Free Range Friday ~ Niceville Oysters

The on-going search for an oyster bar finally led to a winner, barely 10 minutes from the house.

First, we'd gone to a seafood market where, if we wanted oysters, we could shuck out 45 bucks for a box. A box wasn't really on the agenda and the lovely co-owner of the store agreed. 'Just go to a bar!' she said. We tried that already. Then Robin had a click of synapses and pointed over 'there'. Maybe we'd find what we were looking for 'over there'.

And then we did.

Here is the recipe:

Find Your Dream (food/place/work/play)

Want something really, really bad.
Ask, seek, search.
Give up the frantic part, but keep wanting and working toward it.
There it is.
Sometimes this takes years, sometimes days.
Prep time: Life
Satisfaction time: Life
Serves: Everyone

Doc's Oyster Bar on Tom's Bayou - photo credit - Doc's website

We'd been looking at the newest restaurant in Niceville, water themed with lots of mermaids and lots of excellent menu items. There was a large deck and there, off the deck, below, by the water, was a shacky looking little place. And a sign (not that the looks of the place wasn't already an immediate sign) saying Doc's Oyster Bar. I looked at Robin and said "I want to be THERE!"

It looks like it has been there for ages but it hasn't. Even though it has been made to look like that, it completely works, not in the Disney way but in a way that has you saying, Hey, I don't care if it is new and not old, whoever did this really knows their oyster shacks.

And their oysters.

We paid less for this dozen than the other place's half dozen and the oysters were way up there on the WOW factor. The wine was half price too. If I hadn't been driving...

Robin was having way too much fun with my camera

Oyster bliss face

Missions accomplished! The Turtle propane tank got filled, our bellies and water souls got filled (did I mention I was going to eat my way across the country, in this case, Florida? Did I mention I've gained 10 pounds...so far? Did I mention I enjoyed gaining every one of them? Did I mention it might be time to go home soon before I don't fit on the plane?)

Back at the house, Robin had an attack of 'I have to sew your curtains!' She is a needlewoman from way back and has scads of material from her Mom, who was a Mom to me as well, in the way of Genevieve. While she did that, I played with fire outside. That pretty much sums us up.

Replacing ugly gingham that came with the Turtle with awesome batik-y-ish. Thank you, Genevieve. Thank you, Robin.

Fire!!! I made fire!!!

This afternoon we're heading to Alabama to see an old friend with a horse farm. Or maybe it's a horse farm who has an old friend. Instead of the Turtle, we'll meet our time constraints and zip there in a red convertible. Road trip!! Again.

Have a frolicsome Friday! Do something frisky.