Gulfport Gem

My husband Brad and I recently took my in-laws out to dinner at the Gulfport establishment Backfin Blue. It was one of those "memorable meal" experiences -- mouth-watering food, warm service, and no watch-checking, all while sitting on the back porch watching a storm roll in. Granted we were wearing wine goggles that evening (we went through two bottles for three people, since Brad's mom isn't a drinker), but I think the meal would've held up even if we'd stuck with ice water.

The aforementioned wine was two bottles of Ravenswood Zinfandel for $22 each. Zinfandel has become my go-to red -- not super heavy, so it's fine for sipping sans meal, but with more character than merlots or pinot noirs. The wine list was very affordable with many bottles in the low $20s, going up from there. Yes, you can find Ravenswood for half the price at Total Wine, but when is this not true of a restaurant bottle?

To start, I had the Corn & Crab Soup which was out-of-this-world ooey gooey rich. I probably gained 2.7 pounds eating a bowl, well worth it though. Order this soup. Seriously. The rest of my tablemates ate the fish spread. I only managed to leave my soup for one swipe of the smooth spread before my husband housed the whole plate. He's a man of few words, but I think he recommends it.

Our entrees came with two salad choices. The ladies went with the straightforward Tossed Salad, which hit the spot with its red onion slices. (Why don't restaurants use red onions more? C'mon people!) The more adventurous gentlemen ordered the Artichoke & Tomato, marinated in balsamic vinaigrette. It was too vinegary for my tastes, but the me claimed to love it.

Then came the dinners: two orders of a special combining the Jumbo Lump Crabcakes and the Portobello Imperial, an order of Prime Rib, and Macadamia Nut-Crusted Grouper. (The seafood dishes were all around the $20 range, and the ten-ounce Prime Rib came in at $14.50.) The crabcakes were hearty, made of crab with little filler. The price may seem high compared to crabcakes at other restaurants, but since these guys weren't packed with breadcrumbs or crackers, it's not apples-to-apples. I preferred the straight-up crabcake to its more dolled-up partner sitting atop a portobello and a spoonful of red pepper sauce.

The prime rib was juicy, fatty, and to my eyes appeared much larger than its ten-ounce label. (We all wondered if they kindly guesstimated the weight of the marbling and removed it from the actual weight. This sucker was HUGE.) But the star of the evening was the grouper, expertly cooked to create a buttery flavor without actually tasting like it'd been simmering in a stick of butter, and covered with what looked like an entire can of hand-chopped mac nuts.

I should mention the service as well, since the food makes a restaurant while the service can break it. The waitstaff were excellent and perfectly suited to this restaurant. Casual, friendly, relaxed, yet knowledgeable.

Our bill for two bottles, two apps, and four entrees came to around $140. The prices seems slightly high-ish for our area, but we all went home with plenty of leftovers. One crabcake was a full meal since it's straight meat, and my fellow diners conquered less than half of the prime rib and grouper. With the portions and food quality, the prices are a steal.

If you're looking to save a little cash, check the Creative Loafing Deals section. Under "Bites," we purchased a $30 gift certificate at Backfin Blue for $15 (well, technically it's $17 after the $2 fee). If you're planning on clearing $30 in food charges (any couple dining there will hit this mark easily), then you can save $13 by visiting CL Deals first!

In the changing landscape of Gulfport, Backfin Blue has remained a constant for obvious reasons. With the vistas reminiscent of Old Florida, the charming porch seating, and fresh food prepared with care, this place is the backbone of Gulport's restaurant scene.

I Recommend...

So if my past journals are any indication, I'll post a flurry of information for, say, 3 days, followed by radio silence. I'd better get some info in here while I still remember that I have a blog.

First, I want to recommend a baking website I came across last night. Baking Bites is a site full of delicious recipes. I made the Blueberry Banana Bread last night and just finished a slice (or 3) for breakfast. Super easy, and surprisingly the only oil/butter in the batter is vegetable oil (3 tbsp). There is a cup of sugar in the loaf, but for a breakfast pastry I'd say it's not that bad for you! I can't wait to try more of her recipes.

Also, since I'm moving from St. Pete to Sarasota in less than a month, I wanted to make a list of my favorite 'Burg restaurants.

Z Grille Fun decor, not stuffy at all, way delicious. My favorite things: 1/2 price wine bottles on Mondays; Dr. Pepper Ribs; any deviled eggs (I even liked them with horseradish, and I HATE horseradish); Chicken and Waffles (order them at brunch for half the cost of the dinner version).

Bella Brava Consistently good food, and plenty of deals that make it less insane to eat out all the time. The deals I currently know about: lunches during June and July are buy-one-get-one-free with a FB coupon; 1/2 price wine bottles on Wednesdays (we went to a Wednesday lunch and got the BOGO lunch AND 1/2 price wine); every third Monday of the month, all food is 1/2 off at dinner.

Tangelo's I really really love their Veggie Burger, and I'm not a Veggie Burger kind of girl.

Red Mesa Cantina Gorgeous outdoor patio with a fountain in the center. I especially love their brunches. They're delicious and pretty affordable -- I think everything on the brunch menu is under $10, and you can get a mimosa (OJ, pomegranate, etc.) for $3! I usually get the Sweet Potato Pancakes since I'm rarely in the mood for burritos before 5 pm.

Whistle Stop Okay, technically this place is in Safety Harbor, but it's effing amazing. It's completely outdoors, they use grass-fed locally raised beef for their burgers, and they have live music on weekends that's actually not obnoxious. (Most live music at restaurants is way too loud in my opinion, but theirs is just right.) Anything with pork seems to be great -- love the BBQ Pork Sandwich (with Sweet Potato Fries, natch) and the Shredded Pork Tacos.

Kahwa I'm pretty whatever about coffee (if it has caffeine I'm all set), but the coffee is amazing at Kahwa. Any food I've had there has been great -- yogurt parfait, and some sort of tomato/basil/mozzerella sandwich.

Those are the places that immediately come to mind. I'm going to truly miss downtown St. Pete, but hopefully in a few months I will have discovered a new set of places to love in SRQ.

Hello!

I have to admit that this is my first attempt at blogging. The whole idea of blogging seems... narcissistic to me. But it's "what the kids are doing these days," so I'm giving it a shot!

I wouldn't technically call myself a foodie -- I'm no expert -- but I do LOVE eating good food. I'm all about trying new restaurants, and when I'm feeling motivated I'll even cook a little.

I wanted to have some sort of cohesion for this blog, and I'm certainly more qualified to write on other topics, but since this is just for funsies I went the epicurean route. Hope you enjoy!