In my trips to the gulf, I have learned that you are most likely to have a delicious dinner if you seek out the hidden, hole-in-the-wall local joints...or just go to a seafood market, buy the fish, and cook it at home yourself. Definitely stay away from all of the popular, beachfront places that have throngs of sunburned tourists gathered outside...for some reason, most of these places seem to think that the best way to prepare seafood is dip it in heavy batter and drop it in a deep fryer, which to me completely kills the whole point of having fresh fish, anyway.
On this last trip to PCB, I discovered a true gem: Hunt's Oyster Bar. It is located away from the main beach area in historic downtown St. Andrews. It looks like something straight out of the 70's...a rather plain square building, painted bright yellow, with lots of woodgrain detailing inside. The first night we went, I ordered an appetizer of the raw oysters...and as soon as I put the first oyster in my mouth, I thought "OH MY GOD...I have found heaven." The oysters there are the best I have ever had in my life...I'm talking melt-in-your-mouth, briny-but-not-bitter, smooth-as-butter oysters. LIKE BUTTAH, people.
(note: I did not eat all of these oysters. But I totally could have.)For my main course, I had the crab cakes, which were exactly as crab cakes should be: mostly fresh, juicy crab meat--with just enough breading and seasonings to hold them together, barely (they were falling apart a bit on the plate, which--in my opinion--is a good thing). The sides were nothing to write home about--simple broccoli/cauliflower/carrot mixed veggies and corn on the cob--but the hushpuppies were delicious, crispy-fried on the outside and moist with good seasoning on the inside.
So when you have a meal like that, what do you do? You go back the next night. I usually try not to visit the same restaurant twice when I am on vacation, as I like to experience different things, but I made an exception in this case.
On the second visit, the ladies sat at the bar, right in front of one of the oyster shuckers, Rick. Rick was one of those people who obviously loves life and loves his job--he was singing and dancing around as he was shucking, and he made it his job to ensure that we had a great time. He kept the oysters and the wine flowing...and there was not a single bad oyster in the bunch. Some of them were almost as big as my hand, but I was up for the challenge.
After three dozen oysters and multiple glasses of wine split among the three of us, we got our checks, and the total was just over $12 each. Amazing. The Hunt's experience definitely ranks as my favorite in PCB...not just on this trip, but including all of my trips to the gulf. So, if you ever find yourself in the Bay County area of Florida, go find Hunts Oyster Bar, and ask for Rick, the "aphrodesiologist" (as noted on his business card). He'll make sure you have a shuckin' good time...and serve you with the freshest and most delicious oysters you've ever sucked down your gullet.
Yum.
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