Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Friday Shoot-out - Restaurants, Food, Drink, etc.

This week I would like to start out by telling of a personal experience in regard to Friday Shoot-outs and a daughter. In last weeks shoot-out I posted a photo of a flag with a martini glass pictured on it. One of my daughters (left unnamed) called me and said, "Dad, now all of your friends in that club and everybody who goes on your blog will think that you drink and party all the time. I don't want anyone thinking my dad is like that." So, my friends, let me just post this disclaimer. (for her sake)
The content of my shoot-outs are the result of a drinking, partying, fun town and does not come to you as a representation of my lifestyle. My wife and I do party, we do have fun, but we don't drink alcohol. (our choice, but many of our friends do) I won't tell my daughter's name. I'll only give her first initial. It's Traci! Aren't daughters great!

The assignment this week, Restaurants, is overwhelming! There are so many dining establishments in this area that we could visit a new one almost every day of the year. I have chosen to narrow the focus to the tourist center of St. George St. (one block over from last weeks shoot-out focus on Avenida Menendez)

So cruise on over to this foot-traffic only street and enjoy the sites. I have already run off at the mouth enough, so I'll mostly just let the pictures do the talking.

Yep, you can buy these T-shirts at the taverns and shops.





This is the other side of the "Old Grist Mill" fearured in last week's shoot-out. It has a shop downstairs and a restaurant upstairs with live entertainment.







Florida's oldest restaurant.


" The Bunnery" is awsome! Bread, pasteries and great food!





If you enlarge the photo you may be able to see that they serve "gator tail". Almost all significant dining spots have it on the menu.

More from The Bunnery. Sorry, not in sequence.

I did drink some of this, Traci!! If you click on the photo you can see a lizard on the trunk of the tree.

The lighting was awful. This is Barnacle Bills, actually a block or so off St. George St.

If you read the small print you can see the answer to the (Whatzit?).

Bad lighting. It says, "Hellish Relish".
****
Minorcan Clam Chowder
A Manhattan-style chowder with a very important added ingredient, Datil Peppers. Datils are hotter than Jalapeno or Tabasco peppers. The hellish hot taste will light you up for any occasion. The answer to the Whatzit.
Datil Peppers (Dadil means "date")
The Datil is a very hot pepper. They are similar to Habaneros, but have a sweeter, fruitier flavor. Recipes made with Datil Peppers are part of our Minorcan culture.
Datil Peppers are grown throughout the United States and elsewhere, but the majority are produced in St. Augustine. The Minorcan* community in our town use them in many unique recipes. Excerpts - Wikipedia

*It is said that Minorcans, originally from Spain in 1768, came to St. Augustine, fleeing oppression in 1777, from a Florida settlement near present day New Smyrna. Legend has it that they brought the Datil with them and cultivated it in St. Augustine which proved to have an ideal climate for the pepper. Many descendants of that early group of Minorcans still live in St. Augustine today, and still claim Datil Pepper as their own.
Depending on the amount of Datil Pepper consumed, these are the normal human reactions:
1. Lips and forehead break into a sweat.
2. Whole body begins to sweat.
3. Ears begin ringing and subject cannot breathe.
4. All of the above, plus smoke bellows from mouth and ears.
5. Smoke becomes fire. Someone calls fire department.
6. Subject jumps into bay to extinguish flames.
7. After boiling river evaporates, subject yells, through blistered lips, "More Datil Pepper!"
****
I hope that each of you will set a goal of visiting St. Augustine. It is truly unique. Tourists and Florida natives come from many miles away to dine here. I'm sorry I could not show you all of the many, many great restaurants. Maybe I'll be able to include some of them in future posts, as I did last week. Thanks for your tremendous blogs.
Walk With Faith
Bye, Traci!

15 comments:

  1. Yea for daughters, wish I had one but alas I have Grand~girls!!!!

    We don't drink alcohol either but we still party just with a Diet Coke in hand!!

    Your pictures have such vibrant colors. Been to a few of these places and I'm adding a few more to my list!
    See ya in the sunshine! Happy Weekend!

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  2. Gordon, I knew I shouldn't have started first think in the morning without having eaten anything! My tummy's rumbling, so I'm going to break for food and a coffee, and resume my reading/viewing. I like that your town has a pedestrian only area, I always love seeing those parts of town, even if they tend to be rather touristy.

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  3. Another great tour! My favorites are the chowder, of course.

    I did not know that those peppers were native to St. Augustine. I like my peppers hot, though. Really hot! Hellish Relish. Pour it on!

    That little tiki bar is wonderful.

    Gator tails? No thanks.

    Nice shot of the inside of the Bunnery.

    Love the streets shot.

    Thanks for the tour. I feel like "Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again. Oh, babe I hate to go." But St. Augustine is calling me.

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  4. Just so your unnamed daughter knows for sure, I read all of your blog shoot out entries plus some and it never occured to me that you were a drinker - only a fair minded reporter of facts.

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  5. Dad you make me smile and I love you!
    I have enjoyed looking at St. Augustine through your eyes. Brings me home for a few minutes every Friday. Keep the pictures coming.
    Now that I know that everyone else knows more of who you are, I feel soooooo much better. To be honest, I have never met a person that does not like you. So I shouldn't have worried. Just over protective of my daddy!

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  6. Ok I have one question for you Gordon, it's essential, i have to know this:
    What do gator tails taste like and please don't tell me 'just like chicken'
    Great pics, problem is now I'm hungry.

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  7. Oh, no! They taste better than chicken! As you are eating gator tail, you relish in the knowledge that it is one less gator that could eat you. Gator has it's own uniqu taste. Kindof like rattlesnake. Just kidding.
    It does taste a little like chicken, only firmer. I don't like them quite as well as frog legs. Is that as clear as mud?
    Come visit, and we'll go get some. Gordon

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  8. Your daughter is so sweet!

    On the Tedi's Picture (the first one), it really seems like there are loads of tourists who always come and go around St. Augustine! Now since it's summer in here, I want some ice cream too!

    Just looking at all these Restaurants makes my mouth water already, what more if I see the food? Everything is laid out well in St. Augustine!

    Nice information about the Peppers! If I remember it correctly, Habaneros are the hottest Peppers in the world!

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  9. My, my Sir Gordon, I do believe that you've outdone yourself here!! You've perfectty captured the oldworld charm of At. Augustine and it's quaintness. And look at all those flowers blooming and making everything look so tropical and inviting!!
    I'ts just hard for me to chooses which snap is my favorite but I'm going to have to say that Barnacle Bill's is calling my name. We used to have a place named that on Dauphin Island where I grew up so it caught my eye and made me noslalgic.
    I sooooo want one of thoses t-shirts and dude......YAY for you for the shout-out to your daughter. As I was scrolling down to add my comments, I saw her sweet comment. I thought that was the coolest thing ever that she said that you made her smile and that she loved you. Downright warmed my heart friend.
    You're just a joy Papa :)

    Steady On
    Reggie Girl

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  10. What a gret bunch of good looking places.

    Lived in Texas for a while. We went to some event that had a chili eating contest. Everyone would eat one and then some ice creeam to cut the heat - except one big ol' Mexican biker. Ate them like they were candy, one right after the other. Talked to him afterwards - really a nice guy - and he said he has been eating them his whole life. Anyhow, heat is good. And daughters and granddaughters are fabulous. Wives, too.

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  11. For someone just coming off a liquid diet, your restaurants all look enticing!

    I need to catch the next plane to St. Augustine!

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  12. I love that T shirt!
    Thanks for the tour.
    Nothing here in my town except my kitchen.
    I should have blogged that!

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  13. Great pictures of the little shops and taverns in St. George. Looks like a great place to visit!

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  14. Congratulations you captured a lot of different restaurants. I wish I could visit some of them :-) Thanks for sharing your photos. I would love to go to Florida now hahaha

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  15. Reggie has persuaded me to join you all for Friday Shoot-Outs tomorrow. I wanted to familiarize myself with your blog. What great pictures of a place I have visited twice in my life. Makes me kinda hungry to see all these great places!

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