soft drinks. (Have you figured out that we're teetotalers? I don't have a CLUE how much drinks would add to your meal.) The lunch menu, which is available until 4:00 PM, is even less expensive.

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