It’s been a busy couple of weeks so I have quite a bit to catch up on. First things first – food while we were in Florida!
While in Fort Walton Beach, our hotel was situated right next to The Boardwalk. Now the Boardwalk is ideal when staying on Okaloosa Island on the Gulf coast of Florida. Ideal for businesses and for the convience of tourists. It has everything from restaurants, souvenir shops and some places to check out for night life all under the tiki roofs!
The first night we were there we ate at The Crab Trap. This place is sports bar meets beach hut. Full of oysters, crab and shrimp. I’m not a fan of oysters but the boys seemed to enjoy them quite a bit (by boys I mean grown men). Sy and I basically got the same meal except Sy’s came with some grilled shrimp. The meal was good however I wouldn’t say it was extraordinary. The grilled shrimp had a teryiaki sauce glazed on top. The crab cakes were filled with spice and seasonings and a slightly crispy coating. My only complaint was the waitstaff could have been a little more attentive to the needs of our entire party. We were with a large group, many males, some who liked to flirt with the waitresses. Needless to say, some of the ladies in our party felt slightly ignored. However the food seemed to fit the bill when it came to the price/portion/quality.
The second night happened to be the night of the rehearsal dinner. Again, we walked next door to The Boardwalk and ate at Floyd’s Shrimp House. Now, this is important. I’m going to say with absolute certainty that I had the best shrimp that I have ever eaten at Floyds. Typically, (at least for myself) I wouldn’t think I would find anything “out of this world” at a tourist destination. All I can say is Coco Loco Shrimp is where it’s at. Take a note, you’ll want to try it. The Coco Loco Shrimp is large coconut crusted shrimp which is served with a tropical sweet and sour sauce. Holy moly it was delicious. The coconut crust was just right and crispy with a sweet coconut tang and it felt like it wanted to melt in your mouth. The sweet and spicy sauce tasted like your typical sweet and sour but with a little extra pineapple (maybe) kick that worked just right with the sweetness of the coconut. I took a bite and had to stop a conversation – it was that good. Followed by the person I was speaking with asking to try a bit and he felt the same way, followed by a third person. We all agreed. Delicious. Sy also had the same meal – same reaction. Now if only I could replicate the recipe.
Floyd’s Shrimp House is a little on the more expensive end of the spectrum – around $20 per plate. If you go for the Coco Loco Shrimp – I’m going to tell you right now – it’s worth it.
In additon to the restaurants there are also gift shops and nightlife venues at The Boardwalk. I typically avoid gift shops so I can’t provide any feedback on those but we did check out some nightlife. After we ate at The Crab Trap, we went over to The Swamp. Per their website, they seem to have some bigger artists come thru their doors. The night we happened to be there they just had a local band and somewhat local crowd. One side of the venue was open and facing the ocean so you catch that cool Gulf Coast breeze.
The other venue was called Howl at the Moon, which is a piano bar. If you’ve never been to a piano bar, it’s entertaining. The one that I have been to in Fort Worth consists of two pianos and musicians who take requests, sing songs, get the crowd going and is an all around good time. Since we had dinner next door, our recipts would cover our cover charge. Pretty good deal (considering it would be $10 without it). We almost went in the first night we were there but ended up going to The Swamp. (We actually said we would go back the next night but never did.) I still think we should have that first night. A friend of ours considers himself to be a “ladies man” and it just happened to be Senior Citizen’s night. It could’ve worked out for him!
Overall, The Boardwalk is a good centralized hut for Okaloosa Island. In addition to the businesses, there’s a pier, volleyball nets and I’m sure you would find something for everyone. Plus – there’s the Coco Loco Shrimp that, if you are in the area, you must try out!