Food, Food, and More Food...Plus- A Locale that Mason Loved!

A beautiful plate of Paella "A La Valenciana" at the Columbia Restaurant!

One of our favorite restaurants is the Columbia Restaurant! Usually we snack on Tapas here, but we decided on the Paella- rice with chicken, and shellfish in a flavorful broth. 

Its a traditional Spanish dish!

Sangria de Cava- we make this one at home!

The 1905 salad! Yes- get this!
House-made dressing, ham, tomatoes, olives lettuce mix- yum!

Fresh made Cuban Bread!

It really is a Gem! We hope to go to the original site in
Ybor City someday. The original restaurant was a frequent of Marilyn Monroeand Joe DiMaggio. It also takes up one whole city block!

We finished dinner with churros- complete with
guava and caramel dipping sauces.

Oh- and a Chocolate Tres Leches cake!

Another neat location...The Conch House!

Dinner Views!

Dinner Location...

We ate in one of these beautiful tiki huts overlooking the water!

Margarita and a glass of Smoking Loon Cab.

Sorry about the color on these pictures...as the sun went down it was harder to capture clear shots.
Perfectly prepared banana pepper calamari.

Shrimp and Grits!

Butter Rum Sea Scallops with Gouda Cheese Grits.

Now for some Adventures in Dining and Cocktail Making!!!!

Welcome to the Ice Plant!
It shares the building with the St. Augustine Distillery. 

Everyday, they produce a 300 lb ice block. Then they hand chisel the perfect ice for their perfect hand-made cocktails!

On the left- the Gin's Cup with cucumber garnish. On the right- an Isle of Skye Scotch.

Fresh baked pretzel rolls. On the left: beer cheese fondue; on the right: a deliciously tangy dijonnaise.

St. George Sour- Bourbon based drink with a little sweet and a little heat with a splash of vanilla-pepper .

Red Bandanna- Tequila, Watermelon and Datil Pepper!

Delicious burger with seasoned fries.

Brioche and mushroom bread-pudding with grilled asparagus and a fried egg- YUM!

So, St. Augustine was a blast! The food was amazing!

We enjoy the history, and the restaurant scene is really getting inventive!

Now it's time to head home.

But first....

The Hubs decided to stop by Fort Pulaski on Tybee Island on our way home.

For several years, Mason traveled to Tybee with a group of her beloved girl friends. Each year they would stop at The Crab Shack. 

As it turns out, The Crab Shack is about 3 miles down the road from the Fort.

Outside seating at The Crab Shack.

Our view for lunch.

The Big Kahuna!

Look at this Seafood Platter!!!!!
Clockwise from the top: Sausage, corn, potatoes, mussels, Snow Crab legs, craw-fish, another cluster of Snow Crab legs, Rock Crab legs, and shrimp. (Drawn butter in the center.) 

Well friends, what a week!

We enjoyed our time at the Halloween Party at Disney, and we loved the week in St. Augustine; but what a great surprise to end our trip with a place Mason loved and visited every year.

Coming up next week...

Some fun with a Big Green Egg and a Delicious Fall Menu with Pumpkin Soup!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Be Sure To Follow Us On Facebook!

Brunch, A Beach-Worthy Cocktail & A Little Oasis At The Gulf

Good Morning! 

What should we have for breakfast? How about some Curried Egg Salad on toasted English muffins?!

Easy Curried Egg Salad made a great beach-side brunch!

I found this recipe in the April issue of Coastal Living.

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

1/2 cup of mayo

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

Directions:

1. Hard boil eggs

2. Meanwhile, combine mayo and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl, whisking until smooth. Stir in celery.

3. Peel and chop eggs. Fold into mayo mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

4. Slice and toast 3 English Muffins (Coastal Living chose pumpernickel toast points). Spoon egg salad mixture on 6 slices of English muffins.

After a delicious brunch we decided to head for the beach. 

Summer is a great time to try some light and refreshing cocktails. Our favorite summer drink is a Cava Sangria that we first enjoyed at the Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine, FL. The first Columbia Restaurant was opened in 1905 in Tampa, with 5 subsequent restaurants opening throughout Florida: The Columbia Restaurant 

Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe frequented the Ybor City location.

Cava Sangria (we double it!)

Ingredients: 

1 bottle of Cava
1/2 oz Spanish Brandy
1/2 oz Grand Marinier (or other orange liqueur)
2 Splashes of Sprite
The Juice of 1 Orange & 1 Lime
Simple Syrup (to taste)
Orange, Lime & Maraschino Cherries for garnish

Directions:
In a large pitcher with ice, combine wine, brandy, liqueur, Sprite, juice from 1 orange and 1 lime. Stir and add simple syrup to obtain the desired sweetness. Use remaining orange, lime and cherries as garnish.

Try using a BPA-Free shatter-resistant carafe for picnicking! 

Rather than fill our pitcher with ice (which can water down drinks), we choose to omit the ice and add reusable ice cubes to the carafe to keep our summertime cocktails chilled!

For dinner we opted for The Gulf Restaurant. It was featured in Coastal Living's June issue!

The Building is made of old shipping containers.

Our cozy spot for dinner!

Fried Grouper Sandwich & House-made fries. The Hubs opted for a Margarita, while I chose the Mojito.

This sandwich came with a yummy dill aioli.

"Life is Good" at twilight at The Gulf!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!